Tutorial 1 Getting Started

7/29/2019 Tutorial 1 Getting Started

1/7

1

Tutorial 1: Getting Started Opening a Project, Screen Layout, Adding Data, Savingyour work

Tutorial content:How do I start a new GIS project?How do I open an existing project?

What is the basic layout of the ArcMap screen?How do I add data to a project?What are the different types of data that can be included in a GIS and how are they different?How do I save my work?

Opening ArcGIS on the Managed Desktop

Please note there are two different procedures for opening ArcGIS depending on whether the program hasbeen accessed before on the particular computer you are using.

If ArcGIS has already been used before on the computer you are using, the program will be accessible underPrograms. Click on the Start button in the bottom left hand corner of the screen. Go to Programs, then ArcGIS,then select ArcMap (as shown in the figure below).

If there is no option for ArcGIS under Programs, you will need to install the software.

To do this, click on Start in the bottom left corner of the desktop. Select Load Applications Menus. Let theApplications run. Then click on Start again. Go to Applications, select Utilities and click the option InstallArcView92 (as shown in the window below).

Please note it will take approximately 20 minutes for the program to be installed. Once installed, you should beable to open ArcMap as above, by clicking Start, selecting Programs, ArcGIS and then ArcMap.


2/7

2

Once ArcMap has been accessed, the following window will appear:

Starting a New Project

To open a new map document with an empty view frame (no data), select the bullet next to A new empty map(the default selection). Then select OK. For this tutorial, create a new project.


3/7

3

Opening an Existing Project

To open an existing project, you would select the bullet next to An existing map. Double-click Browse forMaps . . .. Navigate to the map folder using the Look in drop-down window. Double-click on the relevant .mxdfile to open the project.

Basic Screen Layout

Once you have selected a new empty map, the basic ArcMap application window will open. The windowconsists of a map display area, a table of contents (which will list the data layers shown in the display area, oncethese have been added), and a number of toolbars for working on the display map and undertaking analysis.

Title bar Menu barTable of ContentsScale windowTool barsMap display

Menu bar: A series of drop-down menus can be accessed by clicking on each word.

Toolbars: To find out what an icon button does, hover over it with our mouse cursor and a label will appear. Thereare more toolbars which can be accessed by right-clicking in the menu bar or toolbar area and selecting from thedrop-down menu which appears.

Table of Contents: The table of contents acts as a legend/key and enables you to control and make changes tothe layers or themes (data) in your map project.

Map display area: The area of the screen where the map project is displayed.


4/7

4

Adding Data

After opening a project, it is possible to add data (also known as layers or themes). A Geographical Information

System (GIS) can integrate and display data of many types and formats, the most common being:

Vector data co-ordinate information that represents points, lines and areas (polygons)

Raster/Bitmap data Grid or image data which can include everything from street maps, historic mapsand plans, to aerial photographs and satellite images

Attribute data database and table information that is spatially related, either by a co-ordinate or by

being associated with a shape (such as a line or polygon)

To add data, click the Add Data shortcut button.

Add Data can also be found in the File menu.

The Add Data window will appear:

To navigate to the drive where your data is saved (in this case your U: drive), click on the Connect to Folder

button in the Add Data window.

The Connect to Folder window will appear. Navigate to and select to your data folder GIS Tutorial Data folder

on your U:Drive and then click OK.


5/7

5

After navigating to your data folder GIS Tutorial Data Folder 1 (on your U: drive), you need to select the datafiles you wish to add. Select the files by clicking on them, then click Add.

To select multiple files from the same folder hold down the shift or Ctrl keys, whilst clicking on the relevant files.

The added layers will appear in the table of contents.

Use this method to Select and Add the following files from you GIS Tutorial Data Folder 1:

Vector Data

All files in folder GIS OS files in folder Edina OS data download

Dtmloxley in folder Edina Digital Terrain. Please note: a warning window might appear on screenstating Unknown Spatial Reference. This warning appears to be a software problem in ArcMap withsome data layers. Press OK, in this case the spatial reference will be recognised and the data willdisplay correctly.

Vector layers use co-ordinate information to represent points, lines and polygons (areas). We are now going toadd some raster data to our map project. Raster data is grid or image data and can include everything from streetmaps, historic maps and plans, to aerial photographs and satellite images. Unlike vector layers (points, lines,polygons), raster layers are solid meaning you cannot see through them.

OS map data Crown Copyright/database right 2009. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service.


6/7

6

Raster Data

Raster-50k-sk28.tif from folder Edina Raster map. This is an Edina 1:50,000 scale OS plan.

Now add these other raster files:

40sk28ne.tif and 40sk38nw from folder HistoricMap1893-1894 in folder Edina Historic maps

000.tif in folder Aerial 56 in folder Cities Revealed 2002 Aerial Photos. When you add this data file awindow will appear asking Would you like to create pyramids?. Click

on Yes. Building the pyramids enables the aerial photograph toregenerate more quickly when zooming in and out and moving aroundthe map display.

Please note there are other aerial photographs in folders Aerial 57, Aerial 66, Aerial 67, which can also be addedand more historic maps from different periods in the folder Edina Historic maps.




7/7

7

Saving your Work

To save the project, click on File in the top menu bar, then selectSave. Navigate to the drive and folder you want to save the project in.You might want to create a new folder. In this case a new folderProjects has been created using the Create New Folder icon.

Name the map project in the text box File name: and click Save.ArcMap will save the map document as a .mxd file. In this case theproject has been named Tutorial.mxd

Once you have named and saved your map project, the file name should be shownin the top left corner of the ArcMap window.

You can now close the project. Click File in the top menu bar, then select Exit.

Important: Saving work in GIS

Please note the map document (.mxd file) does not store the actual map data in it. The .mxd file only savesinformation about where the individual map data is stored (which drive and folder on the computer) and how that

information should be displayed.

To open the map project and for all the data to be displayed it is necessary that all the data files are retained intheir original directories. If the route to a data file is changed (for example if the file is moved to a different driveon the computer or even a different folder within the same drive) it will not be found by the .mxd file and will notbe able to be displayed in the project window.

In order to understand this point, it might help to look at the Source tab at thebottom of the table of contents. Click on Source

It is now possible to see where the individual data layersare saved on the computer and location from which ArcMapis reading those files.

You might need to make the table of contents wider to seethe full pathname. To do this, click on the edge of the tableof contents and drag to the right.

Tutorial 1 Getting Started

Documents

Transcript of Tutorial 1 Getting Started