lecture 2: introduction to the architecture of arc gis by austin troy university of vermont...

Lecture 2:Introduction to the Architecture of

Arc GIS

By Austin TroyUniversity of Vermont

------Using GIS--Introduction to GIS

© 2005 by Austin Troy. All rights reserved

What is Arc GIS?•Arc GIS Desktop is a software product from ESRI

•It comes in three versions:

•ArcView-basic

•Arc Editor -intermediate

•Arc Info-most functionality, but most $$$

•We are using Arc Info

•With each step up, you have more versatility in terms of tools of analysis and the types of data you can view, edit and analyze.

Introduction to GIS


Components of Arc GIS•All installation levels of Arc GIS come with:

•Arc Map (now includes toolbox in Arc 9.0)

•Arc Catalog

•The Arc Info installation also comes with Arc Info Workstation, Arc Reader, Arc Objects Developer Tools and Arc Scene

Introduction to GIS


Components of Arc GIS•How do you access these?

•Go to the start menu>>programs>>ArcGIS and you’ll see all the components you have access to

Introduction to GIS


Arc Catalog•for organizing and managing spatial and tabular data

Introduction to GIS


Arc Catalog• This button allows you to connect to a local folder or a network place

•In this course, all data and work will be stored on your Zoo account.

•In lab we’ll learn to “map a network” drive to your Zoo account, so it looks no different from saving to your local machine. This will be your Z drive.

Introduction to GIS


Arc Catalog•Once you’ve mapped your network drive, you can open an Arc Catalog connection to it

Introduction to GIS

•Once you’ve mapped your network drive, you can open an Arc Catalog connection to it, or to a subfolder in it


Arc Catalog•For instance, here are the contents of my nr143 folder on my Zoo account, which I made a connection to:

Introduction to GIS


Arc Catalog•Now I can preview my files, view information about all the data layers in a particular folder, like here where I have data related to lab 4.

•There are five types of data shown here

Introduction to GIS

Geodatabase

Tabular dataShapefile

Arc Map Project file

Coverage


Data types•What do these different data types refer to?

•Shapefile: native file format for the old ArcView; perhaps the most common spatial data format

•Coverage: native file format for old ArcInfo 7.x Is not a file, but a complex directory structure

• Dbase/tabular data: non-spatial data table that can be used in a GIS, spreadsheet or database--.dbf

•Map document: This is like a project file—it stores your map view and preferences in Arc GIS; we’ll get into this later

Introduction to GIS


Data types•Geodatabase: This is ArcGIS’s new data model for storing geographic information

•It can contain any number of layers within it, known as “feature classes.” Shapefile have only one feature class

•As an example, here is a geodatabase with three layers, as seen in Arc Catalog

Introduction to GIS


Geodatabase•In a geodatabase, features classes can either be stand alone, as in the last slide, or part of a “feature data set,” which is a thematic grouping of layers

•Here we have a geodatabase with two “feature data sets”—one for land resources and one for water

Introduction to GIS

Feature data sets

Feature classes


Geodatabase•In a geodatabase there are features classes for points, lines and areas (polygons) as well as for rasters (surfaces), annotation (labels) and dimensions

Introduction to GIS

Annotation class: stores info about displaying labels on a map layer; important for roads and utilities

Polygon, or area feature class

Line, or arc feature class


Geodatabase•Geodatabases offer numerous advantages:

•Multiple spatial layers and non-spatial data sources can be stored in a single file and organized thematically

•Rules can be easily defined that can apply to all classes

•These rules can include relationships between layers

•For instance if you have one subclass with water lines and one with water valves, you can ensure that if you move a water line, the water valve that connects that line will move as well, or it ensures that, say, if the material attribute for a water line is set to copper, the water valves that connect to it will also be copper

Introduction to GIS


Geodatabase•Other advantages:

•Spatial layers maintain the same measurement and geographic reference systems, because new layers added to the geodatabase can “inherent” properties of existing ones

•Labeling “behavior” can be stored as an annotation feature class, making it easier to keep labels consistent

•“Domains” can be established, which specify the valid ranges of values for attributes, which reduces input error.

Introduction to GIS


Geodatabase•Types: Personal or multiple user

•We will use personal geodatabases. These are actually Microsoft Access files with the .MDB file extension. The “back end” of the geodatabase can be opened in Access, but it can only be viewed spatially in Arc GIS

•With Access you can edit and query attribute tables and manage relationships between feature classes with all the functionality of a relational database management system

•A multi-user (SDE) geodatabase is for organizations that wish to have many people accessing the same database. These are used with enterprise database systems, like Oracle, Informix or SQL Server

Introduction to GIS


Geodatabase•View of a personal geodatabase in Access

Introduction to GIS


Arc Catalog: data management•Arc Catalog is where you can create and modify geodatabases.

Introduction to GIS

•You can create new feature classes, tables or relationship classes within a geodatabase

•You can also import existing shapefiles or coverages into a geodatabase or export a feature class to a shapefile


Arc Catalog: data management•Through right clicking, you can access the properties of a feature subclass and make changes to fields for the feature class’ attribute table

Introduction to GIS


Arc Catalog: Online data•Arc Catalog also allows you to access some data directly from the Internet

•It comes preloaded with a connection to the Geography Network, where many layers are available through the Arc Internet Map Server (IMS) service ; other Internet connections can be added

Introduction to GIS


Arc Catalog: Online data•Geography network data:

Introduction to GIS


Arc Catalog:Functionality•Arc Catalog allows you to preview geographic data, including geodatabase feature classes

Introduction to GIS

Use these buttons to zoom and pan


Arc Catalog:Functionality•You can also preview online data sets, like those from the geography network

Introduction to GIS


Arc Catalog:Functionality…and you can preview and browse tabular attribute data

Introduction to GIS


Arc Catalog: Functionality•You can also get “metadata,” or data about the data (we’ll go into this more later in the semester)

Introduction to GIS

Arc Catalog standardizes this information and allows you to import and export metadata between layers


Arc Map•While Arc Catalog is where you’ll do most of your data management, Arc Map is where you’ll do most of your mapping and visualization of spatial data

•This is the default upper tool and menu bar

Introduction to GIS

Add new layer

Zoom tools Zoom to full extent

Select feature

Find feature

measure

Change map’s display scale (zoom factor)


Arc Map: overlaying data•Using the add data button, you can overlay any number of layers for which geographic reference information exists.

Introduction to GIS


Arc Map: overlaying data•The window on the left side of Arc Map is the Table of Contents, where loaded layers are listed

•There are 2 mode for the TOC: display and source

Introduction to GIS

Display: note that it gives a symbol for the feature type

Source mode: can see that the first 3 layers are from 1 geodatabase and the fourth is from a stand alone file


Arc Map: properties•You can access many functions by right clicking on the layer in the TOC.

Introduction to GIS

•This is the easiest way to access the attribute table of a layer

•You can also access layer properties by double clicking on that layer: much functionality is found there


Arc Map: Attribute tables•You can access, edit and query attribute tables from a special interface

Introduction to GIS


Arc Map: Layouts•Arc Map can view in two modes:

•data view: for viewing, analyzing and manipulating data

•layout view: for laying out data for presentation

Introduction to GIS


Arc Map: Measurement Units •Two of the most important properties are Map and Display units. Where the Map units are already set (because reference info exists) they will be “grayed out” but display units are still changeable.

Introduction to GIS

When the units are unknown to the system (reference info not embedded in the file) you’ll see:

This turns into guesswork


Arc Map: Units•Once you’ve set display units, future geographic measurement functions should be in those units, even if they’re different from the Map units; however, this does not apply to non-spatial attribute values

•If you use the ruler tool for instance, measurements will be in the selected Display units at the bottom of the page

Introduction to GIS


Arc Map: Scale•What is scale?? Translation factor between one unit on the map and same unit in the real world

•Arc Map allows you to view what scale you’re looking at, but take it with a grain of salt because of differences in monitors.

•Every time you rezoom, it recalculates scale, but can also change scale to rezoom

Introduction to GIS

1 inch is 1.98 million inches in real world


Arc Map: Scale

•USA

Introduction to GIS


Arc Map: Scale•Washington State

Introduction to GIS


Arc Map: Scale•Clark County, Washington

Introduction to GIS


Arc Map: Scale•Clark County, Washington—highway interchange

Introduction to GIS


Arc Map: Extensions•Arc Map has optional extensions, some of which cost money. We have most of them installed.

•Activate by going to Tools>>extensions

Introduction to GIS

Each extension has a different purpose. 3D analyst allows modeling of 3D data, Spatial analyst allows modeling of continuous surfaces, geostatistical analyst further increases surface modeling capability and X tools is a general tool box


Arc Map: toolbars•When you load Arc Map it defaults to a state with a minimum of toolbars. You can add more toolbars representing more functionality, including extensions from the view menu.

Introduction to GIS


Arc Toolbox

Introduction to GIS

•Has many analysis, conversion, data management, and visualization tools

•Used to be a separate interface, now part of ArcMap


Arc Scene•Primarily for view 3D data

Introduction to GIS

lecture 2: introduction to the architecture of arc gis by austin troy university of vermont...

Documents

architecture of arc

arc gis desktop

gis slide

arc reader

rights reserved arc

arc scene introduction

arc catalog connection

arc catalog intro