UNBC GEOG300 Introduction to ArcGIS Ping Bai 2014 ~ 1 ~ Topics Introduction to GIS software 0. Fire History Exercise 1. Introduction to ArcMap 2. The order of data layers 3. Tools in ArcMap 4. Symbolization in ArcMap 5. Data Frame Properties 6. Layout View 7. Placing Ancillary information 8. Saving the map file 9. Viewing data in ArcCatalog 10. Connecting to data source 11. Zoom, Pan, and Identity 12. Managing data with ArcCatalog Login and Getting Started Before doing any work in GIS lab, make sure you have a GIS user account setup. For this course, we use Linux system as the client machine to connect window terminal server to run ArcGIS software. To login into the lab computer, use your UNBC UNI credentials. It might take a while to load system. Once logged in, you should see some application icons listed on the desktop. If this is your first time to use GIS lab, you probably do not have these icons. If this is the case, logout from the computer (lower left corner) and then login again, the icons should show up on the desktop. Starting Window Terminal Server (Osmotar) The software we will use for this course is ArcGIS running on terminal server. We need to connect to Osmotar terminal server. Find the icon Osmotar – Terminal Server on your desktop and click it. This will establish a remote desktop connection to Window Terminal Server OSMOTAR. A window will pop up to allow you to login to window environment. Click your username to login. If your username is not showing, click Other User. Login with your UNBC UNI account If you have problems to login, consult your lab instructor. In OSMOTAR terminal server window Click Start-> Computer. Here you will find local drives and network drives. The following network drives are important. Network Drives Description Usage K: GISFS2-username Your home directory for files and data storage (full access) L: GISFS2-Home GIS file storage home for all users and labs (read only) N: Ninkasi-Home Old GIS file server and will be removed soon
14
Embed
Introduction to GIS softwaregis.unbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/lab1intro.pdf · UNBC GEOG300 Introduction to ArcGIS ... ntroduction to GIS software 0. Fire History Exercise 1.
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
UNBC GEOG300 Introduction to ArcGIS
Ping Bai 2014 ~ 1 ~
Topics
Introduction to GIS software
0. Fire History Exercise
1. Introduction to ArcMap
2. The order of data layers
3. Tools in ArcMap
4. Symbolization in ArcMap
5. Data Frame Properties
6. Layout View
7. Placing Ancillary information
8. Saving the map file
9. Viewing data in ArcCatalog
10. Connecting to data source
11. Zoom, Pan, and Identity
12. Managing data with ArcCatalog
Login and Getting Started
Before doing any work in GIS lab, make sure you have a GIS user account setup.
For this course, we use Linux system as the client machine to connect window terminal server to run ArcGIS
software.
To login into the lab computer, use your UNBC UNI credentials. It might take a while to load system.
Once logged in, you should see some application icons listed on the desktop. If this is your first time to use
GIS lab, you probably do not have these icons. If this is the case, logout from the computer (lower left
corner) and then login again, the icons should show up on the desktop.
Starting Window Terminal Server (Osmotar)
The software we will use for this course is ArcGIS running on terminal server. We need to connect to Osmotar
terminal server.
Find the icon Osmotar – Terminal Server on your desktop and click it. This will establish a remote desktop
connection to Window Terminal Server OSMOTAR.
A window will pop up to allow you to login to window environment. Click your username to login. If your
username is not showing, click Other User.
Login with your UNBC UNI account
If you have problems to login, consult your lab instructor.
In OSMOTAR terminal server window
Click Start-> Computer. Here you will find local drives and network drives. The following network
drives are important.
Network Drives Description Usage
K: GISFS2-username Your home directory for files and data storage (full access)
L: GISFS2-Home GIS file storage home for all users and labs (read only)
N: Ninkasi-Home Old GIS file server and will be removed soon
UNBC GEOG300 Introduction to ArcGIS
Ping Bai 2014 ~ 2 ~
K drive is the user's home directory with full access. You will save everything created from this course
here
L drive is the home for all users. The folder "labs" on L drive holds all lab data for the courses running in
GIS lab. This drive is ready only. NOTE: Do NOT save anything to C drive and your desktop. C drive is cleaned up periodically
0. Fire History Exercise I have prepared a map with all the analysis required to display the cause of wildfire ignition from 1917 to
2013. Step by step instructions are provided to give you a short experience with the ArcMap program before you dive
into more technical detail.
Open the map document named “Fire History Exercise.mxd” in L:nthompso\G300. Your job is to correct the
symbolization and labeling to make it clear which fires were started by people and which were started by lightning.
You do not need to pass anything in, just show me before you leave. I have listed the steps to correct the big issues,
most of which are program defaults you will have to change to display your analysis clearly.
Problem: Fire records are not symbolized (no distinction between human and lightning ignition)
Solution: Double click “1917-2013 Fires” in the table of contents>Symbology tab (1)>Categories (2)>Value Field
“FIRE_CAUSE” (3), button “Add All Values” (4)> Apply (5). Select colors that are logical and visually distinct.
Also, right click on one of the color swatches and click “properties for all symbols.” Turn the outline width to 0.00.
This will speed the drawing of the map and make the finished product look cleaner (in this case).
1 2 3
5
4
UNBC GEOG300 Introduction to ArcGIS
Ping Bai 2014 ~ 3 ~
Problem: The red fire polygons are visually dominating because the colors is strong
Solution: Right click “1917-2013 Fires” in the Table of Contents, select Properties>Display>Transparent (set to 30%)
You may also select colors that are less strong, but red is a very intuitive color for fire
Problem: Highways are hard to see
Solution: Click on the line under “Provincial Highways” and increase the width to 1.5 or more, to your taste
Problem: Scale bar lists 40 and 80 kilometer marks, which are not very useful
Solution: Click and drag to expand the scale bar, making it longer until it gives 50 and 100 km distances
Problem: Roads layer intersected by lakes and rivers.
Solution: Click and drag the “roads and layers” group above lakes and rivers in the table of contents.
Problem: City labels are too small
Solution: Double-click “BC_Towns” layer>Labels>Text Symbol (currently size 8, change to 10-12)
Problem: Cities in Locator Map are not labeled
Solution: Right click on “Three Cities” layer, select “Label Features”
Data are organized in the Table of Contents in about the same way as I do for my own work in Forestry research. If
you are curious about why something is the way it is, or how I made it that way, please ask. [email protected]
How to become an Arc expert in three easy steps:
1. Right click it and see what happens
2. Learn how the “search for tools” tool works in ArcMap