Goals

Those who complete this course will be able to

• List common GIS tasks and identify which ArcGIS Desktop application is used for each task.
• Understand what the geodatabase offers for GIS data storage.
• Create and edit geodatabase features.
• Control the appearance and display of data layers in ArcMap.
• Classify and symbolize map data.
• Label map features.
• Change the coordinate system and map projection used to display a dataset.
• Access feature information in tables and control table display properties.
• Query and analyze GIS data.
• Create presentation-quality maps and graphs.

• Investigating geographic data: How geographic data is stored; Vector and raster data; Geodatabase basics and advantages; Shapefiles; Coverages; CAD data; Managing data in ArcCatalog; Displaying data in ArcMap; ArcMap basics; Data and layers.
• Managing map layers: Zooming to layers; Bookmarks; Display windows; Scale ranges; Group layers; Selection layers; Layer files; Creating hyperlinks.Symbolizing categorical data: Symbology; Choosing symbology; Types of symbols (marker, line, fill); Creating symbols.
• Symbolizing quantitative data: Symbology options (graduated colors, graduated symbols, proportional symbols, dot density, charts); Classification methods (Natural Breaks, Equal Interval, Quantile, Manual); Excluding data from a classification; Rendering raster data.
• Labeling map features: Label placement for different feature types (points, lines, polygons); Label symbology; Controlling label display using scale range and SQL query; Label classes; Label expressions; Label ranks and weights; What is annotation?; Geodatabase annotation; Map annotation.
• Using coordinate systems and map projections: What is a coordinate system?; Geographic coordinate systems; Datums; Projected coordinate systems; Map projections; Feature classes and coordinate systems; Data frames and coordinate systems; Geographic transformations; Working with an unknown coordinate system; Projecting data; Defining a projection.
• Making a map layout: Working in layout view; Tools for arranging map elements; Data frame properties for layouts; Adding legends, scale bars, and other map elements; Exporting maps; Working with map templates.
• Managing tables: Table structure; Layer attribute tables; Nonspatial tables; Getting information from tables; Field properties; Table appearance; Creating graphs and reports; Connecting tables using joins and relates; Cardinality.
• Editing features and attributes: Reasons to edit data; Working with the Editor toolbar; Edit sketches; Common editing tools; Edit tasks; Snapping to features while editing; Editing attributes; Calculating values for geometry fields; Working with coincident geometry in a map topology; Typical editing workflow.
• Creating geodatabases and feature classes: Types of geodatabases; Geodatabase organization; Feature class organization; Feature class properties and attributes; Metadata; Creating, viewing, and editing metadata; Importing and exporting metadata; Creating features in a new feature class.
• Getting locations from attributes: Adding x,y coordinate data; Finding places and addresses; Finding routes and nearby places; Geocoding; Geocoding components (address table, address locator, reference data); Address matching overview; Geocoding workflow; Reference data sources.
• Solving spatial problems with query and analysis: GIS analysis basics; Typical analysis workflow; Common analysis operations (attribute and spatial queries, clipping data from layers, buffering features, overlaying features); Overview of geoprocessing; Analysis results.
• Customizing ArcGIS Desktop: Why customize the interface?; Customize dialog box; Locating commands; Adding new toolbars, commands, and menus; Saving customizations; Saving to a template; Storing templates.