Working with GIS:

Introduction to ArcGIS
 In preparation for the first lab, you will:

Be briefly introduced to the ArcGIS

product family of ArcView, ArcEditor,
and ArcInfo;
learn the fundamental differences in
functionality between them;
learn about the basic functionality of
ArcCatalog, ArcMap, and ArcToolbox,
which we will use in Lab 1 and all
subsequent labs.
 Overview of ArcGIS

ArcGIS is a comprehensive,
integrated, scalable system designed
to meet the needs of a wide range of
GIS users. The three desktop GIS
components of ArcGIS are:
ArcView
ArcEditor
ArcInfo
 Depending on your requirements, you
may employ one or a combination of the
ArcGIS components across your network.
With all three ArcGIS components, you
can view databases managed by ArcSDE,
but it's only with ArcEditor and ArcInfo
that you can write to such databases.

(ArcSDE is a client/server software program that enables

spatial data to be stored, managed, and quickly retrieved
from leading commercial database management systems
(DBMS).)
 All three ArcGIS components are built
from the same core technology.

ArcView includes ArcCatalog, ArcMap, and

ArcToolbox, which allow you to browse, manage,
analyze, edit, and document your data.
ArcEditor has all the functionality of ArcView plus
powerful tools for editing shapefiles and
geodatabases.
ArcInfo provides the most functionality and
includes all of the capabilities of ArcEditor plus
additional geoprocessing tools and a full version
of ArcInfo Workstation (comprised of ARC,
ArcEdit, ArcPlot, INFO, and ARC Macro Language
or AML).
In this class, we will be working with some of the
components in ArcView 8
 ArcView 8 is a powerful GIS data
visualization, query, analysis, and map
creation solution designed for Microsoft
Windows NT/2000. It provides interactive
tools for exploring, selecting,
displaying, editing, analyzing,
symbolizing, and classifying data as
well as for automatically creating,
updating, and managing metadata.
ArcView 8 includes ArcCatalog, ArcMap,
and ArcToolbox.
 More details:
Additionally, ArcView is "Web-enabled." This
means you can dynamically browse and retrieve
geographic data available on the World Wide
Web. ArcView's File menu has a direct connection
to the Geography Network.
Because it is built on COM (Component Object
Model) technology, you can customize ArcView 8
either by writing macros in Visual Basic for
Applications (included with ArcView) or by
creating extensions using standard development
environments like Visual Basic, C++, and Delphi.
 ArcView 8 works with all core ArcGIS software products,
including ArcSDE and ArcIMS. It also works with all new
ArcGIS extension products, including:

Spatial Analyst
ArcView 3D Analyst
ArcPress
Geostatistical Analyst
StreetMap
 With ArcView8 you can:
explore, display, and query spatial data
access a comprehensive suite of editing tools for shapefiles
and perform simple feature editing on personal
geodatabases
perform geoprocessing operations
create presentation-quality maps with a comprehensive
suite of cartographic tools and wizards
create reports and sophisticated two- and three-
dimensional graphs
perform layer-level projection (including imagery)
create and manage annotation
view maps from the Internet
import data from and export data to a variety of common
formats
Other ESRI GIS products
 ArcEditor
ArcEditor is the intermediate ArcGIS application
it provides more functionality than ArcView but
less than ArcInfoand is designed for
organizations that employ an enterprise GIS
system. As its name implies, ArcEditor adds
significant editing functionality to the GIS
enterprise.
An example of how ArcEditor fits into a GIS
enterprise solution would be an organization that
has one ArcInfo seat and ArcSDE, a relational
database management system (RDBMS), a small
staff of geodatabase editors using ArcEditor, and
many staff querying and viewing the geodatabase
using ArcView.
 ArcEditor contains all of the functionality
of ArcView plus additional functionality for
editing shapefiles and geodatabases. With
ArcEditor, you can create and update
databases and database schema for
personal and enterprise geodatabases.
You can also perform advanced
geodatabase editing, such as adding and
modifying feature behavior, relationships,
and rules. Of course, you also have a
complete set of mapping and data query
tools.
 ArcInfo
ArcInfo is the most powerful and
functionally rich application in the ArcGIS
product family. In addition to all the
functionality included in ArcView and
ArcEditor, ArcInfo includes a complete
ArcToolbox application and a full version of
ArcInfo Workstation (ARC, ArcEdit,
ArcPlot, AML, and all extensions). ArcInfo
is the complete GIS data creation, update,
query, mapping, and analysis system.
 With ArcInfo, you have open access to
data processing functions so that you can
integrate ArcInfo with other applications.
Because ArcMap and ArcCatalog are based
on COM (Component Object Model)
technology, you can model the diversity
and complexity of real-world features and
concepts by assigning rules and behaviors
to objects.
The Applications we are going to be working with include
ArcCatalog, ArcMap, and ArcToolbox

People typically interact with a GIS through data, maps, and tools.
 ArcCatalog
Think of ArcCatalog as a window into your
database. In ArcCatalog, you can browse,
organize, distribute, and document your GIS
data. ArcCatalog resembles the Microsoft
Windows Explorer but is designed for viewing
geographic databases, maps, and metadata.
To access data on your computer's hard drives or
your local network, you click the Connect to
Folder button and navigate to the data.
ArcCatalog also includes a Database Connections
dialog to help you access ArcSDE and OLE DB
databases.
 The collection of
connections you set up to
your geographic data is
called the Catalog. The
Catalog Tree gives you
access to all of the
Catalog's contents. In the
ArcCatalog window shown
here, the Catalog Tree is
on the left side.
 Inside ArcCatalog there are
three tabs, each of which
provides a unique way to
view the contents of a
selected item in the
Catalog Tree. The Contents
tab shows you a list of the
selected item's contents.
The Preview tab lets you
see the data (both
geographic and tabular)
contained in the selected
item. The Metadata tab
gives you access to
documentation about the
selected item.
 There are different ways to preview geographic
data. You can create thumbnail images of your
data to display it graphically, or you can display it
with large icons, with small icons in list view, or
in details view which displays small icons and the
data's properties.
It is important to keep records of your GIS data
inventory. You may need information about the
data's accuracy or how a set of measurements
was collected. An item's metadata includes this
type of documentation, along with many
properties derived from the data automatically.
ArcCatalog provides metadata editors, which you
can use to create, edit, and view metadata.
 ArcMap
ArcMap is the application you use to view and
edit geographic data and create professional-
quality maps, graphs, and reports.
A map is the fundamental component you work
with in ArcMap. Maps help you visualize
geographic data by showing you where things are
and what they look like. You can drag and drop
data from ArcCatalog directly into ArcMap. When
you want to work with a map, open ArcCatalog,
find the desired map document, and simply drag
it onto the ArcMap display area.
 Geographic information is
displayed on a map as layers,
where each layer represents a
particular type of feature. In
ArcMap, the Table of Contents
lists all the layers shown on the
map. By default, the Table of
Contents is located on the left
side of the ArcMap application
window, but you can move it to a
different position if you like. The
order of layers within the Table of
Contents is important; the layers
at the top of the Table of
Contents draw on top of the
layers below them. Thus, you
should put the layers that form
the background of your map,
such as the ocean, at the bottom
of the Table of Contents.
 Sometimes, however, just looking
at a map isn't enough. You need
to find specific information about
features on the map to solve
problems. In ArcMap, just by
pointing and clicking on features,
you can find out what they are
and access the information about
them that's contained in the
database.
ArcMap makes it easy to design
maps for printing, embedding in
other documents, or publishing
electronically. For some data,
other presentation methods are
more effective than a map.
Graphs and reports can show at a
glance the information of interest.
ArcMap provides many options for
creating sophisticated graphs and
reports.
 ArcToolbox
ArcToolbox is the application you use to
perform advanced GIS analysis tasks and
sophisticated geographic data processing
jobs, like projecting your data or creating
and integrating a variety of data formats
into usable GIS databases. If you've
identified the datasets you want to work
with in ArcCatalog you can drag and drop
them into ArcToolbox or you can use
ArcToolbox's browse functions to locate
the datasets you want to use.
 Using the Add a Custom Tool wizard, you can add your own
custom tools to ArcToolbox. The tools you create must have a .exe
or .dll extension.
ArcInfo's ArcToolbox contains a more extensive set of tools (over
140) compared to the ArcToolbox included with ArcView and
ArcEditor. With ArcInfo's ArcToolbox, you can convert virtually all
major spatial data formats. You can generate and maintain
topology; join, clip, and split map sheets, and use advanced
modeling tools. It also provides wizard interfaces for complex
tasks like data conversion, overlay processing, buffer creation,
projection, and map transformation.
ArcInfo's ArcToolbox provides a link to ArcInfo Workstation's ARC,
ArcEdit, and ArcPlot because it seamlessly accesses their
functionality through the Open Development Environment (ODE).
This also allows ArcInfo users to execute existing AML programs in
addition to system executables and DLL files.
 HELP!! HJELP!! AYUDA! HILFE!
Learning a new software product can be
frustrating without useful online documentation.
ArcGIS online help provides comprehensive
explanations of procedures, tools, buttons, and
commands.
 The ArcGIS Desktop Help
consists of a help viewer with
two panes: a navigation pane
(on the left) and a topic pane
(on the right). The navigation
pane has four tabs: Contents,
Index, Search, and Favorites.
The topic pane is for viewing
help topics.
 Clicking the Contents tab displays the Table of Contents for
help topics. You can see general topics and how they are
organized.
Clicking the Index tab allows you to search through the
index for topics by entering one or more keywords, such as
"Layer" or "Table."
Clicking the Search tab allows you to find every help topic
containing a word or phrase that you specify, whether the
word or phrase is in the index or not (of course, it will take
longer if it's not in the index).
Clicking the Favorites tab allows you to create a
personalized list of favorite help topics. The list is saved and
appears each time you open the help system.
 Clicking on a topic in the Contents tab opens that
topic in the topic pane on the right. In the Index,
Search, and Favorites tabs, clicking the Display
button opens the selected topic.
In ArcCatalog, ArcMap, and ArcToolbox, button
and tool names are displayed when you move the
mouse over them (these are called tool tips).
Additionally, you can click the What's This?
button, then click a button or tool to access
additional help about it (this is called context-
sensitive help).