Chapter 2- managing GIS Data

Different how?
• Sometimes very large
• Often shared by multiple users
• Many sources, many file types
• Sometimes local, sometimes
served
• Don’t always follow latest file
conventions
• Formats can be complicated
 Organizing GIS Data
• Use organized folders
• Be aware of where you are saving
– The default location is not a good place!
• Name files with descriptive names
– snailhabitat, not rastercalc1
 Use folders
• Store data on the C:\drive
– NOT the Desktop
– NOT in your user folder
• Develop an organizational
system and USE it
• Separate working folders from
permanent data
• Put downloads in separate
folders when assembling data
 Naming conventions
• NEVER use spaces in folder names. Ever.
• Use letters, numbers, or underscore only
• Keep folder names short: ~8-15 characters
– Not a requirement, but a good practice
 Important
• Although Windows permits spaces in file and
folder names, in GIS they are a BAD IDEA.
• They often work, but sometimes a certain
program or function will fail if it encounters a
space in a folder name.
• Real GIS users FLINCH when they see spaces
anywhere in folder/file names—even when
they’re allowed!
File extensions
• A 3-4 letter code that
designates the file type
– .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .mxd,
.tif, .png, .jpg
• Change computer settings
to make these visible
• Very helpful when
downloading and importing
data sets
Lots of data out there, but how to
find it?
• ArcGIS Online (not all downloadable)
• State and federal government sites
• GIS Clearinghouses (store metadata)
• University/research organizations
• Some is great, some is worthless
Geo.data.gov
 Searching
• Search in your favorite search engine for:
– topic + GIS
– topic + shapefile
– topic + e00
– placename + GIS
– placename + shapefile
– placename + e00
 Searching
• Try some of the clearinghouse sites
• http://nationalmap.gov
• http://geo.data.gov
• http://www.cdc.gov/gis/data.htm
• http://data.geocomm.com/
• Keep notes when you find a good site
 Challenges
• Every site is different
• Many kinds of data formats
• Not all sites work as advertised
• Not all data downloads are valuable
• You need to develop a lot of general
computer savvy
• You need to be willing to try, fail, explore,
invent, search, learn
 Zipping
• Many data sets are zipped and
must be extracted before
ArcGIS can use them
• Several zip utilities available
– I like 7-zip and it is free
– Download one and learn to use it
 Source scale
• Data come at many
scales
• Need to find data at a
suitable scale for your
project

The purple, orange and black lines

represent source scales of 1:25 million,
1:5 million, and 1:50,000, respectively.
 Available scales
• Small scale data (world, country, state) are
relatively easy to find over large areas
• Large scale base data down to 1:24,000
common in the United States
• Very large scale data (parcels) are difficult to
find and very localized
• Specialized data (geology) typically only at
small scales or localized special areas
 Metadata
• Data about the data!

•Contains information
about data needed to
understand the data and
evaluate its quality
• Should be provided with
every data set distributed
to the public
• May be stored as part of
the data set or in a
separate file
 Metadata
• Useful for assessing
the quality (fitness for
a given purpose)
• Always look on web
sites—it may be a
separate download
than the GIS data
• Download it and keep
with the data
 Metadata styles
• Item Description
– Brief set of attributes
– Quick to create
– Default style
Item
• Standards-based Description

metadata
– Extended information
– Must set the metadata
style to see it
 To see more metadata
Set the metadata style in Customize > ArcMap Options.
Use FGDC or North American Profile for most US data.
 Document downloads
• Update the
metadata if you
have changed
the data set
• I like to put the
source citation
in the metadata
credits so I
know where it
came from
 Map documents and data frames
The map document
•Stores collections of data for
viewing and analysis
•Contains one or more data
frames
•Stores properties for each
layer (symbols, etc)
•Stores a page layout for
printing
•Stores references to files--
not the actual data C:\mgisdata\usa\states.shp
GIS data are often shared…
Map docs and data files
Files on disk

Points to data

• Same data can be used by

many map documents
• Edits made in one document
appear in ALL
• Shipping map document
without its data is useless
• Changing locations of
document or data can cause
problems
Data sources for layers

• Listed in Source tab

• Stored as pathname
Pathnames
Absolute paths always start
at the top of the data tree

C:\mgisdata\usa\states.shp

Relative paths start at the

location of the map document

..\usa\states.shp
.. Means go up
one level
 Broken data links
C:\mgisdata\usa\supersites.shp ??
Occur when a map
document cannot find
data using the stored
pathname because:
D:\mgisdata\usa\supersites
•Data were moved or deleted
•Drive is not available
•Map document copied to
different computer
•Data not sent with map
 When to use…
• Absolute paths • Relative paths
– Data placed on central – When you plan to keep
server for access by data with its map
many documents and move
– Data will not be moved them together as a set
or rearranged – When you want to
– You want to be able to distribute maps/data to
transfer map docs other organizations
without transferring
data also
Which type of pathname
will still work if you…
 File locks
• Programs place “locks” on files they use.
• Other programs cannot modify a locked file.
• To remove a lock, close the program using it.
• ArcGIS doesn’t always recognize when a lock
has been removed
• Save, close ArcMap, and reopen to get rid of
most file lock problems
• Reboot computer as last resort
The ArcCatalog Interface

Menu/tool bars

Folder tree Display

window
 Connecting to folders
• Shortcuts to frequently used folders or servers
• Must be added for drives other than C:\
 Three view tabs

Contents Preview Description

 Contents tab Large icons

List

Details

Thumbnails

Viewing mode
 Description tab

• User can view

metadata to evaluate
data quality
•User can create, edit,
import, or export
metadata
 Preview tab- Geography
Tools

Zoom In
Zoom Out
Pan
Full Extent
Previous/Next Extent
Identify
Create Thumbnail
Preview tab – Table
 File Properties
Right-click file name
The Catalog window
• Provides access to
ArcCatalog functions
within ArcMap
• Helps avoid file lock
issues
Catalog window
• Access to most
ArcCatalog functions
within ArcMap
The Catalog window
Open it here

Right-click to
manage
Previewing in the Catalog window

Preview data
and metadata
 Warning!
• ArcCatalog and the Catalog window make
permanent changes to stored files.
• They don’t warn you that they are doing so.
• They don’t have an “Undo” button.
• Be very careful when working in the Catalog.
Know the difference!

Table of Contents
• Contains layers and
properties
• Changes affect the
map display only

Catalog window
• Manages files
and folders
• Changes are
permanent
 Assembling a geodatabase-
Creating items
• Most items can be
created by right- Right-click a folder
clicking the Right-click a
appropriate geodatabase
container and
choosing the item
• Type in name while
it is still selected
and press enter
 Assembling a geodatabase
• Decide on coordinate system to use
• Search/download/find data sets
• Import to geodatabase format
– Subset if needed using a query or clip
– Project to coordinate system during or after
import
• Update metadata
 Import/export
• Same operation, only
direction changes
• Import coverages,
shapefiles, rasters,
other feature classes
• Other formats might
need conversion first
(e00, CAD)
 Using ArcCatalog to export
• Right-click the
feature class to be
exported
• Save in your
geodatabase
• Enter query to select
subset of features
(optional)
 Using ArcToolbox to export
• Open Feature Class
to Feature Class tool
• Fill out as before

(same tool)
Using a query during export
The Clip tool

Use Clip to extract major roads

within New Jersey
 Changing the coordinate system
• If needed, use the
Environments button
on the tool to set the
desired output
coordinate system
 Using ArcMap to export
• See what you are selecting with the query
• Convert the projection when exporting
 1. Set the coordinate system
1. Set the data frame
to the output
coordinate system
chosen for the new
geodatabase

Note: There are many different

datum folders in the State Plane
folder. Usually we choose the
ordinary NAD 1983 datum.
 2. Add the data set
2. Add the data set
you want to export
to the map.

Rotated because
the coordinate
system is set for
New Jersey
 3. Query the table
3. Query the table
(optional) to select a
subset of the
features
 4. Export the data set
4. Export the
(selected) features
using the coordinate
system of the data
frame.
5. Save in your
geodatabase
 ArcToolbox features
• Hundreds of functions organized
into toolsets
• Expandable by purchasing
extensions.
• Runs in ArcMap or ArcCatalog
• Many functions in the toolbox are
not accessible from the menus
and toolbars.
• Create custom toolsets with your
favorite tools
• Create your own tools
 Using a tool
Error tips

Double-click

Access info
and Help
 Searching for tools
• Search window
• Find tools Hover for
description
based on name
Click to
or keyword open tool

See where
tool lives
 Background processing
• Lets you keep working
while a tool runs, BUT
• Slower
• Confusing
• Crashes more
• Turn it off!
 Using ESRI Data & Maps
• Comes free as DVDs/Downloads
with purchase of ArcGIS
• Contact your administrator to
find it
• Encourage its placement on a
central file server
• Use the metadata to learn more
about each data set and
evaluate whether it is suitable
for what you want to do
 Contents

Spatial data containers

Feature classes for
exporting or adding to
ArcMap.

Layer files
Pre-symbolized
layers for adding to
maps.
Redistribution rights
• Data from many sources
• Licensed to Esri customers
• Static map view and printouts
may be freely distributed
• Many data sets cannot be
given to others
• Consult Help to learn which
before giving copies to anyone
• Cite sources on maps

ESRI Data and Maps (2013) [Download].

Esri, Inc., Redlands, CA.