EXPLORING ARCGIS

CONTENTS

1. GEOREFERENCING OF TOPOSHEET 9
INTRODUCTION TO ARCGIS
A geographic information system (GIS) is a collection of hardware,
software, g eographicdata, and p ersonnel designed to create, store, edit,
m anipulate, analyze and display geog raphically referenced information.

ARCGIS DESKTOP SOFTWARE SUITE

ArcGIS Desktop is accessed using one of three software licenses with

varying levels of functionality:
ArcView - provides com prehensive mapp ing and analysis tools with
sim ple editing and geoprocessing capabilities

ArcEditor - provides all ArcView functions + advanced editing

capabilities

ArcInfo - provides all ArcEditor functions + advanced g eoprocessing

and data
m anag ement tools

APPLICATIONS

ArcGIS Desktop includes two m ain applications: ArcCatalog and ArcMap .

ArcCatalog - used to organize and manage your GIS data. It also allows
you to previewdatasets and view and m anage m etadata.
ArcMap - used to view, edit, and analyze sp atial d ata and create m aps.

ArcScene - ArcScene provides the interface for viewing m ultiple layers of

3D data, visualizing 3D data on a 2D surface data, creating 3D surfaces,
analyzing 3D surfaces

ArcToolbox is a component of ArcCatalog , ArcMap and ArcScene. It

contains tools for geoprocessing, data conversion, and defining map
projections.
EXTENSIONS

The ArcGIS Desk top ex tensions provid e you with additional GIS
functionality. Most ex tensions are optional products that are registered
or licensed individ ually. A suite of optional ex tensions is available for
ArcGIS Desktop, ad ding capabilit ies for raster analysis, three- dim ensional
visualization, advanced map printing, and so on.

COMMON TERMINOLOGY
Point: a single location having an X, Y (and sometimes, a Z) position
(point features have no area and no length)

Line : a series of connecting X, Y positions (line features have length, but

no area)
Polygon: one or more connecting lines that form a single spatial feature
(polygon features have both area and perim eter)

Attribute Table: a table (m uch lik e a spreadsheet) that contains

inform ation about, and is linked to, spatial features. Each spatial feature
has one associated record (row) in the attribute table

COMMON GIS DATA STRUCTURES

 Vector: In a vector data structure, geog raphic features (such as
wells, roads, national p ark s, etc.) are represented by points, lines,
and polyg ons that are d efined by a set or sets of [X,Y] coordinates.
 Raster: In a raster d ata structure, sp atial data are stored in a two
dim ensional matrix , m uch like a check erb oard . Each raster, or cell,
contains a value.

USING ARCMAP
ArcMap is the ArcGIS application that you use to d isplay, query, edit,
create, and analyze geographic data.
LAUNCH ARCMAP
ArcMap can be launched independently or from ArcCatalog. Use one of
the following m ethods to launch ArcMap with “A new empty m ap” now:
1. You m ay launch ArcMap by clicking Start > Programs > ArcGIS >
ArcMap. Whenprompted, select A new empty map.

2. To launch ArcMap from ArcCatalog, click on the ArcMap icon on

the standardtoolbar, then select a new empty map.

THE ARCMAP INTERFACE

Key com ponents of the ArcMap interface are:

 The title bar, menu bar, and toolbars;

 Two sid e- by- side windows: the Table of Contents and the m ap
display window;
 The status bar.

The Title Bar at the top of the ArcMap window d isplays the name of the
m ap document.
The Menu Bar, located just below the Title Ba contains a series of menu
items: File, Edit, View, Insert, Selection, Tools, Window, and Help.

Tit le bar

Menu bar

Clicking on a m enu item opens a dropdown m enu with num erous

options. To select an option on the dropdown m enu, click and release the
m ouse button on the option.
ArcMap includ es a variety of Toolbars. Click on the View m enu item and
select Toolbars to see all of the toolbars that are availab le to you. A check
m ark nex t to the toolbar nam e indicates that it is visible. For now, be
sure that the Standard Toolbar and the Tools Toolbar are turned on, as
shown b elow:

The Standard Toolbar contains buttons that give you fast and easy access
to m any of the Menu Bar options. Click on the button to ex ecute a
particular operation.

The Tools Toolbar includ es tools that allow you to interact with the data
displayed in the m ap display window to carry out specific tasks. Typically,
the pointer chang es when a tool is used.
ArcMap provid es a num ber of other toolbars, such as:
Draw - for drawing graphics and adding tex t
Editor – for editing spatial data
Layout – for working with layouts
Effects – for altering the display of spatial data

You can access the toolbars list without using the View menu by right- clicking any
toolbar or the statusbar. To quickly hide or turn off a toolbar, click its Close button.

The Status Bar, located at the bot tom of the ArcMap window, g ives
inform ation about the function of a button or a tool when pointed over it.
The status bar also displays the coordinate position of the m ouse pointer

The Table of Contents, located on the left side of the ArcMap window,
lists all of the layers that you have added to your m ap and shows the
symbols that are used to represent the features in each data layer. The
check b ox nex t to each layer nam e indicates whether it is currently
displayed in the map display window to the rig ht of the Table of Contents
(i.e., whether it is turned on or turned off). The order of layers within the
Tab le of Contents is also im portant. Each data layer represents a specific
type of feature such as Boundaries, Villages, Water Bodies, Road, Rail,
Power Lines etc.

ADD AND REMOVE DATA LAYERS

To illustrate basic features of the ArcMap interface, add a shapefile and a
TIFF image to your “new empty” ArcMap m ap docum ent, as follows:

1. Click the Add Data button on the standard toolbar. In the Add Data
dialog,navigate to X:\ Exercise folder, hig hlight india_ds.shp or

india_raod.shp, and click the Add button. Notice that the respective
data layer is added to the Layers data frame in the Tab le of Contents.
2. Use the sam e procedures to add a Toposheet, DDN_53j1 6.jpg located
in X:\ Exercise2\ folder, to your m ap. For now, click OK to bypass the
Spatial Reference warning window that pops up.
3. To rem ove a data layer, right- click on the nam e of the layer in the
Table of Contents window and select Remove from the contex t menu that
appears.

Pan cont rol

Zoom in Zoom out control

4. Panning : Panning tool is used to move within data (Left, Right, Up,
Down) without changing its ex tent.

5. Zooming : It is used to Zoom In and Zoom Out the im age on map.

CHANGING SYMBOLOGICAL LOOK OF THE LAYERS

ArcMap provides m any tools to aid in the display of layers. With these
tools, you can make attractive m ap s but, m ore importantly, the tools
allow you to ex plore and analyze the data in the layer in a wide variety of
ways.
ArcMap displays the layer using system - d efined defaults. However, these
defaults can be adjusted. An overall color schem e can be selected from a
set of p redefined color schem es, or the color schem e can be changed
interactively.
Select India_St layer, rig ht- click on the layer name in the

Tab le of Contents, and choose Properties at the bottom of the m enu.

Click the Symbology tab at the top of the dialog wind ow.
Select Categories on the left and select Unique values as the Category
type to display. The Layer Properties window should now look like this:



Under Value Field, use the drop down list to select the STATE field .

Under the Symbol field, uncheck the < all other values> symbol and then
press the Add All Values b utton at the bottom of the wind ow area. All of
the values from the STATE field will b e ad ded. The Layer Prop erties
dialog should now look like this:
Click OK and view the results in the map d isp lay.
DATA VIEW AND LAYOUT VIEW

ArcMap provides two different ways to view a m ap: data view and layout
view. Data view is used when you want to browse, edit, and/ or analyze
the geographic data on your m ap.
Layout view is used to prepare finished maps for printing, presenting and
publishing maps.
To switch b etween data and layout views:

1. Click the View m enu item and select either Data View or Layout View
from the contex t menu that appears.

2. Alternatively, you can use the Data View and Layout View buttons
located in the lower left portion of the view wind ow to switch b etween
these two views.
3. When you switch to Layout View, the Layout toolbar is autom atically
added to the ArcMap window. These tools allow you to zoom in and out,
pan, and zoom to set ex tents

Georeferencing of Topo Sheet

1. Open Notep ad and key in the four corners of the Toposheet (in Deg ree
Decim al) bas shown below.

2. Save the file in the desired folder for e.g. X:\ Ex ercise Data with any
nam e like DDN_53j16.txt

3. Then Open Arc Map software.

Click on Start - > All Programs - > Arc Gis - > Arc Map

4. Click on “A new empty map” as shown below. Then Click OK button.

5. In Arc map window Click on Tools  Add XY Data…as shown below.
6. Click on Browse button and ad d the file created in notepad before as
shown b elow.
 Click on Browse
button
and add the Notepad
file created before.

7. Then Click on Edit Button to add Co- ordinate system as Spatial

Reference Properties window opens as shown below.
8. On this window Click on Select  Geographic Coordinate Systems 
Asia Everest - India and Nepal.prj and Click on Add Button.

9. The Co- ordinate system is added as shown in ab ove image. Then Click
on Apply- > OK - > OK - > OK button. The Points are plotted in Arc Map
Window as shown below.
10. The Point fram e is ready as shown above. But this point file is in
Geograp hic Coordinate System . If you want it to be changed into
Projected Coord inate system follow the steps g iven below.
11. Right Click on Layers in Table of Contents on the Left side of Arc Map
Window. Then Click on Properties…. as shown below.
12. Data Frame Properties window open. Click on Coordinate System Tab.
Then Click on New  Projected Coordinate System… as shown b elow.
13. A “New Projected Coordinate System ” window opens as shown below.
13 a) Fill the Details as: -
• Name – Polyconic
• False Easting – 100000
• False Northing – 100 000
• Central Merid ian – 72.87 5
• Latitude of Origin – 24 .6 25
• Linear Units – meters
• Geographic Coordinate System
• Click on the Select button :- Browse for Coordinate System
Window appears
• Select Asia – Everest – India Nepal.p rj
• Click Add - > Finish.

14 . To complete the task of converting Geographic to Projected we have to do

transformation. For that click on Transformations... button as shown below.
 New

15. The Click on New - > OK - > OK - > Apply - > OK. Transform ation is
completed.
16. Now your point file has b een transform ed to Polyconic Coordinate
system and has to be exported into a shape file.
17. Rig ht click in Table of Contents on the point file created.
DDN_5 3j16 .tx t Events.- > Data - > Export Data as shown b elow.
18. An Export Data window opens as shown below.
19. In this window click on “the data frame” and give the file nam e and
the desired path as shown above and click OK - > Yes button.
20. The file is now added to your Tab le of Contents as shown below.
Rem ove the old file by Right Click on the old file and click on Remove.

21. Now we will add the Toposheet on which Georeferencing has to be

done. Click on Add button in Arc Map window and add the Raster file
where ever placed in the system.
22. For geo- referencing we have to open two toolbars (EDITOR &
GEOREFERENCING) for that rig ht click on above side of Arc m ap window
and switch on the desired toolb ar as shown b elow.
23. Place the toolbars in Arc Map window accord ing to your wish.
24. To m ak e the Toposheet visible Click on Georeferencing button - > Fit
to display as shown below.
25. The toposheet will get added as shown below.
26. For better accuracy we have to enable Snapping function with the
controls points file. For that click on Editor button - > Start Editing as
shown b elow.

27. Then again click on Editor Button - > Snapping button. A new window
open in which you have to check on the Vertex for enable editing as
shown b elow

Close

Vertex Button then

Close this snapping
toolbar
28. Now as the Snapping is Enabled it will give you better accuracy while
add ing link points.
29. Click on Add control point button. First place a point on Toposheet
and then snap the correspond ing point feature.

30. Add all the four points and then click on Georeferencing toolbar 
Recify button as shown below.
31. As you click on Rectify button a new wind ow op ens as shown below.

32. In this window set the following: Output Location, Name & Format
(TIFF) and click on Save button. Leave the rest of the setting as default.

33. Your toposheet has b een georeferenced .