Chapter 2

Introducing ArcGIS

Learning objectives
Name the ArcGIS Desktop applications used for general mapping and
data management
Briefly describe some ArcGIS extensions
Know the components of the ArcGIS platform
Browse through Esri® data sources

In ArcGIS Desktop, you can query data; analyze spatial relationships, such as
distance, intersection, and containment among map features; and overlay
layers to discover how different types of data are interrelated at a particular
location.
You can also create and edit data with a complete set of drawing and
editing tools. Multiple users can take advantage of versioned data
capabilities, allowing more than one person to edit data simultaneously. You
can also check data out of a database, edit it in the field, and then check it
back in.
Additionally, ArcGIS Desktop offers a full set of spatial analysis tools to
perform advanced GIS data analysis, modeling, and data conversion. It also
provides high-end cartographic tools and advanced capabilities for data
translation, creation, and conversion of a wide range of spatial file formats.
Applications and tools
ArcGIS Desktop comprises several applications in which you will do your
work. The ArcMap and ArcCatalog applications are the most frequently used.
The ArcScene and ArcGlobe applications are used for three-dimensional
(3D) visualization. Core ArcGIS Desktop geoprocessing tools are available
through the ArcToolbox window and the ModelBuilder application, which
are accessible from both ArcMap and ArcCatalog.

ArcGIS Desktop applications

GIS tasks can be broadly divided into two categories: (1) mapmaking,
editing, and spatial analysis; and (2) database design and data management.
This division of tasks is reflected in the functionalities of the ArcMap and
ArcCatalog applications, the core components of ArcGIS Desktop.
ArcMap is the ArcGIS application for making maps and analyzing data.
ArcMap has a data view for creating, symbolizing, and analyzing maps. Map from the Florida
Geographic Data Library, courtesy of the University of Florida GeoPlan Center.

ArcMap has a layout view for composing maps to be printed. You can add a title, scale bar,
legend, and other elements. Map from the Florida Geographic Data Library, courtesy of the
University of Florida GeoPlan Center.

ArcCatalog is the ArcGIS application for data management.

In ArcCatalog, left, you can organize, browse through, document, and search for spatial data.
ArcCatalog also has tools for building and managing GIS databases. Although there is a
separate ArcCatalog application, the Catalog window in ArcMap, right, can meet most of your
data organization needs. Data from the Florida Geographic Data Library, courtesy of the
University of Florida GeoPlan Center.

ArcGIS Desktop also offers two 3D visualization environments:

ArcScene and ArcGlobe. ArcScene allows you to view your GIS data in three
dimensions. ArcGlobe, part of the ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension (discussed
later in this section), creates seamless visualizations of raster and vector
features and can display them at varying levels of detail. The data is
organized into image tiles and can be saved to system memory (the cache)
for quick display and navigation.

THE ARCGIS PRO APPLICATION

ArcGIS Desktop users will notice an additional application included
with the Desktop suite: ArcGIS Pro. ArcGIS Pro is an all-in-one
product for GIS professionals who want to display, create, analyze,
and share both 2D and 3D geospatial data. It is built using new
system architecture that improves performance, and it offers a new
interface and modern user experience.

The ArcGIS Pro mapping application has an intuitive interface and the ability to display
data in two and three dimensions, simultaneously. Data from Data and Maps for ArcGIS
2010, courtesy of ArcUSA, US Census, Esri (Pop2010). Basemap sources: Esri, HERE,
DeLorme, TomTom, Intermap, increment P Corp., GEBCO, USGS, FAO, NPS,
NRCAN, GeoBase, IGN, Kadaster NL, Ordnance Survey, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China
(Hong Kong), swisstopo, MapmyIndia, © OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS
User Community.

In ArcGIS Pro, all of your work and data are organized into projects
(.aprx). A project contains maps, layouts, layers, tables, tasks,
tools, and connections to servers, databases, folders, and styles.
Existing Esri file formats such as map documents (.mxd), scenes
(.sxd), and globes (.3dd) can be imported into ArcGIS Pro. Projects
are not backward compatible with ArcMap; however, the data used
by the application can be accessed by ArcMap through the
geodatabase created by ArcGIS Pro. Services published using
ArcGIS Pro can be used and shared with ArcMap.
This book focuses on the ArcMap and ArcCatalog applications of
 ArcGIS Desktop. If you want to see how ArcGIS Pro compares to
ArcMap, see Getting to Know ArcGIS Pro by Esri Press (2016).

ArcGIS Desktop tools

Although ArcMap has many geoprocessing tools that are accessible through
menus and various toolbars, the ArcToolbox window contains a collection of
geoprocessing tools, models, and scripts organized in one interface. When
you run a geoprocessing tool from ArcToolbox, a dialog box appears that
contains parameters for you to specify. Unlike ArcMap and ArcCatalog,
which are stand-alone applications, ArcToolbox must be started from within
one of these two applications.

ArcToolbox includes a collection of geoprocessing tools, models, and scripts. Here, the
Extract toolset is highlighted.

ModelBuilder helps you create models to solve spatial analysis problems.

You can use the ModelBuilder interface to organize the inputs, tools, and
outputs needed to perform geospatial analysis. You can use ModelBuilder to
string together geoprocessing tools from ArcToolbox to create a model to
perform a complex workflow with a single click.
ModelBuilder can be used to create models to automate geoprocessing tasks.

Extending ArcGIS Desktop functionality

The extension products that are fully integrated with ArcGIS Desktop add
increased functionality and capabilities. These specialized tools allow you to
perform tasks such as raster geoprocessing, 3D analysis, and map publishing.
Nine ArcGIS Desktop extensions are available with the trial software that
comes with this book (available on the Esri Press Book Resources website,
esripress.esri.com/bookresources). Three commonly used extensions are
described below. The ArcGIS Spatial Analyst extension is used in chapter 20
of this book. You can explore the other extensions on your own by using the
online Help and tutorials.
ArcGIS Spatial Analyst is primarily used for raster analysis, or for
deriving from vector input a raster output in which each cell stores a relevant
value. For instance, you can create slope and aspect layers from an elevation
raster, or perform density analysis on input points or lines. You can also
estimate values at unmeasured locations by mathematical interpolation of
known sample values, and analyze groundwater and hydrology data, among
other things.
ArcGIS 3D Analyst gives you the ability to see spatial data in three
dimensions. You can “fly through” terrain and examine it from any height or
angle. You can model cities and neighborhoods by drawing buildings at their
correct heights. Analysis tools let you solve visibility, volume, and downhill
path problems: Which areas can be seen from the mountaintop? Can tower 1
be seen from tower 2? How much earth is in the hill? Which course will
water follow down a surface? Some geoprocessing tools are found in both the
3D Analyst and the Spatial Analyst toolboxes, but if you are using 3D
Analyst you are able to model solutions in a 3D space.
ArcGIS Network Analyst provides network-based transportation spatial
analysis tools to map fleet routing, travel directions, closest facility, service
areas, and location allocation (determining optimal location sites). You can
dynamically model realistic network conditions, including one-way streets,
turn and height restrictions, speed limits, and variable travel speeds based on
traffic data. You can easily build transportation networks from your existing
GIS data and use it to define service areas based on travel time and distance.

The ArcGIS platform

ArcGIS Desktop is just one part of the ArcGIS platform which also includes
ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS for Developers, and ArcGIS
Apps.

ArcGIS Enterprise
ArcGIS Enterprise is used to build web services that deliver maps, apps, and
information—such as driving directions or retail locations—over the internet.
ArcGIS Enterprise brings GIS to people who may have no GIS software
themselves.
ArcGIS Enterprise is also designed for cloud computing, a rapidly
emerging technology that allows you to use a cloud provider’s computing
infrastructure instead of your own. With cloud computing, you get the same
capabilities for managing and delivering GIS services and applications as you
do when you run ArcGIS Enterprise at an actual physical location.

ArcGIS Online
ArcGIS Online is a family of cloud-based web apps and resources that
enhance and extend the ArcGIS user experience. Using ArcGIS Online
(http://www.arcgis.com), you can create maps; access libraries of ready-to-
use maps; store and manage maps, data, and other geospatial content;
perform spatial analytics; purchase maps and data from vendors; and share
your content with others. ArcGIS Online content and sharing capabilities are
fully integrated into ArcGIS Desktop. You can search for and add data from
the cloud, as well as upload map and layer packages that you create using
either ArcGIS Desktop or ArcGIS Enterprise.

ArcGIS for Developers and ArcGIS apps

ArcGIS for Developers is used when building custom solutions. A suite of
developer tools can be used to extend and configure existing ArcGIS
applications or build and configure custom apps.
You can use ArcGIS apps on desktops, smartphones, and tablets to
navigate maps, collect and report data, and perform GIS analysis. The
Collector for ArcGIS app uses Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities
to capture, edit, and display spatial data. It helps field staff who may have no
GIS experience easily collect data that can then be shared through ArcGIS
Online and ArcGIS Enterprise. You can browse through map galleries from
ArcGIS Online, leverage hundreds of ready-to-use apps specific to your
industry, and get apps through the ArcGIS Marketplace developed by
providers.

Esri data
What is software without high-quality data? In addition to extensive location
data (country and state boundaries, major cities, lakes, rivers, streets, etc.),
Esri provides you with comprehensive demographic, lifestyle segmentation,
consumer spending, and business data and delivers this data in a variety of
ways.
Esri demographic data includes census data and demographic projections
you can use to gain valuable insights about population changes and trends
that can affect planning and business decisions.
Tapestry™, Esri’s segmentation data, classifies US neighborhoods into
65 segments based on their socioeconomic and demographic composition,
which can help you analyze markets, profile customers, evaluate competitors,
and more.
Esri consumer data provides insight on consumer spending, market
potential, and supply and demand of the retail marketplace. It allows you to
accurately assess what products and services consumers want versus what
they actually buy.
Esri business data provides business locations by industry, bank
locations, major retail shopping centers, traffic counts, and crime statistics.
Esri data is also offered in other ways. ArcGIS Online Map Service and
StreetMap Premium for ArcGIS deliver basemaps, reference and specialty
maps, and enhanced street datasets that facilitate geocoding (finding street
addresses based on geographic location), routing, and high-quality
cartographic display for the entire United States, Canada, and Europe.
ArcGIS Online World Imagery map service provides one meter or better
satellite and aerial imagery coverage for many areas of the world.
Data and Maps for ArcGIS is a set of annual map data that is included
with ArcGIS software and is preconfigured to work with ArcGIS products.
In this book, you will learn the basics of ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS
Online. To find out more about ArcGIS Desktop extensions, Esri data,
ArcGIS Online, and the rest of the ArcGIS platform, visit the Esri website at
http://www.esri.com.

Terms
ArcMap
ArcCatalog
tiles
cache
ArcGIS Pro
projects
cloud computing
GPS
Part 2
Getting started with maps and data