Spring 2011, GEOG 478/578

Department of Geography, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701

LAB 1: HOW TO CREATE MAPS USING DESKTOP AND ONLINE GIS

Due Date: Fri, 04/08/11 Total Points: 80

LAB OBJECTIVES A GIS should support three main functionalities: Database Management, Analysis and Visualization. In this lab you will learn how to visualize and query explore spatial data, appreciate the importance of map scale and projections, and finally make maps and print them out in presentable form. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Getting familiar with ArcGIS 9.3 suite of software. Layer based map analysis. Learning how to query digital geographic data. Learning about tools that facilitate automated map design Making and printing layouts of maps. Making online GIS maps using map services.

OBJECTIVE 1: GETTING FAMILIAR WITH DESKTOP ARCGIS 9.3

ArcGIS Desktop is a software suite of three applications. ArcMap is an application for displaying, editing, querying, and map based analysis geographic data. ArcMap is the application for visualizing spatial data and creating maps. ArcCatalog is an application designed to organize, preview, and document spatial data, which are stored using complex file storage methods, and, therefore, require special tools to be marshaled together and be presented in a unified manner to users. ArcToolBox is essentially a graphical user interface (GUI) designed to logically organize and expose all the analytical functions and their parameters available within ArcGIS (ESRI uses the term geoprocessing to refer to spatial analysis with ArcToolBox). Without ArcToolBox, you would have to look up all the functions, understand their parameters and invoke them as commands in text form. ArcToolBox also allows you to build models and scripts to automate workflows. Tutorial 1: Exploring ArcMap The first part of this lab involves completing a self-paced, but completely self-explanatory tutorial that will give you a power-introduction to ArcGIS 9.3. No previous background with ArcGIS is required to complete these tutorials. (Students with prior experience with this tutorial can skip and proceed to the next section directly). Your task is to complete all sections of the tutorial. The instructions are available in the accompanying PDF file. This tutorial is focused on mapping and exploring geographic data. By the end you should be familiar with ArcMap and the tool it affords for mapping and map based data exploration. Students familiar with this tutorial can skip it. There are no points for completing this tutorial. No map should be printed after completion. (NOTE: The tutorial was designed by ESRI for ArcGIS 9.0. You will be using ArcGIS 9.3, which has undergone slight cosmetic changes. Hence, use your common sense to proceed if you find the tutorial images or steps do not exactly translate to the current version).
1

Spring 2011, GEOG 478/578

Department of Geography, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701

OBJECTIVE 2: DESKTOP MAPPING USING ONLINE GIS BASEMAPS

(20)

Thus far, you have relied on mapping with datasets that are available on the local computer. However, modern web-mapping has made it possible to stream base maps over the internet from remote dat and map servers. The map services can be used not just in ArcGIS but in other software systems as well. In this section, you will use ArcMap 9.3 to overlay local shapefile format data on the base maps and create maps in the Layout view. The first step is to make a connection to an online mapping service which will allow you to add several basemap layers such as high resolution imagery, street maps and topographic maps to the desktop GIS application, ArcMap. This is similar to having the power of Google imagery and street maps within the ArcGIS mapping and analysis framework. Note that the online map layers will not be visible unless internet connection is available. 1. First, you should quickly read the metadata that describes the map services available from ESRI. Go to http://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services. 2. Now, you are ready to actually consume these services in a client software application such as ArcMap. But first, just as you need to first make a connection to a data drive, you will need to use ArcCatalog, to connect to this virtual drive. In the left pane of ArcCatalog, double click GIS Servers, and select Add ArcGIS Server. Make sure the default option for Use GIS Services is selected and click Next to bring up the next menu. Make sure that the Internet radio button option is selected and then for the Server URL type in: http://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/services, and then click Finish. 3. You have now made a virtual connection to the ESRI GIS server that host several free map services. Under the GIS Servers drive, you should now see arcgis on services.arcgisonline.com as a new connection. Double click that connection to reveal a number of map services. These should correspond to the list you examined earlier in step 1. Now, you can actually visualize these map services in ArcMap, not just read about them! You can add any of these services to ArcMap and have easy access to imagery, topographic maps and street level data for the whole world (depending on data availability, the level of detail may vary). 4. Open a new ArcMap document, and add new feature data available locally to you. Add the athens_roads and athens_streams datasets provided to you in the Athens Data folder to show all the roads but no other stream except Hocking River. (Use a Definition Query for the Athens_streams layer to display only Hocking River). Save your map. 5. Next, instead of adding data layers to your map, use the familiar Add data icon to find the GIS Servers drive, and add the following map services as layers to ArcMap: World_Street_Map, World_Imagery, World_Topo_Map, ESRI_StreetMap_World_2D, and USA_Topo_Maps. Save your map. 6. These data layers and imagery are served in a way so as not to support layer manipulation or querying. The sub-layers cannot be switched on or off, and neither can the symbology be changed. Effectively all the maps are just images, with no access to the feature attributes that they display. Right click the online base map layers and explore the map properties. You will see that the source is an internet map service, not a local dataset. The summary should be the same as provided on the metadata page of the website for serving ArcGIS map services.
2

Spring 2011, GEOG 478/578

Department of Geography, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701

7. Switch off all map layers, and then just switch on the pairs of topographic map layers. You will notice that there is a difference between the levels of detail provided by the World_Topo_Map and the USA_Topo_Maps. Similarly, explore the two street maps and you will notice they are quite similar, but still differ in the features displayed and the level of detail at the same map scale. 8. Submit THREE different maps focused (zoomed) on Ohio University with the roads and Hocking River shown on top of i) World_Imagery; ii) USA_Topo_Maps; and iii) ESRI_Street_Map_World_2D map layers. i) The outline for the river should be in blue and the roads should be some shade of brown or red you may have to change shades for each base map to keep the roads visible. ii) The river and only the major highways around Athens should be labeled if necessary. iii) Insert a nice arrow to show the location of Clippinger Labs. (Click ViewToolbarsDraw to switch on the toolbar for inserting drawing elements). iv) Also use a text box label to name Clippinger Labs and specify its latitude/longitude in brackets. v) Make sure that you include an appropriate boundary, title, your name, the scale bar, the north arrow, a legend for the features shown on the map, the map projection and datum, and source for all datasets. Obviously, once you make your first map, the other two maps will be easy to makeyou just have to switch off one base map layer and show the other ones. Most other map elements can remain the same, except that label colors and placements may need to change to accommodate the different symbology of the respective base map layers.

OBJECTIVE 3: EXPLORING DESKTOP GEO-BROWSERS (10)

Although you used ArcMap to visualize online map services, other desktop and online mapping software can also use the same map services. In this section, you will be exploring two virtual globes or GeoBrowsers, Google Earth and ArcGIS Explorer Desktop. Google Earth Most of you are already familiar with Google Earth. It affords high resolution imagery for several snapshot times and embeds several map layer services. It also can connect to the Google Maps service, available through the familiar website (http://maps.google.com). 1. Explore as much of the Google Earth functionalities on your own as you can. 2. Google Earth provides several types of layers and base map imagery and street maps. It can be customized to consume map services that are published in the KML format. For example, with some effort it is possible to visualize ESRIs map services within Google Earth as well. But what about user provided data? You can directly create points, lines and polygons in Google Earth. Google stores everything in the KML file format. 3. If you have KML format data, you can also add your own layers, just as in ArcMap. Fortunately for you, KML versions of the roads and stream layers for Athens are available in your lab folder. Add these to Google Earth and explore their properties and symbology. To display only Hocking River, first switch off the Athens_streams container layer and then scroll down the individual
3

Spring 2011, GEOG 478/578

Department of Geography, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701

feature list to find and switch on only features labeled Hocking River. 4. Try to replicate the imagery map made earlier and when you are satisfied, you can use FileSaveSave Image to save the map as an image and insert it into your Word file. Alternatively you can use EditCopy Image function to copy and paste the current image directly into your MS-Word file. Submit this as part of your final report.

ArcGIS Explorer There is a similar Geo-Browser available from ESRI: ArcGIS Explorer. It is freely available and is independent of the ArcGIS software suite. It is already installed on the class computers. You can also download it on your personal computers from http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/explorer/index.html. As promoted by ESRI on this website:
ArcGIS Explorer Desktop is a free GIS viewer that gives you an easy way to explore, visualize, and share GIS information. ArcGIS Explorer adds value to any GIS because it helps you deliver your authoritative data to a broad audience. With ArcGIS Explorer, you can Access ready-to-use ArcGIS Online basemaps and layers. Fuse your local data with map services to create custom maps. Add photos, reports, videos, and other information to your maps. Perform spatial analysis (e.g., visibility, modeling, proximity search).

1. Explore the functionalities of ArcGIS Explorer to become moderately comfortable with this GeoBrowser software application. 2. ArcGIS Explorer Desktop provides easy integration of Googles rival Microsofts Bing Maps services and ESRIs World Map series map services. Additionally, users can add any other map service in the Add Content GIS Services menu box if the URL is known. For example, the map service URL provided in Objective 2 (step 2) can be used to add the free ESRI map services. (Adding Google Maps service is possible only through custom programming). 3. Besides KML, this software can also overlay shapefile, geodatabase, and raster format layers on the base maps. You can, therefore, directly load the Athens_roads and Athens_streams shapefiles to the view. Explore the datasets in the map view and try to recreate all three maps from Objective 2. (You dont need to submit these maps). Note that if you click on the added feature layers, you can get details about the individual features. This is not possible with base maps which are served as images, not features. 4. As with any good Geo-Browser, users can also add links to other websites, text notes, reports, photos, and videos either available locally or online. You are free to explore these options. 5. Additionally, a unique feature is that apart from map services, users can also add more advanced analysis services. Some services such as finding places, routes, measuring distances are already provided. Another analytical tool Buffer is provided under the Analysis menu. Services can be offered over the internet as a service similar to the map services. The processing would be done on the server side and only results would be served to the client softwareArcGIS Explorer Desktop. This kind of online ecosystem of geoprocessing tools is the future of GIS software and services.
4

Spring 2011, GEOG 478/578

Department of Geography, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701

OBJECTIVE 4: EXPLORING WEB-MAPPING

(20)

ArcGIS Explorer is also available as an online mapping application @ http://explorer.arcgis.com. Users can now easily browse basic geographic information without technical training and with some basic training can also combine map services from different sources to make enriched mashups. 1. Go to http://explorer.arcgis.com and start exploring the featured maps. You should use the online Help system to resolve difficulties and seek help from the TA. Here are a few basic pointers: i. You can make and explore maps by clicking the New Map button but to save maps permanently you will need to create an ESRI Global Account and register it to ArcGIS Explorer. ii. All maps are made using base map services from ESRI GIS servers (you already used the map services for Objective 2) and additional map services hosted on other servers. iii. You can easily change the base layer for any map, regardless of what the default map layer is. iv. You can explore the map layer definitions and symbology by clicking the Map Contents button. v. Click on the Details button to learn about the map. vi. Within the Details pop-box, you can click Share to get a direct URL for any map. You can paste this into a browser to directly access this map made with and registered to ArcGIS Explorer platform. vii. For several featured maps, you can also click and find information about the layers (not possible with basemap layers since they are served as images instead of as feature map layers).

2. Explore the base map layers and find all the map services that you have used for Objective 2. Your
task is to try and submit three maps as similar to the ones from Objective 2 as possible. i. There is one problem though. To make the maps you still need to upload your streams and roads to ArcGIS Explorer. Unlike the Desktop version which can access both online map services and local geospatial data, the online mapping application can only access map servicesNOT the locally stored datasets. So what do you do? ii. Currently, there is only way to integrate external data in ArcGIS Explorer Onlineby first publishing them as a web-map service on a GIS server. You can add new map services through the Add Content tool on the toolbar. A map service for the Athens streams and roads datasets has been created for you to use in ArcGIS Explorer Online. The URL for the map service is: http://132.235.26.173/arcgis/rest/services/Athens/MapServer. Make a

iii. iv.

connection to this map service and visualize the roads and stream layers overlaid on your selected basemap layer. Next, use the URL provided in Objective 2 to add the three basemap layers from ESRI that you used to make maps within ArcMap for Objective 2.
Now that you have access to the map service and the base map layers, try to mimic the maps from Objective 2. Take screenshots (use Prnt Scrn key on your keyboard) and paste them directly into your Word document.

Spring 2011, GEOG 478/578

Department of Geography, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701

OBJECTIVE 5: COMPARING DESKTOP GIS & GEOBROWSERS

(10)

Submit an essay of approximately 500 words to compare the strengths/weaknesses, and similarities/dissimilarities of ArcMap, Google Earth, Google Maps, ArcGIS Explorer Desktop & ArcGIS Explorer Online. You are free to consult the internet and the help manuals and your classmates to augment your personal assessment, but avoid even minimal plagiarism. Make sure you cite sources and if you borrow ideas from elsewhere. And above all, make sure the analysis is yours and yours only: written independently, regardless of the sources you consulted to gather your information.

OBJECTIVE 6: GIS MAP ANALYSIS

(20)

Answer the following to show your comprehension of basic GIS map analysis skills: 1. On a map of 1:30,000 scale, the distance between points A and B measures 1.5 inches. On an air photo, the distance between the same points A and B measures 3.7 inches. What is the air photos representative fraction (RF)? (2) 2. How would you express the following location in decimal degrees: (1024'38''E, 659'36''N)? Which country is this point in? (2) 3. Downtown Portland, Oregon, lies at approximately 4533N, 12236W. What are the coordinates of the point at the exact geographic opposite (or antipode) of downtown Portland? Where is this point located? (If on land give the country, if at sea give the name of the ocean and the nearest land mass.) Express the position of this point in decimal degrees. (Hint: The antipode is at the same parallel in the opposite hemisphere, and it rises along a meridian 180 away). (2) 4. What is the number of square grid cells required for covering an area 20 x 20 km2 at 250 meter cell size? (2) Make a connection to the GIS Common/MasteringArcGIS/mgisdata/Usa/usdata geodatabase in the GIS Common folder on the class drive. Find the appropriate datasets to answer the following questions: 5. Which state has the maximum number of US cities officially designated as type city? (2) 6. How many stratovolcanoes in the US have erupted more than 30 known times? (2) 7. After examining the attributes of US Counties, calculate the proportion of people over 50 years old in USA. (2) 8. Use a combination of Select by Attribute and Select by Location queries available from the Selection command to find out how many stratovolcanoes are within 50 miles of earthquakes in NE or CA? (2) 9. Either use a query or manually select only the state of Ohio. Then run a Select by Location query to find all roads (mjrroads layer) within Ohio. Calculate the road length density (miles/sq mile) for Ohio. Next, use the roads and states layers to calculate the road length density (miles/sq mile) for the entire country. Calculate how much more or less Ohios road density is compared to the national average and comment on what you find. (4)
6