Lab 2

1. What types of software products are included in ArcGIS and which one will we be using most in this course?

 ArcMap, ArcCatalog, and ArcToolbox are all software products of ArcGIS. In class we will mainly be working with ArcMap and ArcCatalog.

2. Would it be better to perform most of your data analysis and layer symbolization in data or layout view? Why?

It is best to perform your data analysis and layer symbolization in data view. This is because in data view the various map elements (titles, scale bars, north arrows, etc) are hidden, and you can focus just on your analysis.

3. What are two ways to obtain help for ArcGIS Desktop?

 One way to obtain help for ArcGIS Desktop is to click Shift+F1. This brings up a What's This? tool that allows you to click on something and it will tell you about that feature. Another way to obtain help is to click F1. This brings up the main help window that you can find lots of information about the program. If you can't remember the keyboard shortcuts you can just click Help on the main menu and this will open a menu where you can choose what type of help you want.

4. How are attributes linked to geographic features?

Attributes are linked to geographic features by a unique ID called the OBJECTID.

5. What is the file extension of an ArcMap document?

ArcMap documents have a file extension called .mxd.

6. What are two ways to zoom in/zoom out on a map?

One way to zoom in is to click on the zoom in tool on the tools toolbar. Then click and drag a box around the area you want to zoom in on. This will zoom the display in on that area. One way to zoom out is to click on the full extent tool on the tools toolbar. The result of this will bring the map back to its original extent. The other way to zoom in/out is to click on the zoom in/out tool on the tools toolbar and click on the area you want to zoom in/out. The map will the center on where you clicked and either zoom in or out depending on the tool you have selected.

7. List three operations available in the ‘context menu’ of a layer. Hint: Right‐clicking with your mouse in the TOC should help you with this question.

Some of the operations available in the 'context menu' of a layer are open the attribute table, zoom to layer, and set a visible scale range.

8. If the check box next to a layer in the table of contents is grayed‐out, what does this mean? How would you resolve this issue?

A grayed-out check mark means that the layer's visibility depends on the map's display scale. In order to see the layer you need to zoom to the appropriate scale.

9. What are the differences between large and small scale maps? Provide an example of each.

A small scale map covers a large ground area, and a large scale map covers a small ground area. An example of a small scale map is a map of the world, and an example of a large scale map is map of a city.

10. Describe the differences between features and surfaces. Provide an example for each.

A feature is a geographic object in a layer. Examples of a feature include a river, city, park, lake, etc. A surface is a geographic expanse. The ocean layer is an example because it is a continuous expanse that changes with the different ocean depths.

11. A GIS is a useful problem‐solving tool. You can do all of the following tasks with it, except one. Which one?

a. Create project criteria

b. Query data

c. Display data on a report

d. Store project data

A GIS does not create project criteria. That is for you to do.

12. What are the minimum and maximum elevations of the cities Earhart visited? Briefly describe how you determined these values.

The maximum elevation was found in the city of Tucson in the USA, and the minimum elevation was at New Orleans in the USA. Their elevations are 1,045 and 0 respectively. I found this by right clicking "Cities Earhart Visited." The I clicked on "Open Attributes Table." In the attributes table I right clicked "Elevation" and clicked on "Sort Descending." This ranked the elevations from highest to lowest.

13. On the continent of Africa, what is the approximate distance (in miles) from Dakar to Assab? What are two techniques (one tool and one process) you could use to figure this out?

One way you can find out how far Dakar is from Assab is go into the attributes table for the flight path. Here it shows the distance between the cities that Earhart visited, so you just need to add up the distances between the different cities from Dakar to Assab. This gives you a total distance of 6901.167 km. Another way to find the distance between the two cities is to use the measure tool on the tools toolbar. Then you click on Dakar and move the mouse over Assab, and this will give you an approximate distance. The accuracy depends on what your scale is. The more zoomed in you are the more accurate it will be. Using this technique you get a distance of 6,707,110.99 meters.

14. What are two possible methods you could use to figure out the names of the cities shown on the map?

One way to figure out the name of the cities on the map is to move your cursor over the city. This will cause the name of the city to appear next to it. However, when you move your cursor again the name of the city will hide again. If you want to make the name of the cities appear permanently then you need to right click "Cities Earhart Visited" and click "Label Features."

15. Zoom to the extent of North and South America so that all the cities Earhart visited are labeled. Capture a screen shot (Alt + PrtScr) of this view and paste into your Word document (Ctrl+v). Turn in this screen shot with your answers from this sheet.