Getting Started - ArcGIS

(copied from Learning ArcGIS9 Virtual Campus course)

 

This module introduced you to GIS and ArcGIS Desktop software. A GIS is a computer-based tool for getting information that can be used to make decisions and solve problems. ArcGIS Desktop is a scalable GIS software product used to interact with maps, data, and tools. Listed below are key points you should remember.

 

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A GIS organizes and stores information about the world as a collection of thematic layers. Each layer contains features with the same shape and attributes, all located within a common geographic area.

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Each feature is assigned a unique numerical identifier and is characterized by a unique location in space and a corresponding record in a table.

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Features can be stored in a GIS as three primary shapes: points, lines, or polygons.

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Features have spatial relationships with other features, and with a GIS you can find features based on their spatial relationships.

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The geographic inquiry process provides a framework for solving problems with GIS.

 

 

Review questions

  1. How is a GIS map different from a static map?

  2. What is one way you can get information about a feature using ArcGIS Desktop software?

  3. What are the primary operations that a GIS can perform that make it a useful tool for solving problems?

  4. What are the five steps in the geographic inquiry process?

 

Answers

  1. The dynamic nature of a GIS map makes it different from a static map. In a GIS, map features are linked to a database of information. You can pan, zoom, get information about features, control feature display, and change how they're symbolized.

  2. You can use the Identify tool to click a map feature and see its attributes. You can also open the attribute table to view a feature record.

  3. A GIS can capture/store, query/analyze, display/present data.

  4. The five steps in the geographic inquiry process are: 1) ask a geographic question, 2) acquire geographic data, 3) explore geographic data, 4) analyze geographic information, and 5) act on geographic knowledge.

 

Key terms

 

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attribute

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data frame

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feature

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layer

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metadata

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scale

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spatial relationship