Month: September 2024

Chapter 4 – File Geodatabases

Tutorial 1 – To import some data, I will want to open geoprocessing, look up ‘export features’ in tools, and then find the things I would like to import. Such as a shape or dataset. I will want to set up the folder connection prior to doing this. To import a set of data into a file godatabase I will first want to have my excel file as a .csv file in order to import it. To get a data table, I will want to look up ‘export table’ in the tools. It will be the same process as the shape data. In order to use the data I will right click databases, then click ‘new file geodatabase’ which is under the catalogue. I had gotten pretty lost at this part, the MaricopaTracts had not saved where I believe the book wanted me to save it. I am going to skip to Tutorial 3 and hope I can figure out this process later.

Tutorial 2 – Due to not completing Tutorial 1 due to a few issues I couldn’t figure out. Some notes I have attached are on the general process for modifying the values for attributes. I’ll want to right click the data I want to create an atribute for in the contents page, then click “Data Designs” then Fields. I’ll want to hold Ctrl while selecting all the rows except for the ones I do not want to mess with, then save while on the Fields tab. While the tracts attribute table is open, I will want to look at the fields view, then add a new field. Then I will want to type in the name of the field and click what I want the data type to be. Then save it. Once I have figured out what I want my attribute to be I will want t ojoin the tata table tothe feature class attribute table, this is done by going to the contents pane, then right clicking the data set i wan to bind, then click join. The rest of the set seems relatively intuitive, however if I run into issues it is found in around page 96 – 97. 

Tutorial 3 – A lot of the content here reminded me of soem intro to computer science stuff, which was making different conditional statements ‘and/or’. In order to get different things and only said things to appear on the map I would want to right click, go to properties, then go to definition queries and enter in my conditional statements. I can also use these conditionals to make the map as broad or as niche as I need it to be. 

Tutorial 4 – This tutorial seemed more about putting some of the skills we have gained together. The only newer thing is the Spatial join, which would have been using the target features that we want to see change, and the join features which would have been what we are using to count the crime rates.

Tutorial 5 – Very similar to tutorial 4, but with points.

Tutorial 6 – In order to create something along the lines of a key, I will want to open “Create Table” and make some sort of code. For this particular case, I wanted to make 2 new fields within the table, which can be found by right clicking the table in the contents section, then adding 2 new fields, which are hierarchy and crimetype. The hierarchy just adds a number, which would be my metadata, while the crimetype adds some description the numbers.  I can then join another larger table to my code, assuming the heirarchy/metadata remains constant, I will want to base it on the hierarchy. 

Chapter 5 – Spatial Data

Tutorial 1 – I learned how to change the map projection, right click go to properties, then go to 

Tutorial 2 – We can do the same thing with smaller places.

Tutorial 3 – I couldn’t get into the living atlas due to the site being deemed insecure by my beloved browser. To center into a certain shape, I will want to make sure that in the project tab, options, map * scene, and special reference. I will want to ensure that the “Use Spatial Reference of First Operational Layer” is enabled. I am also able to change how the coordinate system works through the options found in the coordinate plane rules after right clicking the map and clicking ‘Properties’ and messing around with the coordinate functions. 

Tutorial 4 – It seems relatively easy to do the steps listed here. Importing various sets of data and displaying them onto the map similar to things done in Chapter 4.

Tutorial 5 – I am able to find stuff on the census page, but it will need a lot of narrowing down. From the looks, it appears that there is a lot to do with trimming the data down to precisely only the figures that I want. I will then import the data to an actual map, and I can create layers based off of the data that i have selected. 

Tutorial 6 – I am unsure as to why the lab computer does not like me looking for online data as it does not want me accessing ‘NCLD’. I can look for some extraction info when i look for “Extract by Mask” in tools. I can then go to the national map and find some information on finding contours & elevation from governmental sites. The computer did not want me accessing the hennepin hub. But they can also be used.

Good map sources: 

https://apps.nationalmap.gov/downloader/

 

Chapter 6 – Geoprocessing

Tutorial 1 – Nothing too major other than the picking of data to use for the guides. I could not remember how to put the fire battalion numbers on the selected zones. 

Tutorial 2 – We can turn a lot of map locations into very few by narrowing the data pool down by creating a certain ‘study area’. By creating a selection by attributes group with the ‘name is equal to’ function. After it has been selected, we can go into the data of the attributes we have selected, export features, and then use our new output feature class. 

Tutorial 3 – Nothing major, but to merge data sets go to the merge tool.

Tutorial 4 -Nothing major, but in order to make a conglomerate data set I will want to use the append tool.

Tutorial 5 – As a reminder to myself, in order to join 2 tables, I will want to right click a table, find the join section, and then the rest is self fulfilling. 

Tutorial 6 – Joining tables can be very revealing about a certain type of data set. I will want ot be careful and know what I want to join in particular though. 

Tutorial 7 – Tabulating can create some good comparisons.

Chapter 7 – Digitizing

Tutorial 1 – When splitting a polygon, I will want to mess with the attributes to give them proper names.

Tutorial 2 – To create a new polygon for a new class, I will want to open the create feature class tool and make sure the geometry type of a polygon. Afterwards I will change the color and look for the ‘create features’ within the edit dab. Afterward I can create features.

Tutorial 3 – Smoothing is fairly easy, but important for presentation. This is done through the smoothing tools!

Tutorial 4 -It is fairly easy to import a computerized drawing, however in order to do anything with it, I will need to import the initial polygon, thn open its data to export features. 

Chapter 8 – Geocoding

Tutorial 1 – This was fairly easy and felt like it brought everything together in a way to show a certain statistic. In this case that would be amount of people attending a certain event. If there were ‘false’ parts of the data set, there is a solution to match addresses within the data tab.

Tutorial 2 – Create locator seems to be a core part of this chapter, it can be fairly easy to use to highlight a certain set of data from the map and given data.

Chapter 1: Introducing GIS Analysis

GIS analysis is a process for looking at geographic patterns in data and the relationships between features. A framing question helps you figure out what information you need. The next step is understanding your data and what you need it to do to help answer your questions. The features, and attributes, and potentially needing to make new data by calculating new values in the data table. You then choose a process to get the information you need process the data and analyze the results. There are a lot of different types of features: discrete, continuous phenomena, or summarized by area. Discrete lines and locations can be pinpointed, continuous phenomena like temperature can be measured anywhere (there’s no place that has no temperature). Continuous data is usually interpolated from a series of discrete points. Summarized data is the count/density of individual features within defined boundaries (number of households in a county). Geographic features can be represented with vectors or rasters. Vector features are a row in a table, and features are defined by x,y locations in space, good for discrete data. Rasters represent features as a matrix of cells in continuous space, best for continuous numeric values. Continuous categories can be represented by either. Raster can be used for discrete features when combining them with other layers. Categories are groups of similar things that help you organize and make sense of your data. Ranks put features into an relative order of higher to lower. Counts and amounts show you total features, counts are the actual number of features on a map and amounts are any measurable quantity associated with a feature. Ratios show the relationship between two quantities and are created by dividing one quantity by another for each feature. Proportions are a ratio that shows you what part of a total each value is. Densities show the distribution of features or values per unit area.

Chapter 2: Mapping where things are

People use maps to see where or what an individual feature is, but by looking at the distribution of features on a map patterns emerge that help you better understand the area you’re mapping. Mapping where things are can show where you need to take action or what areas meet your criteria. You can explore causes for patterns you see. What information do you need from the analysis? Just whether features are present or not, or whether certain features occur in proximity to one another or repeatedly in the same areas. When preparing the map its important to cater the level of detail to your audience, whether technically skilled or general public level of knowledge that will require two different levels of information in order to be effective. In preparing your data each feature needs geographic coordinates, they need category values to identify its type and potentially subtypes. To make a map you need to tell the GIS what features to display. You can map them as a single type with a single symbol, or you can map by different categories and symbolize them distinctly. The number of categories is important to keep condensed in order to be easily understandable, at smaller scales you can get more detailed. There’s details on grouping categories effectively, choosing symbols, mapping recognizable reference features, all of which help make your map understandable. All of this comes together to assist in your analysis of geographic patterns. Features clustering together or appearing in patterns may infer meaningful relationships between those features or a common underlying cause.

Chapter 3: Mapping the most and the least

People map the most and the least to find places that meet their criteria and take action or to see the relationships between places. Mapping features based on quantities adds a sense of feature density that just the location of features doesn’t provide. Like before you can map discrete features, continuous phenomena, or summarized by area. Locations and linear areas usually represented by graduated features and areas are often shaded to represent quantities. Continuous phenomena can be defined areas or a surface of continuous values. Areas displayed as graduated colors and surfaces can be graduated colors, contours, or a 3D perspective view. Data summarized by area usually displayed by shading each area based on its value or using charts to show the amount of each category in each area. You want to keep in mind whether you’re exploring the data or presenting a map to your audience when you’re constructing your map. Quantities can be counts, amounts, ratios, or ranks. Counts and amounts let you see the value of each feature as well as its magnitude with other features. Counts and amounts can be used for discrete features or continuous phenomena. If summarizing by area using ratios will make it clearer, because using counts or amounts can skew the patterns if the areas vary in size. Using ratios evens out differences between large and small areas, or areas with many features and those with few. Averages are good for comparing places that have few features with those that have many. Proportions show you what part of a whole each quantity represents. Densities show you where features are concentrated. Ranks put features in order from high to low and show relative relationships rather than measured values.

Chapter 9

The first few tutorials went well. When I got to 9-3, I couldn’t calculate the fields for UseRate. Only a couple of the values worked. I tried some stuff and nothing helped so I just moved on. I also struggled to make a scatterplot because I couldn’t find the chart properties button and I gave up looking for it. The rest of the chapter went well and was pretty quick.

 

Chapter 10

I really enjoyed doing the contours and things in this chapter. It was very enjoyable. The only issue I had was that the PovertyIndex.lyrx wasn’t downloaded into my folder, so I couldn’t add that to my map. Other than that, everything went smoothly.

 

Chapter 11

In 11-4 I had trouble adding Z as the field for the summary statistics tool. After that the rest of the tutorial got weird so I moved on. Other than that it went really well. Making the animation was cool, and not something I expected to be doing!

 

Delaware Data Inventory

The process for this was super simple it just took forever to download everything to my folder.

Hydrology: contains all major waterways in Delaware

Street centerline: contains public and private paved roads in Delaware

Parcel: contains property lines for Delaware (makes sense why this one took so long to download haha)

I couldn’t figure out how to add the stuff to a map but I’ll figure it out and add the map image to my post next week!

Update: I figured it out lol

Files for chapters 6 through 9 on my flash drive got deleted the first go around. I’ve re-downloaded the tutorials and this post is gonna be those  chapters.

Chapter 6

Nothing much to report on, now that I actually have the files I need and they’re formatting properly everything is pretty smooth sailing.

Chapter 7

Same as above, easy to grasp, everything went well.

Chapter 8

8-1 says 1120 of 1123 should have been matches, but none of mine did. I double checked all previous directions and I don’t think I’ve made any mistakes so I’m unsure how this happened. After a quick scroll through the attribute table it looks like 100% of the addresses have zip codes listed, so I have no idea how this happened or what data to use to rematch attendee data by zip code. Every single entry is also marked “U” for unmatched. Moving on because I’ve dealt with enough corrupted files. 8.2 went fine.

Chapter 9

I got through 9-1 and 9-2 before my data deleted, so I’m starting with 9-3.  TheFields tab within the spatial join tool doesn’t have what the book describes and I can’t select FacilityID as the OutputField, there’s no MergeRule option. Moving on. 9-4 went well, no issues. Same with 9-5

 

Chapter 9: This chapter went ok, but when I use the spatial join tool and have to expand the field there are no options for input or output.

Chapter 10: This chapter went smoothly besides my Hillshade map being super blurry, I am unsure why that happened but at least I was able to make it.

Chapter 11: This one was more difficult for me overall as I kept having many little problems here and there. I plan on looking at this chapter and chapter 9 more over this weekend. Seeing maps in 3D was fun though.

Chapter 9

Everything went well except for some aspects of the Spatial Join tool. I could not locate the “Output Fields” entry, and because of that, could not create the proper tables. This led to my being unable to complete Tutorial 9-3, including the Scatterplot section. Other than this, I had no issues, and I feel I am becoming very comfortable with using the software at this point.

Chapter 10

Absolutely no problems here, but I felt that a lot of what we learned in this chapter was more niche than the rest. However, still good to know.

 

Chapter 11

I ran into issues across the board while trying to translate height onto the maps. I couldn’t get the Bldgs, Steel Tower, or the Bridge to actually do anything. I’m going to try and go back this weekend to look over it with fresh eyes if I find the time.

Chapter 9

I had no issues with chapter nine. It was straightforward.

Chapter 10

I had no issues with chapter ten, it went relatively quickly and was pretty easy. I had an easy time working with the model builder for the first time.

Chapter 11

The first issue I ran into with this chapter was in tutorial 4. When I tried to use the Add Surface Information tool in the input surface box where I was supposed to add nDSM it did not show up in the options, even tho I created it already. Then because I could not complete the task for that tool I could not complete the task for Summary statistics because Z was not present for the statistics field box. I really don’t understand where I messed up I cannot figure it out but I was not able to do the remainder of tutorial 4 as a result. I had no further issues with this chapter.

Chapter 9

I got partway through chapter 9 before turning in for the night, I’m back on the morning of the 24th and all the files from the chapter 9 folder are gone now too. 10 and 11 are still there in their entirety, but this probably means the missing files aren’t because of an improper download. I’m going to finish chapters 10 and 11 before I redownload anything.

Chapter 10

Everything went pretty smoothly, the only hiccup I ran into was at the very end when I’m supposed to insert different variable weights and create different poverty index layers. The Poverty Index tool seemed to not be able to read any new values I put into it, even the defaults were reading as missing values. I opened the editor, everything was colored, then I clicked validate and the raster calculator and poverty index turned grey. I’ve checked all the other variables in the editor and they’re all the same as when the program worked. Not sure why it broke.

Chapter 11

I really like the 3d maps. I think I opened the wrong topographic basemap but when told to visit another area I thought I’d give myself a visit as I’m writing this. Hi me! I’m not sure why my 11-3 trees are floating, and the diagram in the book definitely shows the realistic tree not thematic like it told me to select. Everything else went pretty smoothly. Now that I’ve finished the book I can go back for the chapters where my files got deleted, which will probably be its own post instead of editing preexisting ones.

Chapter 9:

Chapter 9 went relatively smoothly; I encountered a couple of issues. One was in tutorial 9; when trying to select block centroids within the buffers and find the sum of the number of youths, I couldn’t figure out how to locate and open the PittsburghBlockCe_Statistics table. The other issue I discovered was trying to create the scatterplot. I also had issues with the desktop freezing, so I lost my screenshots from this chapter, but I will make up for it with more pictures of chapters 10 and 11!

 

Chapter 10:

Chapter 10 went smoother than Chapter 9. The only issue I encountered was in Tutorial 3 when trying to apply the ZFHHChld expression to the PittsburghBlkGroup attribution table. 

Chapter 11:

Chapter 11 went successfully! I ran into some minor issues; in tutorial 4, the line of sight between Observer 1 and Obsever 2 did not show up, and in tutorial 5, I could not find the Range tab in Properties to select FloorNumber. I enjoyed the animation portion of this chapter!

Chapter 1 – Introducing ArcGIS

Tutorial 1 – Nothing too terribly complicated or difficult. I was able to figure out how to add various base maps through some of the bigger buttons. I had also figured out some of the basics of layers & saving.

Tutorial 2 – This one seemed to not be too difficult either. However I did eventually run into an issue where in the pop-up tab, I was unsuccessful in finding the hyperlink. But I did eventually find out that I had accidentally shrunk the tab and couldn’t find the hyperlink at a glance. To find attributable data to a thing we are looking for, click on it, then look into the popup panel, click on the data under the arrow to find more information about said item. Holding ctrl will shut on/off all of the displayed things under the ‘content’ bar. If I wish to find something very specifically, go to the map tab, find selection group, and then click ‘select by attributes’. Then run the seach for the feature I am looking for.

Tutorial 3 – 

To find data regarding a certain part of the map, right click on the entry. When working with FOV. Do not delete things that I need later. In order to only select a certain type of data when I click on the map, I will want to find ‘list by selection’ under the content window. Afterwards I will want so check what I want selectable & uncheck those I do not.

Tutorial 4 – Symbiology is found when you right click on something in the contents tab. It is in a weird place sorta in the bottom of the middle.

 

Chapter 2 – Map Design

  Tutorial 1 – To do unique colors for categorical information provided by departmentalizing the data: use the unique value function within the primary symbology pane within the symbology pane. And change the fields as needed. Afterwards do more -> format all symbols.

Tutorial 2 – To remove duplicate labels; open the label properties page via right clicking the layer. Once this is done, fine ‘position’ and click the conflict resolution button. Then expand the remove duplicate labels area, and click ‘remove all duplicate labels’

Tutorial 3 – “Definition Queries”. To add a definition query begin with… Right clicking the data set under contents and going to properties. And there are many different choices that can be made with the symbology of certain features. It is best to try keeping them consistently different. 

Tutorial 4 – I have ran into an issue where the map is telling me that I do not have a valid data source attached. I am going to move onto Tutorial 5 and hope that this error does not happen again.

Tutorial 5 – To show symbols over another field of data that is supposed to represent the population of an area. Go into symbiology of the thing you want to overlay, and go with graduated symbols in order to show 2 datasets simutensously. You may do this with 2 sets of similar data to show a comparison.

Tutorial 6 – When making comparative graduated color maps, Do the same thing as tutorial 5, but with graduated colors. Once this is done, Open the symbology pane for the map we want to compare. Then click options & import symbology. Afterwards open the apply symbology from the layer pane and apply settings to say that we are targeting a different field using the same settings from the original symbology layer. 

 

Tutorial 7 – No significant challenges or issues. I guess I should note that the ‘dot value’ means that for every dot it represents X many people when setting up a symbology for population density.

 

Tutorial 8 – When wanting to make something appear at a certain distance & disappear when further, use the ‘Maximum scale’. And when vice versa, use the ‘minimum scale’

 

Chapter 3 – Maps for End Users

 

Tutorial 1 – To put my map into like a page, go to insert, then go into new layout. Then select what i want, go to map frame, find the map I want to insert, and then click ‘default extent’. Drag a box from -x,-y to x,y to determine where I want the map on my page. If I want to make suure the maps are of a particular dimensions, right click the image (map), go to properties, and then manually edit the width and length. Full extent is found in the navigate portion of the layout. To make sure the whole map fits in the frame, go to the ‘Map’ section and find the arrows that point out in the form of a box. An issue I ran into was that I could not snap the maps, i had to zoom in and drag very precisely. When trying to create like a chart, I need to go to the data tab once I have selected a map, afterwards there is some somewhat self explanatory stuff to explain the ins and outs of creating said chart, however if I get completely lost it is on pages 65 – 66. 

Tutorial 2 – It would not let me share my map, however I understand the gist of sharing things online. If this becomes a bigger issue I will contact professor Kryger and ask for some help. 

Tutorial 3 – Minor issue where during the creation of the different headings, there was nothing called ‘subheading’, so I settled on selecting Heading 2. And also due to me being unable to upload my map from Tutorial 2 for some reason, instead of putting a map in the sidecar section, I had put an image of one of my previous maps. 

Tutorial 4 – I ran into an issue where i am unable to upload my maps (from 3-2) and I cannot do very much in this tutorial. However fro what I am able to see,  it does not seem like a big challenge. Some things for mt to keep in mind to create a dashboard I need to click the upper right of my screen to find the Dashboards. I would then add my map as the core part of this dashboard. On my dashboard I am able to edit the map’s extent, and add various elements & edit my dashboard. This could include various tables, various adjustments to the size, adding charts, and interactions. If I think I am done with my dashboard, in the upper left I will want to click menu, then content. Then share my dashboard, I can find the URL to this dashboard elsewhere easily.