Category: Course Student Work

GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Pro: Chapter 4

I felt as though understanding the following chapters was easy, and I feel like the knowledge from last week carried over so that I knew what I was doing. After going through and reading Chapter 4, I completed Tutorial 4-3, which covered how to focus on attribute queries and how you can change them. The first two tutorials also went over this topic, which I found to be interesting. I didn’t know that you were able to change the coding so it displayed something else, and learning that was neat. The other tutorials also went over how to examine different tracts, which was helpful for the next chapters. 

Personally, Tutorial 4-3 was interesting and it taught me how to do new things. For example, the Select by Attributes button was used a lot during this tutorial and the others, which I thought was neat. It allowed me to get more comfortable with the Symbology pane as well, and it had me change the colors of a few things as well. I did have a little trouble going in and changing the parameters for the Select by Attributes, but it just took some getting used to. I also liked how it eventually narrowed it down to who committed the crimes in specific areas! 

A general question I have is about the SQL toggle button – what does that stand for? I may have accidentally blipped over that part. However, I like when we can take the map and segment it into different parts using streets, types of crime, or even counties. It helps me understand how everything is supposed to look. Using the Hierarchy tab was cool and I know that will be helpful for the final exam as well. We also learned how to change the symbol, in this case it was crimes, and that was helpful to know as well. I feel like I was able to understand the key concepts of this chapter well. I have attached a screenshot of my work throughout this chapter. 

GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Pro: Chapter 5

Chapter 5 involved a lot of maps, coordinates, vectors, and spatial data. I liked this chapter the most so far, I think just because it involved maps and the world, which was cool to me. I completed Tutorial 5-1 and 5-3 in order to expand my knowledge on how to change the parameters on a map. The most confusing part of this chapter was going through and looking at how the data was displayed in the Properties tab. There were a few instances in which we were instructed to change the coordinate system, and for some reason my project didn’t like that part. It took a couple tries for it to take, and eventually it did, but I feel like it helped me learn the concept a little more. 

Tutorial 5-1 was focused on world map projections, and we had to zoom, look at coordinates, and then change the coordinate projection. I had already learned to zoom from a different chapter, and that part was easy. It was cool to see how the map would change based on what projection we were using, and how the latitudes would change with that as well. It was a really short tutorial, and it specified that we should not use the Robinson projection for anything but the whole world, which is a helpful tip. I attached a screenshot of my Robinson projected map, which was after we zoomed and changed it to something else.

Tutorial 5-3 involved changing and setting the projected coordinate systems. I thought this was fun, and I enjoyed going in and changing the different settings. I also liked how we went through a different website than normal and we could choose a specific place to look at. This was for Allegheny County and represented the municipalities and tracts of that county. We had to go through and search in the Chapter 5 data on the hard drive, which wasn’t too difficult. I had a little trouble changing the color of the county from purple to white, but I was in the wrong section. I felt as if this chapter was very informative, and I have attached another screenshot of my work through this chapter. 

GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Pro: Chapter 6

Chapter 6 was cool! I liked how specific we got into the details on an area of a map. One of my favorite parts was merging the water features into a large one. We continued the use of the Attribute Table and added a new tool, which was the Pairwise tool. It has different functions, and it took me a while to find it. I was able to use it to define specific battalion areas in Manhattan and New York City. The tutorial I found the coolest was Tutorial 6-2, which focused on extracting and clipping areas to study them. This one was located in the Upper West Side. 

Tutorial 6-2 allowed me to use different tools than what I have been using, and also to combine those tools with the Select by Attributes tool. It was neat how I was able to go in and manually select neighborhoods surrounding the Upper West Side that were not selected with my Pairwise tool. It was also helpful to learn how to save the data into the Chapter data on the hard drive itself; I feel like that will be useful for our future projects. I liked how we were able to single out a specific neighborhood out of a very large area, and decide what aspects of it we wanted extracted and what aspects we wanted clipped. 

Merging the waters, the firehouse and police stations, and using Union were all aspects that stood out to me in the continuation of the chapter. It was really important to note that the Calculate Geometry Attributes was helpful in this section. Although these tutorials are not super long, I found that they are in-depth but easy to understand as long as you take your time. One of the general things I have enjoyed learning is how we can take something very small, such as the Disabled Person Fire Company Study, and extract it out of a much larger map. I have attached a screenshot of my work throughout this chapter. 

Chapter 1
In Chapter 1, I was finally introduced to ArcGIS Pro, and I have to say, I was immediately struck by the complexity of the interface.  There are just so many tabs, panes, and buttons, I didn’t even know where to look at first. However, as I followed the instructions in the tutorial, I began to get a better understanding of all the different elements.  This entire chapter focused on the basic fundamentals, such as opening a project, navigation, bookmarks, attribute tables, and learning to symbolize a map. All of these are probably basic, yet I quickly learned that they are also the foundation upon which all other learning will be built. One of the most important things I learned throughout Chapter 1 was the organization of ArcGIS. For instance, the top ribbon allows me to access different tools, which are then organized by different categories. Additionally, the Contents pane allows me to see the stacking of different layers. Turning different layers on or off, as well as moving them around, also helped me understand the construction of a map, piece by piece. Tutorial 1-3 was also very helpful, as I had never even opened an attribute table before. Learning about all the different data behind a feature helped me realize that there is a lot more to GIS than mapping, as there is also data management. Finally, with Tutorial 1-4, I learned about symbols and labels, which change the entire meaning of a map. At the end of Chapter 1, I must admit that I felt much less intimidated by the program. I didn’t become an expert, by any means, yet I began to get a sense of how the program thinks, which will be important throughout all the other chapters.

 

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 was all about map design and the various methods of symbology. This was the chapter where I finally started to feel comfortable altering the way maps actually look. It seemed like almost every section required me to alter the colors, values, classification methods, and labels. Although at first this seemed quite repetitive, by the end of the chapter, I saw why this was so important to a GIS analyst. One of the biggest takeaways for me from this chapter was realizing that symbology is not just for looks; it actually affects the way a person will interpret the map. When I was working with different classification methods, the map looked completely different even though the numbers didn’t actually change. This really drove home the importance of choosing the appropriate symbology method for the data. One section that really stood out to me was the section on working with buffers. When I saw the yellow appear as the clinics were buffered, I finally saw the spatial relationships. No more guessing which clinics are close enough; this really helped me understand how someone would use this program to answer questions. I also found working with different datasets, especially the NYC zoning and land use dataset, really helped me speedily work with symbology and understand the visibility range. I finally saw why labels shouldn’t appear at all zoom levels. This chapter really helped me feel more comfortable and not as scared to alter the colors, shapes, etc. I think this chapter really helped me understand the connection between design and communication.

 

Chapter 3

In Chapter 3, there was a shift from creating maps to a greater focus on sharing maps with those who do not use ArcGIS Pro. This chapter also involved a greater level of switching between ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online, which was a little confusing at first since the interface was not quite the same as the book showed. However, once I got accustomed to where everything was, the instructions made a lot more sense. The first section, which was creating a layout, felt somewhat like a graphic design project. I had to place titles, a legend, a scale bar, and a map into very specific areas. This required the use of guides and grids to ensure everything was lined up correctly. I didn’t realize until I had to do this exercise how much goes into creating a final, clean-looking map. Tutorial 3-2 had me share a map to ArcGIS Online. Once this was done, I opened the map in ArcGIS Online, which was a very different experience than ArcGIS Pro. This was a surprise, as I had no idea how different these two platforms were until I had to use them. This section also introduced me to StoryMaps and Dashboards. StoryMaps seems like something that could be used to present a project or idea to others, as the format allows the reader to be walked through the project. It is very well-organized, easy to read, and follows a logical path. The Dashboard was probably the most interesting section of Chapter 3. I enjoyed seeing and creating the green dots on the map and the histogram next to it. I also enjoyed being able to click on different features on the map, which automatically changed the chart. Even though Chapter 3 was probably the most difficult chapter due to the constant switching between platforms, I think it helped me realize how GIS is shared with those who do not use GIS themselves.

Chapter 1
I know I’m doing this late. I forgot to make a post about it when I did it.
Chapter one showed me just how overconfident I was about this software. Not only did I accidentally start with the wrong tutorial, but it was a little frustrating reading through the correct tutorial and a lot of it just felt like the whole “click this, then click that” which I personally find to be a bit annoying.

 

Chapter 2

This one I am going to go a little more in detail about because I found this chapter to be highly finicky to deal with. Especially the feature of turning the map into a 3D plane and modifying the properties of the different areas on the map, neither of which I could fully do, particularly the 3D map which just straight up would not work. I was excited for this chapter since it would introduce the concept of creating points on a map (in the example they are food banks and whatnot) but it seems that in this tutorial all of these were immovable locations pre determined by the computer. (Either that or my hard drive remembered someone doing the tutorial last semester.) Changing the color of the different areas on the map was very fun though.

Chapter 3

At the risk of sounding pedantic, this was definitely the chapter I cared for the least, as it shifted away from the technical aspects of the software and leaned in hard on the online features of publishing and sharing the data through the ArcGIS servers.

Chapter 1 

I went into Chapter 1 thinking ArcGIS Pro was just going to be pretty difficult considering I am not a big tech-person. I was wrong, the clear directions made it much easier and the only thing that overwhelmed me was the number of buttons! ArcGIS Pro is less of a “map maker” and more of a massive logic puzzle. What started as a simple view of health clinics in Allegheny County turned into a lesson on how data is actually constructed. It truly did help me understand that a map is simply just data, just in visual form.  Seeing population density break down into individual pixels was a reminder that GIS isn’t a perfect mirror of the world, it is an estimate. This statement brought me back to earlier discussions about how GIS users may have too much power, knowing that it can’t be as precise as we thought it could be makes me feel better. When I look at a map now, I think about how we are just looking at a decision someone made about where one pixel ends and another begins. Navigating the interface was also a bit of a learning curve. Features would disappear when I zoomed out, which felt like a bug at first. I eventually realized it’s a design choice to keep the map from looking like a cluttered mess. By the time I had the FQHC clinics layered over the poverty data, the patterns jumped out: specialized care is where the people are, but access to that care is a much more complicated story than just placing a dot on a screen.

 

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 forced me to rethink my sense of what is truthful in data. I used to think a map was just a factual representation, but this chapter proved that you could take the exact same dataset and tell three different stories just by changing the classification method. In saying that, I take back my statement of a map being a visual representation of data; in a way it is, though in another it is not. I spent way too much time toggling between Quantile and Natural Breaks. It’s mind-boggling how a Quantile map can make a neighborhood look like it’s in a state of emergency, while a Defined Interval map makes that same neighborhood looks perfectly fine. There isn’t always a right way to symbolize data, which is actually kind of terrifying when you think about how these maps influence policy. I am going back to my belief of GIS users having too much power, and this power is definitely being overlooked.

 

Chapter 3

In this last chapter, I learned how easy it is to get lost in the data and forget that someone who doesn’t know GIS will have to look at this. The shift from the “Analysis” view to the “Layout” view was surprisingly stressful. Suddenly, I’m worried about legend alignment and especially the font sizes (I spent a little too much time messing with that). Working on the layouts showed me that a map is only as good as its delivery. It’s a reminder that GIS is as much about translation as it is about geography. Though, the most interesting part was moving into Story Maps and Dashboards. That’s where the data actually starts to make total sense. Instead of a static PDF, you’re giving the user the power to click around and find their own answers. However, that also feels like losing control. If I set up a pop-up poorly or the zoom level is off, the user might miss the entire point of my work. In a way, it is a semi-risky choice of sharing information, but it definitely feels like the future of how we’ll consume spatial data.

Chapter 1:

       The previous book we read through by Mitchell did a decent job at preparing students for the actual GIS system tutorial manual. However, doing things hands-on has enabled me to better understand certain aspects of GIS. I’m not very tech-oriented, so I knew that adjusting to things like saving files correctly and typing on the new keyboard would be a hurdle for me. However, following the instructions laid out within the manual was not as difficult as I thought it would be. Each chapter is separated into different tutorial sections that teach different aspects of ArcGIS. Each section also has a designated file you work on. In Chapter 1, these different sections are as listed: Tutorial 1-1 Getting an overview of ArcGIS Pro, Tutorial 1-2 Navigating ArcGIS Pro, Tutorial 1-3 Working with attribute data, and Tutorial 1-4 Symbolizing maps. For Tutorial 1-1, we learned how to open an ArcGIS Pro project and navigate the ArcGIS Pro interface, including understanding basic GIS concepts along with navigating the map and its layers. For example, this section introduced bookmarks, which were helpful to understand for future chapters. It also showed us how to turn layers on and off, as well as re-order layers within the contents pane. Tutorial 1-2 taught us how to correctly use a pop-up window, as well as how to search for a feature. Tutorial 1-3 was also helpful as it showed us how to work with attribute data through editing the data within the fields view of the table, and how to use tools to obtain summary statistics. Lastly, Tutorial 1-4 delves into how to interact with feature classes through adding/ removing them, giving them symbols, and giving them labels. Question: Which skills from Chapter 1 will be used most frequently throughout the rest of my learning how to use ArcGIS Pro?

Picture: Tutorial 1-1

Picture: Tutorial 1-3

Chapter 2:

        Throughout the various tutorials, I liked how for more precise sets of instructions, they gave us “your turn” assignments where we repeated the previous task again, but in a different way. It allowed me to better remember and understand what I had done previously. As stated previously, each chapter is separated into different tutorial sections that teach different aspects of ArcGIS. Chapter two is focused on map design, with it being separated into the following sections: Tutorial 2-1 Symbolizing qualitative attributes, Tutorial 2-2 Labeling features and configuring pop-ups, Tutorial 2-3 Filtering with definition queries,  Tutorial 2-4 Creating choropleth maps for quantitative attributes, Tutorial 2-5 Displaying data using graduated and proportional point symbols, Tutorial 2-6 Normalizing population maps with custom scales, Tutorial 2-7 Creating a dot density map, and finally Tutorial 2-8 Setting visibility ranges. I won’t go into too much detail of every individual tutorial section, as the titles are somewhat self-explanatory. However, I will share some experiences. In Tutorial 2-5, I remember accidentally renaming the wrong layer and editing on top of features that should’ve been displayed alongside my edits. I understood what mistake I made in order not to repeat it in the future. Also, changing the symbology of a layer/feature is something that was done in almost every section of Chapter 2. It really familiarized me with how to change the color and size of a symbol. The same occurred with renaming layers within the contents pane, as I now feel familiar with the action. I also became much faster at opening and naming files in chapter 2 as I had repeated the action many times over. Question: How do we decide which symbology method to choose? I did not understand the different methods in relation to the numbers they visually display. 

Photo: Tutorial 2-4

Photo: Tutorial 2-8

Chapter 3:

           Chapter 3 is less focused on how to make the maps and more focused on how to share these maps with individuals who don’t have ArcGIS Pro or any GIS skills. It also takes you off the ArcGIS programming platform and onto the ArcGIS Online website to show various methods of sharing maps on ArcGIS Online. Because of this, chapter 3 is not structured like chapters 1 and 2, with each tutorial section correlating with a designated ArcGIS file. Instead, it has ArcGIS file tutorials for within the program and outside the program. With the tutorials that were within the program being Tutorial 3-1 Building layouts and charts, and Tutorial 3-2 Sharing maps online. Sections that described how to perform actions within ArcGIS online were sections Tutorial 3-3 Creating a story and a briefing in ArcGIS StoryMaps, and Tutorial 3-4 Creating a dashboard in ArcGIS Dashboards. I struggled the most with this chapter because the instructions for what actions to perform for the ArcGIS online sections seemed to be outdated, with instruction names sometimes not correlating with the names on my screen. I also just struggled in general with jumping to a semi-new platform after being on ArcGIS Pro for two introductory chapters. I feel they could have introduced ArcGIS Online in later chapters. In the Tutorial 3-1 section, we were taught how to build a layout for our maps and charts. It reminded me of doing graphic design, with having to place images within select measured areas using various tools. The Tutorial 3-2 section was fairly simplistic, with it teaching how to properly adjust settings in order to publicly share a map within ArcGIS Pro. This is when the chapter introduced ArcGIS online, as we adjusted this shared map within the online program. Tutorial section 3-3 showed how to create a story and a briefing within ArcGIS online, both of which are streamlined ways for others to view and interact with your GIS map/data. Tutorial section 3-4 taught something similar, showing us how to create a Dashboard, creating another way to clearly outline and visualize our data within the platform. Question: When using ArcGIS online, what is the purpose of sharing/creating a story vs a briefing? What purposes do each hold? 

Picture: Tutorial 3-1

Chapter 1 

Starting off opening ArcGIS I was a little overwhelmed with all of the options and the layout of everything. But after looking at the tutorial in the book I found it very easy to follow. This chapter walked through opening projects, adding data, and understanding how layers stack and interact on the map. It focused a lot of basic tools like the zooming, panning, and how to access tables and bookmarks which I’d imagine are essential to know when going forward. I also liked how before and after every project it told me to save and where to save it to make it a habit. 

Chapter 2    

This chapter introduced how to add, organize, and manage different types of data in a project, which helped me understand how layers actually come together to build a map. It showed how to explore attribute fields more deeply like using the sorting, filtering, and selecting records for basic data. The tutorial also explored using the symbology tool which had a lot more applications than I initially thought. I thought it was cool how as you zoomed in the more in depth a building or place would get. Overall, this chapter made the software feel less overwhelming and showed how much control I have over how data is displayed. 

 

Chapter 3

This chapter walked through running tools like Clip, Buffer, or Select By Location, which helped me see how spatial relationships can be analyzed instead of just viewed. It was also nice how the book would explain the purpose or the end goal of clicking on things instead of just blindly leading you. It helped me understand why I would press something and in what cases I would. Just like the picture below I thought it was cool how you could make and design papers or projects on the program. I also really like designing the graphs like the chart in the tutorial that visualize numbers. This chapter made me realize how cool of a resource ArcGIS is and how I might be able to use it the future.

Tutorial 1-2 (Use Bookmarks), steps 4-8 undone: On the Map tab, in the Navigate group, click Bookmarks > New Bookmark. –> cannot create new bookmark, cannot manage bookmarks either

Learning the names of the different parts of the software has been a little difficult (i.e: pane, tab, group.) I’ve worked in Excel before, so I’ve used similarly laid out software, but I didn’t know what each sub-group was called. These tutorials are very rewarding since they give enough information to gently guide you through each step the first time, and then give less instruction so that you can internalize it and puzzle pieces out if you forget where something is. It’s very satisfying to see things work how they’re supposed to. The visibility range for labels has been the most fascinating tool for me. I like how simple, yet useful it is. Chapter 3 was interesting because I recently saw a dashboard that must have been built the same way, and it was interesting to see it in action. It isn’t something I would have recognized before. Typing more on the PCs was also neat because I have worked almost entirely on laptops in the past, meaning the keyboard was kind of foreign to me; I’m used to flatter keys. I’m not sure why my screenshots are so blurry; they look fine on my computer, so maybe it’s something to do with WordPress.

Chapter 1

I learned how to start making a basic map using GIS software. I practiced adding layers to a map and understanding how different layers represent different types of information, like locations, boundaries, and features. I also learned how to navigate the map, zoom in and out, and adjust how the data is displayed. I found this tutorial very easy, and starting out with Allegheny, Pennsylvania, made me feel very confident.

Chapter 2

I learned how to improve a map by using colors and symbology to represent different parts of a city. I worked on changing the appearance of map layers so that different areas were easier to see and understand. This helped show how maps can communicate information visually, not just display locations. The most challenging part for me was finding and selecting the exact colors needed for each section.

Chapter 3

I worked on creating two different maps, which made this chapter the most challenging for me. I had to repeat many of the same steps for the second map, and I often got lost trying to remember what to do next. This chapter helped me practice staying organized and understanding the full mapping process from start to finish. I also struggled with creating and formatting the title rectangles, but after some trial and error I was able to figure it out.

 

Chapter 1 Tutorials:

Chapter one focused a lot on how to navigate through the basic aspects of the Arc Gis software such as the contents bar and how the layers are oriented, the various Ribbon tabs and some of their basic functions and how to change details such as Symbology. The next focus of this chapter was introducing how to represent your data in various ways depending on its contexts. This consisted of changing basic aspects of vector data such as line color, changing how raster data can be effectively shown for various data groups, and how changing the orientation of your layers will change what a map represents. This chapter was not too hard to follow along to but it definitely was a lot of material to digest and recall in the your turn sections. I could see myself understanding what we have read about in past weeks better now that I was able to use some of the topics hands on. I also found it way more engaging when the maps were represent real studies and problems that were made more clear as I went through the steps in the chapter.

 

Chapter 2 Tutorials:

Chapter two focused a lot on how you represent the data on your maps and how this helps you tell an effective story. It discussed how to change the physical aspects of your map so that it is clean and effectively represents each area when you are zoomed in or out along with having your points represented in various icons to give a better visual comparison. This chapter also touched on 3D mapping which I found super interesting once I figured out how to properly do the steps in the program. I never expected this to be an option for representing map data and this chapter really showed me how in depth this program is and how many small things there are within the program to make sure you can effectively represent your data. I did struggle with this chapter a little more and had to redo a few steps and the vast amount of material covered between ch1 & 2 had me a little overwhelmed but as I sat with it longer it all started to click better

.

 

Chapter 3 Tutorials:

This chapter focused on how you can share your maps and the various ways you can share your data such as charts or graphs, pdf images for presentations, or actual web pages with interactive maps. This ArcGis.com part of this chapter was my favorite because it showed one of the end goals of doing all this work which is sharing your data in a way that you see fit. I didn’t know that Gis had a webpage that integrated with the softwares data which I thought was super cool as it makes it a lot easier to go through the steps necessary to present the info. I struggled a bit when I had to go back in and share my maps on my own but figured it out in the end. Im excited to see how else we use the Gis website with other data that we look at.

Chapter 1

This tutorial was a nice introduction into how to use all the features of ArcGIS, it was actually much simpler than I originally thought it would be. This chapter focused a lot on turning features on and off, toggling the contents, and basic stuff. I liked being able to walk through all the specific features, and it was very easy to absorb the material. The longest part about it was just going step by step and making sure I understood what features the chapter was describing. There were a few times where I had to go back and retrace my steps to make sure I did something correctly, but it got pretty fun after the first few pages.

I couldnt figure out how to make any of my screenshots not blurry, though, so I’ll have to go back and figure that out at some point.

 

Chapter 2:

This chapter was also pretty easy to follow. I liked getting to add color, and the sections of the map were cool to explore. The different parts of the zoning were really neat. Again, the step-by-step and the “your turn” sections helped me retain a lot of the info. I did get stuck a few times with labeling, but I just had to go back and read really carefully. I also liked how I could watch the progress of all the steps show up on the map. The tutorial 2 part also confused me because my files started to act really weird and not save anything, but I eventually figured it out. This part explained labeling features and configuring pop-ups, which I was confused by at first, but eventually I got the hang of it.

Chapter 3:

This chapter was probably the longest for me to follow along with, out of all the other tutorials. I am beginning to feel confident in figuring out GIS, even when I still do get pretty confused on certain parts of the tutorial. I mainly struggled to understand the wording, but after looking up where i got stuck, it was much easier.

 

I learned parts like how to create a story map, how to insert charts, and how to make a dashboard. When I had to get rid of the name, I also got kind of stuck. I did really like seeing all of the features in this tutorial, though. I definitely learned a lot through these tutorials, and I am glad they’re so precise!

This was all in all really cool and fun to learn about. I’m honestly just impressed with myself that I was able to get through this whole thing in one night while being sick. So from now on I will definitely be doing these at the start of the week so that if I ever catch a cold on thursday I don’t have to be sick and suffering through hours of GIS Friday night lol