Geography 291: Geospatial Analysis with Desktop GIS

Chapter 1

In Chapter 1, I learned several basic but useful skills, such as how to zoom in and move the map to focus on specific areas. I also discovered how to access and disable pop-up windows. Additionally, I learned how to create bookmarks for easy navigation.I explored how to turn different map features on and off to customize the view to my needs, as well as how to access the data tables associated with those features. One of the more useful things I learned was how to view the map in 3D.

Chapter 2

In Chapter 2, I learned how to customize map symbols by resizing, reshaping, and changing their colors. I also learned how to create histograms to represent data visually. Additionally, I gained an understanding of how to color and define borders clearly, making sure they’re easy for the viewer to interpret. I also learned how to set label visibility limits so that labels only appear when zoomed in, keeping the map clean and uncluttered at wider views.

Chapter 3

In Chapter 3, I learned how to insert maps into a document, label them properly, and create clear, informative legends. This chapter also covered how to share maps online. Additionally, I learned how to format pages and add guidelines to ensure the layout is symmetrical and visually appealing. The maps shown below are the ones I created while working through this chapter.

Chapter 4: 

This chapter taught me how to convert data points into the maps within GIS while using SQLs to search certain types of statistics. Learning how to create spatial joints was very helpful in understanding the data I was looking at within the map

Chapter 5: 

This chapter taught me how to change maps into a much broader, worldwide view of the map . I was looking at it. Learning how to understand spatial phenomena was really interesting and it helped me to get a better appreciation of GIS and its applications.

Chapter 6;

This chapter taught me how to break apart maps into smaller districts and neighborhoods. This helped me to understand the data I was looking at better. Overall, this chapter was the most challenging for me, but finally figuring everything out was very satisfying. 

Chapter 4

In chapter 4 I learned about modifying attribute tables, carrying out attribute queries, aggregating data with spatial joins, using central point features for polygons, and creating a new table for a one-to-many join. I started this chapter off with no problems and it was pretty easy to follow along. I had troubles with 4-2 when trying to delete rows from the attribute table. An error message would pop up when I tried to save it and I even went to the website which gave me suggestions to fix it and I still couldn’t figure it out. I skipped the chapter but the next day I went back to it and somehow got it to work and finished the chapter. The rest of the chapter was interesting and took some time but I got it all figured out.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 was about working with map projections,  coordinate systems, vector data formats, US Census maps and data tables, and finally how to download geospatial data. I enjoyed exploring the different map projections and coordinate systems to see how it affected the map. Working with the US Census maps and data tables gave me a little trouble and I ended up messing up the final product. When working with the bicyclist data between male and females I made a mistake. The data files were already supposed to be in percentage form but they were not so I must have made a mistake at some point. I did go back but I am not sure where I made a mistake. I still finished the tutorial but it wasn’t correct and I wasn’t able to see a pattern between the Male and Female bicyclists. I had a few other problems but with some quick google searches I got them figured out. I realized during this chapter that I was becoming much more familiar with where things are and the tutorials weren’t taking as long. 

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 included dissolving features, extracting and clipping features for a study area, merging features, intersecting features, using union on neighborhoods and land-use features, and Using the tabulate intersection tool. I was able to get through this chapter pretty quickly. My only problem was in tutorial 2, where I was extracting and clipping features for a study area. After I selected groups by area, I was supposed to select the remaining block groups with the selection tool but every time I tried It would deselect the other groups. I had to redo the whole process multiple times and I still couldn’t figure it out so I had to move on. By the end of this week I feel more comfortable with the interface but there is still a lot that confuses me.

Chapter 4:

In this chapter I learned how to input data into arcgis.

 I also had a hard time understanding about qry part in tutorial 3. 

I learned how to be able to aggregate data with spatial joints.

 

Chapter 5:

In this chapter I learned how to look at the longitude and latitude on a map. 

I learned how to set projected coordinate systems. 

I also learned how to import a shapefile into a file geodatabase and then add it to a map.

 

Chapter 6:

In this chapter I learned how select by attributes to create a study area on a map/

I learned how to be able to calculate acreage using a calculate geometry attribute tool.

I learned how to use select by location to be able to create study area block groups.

Chapter 4:

Chapter 4 went over how to convert data into geodatabases, along with modifying attribute tables and fields and using SQL query criteria to search and narrow in on certain types of crimes. There was also one section that taught how to make a centroid have a central point which you could in turn relate it to a specific value and specific size based on that value to visually show what area has a certain higher rate of the value.

Chapter 5:

Chapter 5 went over creating a world map projection, setting up a coordinated system and downloading data and creating a spatial map of it. A lot of this chapter dealt with the coordinate systems from properties tab and tools.

Chapter 6:

Chapter 6 went over dissolving block types of polygons to create neighborhoods, extracting neighborhoods using attributes to study an area, merging features, and intersecting streets and fire companies to look at various data for fire companies.

Delaware Data Inventory & Final Exam:

Looking at some of the data layers, it looks like there are ones for zip code, streets, GPS monuments and many more. These layers are sorted into 6 Data categories; Land data (physical features as data layers), DXF Files (Addresses, streets, etc..), Transportation (Layer concerning transportation like railroads), All Files (Everything available), Election Data (Precincts), Imagery (Satellite imagery of Delaware county)

(Really blurry for some reason, but contains Parcels, Hydrology, and Street Center Lines of Delaware)

Chapter 1-

This chapter taught me basically how to navigate the software, like how to access different tabs and what they’re used for, and creating or using bookmarks .

 

Chapter 2-

I had some issues figuring out how to apply the labels at first, but eventually I got there once I realized I have to wait until after the settings are done to click the label button. Overall didn’t have too much trouble with anything else, and was able to go through the tutorials smoothly.

Chapter 3-

This chapter had me working with layout, charts, and how to create these maps to be easily readable for people who don’t regularly work with maps or aren’t familiar with the topic or area you’re mapping. It also taught me how to share maps to ArcGIS Online. I had some issues sharing it, because none of my files would show up in the files explorer, it would just tell me that my “container is empty”. Consequently, I couldn’t find the tags or summary box fields to complete. I ignored that and still shared both maps. I had no trouble navigating the ArcGIS Online portion of this chapter.

 

Week 5:

Chapter 4: In this chapter, I learned how to input data. One thing that did trip me up was that attribute, field, variable, and column are interchangeable names for the columns of data tables, and record, row, and observation are interchangeable names for the rows in a data table.

Chapter 5: In this chapter, I worked with coordinate planes, vector data, and US census data. I did not run into any issues through this chapter; it just took me a second to find all the buttons. 

Chapter 6: In this chapter, I worked on merging features. I thought it was going to be harder than it actually was. The rest of this chapter went smoothly as well. 

Chapter 4

• In Chapter I learned how to import data into my new works, as well as how to modify attributes within the attribute table.
• In the map below I learned how to focus on a couple of data points within the data set. the green is specifically just robberies and burglaries out of all the crime within Pittsburgh.
• Additionally I learned how to create spatial joints which give the amount of instances within a certain area of the map.

Chapter 5

• In this chapter I learned how to un-skew the map and make the maps in the world shape.
• I learned about the process to change a maps coordinate system.
• Then I learned about TIGER files and census tracts.

Chapter 6

• In this chapter I learned how to dissolve features on my maps to either make maps simpler or more advanced, depending on what the idea of the map is and the target audience.
• I also learned how to merge water features and other features in general.
• Finally, I learned how to intersect features and what the tabulate  intersection tool is.

Chapter 1

• In chapter one I learned a bunch of easy little things like how to zoom and move the map around to where I need.
• I also learned about how to access pop up windows and how to disable them as well, and I learned about bookmarks and how to create them as well.
• I learned how to turn off and on features of the map so i can cater it to be what I want as well how to access the tables of data for those features.
• Additionally I learned how to view the map in 3-D and that was really cool too!

Chapter 2

• In chapter two I learned how to resize, reshape, and recolor symbols on maps.
• I learned how to make histograms
• I learned how to color in borders and define the boundaries of the borders without it being confusing to the reader.
• I learned how to put limits on labels so they won’t show up while you zoom out.

Chapter 3

• Chapter three taught me how to put maps on a document, as well as how to label them and make legends for them.
• This chapter also tells us how to share maps to the web.
• I also learned how to format pages and add guide lines so that the information presented can be shown in a symmetrical and appealing way.
• The maps below are what I made during this chapter.