Chapter 1

Introducing GIS
GIS is a computer system that allows the user to examine and explore all aspects of
location. It has features to make maps, globes, data, and analytic tools on the software
system, allowing users to run advance analysis, display the result, and digitally save and
share the information.

Here are some examples of how the user may utilize GIS:
1. GIS may examine or build in population density map, which displays the
distribution of population in relation to certain locations (e.g., cities, census tracts,
countries, states, and nations).
2. GIS may accomplish locating sites that fulfill specified criteria. For example, in
real estate businesses, users could have access to a GIS database of properties
with associated property values that might be utilized to produce sales statistics.
For a utility business, user may use a GIS to organize, map, and manage the
hundreds of repairs that must be made each year.
3. GIS may be used to investigate what is going on in a certain region. For example,
environmental organizations could map animal species' habitats and catalog
vegetation throughout an area to better understand their interactions. For
conservation organization, GIS could examine locations near stream watersheds
to see how natural features, seasonal water flow, and existing ecosystems vary.
4. GIS could be used to track how and where objects change over time to learn about
subject movement and behavior. For example, public health organizations may
follow an influenza epidemic regionally to attempt to discover its origin, detect
illness clusters, and identify high-risk locations.
5. GIS also may be used to assess present circumstances and forecast future ones.
For example, users might track and model storm data to offer early warning for
evacuation plans to save people’s lives.

Basic principle of GIS

These are some basic principles of GIS:
• A GIS map contains layers
A GIS map is built up of layers, or groupings of similar geographic objects that
are characterized by a visual symbol. Users can create as many layers as needed.

• Layers may contain features or surfaces

In GIS, a feature is a single object that contains both geometry and attribute. Not
all layers have features. The ocean layer, unlike the other levels, is not made up of
geographical things. It is seen as a single, continuous expanse that varies in width
depending on the depth of the water. Similarly, the terrain layer displays the
landscape's height. This geographic expanse is called surface.
• Features have shape and size
Features can be points, lines, or polygons. Polygons illustrate things with
boundaries, such as countries, lakes, and big areas of territory. Lines are used to
illustrate objects that are too narrow to be polygons, such as rivers, highways, and
pipelines. Cities, schools, and fire hydrants are examples of objects that employ
points because they are too tiny to be polygons. Depending on the scale of the
layer, the same item may be represented by a polygon in one layer and a line or a
point in another. Polygons, lines, and points, collectively create vector data.

• Surfaces have numeric values rather than shapes

A raster, which is a matrix of equally sized square pixels, is the most common
type of surface. Each cell represents a surface area unit, such as 10 square meters,
and contains a measured or estimated value for that place.

A close examination of this ocean depth raster reveals that it is made up of square cells. Each cell
has a numeric number representing ocean depth. Map made with Natural Earth.

• Features have locations

A pair of coordinates define the position of a point feature on a map. A straight
line requires two sets of coordinates, one at the beginning and one at the end. If
the line bends, as such a river does, a pair of coordinates must be present at each
site where the line changes direction. The same is applicable for polygons, which
are just lines that return to their initial point.
 A coordinate system with an x-axis and a y-axis is illustrated on this map. The intersection of the
axes is called the origin. The distance from the origin in meters, feet, or an equivalent unit of
measure—in this case, lines of latitude and longitude—is used to specify feature positions.
Data from Data and Maps for ArcGIS 2010, courtesy of ArcWorld, DeLorme, Esri, and ArcWorld
Supplement.

• Features can be displayed at different sizes

The connection between the size of objects on a map and the size of the
corresponding places in the world is known as scale or ratio. Users may zoom in
on a GIS map to observe details up close and the scale of the map changes. The
level of detail in the features is determined by the layer used.

• Features are linked to information

A feature consists of more than just its physical shape and location. A feature also
provides any further information regarding that feature. Features information
about the layer is stored on a table. Each feature in the layer is represented by a
record (row) in the table, and each type of information is represented by a field
(column). These categories are referred to as attributes, and the table is referred to
as an attribute table.
A layer's attribute table of countries provides the shape, ID number, name, population, and area of
each feature, among other things. Data from Data and Maps for ArcGIS 2010, courtesy of
ArcWorld Supplement and Esri.

The information in a feature's attribute table is connected to features on a GIS

map. The relationship between features and their attributes allows users to ask
questions about the information in an attribute table and have the responses shown
on the map below. This skill may be used to locate and identify certain features.

Which countries have a population of 1 billion or greater? Data from Data and Maps for ArcGIS
2010, courtesy of ArcWorld, DeLorme, Esri, and ArcWorld Supplement.

Similarly, attributes may be used to make thematic maps, which utilize colors or
other symbols to express the nature of feature attributes.
 This map illustrates the proportion of a state that is covered by the common land unit, which is the
smallest unit of agricultural land that can be registered in a farm program run by the United States
Department of Agriculture. Map and data courtesy of US Department of Agriculture Farm Service
Agency Aerial Photography Field Office (USDA-FSA-APFO), 2009.

• Features have spatial relationships

User can inquire about the spatial connections between features, such as which
are closest to others, which cross others, and which are contained by others. In a
GIS, feature coordinates are used to compare their positions. The map below
shows the relations between parcel locations, water pipes, and valves are defined
in the GIS.

This utility map illustrates parcel locations, water lines, and valves for Cobb County Water
System in Marietta, Georgia. Map courtesy of Cobb County Water System. Data from Cobb
County GIS.
• New features can be created from areas of overlap
Attribute and spatial connection queries detect existing features depending on
whether they have certain qualities. However, to solve specific geographic
challenges, a GIS must be used to construct new features from existing ones. On
the map shown, a GIS database featuring layers such as soils, slopes, rivers and
streams, wetlands, floodplains, parks and natural spaces, significant habitat
inventory, greenways, and natural hazard data was utilized to identify regionally
significant regions.

Regionally significant landscape features are derived from other features in the area surrounding
Portland, Oregon. Map courtesy of Matthew Hampton, Oregon Metro. Data from Metro Regional
Land Information System, Esri, National Park Service Natural Earth, Nature Conservancy, and
Oregon Natural Heritage Program.

• Data requires management

GIS data may rapidly become complex. You must select how to arrange your
geographic data early in the planning stages of a GIS project, for example, by
type, geography, or granularity. Whatever technique you use, capturing metadata
(information about data) for your geographical data is an important element in
your data management strategy.
Small projects can be stored on a local drive and large-scale shared data can
utilize server GIS or cloud networks to guarantee safe data governance, decreased
redundancy, and system compatibility.
 Chapter 2

Introducing ArcGIS
There are several features that may be discovered with ArcGIS desktop, they are:
1. Query data and examine spatial correlations between map characteristics such as
distance, intersection, and confinement.
2. Overlay layers to learn how different types of data are connected at a certain
region.
3. Create and update data with a complete set of drawings and editing tools.
4. Comprehensive collection of spatial analytic tools for sophisticated GIS data
analysis, modeling, and data conversion.
5. Provides high-end cartographic tools and extensive capabilities for data
translation, production, and conversion of a wide range of spatial file types.

Application and Tools

ArcGIS Desktop is made up of various programs in which you will work. The most often
used apps are ArcMap and ArcCatalog. The ArcScene and ArcGlobe apps are used to
visualize three-dimensional (3D) data. Core ArcGIS Desktop geoprocessing tools are
available through the ArcToolbox window and the ModelBuilder application and could
be accessed from both ArcMap and ArcCatalog.

ArcGIS Desktop Application

GIS tasks are divided into two categories: (1) mapmaking, editing, and spatial analysis;
and (2) database design and data management. This division of tasks represents the
functionalities of the ArcMap and ArcCatalog applications, the core components of
ArcGIS Desktop.
ArcMap is the ArcGIS application for creating maps and analyzing data.

ArcMap has a data view for creating, symbolizing, and analyzing maps. Map from the Florida Geographic
Data Library, courtesy of the University of Florida GeoPlan Center.
ArcMap provides a layout view for composing maps to be printed. User can add a title, scale bar, legend,
and other elements. Map from the Florida Geographic Data Library, courtesy of the University of Florida
GeoPlan Center.

ArcCatalog is the ArcGIS application for data management

In ArcCatalog, left, user can organize, browse through, document, and search for spatial data. ArcCatalog
also provides tools for building and managing GIS databases. Although there is a separate ArcCatalog
application, the Catalog window in ArcMap, right, can meet most of data organization needs. Data from the
Florida Geographic Data Library, courtesy of the University of Florida GeoPlan Center.
ArcGIS Desktop also provides two 3D visualization environments: ArcScene and
ArcGlobe. User may view GIS data in three dimensions using ArcScene. ArcGlobe, a
component of the ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension, generates seamless visualizations of
raster and vector features at varied levels of resolution. The information is organized into
picture tiles, which can be saved to system memory (the cache) for rapid display and
navigation.

The ArcGIS Pro Application

ArcGIS Pro is an all-in-one product for GIS professionals who want to display, create,
analyze, and share both 2D and 3D geospatial data.

The ArcGIS Pro mapping application has an intuitive interface and the ability to display data in two and
three dimensions, simultaneously. Data from Data and Maps for ArcGIS 2010, courtesy of ArcUSA, US
Census, Esri (Pop2010). Basemap sources: Esri, HERE, DeLorme, TomTom, Intermap, increment P Corp.,
GEBCO, USGS, FAO, NPS, NRCAN, GeoBase, IGN, Kadaster NL, Ordnance Survey, Esri Japan, METI,
Esri China (Hong Kong), swisstopo, MapmyIndia, © OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User
Community.

In ArcGIS Pro, all work and data are organized into projects (.aprx). A project includes
maps, layouts, layers, tables, tasks, tools, and connections to servers, databases, folders,
and styles. Existing Esri file formats like map documents (.mxd), scenes (.sxd), and
globes (.3dd) can be imported into ArcGIS Pro. Projects are not backward compatible
with ArcMap; however, the data used by the application can be accessed by ArcMap
through the geodatabase created by ArcGIS Pro. Services published using ArcGIS Pro
can be used and shared with ArcMap.

ArcGIS Desktop tools

The ArcToolbox window provides a set of geoprocessing tools, models, and scripts
organized in one interface. A dialog box will appear when the user runs a geoprocessing
tool from ArcToolbox.
ArcToolbox includes a collection of geoprocessing tools, models, and scripts. Here, the Extract toolset is
highlighted.

ModelBuilder assists users in developing models to solve spatial analytic challenges.

ModelBuilder interface can be used to organize the inputs, tools, and outputs needed to
perform geospatial analysis.

ModelBuilder may be used to develop models for geoprocessing automation.

Extending ArcGIS Desktop functionality
Extension packages that are integrated with ArcGIS Desktop provide additional
functionality and capabilities. There are three commonly used extensions:
1. ArcGIS Spatial Analyst is generally used for raster analysis, or deriving a raster
output from vector input, as each cell storing a meaningful value.
2. ArcGIS 3D Analyst gives the ability to see spatial data in three dimensions.
3. ArcGIS Network Analyst provides network-based transportation spatial analysis
tools to display fleet routing, travel directions, closest facility, service areas, and
location allocation (determining optimal location sites).

The ArcGIS platform

ArcGIS Desktop is just one part of the ArcGIS platform which also includes ArcGIS
Enterprise, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS for Developers, and ArcGIS Apps.

ArcGIS Enterprise
ArcGIS Enterprise is used to create online services that distribute maps, applications, and
information over the internet, such as driving instructions or retail locations. ArcGIS
Enterprise is also optimized for cloud computing, a fast evolving technology that enables
users to employ a cloud provider's computer infrastructure.

ArcGIS Online
ArcGIS Online is a collection of cloud-based online tools and services that improve and
expand the ArcGIS user experience. Users may create maps, access libraries of ready-to-
use maps, store and manage maps, data, and other geospatial information, do spatial
analytics, purchase maps and data from vendors, and share their content with others using
ArcGIS Online (http://www.arcgis.com). Users can search for and add data from the
cloud, as well as upload map and layer packages that has already created using either
ArcGIS Desktop or ArcGIS Enterprise.

ArcGIS for Developers and ArcGIS apps

ArcGIS for Developers is used when creating custom solutions. A set of developer tools
may be used to enhance and customize current ArcGIS applications as well as to create
and configure custom apps. The Collector for ArcGIS program captures, edits, and
displays geographic data using Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities. It enables
field staff with no GIS knowledge to collect data that can later be shared via ArcGIS
Online and ArcGIS Enterprise.

Esri Data
Esri provides comprehensive demographic, lifestyle segmentation, consumer spending,
and business data and delivers this data in a variety of ways. Esri data includes
demographic data, segmentation data, business data, map service, etc. To learn more
about ArcGIS Desktop extensions, Esri data, ArcGIS Online, and the rest of the ArcGIS
platform, visit the Esri website at http://www.esri.com.