Solving Spatial problems with ArcGIS Desktop

Explore section two of the ArcGIS Desktop course to create your first map in ArcMap, manage catalogs and data, view metadata, and build a thematic map.

Explore ArcCatalog, a component of ArcGIS Desktop, to manage spatial data, connect to databases, preview maps, view metadata, and create new data with catalogs and extensions.

Learn to create and edit metadata for spatial data in ArcGIS Desktop, including descriptions, credits, usage restrictions, and standards like FGDC, to improve data discoverability and reuse.

Explore the ArcMap structure and how to access help, including launching from catalog or ArcGIS menu, managing projects, data and layout views, and using ArcGIS Online and help resources.

Open your first map in ArcMap, add data to load the country layer, view the attribute table and identify attributes, then adjust color and outline with zoom and pan.

Master zoom and pan in ArcGIS Desktop using zoom in/out, the hand tool to pan, and dragging a rectangle to zoom to a region, plus full extent and interactive zoom.

Learn to measure distance and area in ArcGIS Desktop with the measure tool, using line or area options, units like kilometers, and projection such as cylindrical equal area.

Learn how to save a study area in ArcGIS Desktop by selecting a country, exporting the data, and zooming to the region, using Indonesia as an example.

Add multiple layers in ArcMap, select with shift and control, rearrange layer order, remove unwanted layers, and customize colors, symbols, and labels for a clearer map.

Create a point map in ArcGIS Desktop from an Excel world sheet with x and y coordinates by displaying XY data to generate a city point layer.

Create your first thematic map in ArcGIS Desktop by visualizing population with graduated color, adjusting layers, attributes, and symbology to show country-level data.

Create a layout in ArcGIS Desktop, zoom to Africa and Europe, insert a legend and scale bar, save the project, and export the map to JPEG or PNG for sharing.

Export your map, insert the saved image into a Word document, and size it with the corner handles, then write a report on the population distribution in Africa and Europe.

Create your first map in ArcMap, zoom, pan, merge distances, and select a study area. Explore catalog, metadata, multiple layers, labels, z coordinates, thematic maps, layouts, and exporting as MXD.

Learn to create your study area map by clipping a national map to a chosen area, adjust color symbols, apply definition, query, and mask, and place it in a layout.

Learn to separate your study area in ArcGIS Desktop by selecting district data, exporting as a shapefile, and batch clipping layers to the study area.

Change the color and symbols of your layers to improve map readability, renaming layers for clarity, and applying visual cues to roads, rivers, health facilities, and administrative boundaries.

Use a definition query and a mask to select your study area in ArcGIS Desktop, clip data to the district, and adjust layer colors for key features.

Label your map features by selecting a label field from the attribute table, then customize font (Verdana), size, color, placement, and offsets to place names like health facilities and settlements.

Learn to create polished map layouts in ArcGIS Desktop by adding a legend, scale bar, grid, north arrow, logo, and source credits, and export layouts as JPEG or PDF.

Finish a study-area map in ArcGIS Desktop, adjust symbology colors, use definition query and mask for speed, label features, and export the layout for non-GIS audiences.

Discover diverse online spatial data sources for ArcGIS desktop, from global administrative boundaries and rivers to OpenStreetMap, population data, soil data, hydro shed data, and global agro ecological zones.

Learn to download free spatial data from DIVA GIS, select Mozambique administrative areas, roads, railways, inland water, and gazette, then extract and convert coordinates into points for ArcGIS.

Download global administrative areas by country, unzip the geodatabase or geopackage, and open ArcMap to explore level zero to level three boundaries and their names.

Discover how to download spatial data from OpenStreetMap using geo fabric, choose Mozambique, download shapefile zip, unzip, and open in ArcMap to view roads and buildings.

Download and view Worldpop population data in ArcMap, explore raster population grids for Mozambique, compare constrained estimates, and visualize population distribution by district with color-coding.

Learn to download high-resolution Facebook population data for Mozambique, choose TIFF or CSV formats, and create map points from longitude and latitude in ArcGIS Desktop using WGS 84 coordinate system.

Download the world soil data and explore the harmonized world soil data set, including the raster and the access database, and learn how to connect attributes and soil units.

Learn to download hydroshed data for basins, rivers, and lakes in ArcGIS desktop, and classify rivers by Strahler order across multiple basin levels.

Explore how to download global agro ecological zones data from the GAEZ portal, analyze suitability indices, growing period, and yield to compare maize production across countries.

Learn to download IFPRI spatial data from S3 and analyze crop production, harvested area, and yield in Mozambique using CSV and TIFF formats and a 9 by 9 km grid.

Learn to download spatial data from ArcGIS Online, add data as backgrounds or downloadable layers, view metadata, and use web services like World at night.

Explore how to access free spatial data online from diverse sources like OpenStreetMap, World Soil Database, IFPRI, and ArcGIS Online, and integrate them into your analysis.

Explore managing ArcGIS tables: adjust color and size, rename and hide fields, and select features. Open external tables, join to the map, and create point layers from x y coordinates.

Open and manage tabular data in ArcGIS Desktop by viewing the attribute table for country and city layers, selecting features, and adjusting table appearance, fields, and aliases.

Join an external table to a map's attribute table using a common field, explore data types, hierarchy levels, and how to visualize joined data in ArcGIS.

Create permanent point data from x y coordinates using ArcMap or ArcCatalog to export to a shapefile.

Connect external databases to ArcGIS using a Microsoft Access database and join its tables with spatial data. Make joins permanent by exporting to a shapefile and handle common field-name issues.

We change table appearance beyond ArcGIS default, join external table to map attribute, create points from x,y coordinates, and connect ArcGIS to an external database like axis for thematic maps.

Learn to create thematic maps with ArcGIS Desktop by representing attribute data with unique values and choropleth colors, plus dot density, flow and temporal maps, spatial analysis, and geopackage export.

Create a unique value thematic map for land use land cover by class. Apply RGB colors per class and import a layer file to preserve symbology.

Learn to produce graduated color (choropleth) maps in ArcGIS Desktop by joining tables, symbolizing total population, classifying data, and computing population density by area.

Explore classification methods for graduated color maps in ArcGIS Desktop, including manual, equal interval, defined interval, quantile, natural break, geometrical interval, and standard deviation.

Create graduated symbol maps to compare population density with electricity accessibility using range classifications and a single symbol color, then compare to proportional symbol maps where symbol size reflects value.

Create dot density maps to represent quantitative values with points, where each dot stands for a defined amount, using multiple fields, colors, and adjustable dot size to show concentration.

Create thematic chart maps using pie, bar, column, or stack charts to compare district data proportionally using field values such as read and write and religion in Mozambique.

learn to create a flow map in ArcGIS desktop using start x and start y to draw lines from Maputo to destinations, then classify flights by local or international.

Learn to create dynamic temporal maps in ArcGIS Desktop using the Armed Conflict Location Event Data project’s event date and time slider with six-month steps and violence against civilians.

Learn how to create and save a map package in ArcGIS, analyze for errors, and ensure the package includes data and a description.

Explore spatial analysis using thematic maps to communicate decision-relevant information, overlaying population density, electricity accessibility, land use, mining concessions, and road conditions to assess development impacts.

Review ArcMap thematic maps - unique value, graduated color, classifications, graduated and proportional symbol maps, nested maps, flow maps, and temporal maps, with basic spatial analysis and export via map package.

Explore configuring map layouts in the map design tool, including legends, labels, annotations, and reference maps, and learn to export maps in multiple formats for collaboration.

Configure a map layout in ArcGIS Desktop by customizing the legend, scale bar, grid, and background, adjusting label sizes and vertical orientation for clear visualization.

Configure and differentiate map labels by administrative level using thematic symbology, adjust label size and placement, and create a clear notation for national, provincial, and district capitals.

Create a reference map in ArcGIS Desktop by inserting a data frame, arranging layers, labeling provinces, painting the country white, and saving the map with a blue ocean frame.

Export your map from ArcGIS Desktop to JPEG, PNG, PDF, or TIFF, choose RGB or CMYK, set 300 dpi for print, and finalize in design software like InDesign.

Configure the map layout and legend, adjust label and text size for readability, add a notation, export the map to different formats, and prepare a reference map for map production.

Produce interactive PDFs to give GIS-free users access to the full maps in one place, and use data-driven pages to generate map sets by province or district.

Learn to create an interactive PDF from ArcGIS Desktop by exporting layers and feature attributes, enabling readers to toggle roads, rivers, lakes, and other data in an Adobe Reader viewer.

Learn to automate map production with data driven pages in ArcGIS Desktop, generating a separate district map for each boundary and updating names and counts dynamically for printing as PDFs.

Examine two map reduction methods: interactive pdf for assembling layered maps and data driven page to produce a map series for the study area; next, projection and coordinate system.

Explore projection and coordinate systems in ArcGIS, learn about on the fly projection, and change the view and data projections, including vector and raster data.

Explore how geographic and projected coordinate systems locate points with latitude and longitude, and how projection uses false origins and UTM zones to map coordinates.

Project the view in ArcGIS Desktop by accessing layer properties and coordinate system, then explore projections such as Mercator, Sinusoidal, Goode-Homolosine, Robson, and Tobler cylindrical.

Change the data projection with the ArcGIS project tool, reproject from a known geographic coordinate system to a new projected system such as UTM 36 south.

Recognize the importance of projection in spatial data and the theory of projection and coordinate systems; learn how to change the projection for vector and raster data.

Create a spatial database by combining graphical, database, and connection files into a single, structured repository for spatial information, organized based on subjects.

Create and populate a file geodatabase by organizing feature datasets and feature classes, setting the coordinate system, and importing data from sources like OpenStreetMap and Diva GIS.

Create and populate spatial databases, including geo, personal, and file geodatabases, and learn how to georeference data in the next lesson.