CS 128/ES 228 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

Lab 6: Map Layout and Publishing

Goals:

        By the conclusion of this lab period, you will have:

  1. Learned to label features in ArcMap, using attribute data.
  2. Learned how to work with ArcMap’s layout editor.
  3. Produced a properly composed thematic map of campus.

Instructions 

Building Attributes and Databases (deja vu all over again)

  1. Getting started.  Save the Buildings.mdb file on your machine.  Start ArcMap and either use your campus map from last week’s lab or begin again with the Lab 2 dataset.  If you start with last week’s map, remove the Sbu buildings layer.  Add the Labeled_Blds layer from Buildings.mdb to your data frame.  Make sure that the buildings show up in the proper places.   Turn off the aerial photograph layers.   


  2. Labeling features from an attribute table.  Open the attribute data file associated with the Labeled_bld layer and look over the labels on the columns (“fields” in database parlance).  Find the field for MapIDs, which uses the numerical codes from the standard campus map (a copy of which will be available in lab) to identify the buildings.  Now open the Properties box for the Labeled_blds layer, select the Labels tab, and select Map ID as the Label Field.  Tell ArcMap label the buildings with their Map IDs.   Then label the localroads layer with road names.


  3. Controlling the display of labels.   The Map IDs aren’t very useful without a key, are they?  For this lab, rather than building a key, which is a cumbersome task, go back to the Labels dialog box and select and display the Names field.  One problem with long, informative labels, however, is that they become too crowded on smaller scale maps.  ArcMap will automatically turn off the display of labels once you zoom out beyond a limit that you also set in the Labels dialog box.  Return to that box and set the Scale Range to the labels don’t display when the map is zoomed out to beyond an appropriate range.  You will need to explore to find an appropriate value – record the value you choose in your lab report and do a screen capture to show the map at a scale just slightly larger and slightly smaller than the range you choose.  Paste both screen captures into your lab report.

     



Learning about map components

  1. Copy the file Heywood 8-1 onto your machine and study the map components it displays.  Unless otherwise stated, all maps you create in this course must contain these components. 
    2.  

Creating a locator map

  1. Adding a data frame to your map.  What good is a data frame?  Answer:  not much if you have only one.  Insert a second data frame into your map of campus.  Name it “NYS Locator”.  Record what happens in the map display window.  


  2. Finding a map of NYS.  You could draw a map of NYS from memory, but the First Rule of Building a GIS is TRY TO USE SOMEBODY ELSE’S DATA BEFORE YOU EVEN THINK OF GENERATING YOUR OWN!  Maybe the federal government has a copy?  Go to the U. S. Census Bureau’s Geography site.  Look under Maps, then Boundary Files, and pick County and County Equivalent Areas.  Once there, find and download a file containing outlines of New York State and its counties.  Save it to your hard drive, unzip it, and add it to the table of contents.  Here’s a hint if ArcMap won’t add it.  If necessary, move the resulting layer into the new data frame.  Take a minute to think about its projection/coordinate system and adjust if necessary. 


  3. What happened to my map of campus?  You are currently using ArcMap’s Data View mode, in which only one data frame can be viewed at a time.  To view another data frame, right-click its entry in the table of contents and click Activate.  Once you see how this works, reactivate the NYS Locator frame.


  4. Marking campus on the NYS map.  Add a point layer to the NYS map, consisting of a properly sized red star located at the center of campus. Can’t remember how to add a point layer to a GIS?   Worried about the exact coordinates of the center of campus?  The star should be easily visible on the locator map without obscuring the county borders.


Working in Layout View

  1. Switching from Data to Layout View.  Up to now you have been using ArcMap’s Data View or mode.  This mode is indicated by the globe tab at the lower-left corner of the map display.  Click the Layout View tab and note what objects appear in the map display.


  2. Sizing and positioning the NYS Locator map.  Click the NYS map and use its selection “handles” to size and position it appropriately.  Open a text box near the locator map and create a label for the locator.   Text boxes work bizarrely in ArcMap – need help?  


  3. Adding a map title.  The Insert menu provides a number of the map components you need to add.  Create and position an appropriately sized title.


  4. Adding a legend.  Use the Wizard editor to create a legend for the Building type layer only.  If you get a list of the layers for the wrong data frame, try this.  It’s not very obvious how to restrict the legend to one layer within a data frame – here’s some help.   


  5. Displaying the scale.  ArcMap provides two ways of designating the scale of a map.  One is a numeric scale of the form 1:x,xxx.  This piece of information changes, obviously, with the zoom level of your map.  ArcMap handles this problem with a dynamic “Scale text” feature.  Add an absolute scale.   You may want to adjust the map scale (zoom level) so that the scale is easier to use (than 1:8,473, for instance).
                The other scale indicator is a graphic scale indicator or a Scale Bar. Add one and change the scale bar so that it (a) uses tick marks rather than black/white bars; (b) reads in kilometers; and (c) displays sensible numbers on its tick marks.  

  6. North arrow and Reference grid.  Add a North Arrow.  Position it appropriately.  Add a measured grid.  Play with the grid spacing until it is detailed enough to be used to estimate building coordinates, but not so dense as to be distracting.

To Hand In

  1. First, a final check:   Does your map contain all the required components?   If not, do what needs doing.  Before printing, produce a Print Preview and check it over carefully.  


  2. Printing a map.   Have ArcMap print your final map to file and save the *.prn file to disk.  


  3. Final Submission.  Email a Word document with a cover page, two screen captures, and answers to the questions in parts 3 & 5 to your instructors.  Also email us your final map image in *.prn format.


Help Policy

       Help Policy in Effect for This Assignment: Group Project With Limited Collaboration

       In particular, you may discuss the assignment and concepts related to the assignment with the following persons, in addition to an instructor in this course: any GIS instructor and any student enrolled in CS 128/ES 228.

       You may use the following materials produced by other students: materials produced by member of your own group.