Long Term Resource Monitoring Program

Program Report

98-P010

Geospatial Technologies Division

Student Training Manual

September 1998
The Environmental Management Technical Center issues LTRMP Program Reports

to provide Long Term Resource Monitoring Program partners

with programmatic documentation, procedures manuals, and annual status reports.

Environmental Management

Technical Center

CENTER DIRECTOR

Robert L. Delaney

GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGIES

ACTING DIRECTOR

Norman Hildrum

PROGRAM OPERATIONS

ACTING DIRECTOR

Linda Leake

REPORT EDITOR

Deborah K. Harris

Cover graphic by Mi Ae Lipe-Butterbrodt

Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement

or recommendation for use by the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Printed on recycled paper 
Present address: U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental Management Technical Center, 575 Lester Avenue, Onalaska, 1

Wisconsin 54650.

Geospatial Technologies Division

Student Training Manual

by

Lynne DeHaan1

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

700 Terrace Heights

Winona, Minnesota 55987

September 1998

U.S. Geological Survey

Environmental Management Technical Center

575 Lester Avenue

Onalaska, Wisconsin 54650
Suggested citation:

DeHaan, L. 1998. Geospatial Technologies Division student training manual. U. S. Geological Survey, Environmental

Management Technical Center, Onalaska, Wisconsin, September 1998. LTRMP 98-P010. 53 pp.

Additional copies of this report may be obtained from the National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road,

Springfield, VA 22161 (1-800-553-6847 or 703-487-4650). Also available to registered users from the Defense Technical

Information Center, Attn: Help Desk, 8725 Kingman Road, Suite 0944, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6218 (1-800-225-3842 or

703-767-9050).
iii

Contents

Page

Preface ......................................................................... v

Abstract ........................................................................ 1

Introduction ..................................................................... 1

Viewing Project Data .............................................................. 1

Digital Data Entry ................................................................. 3

Creating the Tic Coverage ....................................................... 3

Creating the Digitizing Coverage .................................................. 3

Digitizing and Verifying ......................................................... 4

Generating a Stream Coverage .................................................... 5

Creating Topology and Editing a Coverage ............................................. 7

Polygon Topology ............................................................. 7

Line Topology ................................................................ 8

Attributing ..................................................................... 10

Adding Items to the Feature Attribute Table ........................................ 10

Creating and Populating an Info Data File .......................................... 10

Joining Two Info Files ......................................................... 12

Creating a Second Data File and Joining Two Info Tables .............................. 14

Attributing From a Text File .................................................... 15

Map Projection and Map Joining .................................................... 17

Displaying Coverages .......................................................... 17

Projecting a Coverage ......................................................... 17

Updating Tics ............................................................. 17

Defining the Projection ..................................................... 19

Projecting the Tic Coverage .................................................. 19

Transforming the Original Coverage ........................................... 20

Mapjoining Coverages ......................................................... 21

Copying Coverages ........................................................ 21

Clipping a Coverage ........................................................ 22

Edgematching Adjacent Coverages ............................................ 23

Mapjoining Adjacent Coverages .............................................. 28

Manipulating and Analyzing Data ................................................... 30

Creating a Buffer Coverage ..................................................... 30

Erasing Features From a Coverage ................................................ 31

Overlaying Coverages for Analysis ............................................... 32

Tabular Analysis ............................................................. 34

Performing Tabular Analysis ................................................. 35

Evaluating Sliver Polygons .................................................. 36
iv

Eliminating and Analyzing Sliver Polygons ...................................... 38

Displaying a Map ................................................................ 39

Defining a Lookup Table ....................................................... 39

Legends .................................................................... 41

Creating a Map Composition .................................................... 42

Creating an Area Report ........................................................ 47

Creating a Second Map Composition .............................................. 49

References ..................................................................... 53
v

Preface

The Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) was authorized under the Water Resources

Development Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-662) as an element of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers'

Environmental Management Program. The LTRMP is being implemented by the Environmental Management

Technical Center, a U.S. Geological Survey science center, in cooperation with the five Upper Mississippi

River System (UMRS) States of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. The U.S. Army Corps

of Engineers provides guidance and has overall Program responsibility. The mode of operation and respective

roles of the agencies are outlined in a 1988 Memorandum of Agreement.

The UMRS encompasses the commercially navigable reaches of the Upper Mississippi River, as well as

the IllinoisRiver and navigable portions of the Kaskaskia, Black, St. Croix, and Minnesota Rivers. Congress

has declared the UMRS to be both a nationally significant ecosystem and a nationally significant commercial

navigation system. The mission of the LTRMP is to provide decision makers with information for

maintaining the UMRS as a sustainable large river ecosystem given its multiple-use character. The long-term

goals of the Program are to understand the system, determine resource trends and effects, develop

management alternatives, manage information, and develop useful products.

This report was prepared under Stategy 4.3.1, Develop Data Management and Analysis Capabilities, of

the Operating Plan (USFWS 1993). This report was developed with funding provided by the Long Term

Resource Monitoring Program.
Geospatial Technologies Division

Student Training Manual

by

Lynne DeHaan

Abstract

This manual provides training for student interns in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The manual provides

an overview of GIS and uses standard operating procedures generated at the Environmental Management

Technical Center (EMTC). Included are exercises for digitizing, editing, attributing, projecting, mapjoining,

manipulating, analyzing, and displaying geographic data. Training with this manual allows students to receive

hands-on experience with GIS to prepare them for projects at the EMTC.

Introduction

The purpose of this manual is to give students an overview of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) by

using standard operating procedures specific to the Environmental Management Technical Center (EMTC).

Along with this manual, the students will refer to two other sources: (1) Understanding GIS: The ARC/INFO

Method (ESRI 1994) and (2) Long Term Resource Monitoring Program Standard Operating Procedures:

Production ARCEDIT Digitizing (Arndt and Olsen 1994). Students will learn GIS concepts and techniques

ranging from digital data entry to presenting analytical results in a map. This overview will provide students

with the information needed to undertake projects at the EMTC and successfully complete those projects.

Viewing Project Data

Read pages 3-1 through 3-20 of the manual Understanding GIS: The ARC/INFO Method (ESRI 1994) before

doing the following exercise.

After reading the introductory pages, copy over the project directory. Move to your workspace and create

a directory called "ugis."

sun% mkdir ugis

Change directories into ugis and copy the project directory at the sun% prompt.

sun% cd ugis

sun% cp -r /net/suns02/usr2/esri/aidata72/ugis/data .

The above path name may change with different versions of ARC/INFO. If it does not work, contact your

supervisor.

The final period indicates that you will be giving the files the same name as found in their source directory.
2

Move to the subdirectory data located in the ugis directory.

sun% cd data

Copy over the files needed for this exercise from the sun% prompt.

sun% cp /net/suns02/usr2/esri/aidata72/ugis/aml/projdb.* .

Go into ARC and run the program to look at the LANDUSE coverage.

sun% arc

Arc: &run projdb.aml 9999

This opens an ARCPLOT session where you can display the LANDUSE coverage and list its attributes. To

display the LANDUSE coverage, select the DRAW menu from the PULLDOWN menu and choose

LANDUSE. 

Notice on the display that the lower right-hand corner

is missing. You will digitize this portion later.

To list the attributes for the LANDUSE coverage,

select the LIST ATTRIBUTES menu and choose 

LANDUSE. 

Click on the QUIT button in the lower right-hand

corner of the menu to exit the display.

Quit out of ARC and move up one directory.

Arc: quit

sun% cd ..
3

Digital Data Entry

The following exercises coincide with Chapter 4 in the Understanding GIS (ESRI 1994) manual. You will

be using EMTC's Production ARCEDIT (PAE) Digitizing Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for

digitizing. However, you will adhere to the naming conventions used in the book. 

Read pages 4-1 through 4-14 in the Understanding GIS (ESRI 1994) manual before you begin digitizing.

When you complete the reading, create a new workspace at the same level as your data directory. The

following commands create and move you to a workspace or directory named "land," where data you

generate will be stored. Check and see what directory you are currently in. Make sure you are in the ugis

directory.

sun% pwd 

sun% mkdir land

sun% cd land

The first coverage that you create will be called TICCOV. This coverage will only contain the tics that you

register. You will not be digitizing line work into this coverage. You will be creating a new coverage called

LANDDG01 from the coverage called TICCOV. LANDDG01 will be the coverage used for digitizing. This

is done to demonstrate that a new coverage can be created from an existing coverage by using the tics and

bounding (bnd) file from the existing coverage.

Creating the Tic Coverage

To begin creating the first coverage, TICCOV, refer to Appendix J in the PAE SOP provided. The tic IDS

(22, 23, 24, 34, 33, 32) are located on the map provided. After entering the tics for the first time, refer to the

Map Registration portion of the SOP located on

page 2. When registering your tics, make sure the

root mean square error is below 0.005. If you get a

value above 0.005, try entering the tics again. If you

unable to get the required value contact the

supervisor. Save your work after registering the tics.

To do this, choose FILE and then SAVE. Draw the

tics and the tic IDS for the coverage TICCOV. Go

into DRAW and choose DRAW SETTINGS. Under

DRAW SETTINGS click on the box next to Tics

w/ids. Then click on DRAW. The tics with the IDS

should be displayed.

Creating the Digitizing Coverage

After registration is complete with an acceptable

error and the tics are saved, you will create a new

coverage for digitizing. Quit PAE using the EXIT

menu with the EXIT PAE SYSTEM option. At the

ARC: prompt you will create a coverage for
4

digitizing from an existing coverage. Look at the usage for the CREATE command.

Arc: usage create

Usage: create <out_cover> {tic_bnd_cover}

Arc: create landdg01 ticcov

TICCOV is the coverage you created tics for. With the CREATE command you copied the tics and bnd file

from the original coverage TICCOV to the new coverage LANDDG01.

Digitizing and Verifying

To digitize the coverage LANDDG01 start PAE and begin on page 3 of the PAE SOP, Digitizing with PAE.

Under the COVERAGE menu choose the CHOOSE EDIT COVERAGE option. The edit coverage will be

LANDDG01. Set ARCS as the initial edit feature. Under the SET TOLERANCES submenu, choose

OTHER for the scale and INCHES for the units. Another menu will pop up where you will enter a 1 for the

map scale. Continue in the SOP and begin digitizing. Save periodically while digitizing, approximately every

15 ARCs or every 15 minutes. When you finish digitizing and have saved the ARCs, quit PAE to the ARC:

prompt.

Your present workspace should contain two coverages. Make sure they exist by listing the coverages. 

Arc: listcoverages

This command will list the available coverages located in the present workspace. You can also list

information about a coverage using the DESCRIBE command. The following figure is an example of the

output from a describe. The main items you should examine in the output are Topology, Number of Polygons,

Polygon Labels, and Status. 
5

Every coverage except for the original digitized coverage should always have topology. The number of

polygon labels should be one less than the number of polygons. Make sure when you check a coverage that

the status states, "The coverage has not been Edited since the last BUILD or CLEAN." If it states something

else, then topology probably does not exist for that coverage. 

Use the DESCRIBE command on your newly digitized coverage.

Arc: describe landdg01

Information about your coverage should appear. Notice that topology does not exist for this coverage. There

are not any polygons yet because topology has not been built for polygons. Also, the status states, "The

coverage has edit masks, use BUILD or CLEAN to restore topology." That is how an original digitized

coverage should be. Once the coverage is cleaned those items will change.

Generating a Stream Coverage

Create a workspace called "strm" at the same level as your data and land directories.

Arc: quit

sun% cd .. 

sun% pwd (make sure you are in the ugis directory)

sun% mkdir strm

sun% cd strm

After you move into the strm directory, copy over a file to be used in this exercise.

sun% cp ../data/streams.lin streams.lin 

"Streams.lin" is an ASCII text file that will be used to create a linear coverage. In ARC, display the file to

see what it contains.

sun% arc

Arc: &term 9999

This sets the terminal device for you to

see the streams.lin file.

Arc: &popup streams.lin

The display shows groups of numbers

followed by END. The numbers are the

coordinates of the line, and END

represents the end of a line.

Click on the QUIT button in the lower

right-hand corner of the popup window.
6

Instead of digitizing, you will be using the GENERATE command to create the linear coverage.

Arc: usage generate

Usage: GENERATE <cover>

Arc: generate strmgn01

You will name this coverage STRMGN01.

The GENERATE command has its own subcommands, and you will be using the COPYTICS

subcommand.

Generate: usage copytics

Generate: COPYTICS <cover>

Generate: copytics ../data/template

The COPYTICS subcommand copies the tics from an existing coverage called TEMPLATE located in the

data directory.

The next subcommand used is INPUT. This command allows you to specify the file that contains the x,y

coordinates for the stream coverage.

Generate: input streams.lin

At this point, the GENERATE command only knows which file to read—not which type of feature it will

be creating. You must specify which type of feature will be read from the file, in this case, lines.

Generate: lines

Creating Lines with coordinates loaded from STREAMS.LIN.

Type QUIT to end the GENERATE session.

Generate: quit

Externalling BND and TIC...

This completes the creation of the linear stream

coverage. Make sure the data exist by displaying them

in ARCPLOT.

Arc: display 9999

Arc: arcplot

Arcplot: mapextent tics strmgn01

Arcplot: linecolor blue

Arcplot: arcs strmgn01

Arcplot: tics strmgn01

Quit ARCPLOT after displaying the data.

Arcplot: quit
7

Creating Topology and Editing a Coverage

The following exercises deal with creating topology and editing a coverage. Please read pages 5-1 through

5-10 in the Understanding GIS (ESRI 1994) manual before you continue with the exercises. 

Polygon Topology

For this exercise, you will need to move into the land directory. 

Arc: quit

sun% cd ../land

Use the PAE SOP for the procedure of cleaning or building a coverage. To clean the coverage and create

initial topology, refer to page 3 of the SOP, Topology/Editing. Below is an example of the CLEAN menu.

The coverage to be cleaned is LANDDG01. Clean the coverage for polygons, select table inches for the map

units, and select 1:6,000 for the basemap scale. The desired output coverage name will be LANDCN02.

After the clean is complete, check for nodeerrors. From the ERRORS menu choose NODE ERRORS. Enter

in the coverage to check, LANDCN02. If you have nodeerrors it will list them in the command tool. If there

are no errors it will state "Total number of Dangling Nodes: 0." If errors exist, you will edit them in PAE.

On page 4 of the PAE SOP, use step 3 from Topology/Editing to edit the dangles.

Quit PARC to the ARC: prompt. Before making any edits, copy the cleaned coverage to a new name.

Arc: copy landcn02 landed03
8

Continue on page 4 of Topology/Editing to edit the coverage. Use the LANDED03 coverage when making

edits. If you make any edits, you will need to build the coverage to recreate the topology. 

Before building the edited coverage, copy it to a new name.

Arc: copy landed03 landbd04

Now you can build the LANDBD04 coverage. In PARC choose TOPOLOGY and the BUILD option.

Enter LANDBD04 as the coverage to be

built.

After building the coverage, check for

nodeerrors again by using the procedure

given previously. If there are nodeerrors,

go back into PAE and edit them.

Note: If you do not make any changes at

all, copy the LANDCN02 coverage to a

new name, LANDAT05.

Arc: copy landcn02 landat05

If you do make changes, copy the LANDBD04 coverage to LANDAT05.

Arc: copy landbd04 landat05

You will be using LANDAT05 for the following exercises.

Line Topology

You will now create topology for the stream coverage created previously. Make sure you are in the strm

directory before creating topology for the stream line coverage. Also, before building the coverage, copy the

original coverage to a new name.

Arc: quit

sun% cd ../strm

Go into ARC to copy the coverage.

Arc: copy strmgn01 strmbd02 

This time you will build the coverage from command line. The ARC command BUILD creates topology for

coverages. Look at the usage for the BUILD command.
9

Arc: usage build

Usage: BUILD <cover> {POLY|LINE|POINT|NODE|ANNO.<subclass>}

Arc: build strmbd02 line 

Make sure you specify LINE or STRMBD02 are to be built as a polygon coverage.

List the ARC attribute table for the stream coverage. Notice that the fnode# and tnode# are 0. 

Arc: list strmbd02.aat

Now you need to create ARC-node topology. The GENERATE command does not create topology. The

RENODE command will update the coverage and create topology by numbering the fnode# and tnode# in

the aat of the STRMBD02 coverage.

Arc: usage renode

Usage: RENODE <cover>

Arc: renode strmbd02

119 unique nodes built for STRMBD02

Now list the stream attribute table, and compare the fnode# and tnode# to the original listing of the aat. The

fnode# and tnode# should now have values.

Arc: list strmbd02.aat

Arc: quit

sun% cd ../land
10

Attributing

Read the Attributing section of the PAE SOP on page 5 before beginning the following exercises.

The following exercises cover attributing, which involves adding descriptive information to each of the

polygons of the coverage. Make sure you are in your land directory. 

sun% pwd

You will be using the new coverage LANDAT05 for attributing.

Adding Items to the Feature Attribute Table

Refer to page 5, Attributing, in the PAE SOP. You will begin here for attributing. Perform steps 1 and 2

and then use the following command for step 3.

Type ADDITEM at the ARC: prompt and press "Enter."

Arc: additem <in_info_file> <out_info_file> <item_name> <item_width> <output_width> 

<item_type> {decimal_places} {start_item}

Now, enter the information for the item you will be adding.

Arc: additem landat05.pat landat05.pat temp-id 4 5 b 

The item, TEMP-ID, is now added to the feature attribute table of LANDAT05. You will be attributing this

item with the values located on the map. 

Return to the PAE SOP Attributing section and continue with step 4.

Creating and Populating an Info Data File

After attributing the TEMP-ID, you will create a new data file that will contain more attribute information.

To do this, you will need to be in INFO. Type INFO at the ARC: prompt.

Arc: info

INFO EXCHANGE CALL

30/10/1995 10:50:08

INFO 9.42 11/11/86 52.74.63*

Copyright (C) 1994 Doric Computer Systems International Ltd.

All rights reserved.

Proprietary to Doric Computer Systems International Ltd.

US Govt Agencies see usage restrictions in Help files (Help Restrictions)

ENTER USER NAME>ARC

Type ARC at the ENTER USER NAME> prompt.
11

INFO is case sensitive, so turn on the Caps Lock key. 

You will be defining or creating a new data file. 

ENTER COMMAND> DEFINE LANDUSE.DAT

ITEM NAME, WIDTH [,OUTPUT WIDTH], TYPE [,DECIMAL PLACES] [,PROT.LEVEL]

 1

ITEM NAME>TEMP-ID

ITEM WIDTH>4

OUTPUT WIDTH>5

ITEM TYPE>B

 5

ITEM NAME>LU-CODE

ITEM WIDTH>3

OUTPUT WIDTH>3

ITEM TYPE>I

 8

ITEM NAME> (Press "Enter" to return you to the original prompt)

ENTER COMMAND>

Now check the directory listing to make sure the file exists.

ENTER COMMAND>DIR

Your directory should be listed.

Make sure that you defined the items correctly. Check the item definitions by using the ITEMS command.

ENTER COMMAND> ITEMS

The two items you added should be listed.

Stay in INFO and enter in the attribute information for these two items by using the ADD command.

ENTER COMMAND> ADD
12

Enter the value for each item from the list provided. TEMP-ID LU-CODE

1 59 400

TEMP-ID>59 60 200

LU-CODE>400 61 400

2 62 200

TEMP-ID>60 63 200

LU-CODE>200 64 300

65 200

66 300

67 300

68 200

69 300

70 200

71 300

72 300

73 300

74 300

75 200

76 300

77 300

Keep adding the data until you reach the final record. After completing the final record, press "Enter." List

the information you just added to the data file.

ENTER COMMAND> LIST

You have completed entering in the data. You can quit INFO by typing Q STOP. This will return you to the

Arc: prompt.

ENTER COMMAND> Q STOP

Turn off the Caps Lock key.

Joining Two Info Files

Next, you will be joining the information in the LANDAT05.PAT with the information in the

LANDUSE.DAT. The command JOINITEM joins two info files into one based on a common item, in this

case, TEMP-ID. The JOINITEM occurring here is a one-to-one relation because each TEMP-ID occurs

only once in the pat.

Arc: usage joinitem

Usage: JOINITEM <in_info_file> <join_info_file> <out_info_file> <relate_item> <start_item}

{linear|ordered|link}

The arguments are as follows:

<in_info_file> Name of the file to which the items will be joined

<join_info_file> Name of the file containing the additional attributes

<out_info_file> Name of the file to be created (this is usually the same as the in_info_file)
13

<relate_item> Name of the relate item (in this case, temp-id)

<start_item> Name of the item in the in_info_file after which the additional items will appear in the table

Enter in the arguments for the JOINITEM command.

Arc: joinitem landat05.pat landuse.dat landat05.pat temp-id temp-id

Joining LANDAT05.PAT and LANDUSE.DAT to create LANDAT05.PAT

After the join is complete, build the coverage and list the attribute table.

Arc: build landat05 poly

Arc: list landat05.pat

The first record in every pat

represents the outer polygon, and

has a negative AREA and an LUCODE of 0. 

You can also display the coverage

and its attributes graphically in

ARCPLOT.

Arc: display 9999

Arc: arcplot

Arcplot: mapextent landat05

This sets the geographic area that you want displayed. Draw the polygons of the coverage by using the

POLYGONS command.

Arcplot: polygons landat05

Draw the attributes of the polygons by

using thePOLYGONTEXT command.

Arcplot: polygontext landat05 lucode

Quit ARCPLOT.

Arcplot: quit
14

Creating a Second Data File and Joining Two Info Tables

Now add a second set of information. Perform the same procedures used in the section Creating and

Populating an Info Data File.

Arc: info

ENTER USER NAME> ARC

ENTER COMMAND> DEFINE COST.DAT

1

ITEM NAME> LU-CODE

ITEM WIDTH> 3

OUTPUT WIDTH> 3

ITEM TYPE> I

2

ITEM NAME> COST/HA

ITEM WIDTH> 6

OUTPUT WIDTH> 6

ITEM TYPE> I

Press "Enter" to get back to the original prompt. Add the attribute information.

ENTER COMMAND> ADD

1

LU-CODE> 200

COST/HA> 15000

2

LU-CODE> 300

COST/HA> 10000

3

LU-CODE> 400

COST/HA> 10000

Press "Enter" and list the table.

ENTER COMMAND> LIST

Make sure the items are correct by using the ITEMS command and then quit INFO.

ENTER COMMAND> Q STOP

Again you will be using the JOINITEM command. In this case, a many-to-one relation will occur because

there are repeated LU-CODE values. Each LU-CODE will receive a corresponding COST/HA value, even

though each LU-CODE occurs more than once.

Arc: joinitem landat05.pat cost.dat landat05.pat lu-code lu-code

Joining LANDAT05.PAT and COST.DAT to create LANDAT05.PAT

Arc: list landat05.pat

You will notice that the item COST/HA is now added to the pat.
15

Attributing From a Text File

For the following exercise, you will be working with the linear stream coverage. You will add attribute

information from a text file to create a data table. Make sure you are in the strm directory. Copy the built

coverage to a new name before starting the exercise.

Arc: w ../strm

Arc: copy strmbd02 strmat03 

Arc: cp ../data/streams.tab streams.tab

Streams.tab is a tabular file containing attribute information for streams. Look at the file.

Arc: &term 9999

Arc: &popup streams.tab

Click on the QUIT button in the lower right-hand corner of the popup window.

Enter INFO and create a new data file.

Arc: info

ENTER USER NAME> ARC

ENTER COMMAND> DEFINE STREAMS.DAT

1

ITEM NAME>STRMAT03-ID

ITEM WIDTH> 4

OUTPUT WIDTH> 5

ITEM TYPE> B

5

ITEM NAME> STRM-CODE

ITEM WIDTH> 1

ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH> 1

ITEM TYPE> I
16

Press "Enter" and list the items.

ENTER COMMAND> ITEMS

The items should appear with their definitions.

Now add the data from the streams.tab file to the streams.dat by using the ADD FROM command. When

using this command, you must type in the path name of your workspace before the streams.tab file name.

ENTER COMMAND>ADD FROM /net/sun02/usr2/arc_work/user-id/ugis/strm/streams.tab where

user-id is your user initials, e.g., lta0.

106 records should be added.

List streams.dat.

ENTER COMMAND>LIST

After listing the file, quit INFO by using Q STOP.

At the ARC: prompt you will perform a JOINITEM again.

Arc: joinitem strmat03.aat streams.dat strmat03.aat strmat03-id strmat03-id

Joining STRMAT03.AAT and STREAMS.DAT to create STRMAT03.AAT

Display the results graphically.

Arc: display 9999

Arc: arcplot

Arcplot: mapextent strmat03

Arcplot: arclines strmat03 strm-code

Two different classes of streams should be

displayed based on the STRM-CODE item.

The major streams should be drawn in white

and the minor streams in red.

Arcplot: quit

Arc: quit
17

Map Projection and Map Joining

In the following exercises, you will learn to project data to real-world coordinates and append adjacent

coverages. Read pages 7-6 through 7-13 in the Understanding GIS (ESRI 1994) manual before beginning

the exercises.

Displaying Coverages

Move to your data directory to display the coverages.

sun% cd ../data

sun% arc

Arc: display 9999

Arc: arcplot

Arcplot: mapextent soils

Arcplot: shadeset colornames

Arcplot: polygonshades soils suit soils.lut

Arcplot: linesymbol 10

Arcplot: arcs roads

Arcplot: linesymbol 3

Arcplot: linecolor black

Arcplot: arcs sewers

Arcplot: linecolor 1

Arcplot: polygons luat10

Arcplot: linecolor red

Arcplot: identify luat10 poly *

Click on a polygon to display an item listing.

Notice that these coverages overlay each other. They overlay because they are in the same projection and use

the same coordinate system. The LANDAT05 coverage has not yet been georeferenced, or moved to the same

projection and coordinate system. It is still in digitizing units, which are table inches.

Quit ARCPLOT.

Projecting a Coverage

In this exercise you will convert LANDAT05 from table inches to UTM meters.

Updating Tics

The first step in projecting is to convert tic values to decimal degrees. Move to your land directory and create

an empty coverage from LANDAT05. 

Arc: w ../land

Arc: create georef01 landat05

Arc: list georef01.tic
18

Notice that the xtic and ytic values are in digitizer units.

Update the tic coordinates of GEOREF01 to decimal degrees. You will be doing this in INFO. Make sure

to enter each xtic value as a negative value.

Arc: info

ENTER USER NAME> ARC

ENTER COMMAND> SEL GEOREF01.TIC

ENTER COMMAND> UPDATE PROMPT

$RECNO1> 1

1

IDTIC = 22

XTIC = 4.614

YTIC = 9.125

IDTIC> <CR> (Always press "Enter" on the IDTIC item. You do not want to change it.)

XTIC> -74.0

YTIC> 41.0625

$RECNO> 2

2

IDTIC = 23

XTIC = 8.886

YTIC = 9.146

IDTIC> <CR>

XTIC> -73.9875

YTIC> 41.0625

Here are the values to enter for each record. Continue until you have completed the last record. 

$recno xtic ytic

3 -73.9750 41.0625

4 -73.9750 41.0500

5 -73.9875 41.0500

6 -74.0000 41.0500

If you make a mistake, use the UPDATE PROMPT command again. 

After entering the tics, return to the original prompt and list the tic file.

ENTER COMMAND> LIST

After listing the tic file, quit INFO.

ENTER COMMAND> Q STOP
19

Defining the Projection

Next you want to specify the projection and coordinate system of the coverage. Display the usage for the

PROJECTDEFINE command at the ARC: prompt.

Arc: usage projectdefine

Usage: projectdefine <cover|grid|file|tin> <target>

Arc: projectdefine cover georef01 

This states that you want to define a projection for the coverage GEOREF01.

Define Projection

Project: projection geographic

Project: units dd

Project: parameters

Describe the coverage and look at the COORDINATE SYSTEM DESCRIPTION.

Arc: describe georef01

The results of the describe should show that the projection is GEOGRAPHIC and the units are decimal

degrees.

(DD).

Projecting the Tic Coverage

The tics that you entered are in reference units or decimal degrees. To get the coverage referenced to a planar

coordinate system, you need to project the tics. List the arguments for the PROJECT command by typing

PROJECT at the ARC: prompt.

Arc: project <CR>

Arc: project <cover|grid|file> <input> <output> {projection_file} {nearest|bilinear|cubic}

Enter the information for your projection.

Arc: project cover georef01 geoutm02

****************************************

* The INPUT projection has been defined .... *

****************************************

Use OUTPUT to define the output projection and END to finish.

Project: output

Project: projection utm

Project: units meters

Project: zone 18

Project: xshift -580000

Project: yshift -4540000

Project: parameters

Project: end
20

After projecting a coverage you must build it.

Arc: build geoutm02

List the tic file for GEOUTM02. Notice that the tics are in UTM coordinates.

Arc: list geoutm02.tic

Transforming the Original Coverage

Next you will transform the coverage itself, not the tics, from digitizer units to real-world coordinates.

TRANSFORM is the command used to convert coverage coordinates by using the control points (or tics).

Refer to the online help or the ARC manuals to get a better understanding of the TRANSFORM command.

Before using the command, create an empty coverage that will contain the projected tics.

Arc: create landtr06 geoutm02

When using TRANSFORM, it compares the tic-ids of the input coverage tics and output coverage tics to

make a transformation calculation. The features of the input coverage are then copied to the output coverage

by using the calculated transformation. The original coverage, LANDAT05, is not altered.

Display the arguments for the TRANSFORM command.

Arc: usage transform

Usage: transform <in_cover> <out_cover> {affine|projective}

Enter the arguments to run the transform.

Arc: transform landat05 landtr06

The transform operation will display a report. The main items you want to examine in the report are the input

RMS error and the x and y error. They should all be as close to 0.000 as possible. You may get something

like 0.005, which is acceptable for the exercise. The larger the number, the greater the deviation is between

the input and output coverage tic locations. A large RMS error may occur because (1) the original tics were

not digitized correctly or accurately, (2) the original map sheet was distorted from shrinking or stretching,

or (3) the real-world coordinates were not entered in correctly.

After a coverage is transformed it must also be built.

Arc: build landtr06

You will want to describe the coverage LANDTR06 to see the coordinate information.

Arc: describe landtr06
21

Mapjoining Coverages

In this exercise you will be mapjoining the coverage you digitized and transformed with an existing coverage.

The following list summarizes the procedures used for mapjoining.

• Edgematch adjacent coverages so that the features on adjacent borders match.

• Check the item definitions in the adjacent coverages by looking at the feature attribute tables.

• Mapjoin the coverages. You can mapjoin as many as 500 coverages.

• Dissolve the adjacent map sheet borders.

Copying Coverages

Copy the coverages you need from the data directory into the land directory. You will need four additional

coverages to complete this exercise.

Arc: copy ../data/landtr landtr

Arc: copy ../data/luat10 luat10

Arc: copy ../data/clipcov clipcov

Arc: copy ../data/linkcov linkcov

Continue by comparing the adjacent coverages for edgematching errors. You will check the item definitions

in the adjacent coverages and check that the attributes are consistent across map sheet borders. In ARCPLOT

you will compare the adjacent coverages.
22

Arc: display 9999

Arc: ap

Arcplot: mapextent landtr

LANDTR is the extent of the coverage area that you want to display.

Arcplot: arcs luat10

Arcplot: linesymbol 2

Arcplot: arcs landtr

The LANDTR coverage slightly overlaps the LUAT10 coverage. A clip coverage will be used to create a

common or adjacent boundary between the two coverages. Draw the coverage that will be used to clip the

LANDTR coverage.

Arcplot: linesymbol 3

Arcplot: arcs clipcov

Arcplot: quit

Clipping a Coverage

Next, perform the clip on the LANDTR coverage.

Do a usage on the CLIP command to see the arguments.

Arc: usage clip

Usage: CLIP <in_cover> <clip_cover> <out_cover> {POLY|LINE|POINT|NET|LINK|RAW}

{fuzzy_tolerance}

After looking at the usage, enter in the arguments for your coverages.

Arc: clip landtr clipcov landcp07 poly

After the clip is complete, copy the clipped coverage to a new name.

Arc: copy landcp07 landem08

View the results of the clip process by using the LANDEM08 coverage.

Arc: display 9999

Arc: arcedit

Arcedit: edit landem08

Arcedit: drawenvironment arc node

Arcedit: draw

The arcs and nodes of the LANDEM08 coverage will be drawn.
23

Display the LUAT10 coverage in the background to compare the border with the LANDEM08 border.

Background coverages are used for display purposes only. They cannot be edited.

Arcedit: usage backcoverage

Usage: backcoverage <cover> {symbol}

Arcedit: backcoverage luat10 4

LUAT10 is now background coverage 1 with draw symbol 4

Draw the features for the background coverage. 

Arcedit: backenvironment arc node

Arcedit: draw

Use the PAN/ZOOM menu and CREATE a window around an area with adjacent ARC and node features.

Notice that in some areas the ARCs and nodes do not

match up perfectly. Remain in ARCEDIT for the next

exercise.

Edgematching Adjacent Coverages

The edgematching process will match up adjacent features between two coverages. To do this, a feature

called a link is used. A link connects the specified features between the adjacent coverages. After the

connection is made, an adjustment called rubber sheeting is performed to match the linked features.
24

There are two types of links:

(1) Identity links, which have the same from- and to- locations. They act as nails during the adjustment.

(2) Adjustment links, which are represented by arrows. The from- and to- locations are different for

adjustment links. They cause features to be moved and to snap together.

Continue in ARCEDIT and go through the adjustment process.

Arcedit: editfeature link

Arcedit: drawenvironment link

Arcedit: draw

For this exercise, you want to copy some links from LINKCOV to the LANDEM08 coverage.

Arcedit: get linkcov

Copying the links from LINKCOV into LANDEM08...

5 link(s) copied

After the links are copied, they will be displayed as arrows because they are now part of the edit coverage.

When the adjustment is performed, the links will snap the features together.

Arcedit: adjust

A standard adjustment for edgematching occurs along the edges of the adjacent coverages. The edgematch

connects the features of the adjacent coverages, making the data continuous. This adjustment was only a

demonstration. Remove your present edit coverage so that you can start an edgematching session on your

own coverages.

Arcedit: removeedit landem08

All changes since last SAVE will be lost!

Continue? <Y/N>: Y

Removing LANDEM08

Arcedit:

During this edgematch, nodes from the edit coverage LANDEM08 will be snapped to nodes of the snap

coverage LUAT10. The edgematching session contains a series of menus. From these menus, the user

specifies the operations to be performed. Begin the edgematching session.

Arcedit: edgematch

The first menu will appear. Enter LANDEM08 as the edit coverage, LUAT10 as the snap coverage, and node

as the coverage feature class to be adjusted and as the snap coverage feature class. The snap coverage is also

a current background coverage. You will not need any other background coverages. 
25

After applying the COVERAGE menu information

(right), the coverages appear in the graphics window

and the EDGEMATCHING menu appears (below).

This menu controls the settings for the environment,

controls the usage of links, performs the adjustment,

undeletes the changes made, and saves the changes

made during the edgematch session.

Setting a snapping tolerance allows links to be added

automatically if they are within a specified distance. Set the

snapping distance to 10 by clicking the SNAP

ENVIRONMENT... button.

To perform an edgematch, links need to be added.

Links will be added automatically for nodes within

a distance of 10 m of each other by clicking on the

ADD AUTOMATICALLY button. Click on the ADD

AUTOMATICALLY button. Four links should have

been added to LANDEM08. Both identity and

adjustment links will appear. The links with the

arrows will connect the nodes between the two

coverages. From the PAN/ZOOM menu, choose

the CREATE option and create a window around one of the adjustment links. Notice how the link connects

the node from the edit coverage to the snap coverage. You will be adding two more identity links or nails at

the two corners in the upper left portion of the coverage LANDEM08.
26

First, create a window of the lower left of these two corners by using the PAN/ZOOM menu and CREATE

option. Zoom in close to the corner so that you can add the link interactively.

Next, set the link feature to ARC for both coverages so

that links can be made between ARCs instead of nodes.

Do this by clicking on the LINK FEATURES button

and setting each link feature to ARC.

Interactively add an identity link at the first corner. Once you press the ADD INTERACTIVELY button this

menu will appear. 

Remember, for an identity link, the from- and to- locations must be the same. When entering the link,

position the cursor over the corner and click the middle mouse button (or a 2) for the snap point. This enters

the from- point. To enter the to- point, keep the cursor in the same position and click the middle mouse button

again. This should create a box around the corner.

Zoom into the other corner and use the same procedure to add another identity link. Press the Ctrl key and

the right mouse button (Ctrl 9) at the same time to quit adding links. If the links are added incorrectly you

can delete them and add new links. Press the DELETE MANY button and click on the links to be deleted

using the left mouse button. After selecting the links, press the Ctrl key and the right mouse button (Ctrl 9)

to quit and the links will be deleted. Use the procedure given previously to add the links again.

Once the links are entered correctly, the display should show three identity links and three adjustment links.

Next, adjust the coverage so that the adjustment links connect the adjacent features. Click on the ADJUST

button from the EDGEMATCHING menu.

Adjusting coverage LANDEM08

Building the adjustment structure from the links for the first pass...

Proximal tolerance set to 1.000...

Generating convex hull...
27

Building Triangular Irregular Network...

 adjusting ARCs...

 adjusting LABELs...

Updating the adjustment structure for the second pass...

 adjusting ARCs...

 adjusting LABELs...

The features between the two coverages should now match up. Each of the links should be identity links or

green boxes. From the PAN/ZOOM menu do a REDISPLAY. If you want, zoom into the linked areas to see

if the features are aligned. After you have checked the edgematch, you will want to save the adjusted

coverage. Click on the SAVE button at the bottom of the EDGEMATCHING menu. Once the save is

complete, pull the pin on the EDGEMATCHING menu to exit the edgematching session. Also quit

ARCEDIT.

Since you made edits on the LANDEM08 coverage, you need to rebuild polygon topology for that coverage.

Arc: build landem08

After the build is complete, check the item definitions between LUAT10.PAT and LANDEM08.PAT. The

items between the two coverages must match in order to perform the mapjoin.

Arc: items luat10.pat

Arc: items landem08.pat

If the two items LU-CODE and COST/HA match between the two coverages, then you are ready to perform

the MAPJOIN.
28

Mapjoining Adjacent Coverages

The MAPJOIN command is used to join two or more adjacent coverages. It can append as many as

500 coverages. The MAPJOIN command will maintain unique Cover-IDs (for the features) and Tic-IDs (for

the tic file) for the coverages used in the mapjoin. Once the mapjoin is executed it will prompt you for the

coverages you want to append.

Arc: usage mapjoin

Usage: MAPJOIN <out_cover> {feature class...feature class|template_cover}

{NONE|FEATURES|TICS|ALL}{clip_cover}

Arc: mapjoin landmj09 poly

Enter Coverages to be MAPJOINed (Type END or a blank line when done):

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 

Enter the 1st coverage: LUAT10

Enter the 2nd coverage: LANDEM08

Enter the 3rd coverage: END

Appending coverages...

Sorting...

Partial process enabled. 43% of the coverage will be processed.

Intersecting...

Assembling polygons...

Creating PAT...

Arc:

When the mapjoin is complete, view the results.

Arc: display 9999

Arc: arcplot

Arcplot: mapextent landmj09

Arcplot: arcs landmj09

The coverage borders will still exist. You can see the ARCs that define the borders. Display the coverages

without displaying the borders.

Arcplot: clear

Arcplot: linecolor 6

Arcplot: textsize .075

Arcplot: usage dropline

Usage: DROPLINE <cover> <item> {lookup_table} {NOTEXT}

A DROPLINE draws only the borders and labels for the polygons that have different values for the item

specified by the user. Use the DROPLINE command and specify LU-CODE as the item to draw borders and

labels.

Arcplot: dropline landmj09 lu-code
29

The ARCs and labels for LU-CODE should be displayed. Adjacent polygons with the same LU-CODE have

their boundaries dropped. This is apparent where the coverage borders used to be. If some ARCs remain

where the coverage borders are located, they are probably sliver polygons. You can edit them later in

ARCEDIT. 

Instead of just visually dropping the border ARCs, you can drop boundaries between adjacent polygons and

save the changed data into a new coverage using the DISSOLVE command at the ARC: prompt. Quit

ARCPLOT to the ARC: prompt and execute the DISSOLVE command.

Arc: usage dissolve

Usage: DISSOLVE <in_cover> <out_cover> <dissolve_item|#ALL>

{POLY|LINE|NET|REGION.subclass}

Arc: dissolve landmj09 landds10 #all

Dissolving LANDMJ09 by #ALL to create LANDDS10

Creating LANDDS10.PAT format...

Dissolving...

Number of Polygons (Input, Output) = 81 77

Number of Arcs (Input, Output) = 321 207

Creating LANDDS10.PAT...

By using the #ALL option, the dissolve takes all of the items past the COVER-ID in the feature attribute table

and treats them as one item to dissolve on.

Display the results of the dissolve in ARCPLOT.

Arc: display 9999

Arc: arcplot

Arcplot: mapextent landds10

Arcplot: arcs landds10

If you notice that ARCs still exist where the

coverage borders are, go into PAE and edit them.

They may be sliver polygons so be sure to check

whether labels exist within the ARCs. If there are

labels, delete them along with the ARCs. 

If you edited the coverage, be sure to run a BUILD

afterward to restore topology.

After viewing the display, quit ARCPLOT. If no

edits need to be made, you have created a final land

use coverage to be used with the other coverages in

the project database.

Before proceeding to the next set of exercises, prepare the data directory for analysis. First, move to the data

directory. Then copy the LANDDS10 and STRMAT03 coverages to this directory.
30

Arc: copy ../land/landds10 landds10

Arc: copy ../strm/strmat03 strmat03

Kill the existing STREAMS and LANDUSE coverages.

Arc: kill streams

Arc: kill landuse

Rename your coverages. These will be used in the next set of exercises.

Arc: rename strmat03 streams

Arc: rename landds10 landuse

Manipulating and Analyzing Data

Before beginning the following exercises, read pages 8-1 through 8-11 of the Understanding GIS (ESRI

1994) manual.

Creating a Buffer Coverage

The first exercise has you create a buffer around the SEWERS coverage. A buffer creates polygons around

existing coverage features. Display the arguments for the BUFFER command at the ARC: prompt.

Arc: usage buffer

Usage: BUFFER <in_cover> <out_cover> {buffer_item} {buffer_table} {buffer_distance}

{fuzzy_tolerance} {LINE|POLY|POINT|NODE} {ROUND|FLAT} {FULL|LEFT|RIGHT}

Enter in the following arguments to run the buffer. You will be using the # sign to replace two of the

arguments. The # sign is a place holder for optional arguments that are skipped.

Arc: buffer sewers sewerbuf # # 300

Buffering...

Sorting...

Intersecting... 

Assembling polygons...

Creating new labels...

Finding inside polygons...

Dissolving...

Creating SEWERBUF.PAT...

Arc:

A buffer coverage displaying the area within 300 m of the sewers was created from the SEWERS coverage.

Go into ARCPLOT and view the buffer coverage SEWERBUF.
31

Arc: display 9999

Arc: arcplot

Arcplot: mapextent sewerbuf

Arcplot: arcs sewers

Arcplot: polygons sewerbuf

As the buffer creates the polygon coverage, it

also adds an item to the existing pat. List the

items for the SEWERBUF coverage and then

list the pat.

Arcplot: items sewerbuf poly

Arcplot: list sewerbuf poly

The new item is INSIDE. This item separates

the area inside the buffer zone from the area

outside the buffer zone. The area inside the

buffer zone is represented by the value of 100.

The area outside the buffer zone is

represented by the value of 1. 

Next, create a 20-m buffer around streams in the STREAMS coverage. Potential sites for the lab can only

be considered if the area is at least 20 m from any streams. Create STRMBUF by buffering an area of 20 m

around the streams in the coverage. Remember to do this at the ARC: prompt.

Arc: buffer streams strmbuf # # 20

After the buffer is finished, view the results in ARCPLOT.

Arc: display 9999

Arc: arcplot

Arcplot: mapextent strmbuf

Arcplot: polygons strmbuf

Arcplot: list strmbuf poly

Remember that INSIDE = 100 represents the area inside the buffer boundary. Quit ARCPLOT. 

Erasing Features From a Coverage

Before performing this exercise, read page 8-15 of the Understanding GIS (ESRI 1994) manual to get an idea

of the next process you will be running.

In this exercise, you will be using the ERASE command to find the area located outside the 20-m buffer and

inside the 300-m buffer. With the ERASE command, two coverages are overlaid and the features that overlap

are erased. Display the arguments for the ERASE command.
32

Arc: usage erase

Usage: ERASE <in_cover> <erase_cover> <out_cover> {POLY|LINE|POINT|NET|LINK|RAW}

{fuzzy_tolerance}

You will erase features in the SEWERBUF coverage with features from the STRMBUF coverage. The new

coverage will be called BUFFCOV.

Arc: erase sewerbuf strmbuf buffcov

Erasing SEWERBUF with STRMBUF to create BUFFCOV

Sorting...

Intersecting...

Assembling polygons...

Creating new labels...

Creating BUFFCOV.PAT...

Arc:

Once the erase is complete, you will display the results in ARCPLOT. A new command, RESELECT, will

be used to select a subset of features from the BUFFCOV coverage.

Arc: display 9999

Arc: arcplot

Arcplot: mapextent sewerbuf

Arcplot: polygons sewerbuf

Arcplot: linecolor red

Arcplot: polygons strmbuf

Arcplot: reselect buffcov poly inside =

100

BUFFCOV polys: 8 of 11 selected

Arcplot: polygonshades buffcov 7

While looking at the graphic and your display

in ARCPLOT, notice that the area greater than

20-m from STRMBUF and within 300 m of

SEWERBUF is shaded. You will be using the

BUFFCOV coverage in later exercises.

Quit ARCPLOT to complete this exercise.

Overlaying Coverages for Analysis

Before beginning the next exercise, read pages 8-18 through 8-20 in the Understanding GIS (ESRI 1994)

manual.

You will combine land use information and soil stability information to identify the polygons suitable for

development. By using the IDENTITY overlay command, you will combine spatial features and attribute

information from LANDUSE and SOILS into one coverage. Display the arguments for the IDENTITY

command.
33

Arc: usage identity

Usage: IDENTITY <in_cover> <identity_cover> <out_cover> {POLY|LINE|POINT} {fuzzy_tolerance}

{JOIN|NOJOIN}

Enter in the arguments to perform the identity operation.

Arc: identity landuse soils landsoil

Producing identity of LANDUSE with SOILS to create LANDSOIL

Sorting...

Intersecting...

Assembling polygons...

Creating new labels...

Creating LANDSOIL.PAT...

** Item 'AREA' duplicated, Join File version dropped **

** Item 'PERIMETER' duplicated, Join File version dropped **

** Item 'AREA' duplicated, Join File version dropped **

** Item 'PERIMETER' duplicated, Join File version dropped **

Arc:

The comments in the double asterisks indicate that the items AREA and PERIMETER already exist in both

of the coverages, so they do not need to be copied.

Display the results of the identity in ARCPLOT. You will be using the RESELECT command to select

brushland polygons that contain soil suitable for development.

Arc: arcplot

Arcplot: mapextent landsoil

Arcplot: polygons landsoil

Arcplot: reselect landsoil poly lu-code = 300 and suit ge 2

LANDSOIL polys: 40 of 446 selected

Arcplot: polygonshades landsoil 3

Quit ARCPLOT when you finish viewing the results.

Use the IDENTITY command again to overlay the LANDSOIL and BUFFCOV coverages. The result will

display the areas that lie outside the stream buffer, within the sewer buffer, and have a land use and soil type

suitable for development.

Arc: identity landsoil buffcov finalcov
34

After the final coverage is created, view it in ARCPLOT. The

important items contained within the FINALCOV.PAT are INSIDE,

LU-CODE, SUIT, and AREA. These will be used to determine a

suitable site for the lab.

Arc: display 9999

Arc: arcplot

Arcplot: mapextent finalcov

Arcplot: polygons finalcov

After looking at the items of finalcov, quit ARCPLOT.

Tabular Analysis

In the following exercise, you will be performing tabular analysis on the feature attribute table of

FINALCOV. Before performing the analysis, you need to add more items to the info table. Add items with

the ADDITEM command you used in the Attributing exercises.

Arc: additem finalcov.pat finalcov.pat ha 4 6 f 2

Adding HA to FINALCOV.PAT to produce FINALCOV.PAT

Arc: additem finalcov.pat finalcov.pat cost 4 7 b

Adding COST to FINALCOV.PAT to produce FINALCOV.PAT

Arc: additem finalcov.pat finalcov.pat suitable 1 1 i

Adding SUITABLE to FINALCOV.PAT to produce FINALCOV.PAT

The item HA will contain a hectare calculation, COST will contain a purchase cost calculation, and

SUITABLE will be used to select the polygons that meet the requirements for the proposed lab site. Examine

the items of FINALCOV and list the pat.

Arc: items finalcov.pat

Arc: list finalcov.pat

Notice that the newly added items are all 0. They will be updated when you perform the tabular analysis.

When performing tabular analysis, you will use logical and arithmetic equations. Some of the following

commands are used in tabular analysis.

RESELECT— selects a subset of the presently selected set based on the criteria the user specifies.

ASELECT— adds to the presently selected set of features.
35

Some operators used with the RESELECT and ASELECT commands include EQ for equal, LT for less

than, GT for greater than, and CN for contains specified characters.

CALCULATE— calculates and assigns values to the selected set of features on the basis of criteria

specified by the user.

Some operators used with the CALCULATE command include * for multiplication, / for division, and + for

addition.

Performing Tabular Analysis

You will first be selecting and defining certain criteria for the most suitable sites for the proposed lab. After

the selection is complete, the selected polygons should be brushland, with suitable soils, within the buffer

area of sewers and streams, and be at least 2,000 m . Go into ARCPLOT to begin the exercise. 2

Arc: arcplot

Arcplot: reselect finalcov poly lu-code = 300 and suit ge 2 and inside = 100 and area ge 2000

FINALCOV polys : 8 of 628 selected

Any of these eight polygons are suitable sites for the proposed lab. Because these locations are suitable,

assign them a SUITABLE value of 1 using the CALCULATE command.

Arcplot: usage calculate

Usage: CALCULATE <cover> <feature_class> <target_item> = <arithmetic_expression>

Usage: CALCULATE <info_file> INFO <target_item> = <arithmetic_expression>

Arcplot: calculate finalcov poly suitable = 1

This allows you to use the SUITABLE item to select suitable sites for the lab instead of using the multiple

expression with RESELECT. List the items you used in this process.

Arcplot: list finalcov poly lu-code,suit,inside,area,suitable

Now use the CALCULATE command

to estimate a purchase cost. First

convert the area to hectares, then

calculate a cost for each polygon.

Arcplot: calculate finalcov poly ha = area / 10000

Arcplot: calculate finalcov poly cost = ha * cost/ha

List the results of the calculations.

Arcplot: list finalcov poly area,ha,cost/ha,cost

Investigate and evaluate the results by displaying them

in ARCPLOT. 
36

Arcplot: mapextent finalcov

Arcplot: polygonshades finalcov suitable

Arcplot: arcs template

Arcplot: linecolor red

Arcplot: arcs roads

List the attributes of one of the sites by using the IDENTIFY

command.

Arcplot: identify finalcov poly *, where the * lets you select

a polygon interactively. Click within one of the polygons and

the attributes for that site will be displayed. Look at as many

sites as you wish using the IDENTIFY command.

Clear the selected polygons from FINALCOV and reselect the

eight potential lab sites.

Arcplot: clearselect

Arcplot: reselect finalcov poly suitable = 1

FINALCOV polys: 8 of 628 selected

List certain items for the selected set.

Arcplot: list finalcov poly suitable,cost,cost/ha,ha

You can also draw text from the items in the pat. In this case, you will draw the text for the COST item.

Arcplot: textcolor red

Arcplot: polygontext finalcov cost

Think about any potential problems or assessments associated with the sites at this time. Some are suggested

in the Understanding GIS (ESRI 1994) manual.

• Larger sites have a higher purchasing cost.

• Sites closer to the road may cost less to develop than sites farther from the road.

• When using the overlay operations, sliver polygons were created that, when combined with adjacent

polygons, became suitable sites but were too small if they stood alone. You may have to study those sites

further.

Evaluating Sliver Polygons

In the next exercise you will evaluate the areas adjacent to the sliver polygons. You may stay in ARCPLOT

for this exercise.

First you will be refining the analysis by selecting the areas with LU-CODE = 300, SUIT GE 2, and

INSIDE = 100.
37

Arcplot: clear

Arcplot: clearselect

Arcplot: reselect finalcov poly lu-code = 300 and suit ge 2 and inside = 100

FINALCOV polys : 15 of 628 selected

List pertinent items for the selected set.

Arcplot: list finalcov poly area,ha,cost,suitable

Notice that some of the polygons are small in area. These are probably the sliver polygons. Now be aware

of the polygons whose SUITABLE is 0 and whose AREA is greater than 500 m . They may be adjacent to

2

suitable sites. Display the selected polygons.

Arcplot: mapextent poly finalcov

Arcplot: polygons finalcov

Reselect for polygons that are not yet potential sites.

Arcplot: reselect finalcov poly suitable = 0

FINALCOV polys: 7 of 628 selected

Calculate the HA values.

Arcplot: calculate finalcov poly ha = area / 10000

List the pertinent items.

Arcplot: list finalcov poly area,ha,cost/ha,suitable

These polygons meet all the criteria for the sites except for area. Select for the polygons with an area greater

than 500 m .

2

Arcplot: reselect finalcov poly area gt 500

FINALCOV polys: 3 of 628 selected

List the pertinent items.

Arcplot: list finalcov poly area,ha,cost/ha,suitable

Check whether any of the selected areas are

next to another suitable site.

Arcplot: polygonshades finalcov 1

You should see that one of the selected polygons is adjacent to an existing suitable site, but the other two are

not.
38

Eliminating and Analyzing Sliver Polygons

Now you want to get rid of sliver polygons and redefine the criteria for additional potential suitable sites.

To get rid of sliver polygons you will use the ELIMINATE command at the ARC: prompt.

The ELIMINATE command allows you to delete or eliminate polygons on the basis of criteria specified by

the user. The criterion you will be using is AREA less than (LT) 50. The features eliminated are assumed

to be sliver polygons and they will dissolve into an adjacent polygon.

Arc: usage eliminate

Usage: ELIMINATE <in_cover> <out_cover> {NOKEEPEDGE|KEEPEDGE} {POLY|LINE}

{select_file}{BORDER|AREA} 

Arc: eliminate finalcov elimcov

Eliminating polygons in FINALCOV to create ELIMCOV

Enter a logical expression. (Enter a blank line when finished)

>: RES AREA LT 50 (you must be in all caps for the reselect)

>: <CR> (this is a hard return)

Do you wish to re-enter expression (Y/N)? N

Do you wish to enter another expression (Y/N)? N

 125 features out of 628 selected.

Number of Polygons (Input,Output) = 628 504

Number of Arcs (Input,Output) = 1389 1263

Creating ELIMCOV.PAT...

Arc:

Display the results of the eliminate in ARCPLOT. Select a set of features with LU-CODE = 300, SUIT GE 2,

and INSIDE = 100.

Arc: display 9999

Arc: arcplot

Arcplot: reselect elimcov poly lu-code = 300 and suit ge 2 and inside = 100

ELIMCOV polys : 11 of 504 selected

Display the selected set.

Arcplot: mapextent poly elimcov

Arcplot: polygons elimcov

Arcplot: polygonshades elimcov suitable

Three polygons will not be shaded as suitable sites. However, one is adjacent to an existing suitable site, so

change this polygon to be a suitable site by updating the SUITABLE value to 1.

Arcplot: reselect elimcov poly one *

Click within the polygon. Only that polygon should be selected.

Arcplot: polygonshades elimcov 74

The polygon you selected should be shaded in red.
39

Update the SUITABLE item to 1.

Arcplot: calculate elimcov poly suitable = 1

Arcplot: clear

Select the polygons whose SUITABLE item is 1.

Arcplot: aselect elimcov poly suitable = 1

ELIMCOV polys : 9 of 504 selected

Arcplot: polygonshades elimcov 74

Arcplot: polygons elimcov

Now you need to update the values for the HA and COST items for the newly modified polygons.

Arcplot: calculate elimcov poly ha = area / 10000

Arcplot: calculate elimcov poly cost = ha * cost/ha

List the results of the CALCULATE commands.

Arcplot: list elimcov poly area,ha,cost/ha,cost,suitable

In this case, the refining of the analysis verified

the original criteria you set. It did not significantly

change the results. 

Displaying a Map

In the following exercises you will be presenting your analysis in a graphical display. Read pages 9-1 through

9-17 in the Understanding GIS (ESRI 1994) manual before beginning the exercises.

Defining a Lookup Table

You will be displaying two types of roads, improved and semi-improved, on the map you create. To show

the two classes of roads with different symbols, you will create a lookup table. Make sure you are in the data

directory before you begin.

sun% arc

Arc: info
40

Remember to use all caps when you are in INFO.

ENTER USER NAME> ARC

ENTER COMMAND> SELECT ROADS.AAT

45 RECORD(S) SELECTED

Now check the items of the ROADS.AAT and observe the item definition of RD-CODE.

ENTER COMMAND> ITEMS

The item RD-CODE has an input and output width of 1 and is an integer field. Create a lookup table with

this item and a new item called SYMBOL.

ENTER COMMAND> DEFINE RD.LUT

1

ITEM NAME> RD-CODE

ITEM WIDTH> 1

ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH> 1

ITEM TYPE> I

2

ITEM NAME> SYMBOL

ITEM WIDTH> 2

ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH> 2

ITEM TYPE> I

Press "Enter" on the third item and list the items.

ENTER COMMAND> ITEMS

For a lookup table to work, it must be in ascending order. Therefore, add your information in ascending

order.

ENTER COMMAND> ADD

1

RD-CODE> 1

SYMBOL> 6

2

RD-CODE> 2

SYMBOL> 78

On the third record press "Enter" and list the table.

ENTER COMMAND> LIST

Quit INFO by typing Q STOP. You will use this lookup table when you draw the roads in ARCPLOT.
41

Legends

Legends are used to explain map symbols of features on a graphical display. In ARC/INFO a legend is a text

file created in a texteditor. For each symbol there are two lines. The first line represents the symbol number

used to display the feature and the second line is the descriptive text. When entering the symbol number,

always precede it with a period. This tells the symbol set which specified symbol number to use. Open up

a texteditor and create a legend for a linear coverage. Enter the following information as shown.

sun% textedit &

.6

Improved Road

.78

Semi-improved Road

Save the file as rd.key in the data directory.

Now display the legend. If you are at the sun% prompt, go into ARC.

Arc: &term 9999

Arc: &popup rd.key

After checking the file, quit the &POPUP menu and display the legend.

Arc: display 9999

Arc: arcplot

To specify the dimensions of the symbol display, use the KEYBOX command.

Arcplot: usage keybox

Usage: KEYBOX <width> <height>

Arcplot: keybox 0.5 0

Specify the location where you want to place the legend by using the KEYPOSITION command.

Arcplot: usage keyposition

Usage: KEYPOSITION <* | xy>

Arcplot: keyposition *

Using the * allows you to specify the location interactively. Position the cursor in the upper left-hand corner

of the display window and click any mouse button. This will be the location of the upper left corner of the

first legend box. 

Draw the legend using the KEYLINE command.

Arcplot: usage keyline

Usage: KEYLINE <key_file | CLASS > {NOBOX} {NOTEXT} 
42

You will be using the above argument.

Arcplot: keyline rd.key nobox

By using the NOBOX option, the legend is drawn without boxes around the symbols.

Quit ARCPLOT. Next you will create a map of your analysis.

Creating a Map Composition

Many commands are introduced to you in this next exercise. The following list contains the basic steps in

creating a map. The steps will help you understand the sequence of commands you specify in ARCPLOT.

• Indicate whether you want to display the map on the screen or on a graphics plotter.

• Specify the geographic location on the Earth's surface that you want to display (i.e., which coverage extent

to use as the geographic location).

• Specify layout parameters about the map such as page size, map scale, and position of the geographic

features.

• Draw the features you want on the map such as roads, streams, or land use types.

• Complete the map by adding descriptive cartographic elements such as titles, legends, scale bar, or north

arrow.

Keep these guidelines in mind as you create the map. Make sure you are in the data directory for this

exercise. You need the coverages TEMPLATE, FINALCOV, and ROADS for this exercise. If FINALCOV

is not in the data directory, copy it from the directory where it presently resides. Go into ARCPLOT.

Arc: arcplot

Once in ARCPLOT, you can specify if you want your map to display on the screen or be put into a graphics

file or digital file. For this exercise, you will draw the map on the screen first and then create the graphics

file later.

Arcplot: display 9999

Specify the geographic location of the data you want displayed. Use the MAPEXTENT command. Think

of the map extent as "your window to the world." It is defined by the boundary or bnd file of the coverage

that you specify. Once the map extent is set, only those portions of the coverages that fall within that extent

will be displayed. Map extent has to be defined every time a map is created or activated.

Arcplot: mapextent finalcov

Now specify the parameters of the map such as page size, position of the features, and the scale of the map.

The graphics page (i.e., the physical page where the map elements are drawn) is set by the PAGESIZE

command. Page size is usually in the units of inches or meters.

Arcplot: pagesize 10 8
43

There is an optional command you can use to set the area within the map where the data will be placed.

MAPLIMITS defines a boundary that the data will not extend beyond. Map limits can be changed within

a map several times, depending on what the user wants or defines.

Arcplot: maplimits .25 .25 6.75 7.75

Now position the features within the map limits. The command MAPPOSITION positions the features

within the defined area by using a position the user specifies.

Arcplot: usage mapposition

Usage: MAPPOSITION <*|LL|LR|UL|UR|CEN|xy> <*|LL|LR|UL|UR|CEN|xy>

Arcplot: mapposition cen cen

Using the CEN CEN option will place the features in the middle of the defined map limits area.

Next you will specify the scale at which you want the coverages to be drawn. Scaling is performed on the

basis of the coverage units (e.g., meters or feet). First specify the units the coverage is stored in, and then

specify the scale to draw the coverage at.

Arcplot: mapunits meters

Arcplot: mapscale 17000

You now want to draw the coverage features. Coverage features can be displayed using different symbols.

Just for practice, draw the ARCs of the TEMPLATE coverage with two different line symbols.

Arcplot: linesymbol 2

Arcplot: arcs template

Notice that the ARCs are drawn in red. Change the line symbol again. 

Arcplot: linesymbol 1

After setting the line symbol, notice that what is drawn is not affected. Setting a symbol only affects what

is drawn afterward, not beforehand.

Arcplot: arcs template

Now the ARCs should show in white. Clear the screen and open a map composition so that the features will

be saved.

Arcplot: clear

Once a map composition is opened, all features added will be saved. Each feature or coverage that is added

is saved as a map element. You can manipulate map elements by moving them, resizing them, or deleting

them. The command MAP opens a map composition that you can start adding features or elements to.

Arcplot: map sites.map
44

The first element added to the map is a template of neatlines or borders, the north arrow, and the scale. These

items are stored in a current map composition called border.map. To draw an existing map into another map

composition use the PLOT command.

Arcplot: plot border.map

The elements drawn are common cartographic elements of a map. There is an empty area where you will add

the other data layers from the analysis. Since a GIS is displayed in layers, you need to think about the order

in which you want to place the features. In this case, you will want the roads on top of the potential sites,

with the study area boundary as the last element drawn. If you draw elements in the incorrect order on a map,

they can be reordered or deleted and re-added. You want to display only the potential sites so you need to

select for them before you draw them.

Arcplot: reselect finalcov poly suitable = 1

FINALCOV polys : 8 of 628 selected

Now that the correct polygons are selected, you need to shade them. To shade polygons of a coverage use

the POLYGONSHADES command. Before shading a coverage, you must decide which shade set you want

to use. Various shade sets can be found at the back of the Map Display, Query, and Output manual. You will

use the default shade set, which is plotter.shd. 

Arcplot: polygonshades finalcov 3

The 3 specifies the color you want to shade the features with—in this case, green. The selected set of features

should be the only ones shaded. Now draw the polygon lines for the selected features using the present line

symbol (1). This line symbol will be drawn in black on paper, but will show up on the screen as white.

Arcplot: polygons finalcov

Draw the ROADS coverage using a red line symbol. To draw ARCs using a specified line symbol use the

ARCLINES command.

Arcplot: arclines roads 2

Notice that all of the roads are drawn in red. What you really want to display are the two classes of roads,

improved and semi-improved. Earlier you created a lookup table to be used in drawing the roads as different

classes. Before drawing the roads with the lookup table, delete the roads you just drew by using the

MDELETE command. The MDELETE command deletes only the selected elements in the map

composition. The last element you add will always be the selected element unless you change it. Adding the

roads was your last step so it will now be selected.

Arcplot: mdelete

Now that the ARCs disappeared from the screen and map, you can redraw the map using the MFRESH

command.

Arcplot: mfresh
45

You will use the ARCLINES command again to draw the roads, but this time you will specify the item RDCODE in the lookup table RD.LUT to draw on.

Arcplot: arclines roads rd-code rd.lut

The roads should appear with two different symbols, a thick red line for the improved roads and a dashed

red line for the semi-improved roads.

Using symbol 1, draw the study area boundary.

Arcplot: arcs template

Now you will be drawing text that identifies the polygons you shaded earlier. The item you will draw text

on will be Cover-ID. This item is used because it is a unique identifier that can be used to cross-reference

with a written report. Set the size of the text by using the TEXTSIZE command and draw the text by using

the LABELTEXT command.

Arcplot: textsize .15

Arcplot: labeltext finalcov finalcov-id

The text of the selected polygons should appear next to the polygon feature.

Finally, you will be adding additional information to the map by drawing the legend and the title. The legend

will be drawn using the KEYLINE command you used earlier. First you must set the parameters of the

legend before you draw it by specifying the text and the size of the legend you want.

Arcplot: textset font

Arcplot: textsymbol 14

Arcplot: textsize .20

Arcplot: keybox .5 0

Arcplot: keyposition 7.0 7.2

Arcplot: keyline rd.key nobox

The legend should appear on the map.

Next draw the title to complete the map. Set the text you want to use for the title, then add the title by using

the TEXT command.

Arcplot: textsymbol 16

Arcplot: textsize .30

Before adding the title you must also specify where you want to place it using the MOVE command.

Arcplot: move 0.8 7.4
46

The position specified by the MOVE command will place the text with the lower left corner of the text as

the reference point. Now add the title.

Arcplot: text 'Potential Sites for Aquaculture Lab'

You can always reposition an element (e.g., the title) using the MMOVE command. If you need to reposition

or center the title, use the MMOVE with the * option.

Arcplot: mmove *

The asterisk allows you to interactively select where you want to move from and to. Once the title is correctly

positioned, the map is complete. 

To make a hard copy of the map, first create a graphics file, plot the map into the graphics file, and then send

it to the plotter. The command for creating a graphics file is DISPLAY with the 1040 option.

Arcplot: display 1040

Enter graphics filename: sites.gra

Arcplot: plot sites.map

When you type display 1040 the display window will disappear. The .gra extension is the naming convention

for graphic files. PLOT is the command used when plotting the map into the graphics file.

Before sending the map to the plotter, draw the graphics file. You can draw graphics files from the ARC:

prompt.

Arcplot: quit

Arc: display 9999

Arc: draw sites.gra

The graphics file will now be drawn. It should look exactly like the map. 

Hit <CR> to continue: <CR>

Remember <CR> is a carriage return.

Before sending the map to the plotter, you will need to convert the graphics file to an rtl format, which the

plotter can interpret and print.

Arc: rtl sites.gra sites.rtl

Arc: quit

Now send the map.

sun% lp -d hpdj1 sites.rtl

The printer designation may change, so please check with your supervisor if the above command does not

work.
47

Creating an Area Report

One of the last steps that you can perform when analyzing data sets is creating and printing a report. A report

will show items such as a date, a title, headings, and the information that you specify based on the items in

the feature attribute table. To create a report you will use INFO.

Arc: info

ENTER USER NAME> ARC

ENTER COMMAND> SELECT FINALCOV.PAT

628 RECORD(S) SELECTED

After selecting the info file from which the report will be created, select the records that are suitable sites

for development.

ENTER COMMAND> RESELECT SUITABLE = 1

8 RECORD(S) SELECTED

Use the OUTPUT command to specify the path name and text file name that will hold the report

information. Use the INIT parameter to ensure that the new file will replace any existing file of the same

name.

ENTER COMMAND> OUTPUT ../FINAL.REP INIT

Use the REPORT command to begin creating a report of items from FINALCOV.PAT.

ENTER COMMAND> REPORT

When creating a report, you will be prompted to define each column in the report. You will enter the name

of the item for the column, the formatting options, and a text heading for the column. The first prompt will

be COLUMN CONTENT, or an item name—in this case, FINALCOV-ID.

2 ENTER COLUMN CONTENT> FINALCOV-ID

For the REPORT OPTIONS prompt press "Enter" and the default option will be used to list the item values

for FINALCOV-ID.

ENTER REPORT OPTIONS> <CR>

For the next prompt, enter SITE# for the COLUMN HEADING.

ENTER COLUMN HEADINGS> SITE#

Press "Enter" for the second COLUMN HEADING.

ENTER COLUMN HEADINGS> <CR>

Enter the following information for the other two columns, AREA and COST.

7 ENTER COLUMN CONTENT> AREA
48

ENTER REPORT OPTIONS> <CR>

ENTER COLUMN HEADINGS> AREA

ENTER COLUMN HEADINGS> <CR>

20 ENTER COLUMN CONTENT> COST

ENTER REPORT OPTIONS> <CR>

ENTER COLUMN HEADINGS> COST

ENTER COLUMN HEADINGS> <CR>

Press "Enter" at the next prompt to stop entering columns into the report.

28 ENTER COLUMN CONTENT> <CR>

Enter the title of the report at the next prompt.

ENTER REPORT TITLE> 'Potential Sites'

Now send this information to the output file created earlier, final.rep.

DO YOU WISH TO EXECUTE THIS FORM ( Y OR N ) > Y

OUTPUT TO PRINTER ( Y OR N ) > Y

LINES PER PAGE?> <CR>

ENTER REPORT OPTIONS> <CR>

When INFO is finished sending the information to final.rep, quit INFO using Q STOP. Display the report

in a &popup window and then send it to the printer.

Arc: &term 9999

Arc: &popup

final.rep

Quit the &popup window and print the report.

Arc: lp -d south5si final.rep

The print command and printer destination may vary. If the command does not work, contact the supervisor.
49

Creating a Second Map Composition

In the following exercise, you will be creating another map for display. The map you generate will display

the potential sites, the surrounding land cover, improved roads, and the streams. Before starting the

ARCPLOT session to create the map, edit the final.rep file. Delete the first two lines containing the page

number and date.

sun% textedit final.rep &

Once the textedit window appears, make the changes and save the file. Then start an ARCPLOT session.

Arc: display 9999

Arc: arcplot

To make a map, you must first open a new map composition by using the MAP command.

Arcplot: map lab.map

Once the map composition is open, set the parameters for the map. Each time a new map is created or

activated, you need to set the parameters. Remember, there are five commands used to set the parameters of

a map.

1. PAGESIZE - sets the size of the map

2. MAPEXTENT - sets the geographic extent of the map

3. MAPUNITS - sets the units the data will be displayed in (inches, meters, or feet)

4. MAPSCALE - sets the scale of the map

5. MAPPOSITION - sets the position where the data will be displayed within the viewing area

Set the parameters for your map.

Arcplot: pagesize 36 24

Arcplot: mapextent 4550 5090 6090 6740

When using map extent you can either use coordinates or specify a coverage to set the geographical location

of the map.

Arcplot: mapunits meters

Arcplot: mapscale 3000

Arcplot: mapposition cen cen

Arcplot: maplimits 1 0 18.5 23

Now that the map is set up, you can add coverage features and other elements. To add features, you will use

the commands given in the section Creating a Map Composition.

The first feature to display on the map is the polygons of the LANDUSE coverage. You will shade them by

using the POLYGONSHADES command. Use the SHADESET command to specify a shade set.

Arcplot: shadeset carto.shd
50

To shade the LANDUSE coverage based on LU-CODE, a lookup table is already created called labplot.lut.

Use the lookup table to shade the coverage.

Arcplot: polygonshades landuse lu-code labplot.lut

Select the suitable sites from FINALCOV and draw them using a thick, black line.

Arcplot: reselect finalcov poly suitable = 1

FINALCOV polys: 8 of 628 selected

Arcplot: linesymbol 5

Arcplot: polygons finalcov

Next draw the streams according to the major and minor code. To draw the ARCs of a coverage that have

different values, use the ARCLINES command.

Arcplot: arclines streams strm-code streams.lut

The ARCs were drawn by using the item STRM-CODE and the streams.lut lookup table. Select the improved

roads and draw them with a red line.

Arcplot: reselect roads arcs rd-code = 1

ROADS arcs: 18 of 45 selected

Arcplot: linesymbol 2

Arcplot: arcs roads

Draw the IDs that correspond to each of the suitable sites. First specify a text size and then use

POLYGONTEXT to draw the Ids.

Arcplot: textsize 16 pt

Arcplot: polygontext finalcov finalcov-id

Next, add a reference map that shows the larger extent of the location you are displaying. The reference map

will be smaller than the other portion of the map. Set new parameters to draw in the reference map.

Arcplot: maplimits 19.5 0.25 26.5 10

Arcplot: mapextent template

Arcplot: mapscale auto

By using an automatic map scale, the coverage will fit as large as possible in the specified map limits. Shade

the TEMPLATE coverage as land and water. First you will shade the land.

Arcplot: reselect template poly lu-code ne 500

TEMPLATE polys: 2 of 3 selected

Arcplot: polygonshades template 329

To shade the water, use the NSELECT command. NSELECT changes the unselected set of features to the

selected set and vice versa.
51

Arcplot: nselect template poly

TEMPLATE polys: 1 of 3 selected

Arcplot: polygonshades template 431

Draw a box on the reference map showing the area of the suitable sites by using the BOX command. First

make sure ARCPLOT knows what units the coordinates are in when you give the BOX command.

Arcplot: units map

This sets the units to the same units as the map.

Arcplot: linesymbol 5

Arcplot: box 4550 5090 6090 6740

Draw the ARCs for the TEMPLATE coverage.

Arcplot: linesymbol 1

Arcplot: arcs template

Keep in mind that the ARCS and POLYGONS commands are different. When you reselected on the

polygons the ARCs were not affected. Therefore, all of the ARCs should have been displayed.

Set the units back to page units for adding the rest of the elements.

Arcplot: units page

Add the report you edited earlier. Set the text parameters and position for the text file.

Arcplot: textfont triumvirate

Arcplot: textquality proportional

Arcplot: textsize 36 pt

Arcplot: move 20 21

The MOVE command positions elements where the user specifies. Use the TEXTFILE command to display

final.rep.

Arcplot: textfile final.rep

Now add more boxes and lines to separate additional elements.

Arcplot: linesymbol 5

Arcplot: box 0 0 36 24

Arcplot: linesymbol 1

Arcplot: box 0.25 0.25 35.75 23.75

These boxes create a double-lined border.
52

Use the LINE command to separate different parts of the map.

Arcplot: line 27.75 23.75 27.75 0.25

Arcplot: line 27.75 5 35.75 5

Arcplot: line 31.75 5 31.75 0.25

Add a north arrow to the map. A north arrow has been created and is stored in the NORTHARR coverage.

Arcplot: maplimits 28 1 31.5 5

Arcplot: mapextent northarr

Arcplot: arcs northarr

Add the university logo, which is stored in the ULOGO coverage.

Arcplot: maplimits 31.5 1 36 5

Arcplot: mapextent ulogo

Arcplot: mapscale auto

Arcplot: annotext ulogo

To enlarge the logo, use the MFIT command with the * option to draw the box interactively.

Arcplot: mfit *

Start the box in the upper left-hand corner of the small area and drag it to the lower right-hand end of the

area. The logo will be redrawn at a larger size. If the logo is not centered, you can use the MMOVE

command to reposition it.

The ANNOTEXT command adds annotation or text from a coverage to the map. The ULOGO coverage is

stored as annotext.

Draw the scale beneath the north arrow. Show the scale as a representative fraction. Set the parameters for

the scale and draw it.

Arcplot: textsize .40

Arcplot: move 28.5 0.5

Arcplot: text 'Scale 1:3,000'

Finally, you will add legends and a title. There are two legends, labplot.key designating land cover and

labmap.key designating the roads and streams. Specify the area where you want to put the legends by using

the KEYAREA command. Also, specify the size of the legend boxes by using the KEYBOX command.

Arcplot: keyarea 28.5 22 35 5.5

Arcplot: keybox .6 .6

Arcplot: keyseparation 1 1

KEYSEPARATION specifies the distance between each symbol box. First display the labplot.key.
53

Arcplot: textsize .6

Arcplot: keyshade labplot.key

Specify the symbol box size for the labmap.key and draw the legend.

Arcplot: keybox .6 0

Arcplot: keyline labmap.key nobox

Add the title for the map. First set the text parameters, then use the TEXTFIT command to add the title.

Arcplot: textfont 'times bold'

Arcplot: textsize .8

Arcplot: textfit 'Potential University Lab Sites' 2 22.75 25.75 22.75

Now that the map is complete, convert it to a graphics format.

Arcplot: display 1040

Enter output filename: lab.gra

Arcplot: plot lab.map

Quit ARCPLOT. Check with the supervisor to make sure the plotter is available, and send the map to the

plotter.

Arcplot: quit

Arc: rtl lab.gra lab.rtl

Arc: quit

sun% lp -d hpdj1 lab.rtl

References

Arndt, L., and D. Olsen. 1995. Long Term Resource Monitoring Program standard operating procedures:

Production ARCEDIT digitizing. National Biological Service, Environmental Management Technical

Center, Onalaska, Wisconsin, August 1995. LTRMP 95-P008-3. 12 pp. + Appendixes A–K

Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. 1994. Understanding GIS: The ARC/INFO method.

Redlands, California. 507 pp. + Appendixes A–E

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1993. Operating Plan for the Upper Mississippi River System Long Term

Resource Monitoring Program. Environmental Management Technical Center, Onalaska, Wisconsin,

Revised September 1993. EMTC 91-P002R. 179 pp. (NTIS #PB94-160199)
REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved

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any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information

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September 1998

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS

Geospatial Technologies Division Student Training Manual

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Lynne DeHaan

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Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

700 Terrace Heights

Winona, Minnesota 55987

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13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words)

This manual provides training for student interns in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The manual provides an overview of GIS and uses standard operating

procedures generated at the Environmental Management Technical Center (EMTC). Included are exercises for digitizing, editing, attributing, projecting, mapjoining,

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 OF REPORT OF THIS PAGE OF ABSTRACT

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The Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) for the Upper Mississippi

River System was authorized under the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 as 

an element of the Environmental Management Program. The mission of the LTRMP

is to provide river managers with information for maintaining the Upper Mississippi 

River System as a sustainable large river ecosystem given its multiple-use character.

The LTRMP is a cooperative effort by the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Army Corps

of Engineers, and the States of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.