BET2343 SPATIAL SCIENCE ENGINEERING

INTRODUCTION TO ARCGIS

Email : noorasiah@ump.edu.my
Room No : A2-01-08 (ROOM A02-1052)
Contact No : 09-5492559/019-2761185
 A GIS integrates five basic
components

software methods

hardware
data

people
GIS Data Concept
Types of datasets
Vector formats
(“feature classes”)

Points

Lines (”arcs”)

Polygons
Types of datasets
Raster formats
Matrices of square
cells (grids, pixels)
Types of datasets

Attribute tables:
tables of data describing
spatial features
Methods
Basic GIS Functions

Capture
Store
Query
Analyze
Display
Output
Capturing data

Digital images Paper maps

Coordinate lists GPS output

Query
Query
Identifying specific features
Where is Petronas Twin Tower?

Identifying
features based
on conditions
Find all rivers with the mean
current speed > 0.1m/s
Analysis
Proximity : which roads are within a 100 ft
from a stream

Overlay: combines the features of two or

more layers to create a new layer

Network: examines how linear features are

connected
Analysis
Display

• Maps
• Graphs
• Reports/Tables
Examples of GIS maps
surface drapes & 3-D modeling
Examples of GIS generated maps
detailed
topographic maps
Output

• Paper map
• Internet
• Image (cc.jpg, cc.pdf)
• Document (cc.mxd)
• Poster
 Software for GIS: The Main Players
• ArcGIS, ESRI Inc., Redlands, CA
• clear market leader with about a third of the market
• originated commercial GIS with their ArcInfo product in 1981 The main two
• privately owned by Jack Dangermond, a legend in the field “pure GIS”
• Strong in gov., education, utilities and business logistics companies.
• MapInfo, Troy N.Y.
• Aggressive newcomer in early 1990s, but now well-established.
• Strong presence in business, especially site selection & marketing, and telecom
• Intergraph (Huntsville, AL)
• origins in proprietary CAD hardware/software
• Older UNIX-based MGE (Modular GIS Environment) evolved from CAD
• Current GeoMedia was the first true MS Windows-based GIS
• strong in design, public works, and FM (facilities management), but weakening
• Bentley Systems (Exton, PA)
• MicroStation GeoGraphics, originally developed with Intergraph, is now their exclusive
and main product..
• Strong in engineering; advertises itself as “geoengineering”
• Autodesk (San Rafael, CA)
• Began as PC-based CAD, but now the dominant CAD supplier
• First GIS product AutoCAD Map introduced in 1996
• Primarily small business/small city customer base
 Software for GIS: other players
Vector GIS
• Smallworld Systems
(Englewood, CO)
• first to use OO (early ‘90s),
but failed to compete as
established vendors did same
• Purchased by GE in 2000
• emphasis on FM & utilities
• Manifold
(CDA International Corp):
• low cost, but low market
share
• Maptitude
(Caliper Corp, Newton, MA):
• another low cost one
Raster GIS
• ERDAS/Imagine
– long established leader
– acquired by Leica Geosystems in 2001
• ER MAPPER
– aggressive newcomer originating in Australia
• Envi
– relative newcomer, radar specialization
– acquired by Kodak in 2000
• PCI--Geomatica
– long-term Canadian player
• CARIS
– newer Canadian entry
• GRASS (Rutgers Univ.)
– Classic old-timer originally developed by US
Army Construction Engineering Research
Lab(CERL) in Champaign, IL;
– army ended dev. & support in 1996 but
assumed by Baylor University.
• IDRSI (Clark Univ)
– pioneering, university-developed package
The history of ESRI products

ArcInfo ArcView ArcGIS ArcInfo

ArcEditor
ArcView

time
 All ArcGIS products share common
ArcInfo
applications
ArcEditor

ArcView ArcCatalog-window to database

ArcMap-displaying

ArcToolbox-geographic processing functions

The ArcGIS Interface
ArcMap – viewing, editing, processing…..
The ArcGIS Interface
ArcCatalog – Data Management Editing
Processing
The ArcMap Interface

GUI

table of
contents

map
display

data
frame

layer

scale
Toolbars

demonstration of help tips

 The ArcCatalog Interface

GUI
catalog
tree

catalog
view

folders
data
sources
The ArcCatalog Interface

contents
mode
The ArcCatalog Interface
• Preview geography
mode
The ArcCatalog Interface
• preview table mode
The ArcCatalog Interface
• metadata mode
 ArcToolbox & Geoprocessing
• Most geoprocessing
tasks are accessed
through ArcToolbox
 ArcToolbox & Geoprocessing
• ArcToolbox
can be
“docked”
in ArcMap
or ArcCatalog
ArcToolbox & Geoprocessing

•Geoprocessing
tasks can also be
performed using
the command line
ArcScene
•Application for viewing data
in 3 dimensions in “real time”
ArcGlobe
•Application for viewing global data
in 3 dimensions in “real time”