ArcGIS Desktop includes a suite of integrated applications that allow you to perform GIS tasks, from simple to advanced, including mapping, geographic analysis, data editing and compilation, data management, visualization, and geoprocessing.
Mapping and visualization with ArcMap
Data management with ArcCatalog
Editing and data compilation
Geoprocessing
3D visualization with ArcGlobe and ArcScene
The geodatabase
GIS Servers and services
Getting Started with ArcGIS Desktop
What is ArcGIS 9.2?: Basic GIS, ArcGIS Desktop, and ArcGIS Server concepts, including the ESRI Developer Network, ArcGIS Engine, ArcIMS, Mobile GIS, SDE, and more.
Learn the fundamentals of ArcGIS: Basic GIS concepts, including maps, coordinate systems, and representing and working with geographic features.
Work through tutorials: A good starting point for learning ArcGIS Desktop. View the tutorial PDFs or watch video clips of the exercises.
What's new in ArcGIS 9.2 Desktop: What are the new features in ArcGIS 9.2 Desktop, and how to migrate from ArcGIS 9.1 Desktop, ArcView GIS 3, and ArcInfo Workstation.
See Getting help for ArcGIS Desktop to learn about using the ArcGIS Desktop Help system, support, training, and other user assistance for ArcGIS Desktop.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
An overview of GIS services
You connect to a server by double-clicking one of the three Add Server entries under the GIS Servers folder. (If the GIS Servers folder does not appear in your ArcCatalog tree, click Options in the Tool menu, click the General tab, then enable GIS Services in the list of top level entries.)
The GIS Servers folder also contains an out-of-the-box connection to Geography Network Services hosted by ESRI. This is a connection to an ArcIMS Server residing at ESRI that contains many useful and interesting services, and you should take the opportunity to explore this server when possible. Simply double-click the connection and view the services in the Contents pane of ArcCatalog, as illustrated below. ESRI may add more out-of-the-box connections in the future.
The GIS Servers folder also contains an out-of-the-box connection to Geography Network Services hosted by ESRI. This is a connection to an ArcIMS Server residing at ESRI that contains many useful and interesting services, and you should take the opportunity to explore this server when possible. Simply double-click the connection and view the services in the Contents pane of ArcCatalog, as illustrated below. ESRI may add more out-of-the-box connections in the future.
Convey geographic information
Fundamental GIS concepts are closely linked to maps and their contents. In fact, map concepts form the basis for understanding GIS more fully. This topic explores some fundamental map concepts and describes how they are applied and used within GIS.
A map is a collection of map elements laid out and organized on a page. Common map elements include the map frame with map layers, a scale bar, north arrow, title, descriptive text, and a symbol legend.
The primary map element is the map frame, and it provides the principal display of geographic information. Within the map frame, geographical entities are presented as a series of map layers that cover a given map extent—for example, map layers such as roads, rivers, place names, buildings, political boundaries, surface elevation, and satellite imagery.
A map is a collection of map elements laid out and organized on a page. Common map elements include the map frame with map layers, a scale bar, north arrow, title, descriptive text, and a symbol legend.
The primary map element is the map frame, and it provides the principal display of geographic information. Within the map frame, geographical entities are presented as a series of map layers that cover a given map extent—for example, map layers such as roads, rivers, place names, buildings, political boundaries, surface elevation, and satellite imagery.
An overview of the geodatabase
ArcGIS works with geographic information managed in geodatabases as well as in numerous GIS file formats. The geodatabase is the native data structure for ArcGIS and is the primary data format used for editing and data management.
Geodatabases work across a range of DBMS architectures and file systems, come in many sizes, and have varying numbers of users. They can scale from small, single-user databases built on files up to larger workgroup, department, and enterprise geodatabases accessed by many users.
Geodatabases work across a range of DBMS architectures and file systems, come in many sizes, and have varying numbers of users. They can scale from small, single-user databases built on files up to larger workgroup, department, and enterprise geodatabases accessed by many users.
An overview of 3D Analyst
ArcGlobe is one of two applications provided by the 3D Analyst extension and gives you a new and unique way to view and analyze your GIS data. Spatially referenced data is placed on a 3D globe surface, displayed in its true geodetic location. You can manipulate the globe, then investigate and analyze its data while viewing the globe as a whole, or regions within it. You can view data covering a global extent then seamlessly zoom into highly detailed, localized data.
ArcGlobe gives you the power to tame voluminous data while fully employing all information the data can give you. ArcGlobe allows efficient display and query of raster data and is integrated to function with the ArcGIS geodatabase while providing support for analysis in the geoprocessing environment.
ArcGlobe gives you the power to tame voluminous data while fully employing all information the data can give you. ArcGlobe allows efficient display and query of raster data and is integrated to function with the ArcGIS geodatabase while providing support for analysis in the geoprocessing environment.
Geoprocessing
Geoprocessing is for everyone that uses ArcGIS. Whether you're a new user or an old pro, geoprocessing will become an essential part of your day-to-day work with ArcGIS.
The fundamental purpose of geoprocessing is to allow you to automate your GIS tasks. Almost all uses of GIS involve the repetition of work, and this creates the need for methods to automate, document, and share multiple-step procedures known as workflows. Geoprocessing supports the automation of workflows by providing a rich set of tools and a mechanism to combine a series of tools in a sequence of operations using models and scripts
The fundamental purpose of geoprocessing is to allow you to automate your GIS tasks. Almost all uses of GIS involve the repetition of work, and this creates the need for methods to automate, document, and share multiple-step procedures known as workflows. Geoprocessing supports the automation of workflows by providing a rich set of tools and a mechanism to combine a series of tools in a sequence of operations using models and scripts
An overview of editing and data compilation
Compiling geographic information is the most costly and time consuming part of developing a GIS. The geographic information that is created is a valuable but time sensitive asset, so care and precision must be taken in its collection and maintenance. GIS data loses its value if it becomes out of date. The database must be updated to keep it current. Just as the owner of a parcel changes when it is sold, the geometry of the parcel feature itself may change if it is split for subdivisions. Even natural features change over time: the course of a river may change through meandering or by stream capture.
An overview of ArcCatalog
ArcCatalog helps GIS users by providing an integrated and unified view of all the data files, databases, and ArcGIS documents available to ArcGIS users. Unlike other data (a photo or Word document), geographic datasets often consist of a set of files, rather than a single file. When listed in Windows Explorer, the datasets appear as a list of system folders and files, whereas ArcCatalog displays and manages the datasets as single entities. ArcCatalog is the program you use to organize and manage these various datasets and documents in both file-based workspaces and in geodatabases. This program allows you to connect to your data source locations, browse through your workspaces, examine or explore the data, manage data, tables and metadata, and search for data and maps
Mapping and visualization in ArcMap
There are two primary map display panels in ArcMap: the data frame and the layout view. The data frame provides a geographic "window", or map frame, in which you can display and work with geographic information as a series of map layers. The layout view provides a page view where map elements (such as the data frame, a scale bar, and a map title) are arranged on a page. You can learn more about data frames and map layouts below.
When you save a map you have created in ArcMap, it will automatically append a file extension (.mxd) to your map document name. All the maps you compose in ArcMap are saved to an ArcMap document file named with a .mxd extension. Map document files are managed in file system folders. You can work with an existing .mxd by opening it in Windows. This will start an ArcMap session for that .mxd.
When you save a map you have created in ArcMap, it will automatically append a file extension (.mxd) to your map document name. All the maps you compose in ArcMap are saved to an ArcMap document file named with a .mxd extension. Map document files are managed in file system folders. You can work with an existing .mxd by opening it in Windows. This will start an ArcMap session for that .mxd.
ArcGIS Server
ArcGIS Server is a comprehensive web-based GIS that provides a range of out-of-the-box end user applications and services for mapping, analysis, data collection, editing, and management of spatial information. ArcGIS Server provides a server-based platform upon which ArcGIS Desktop users can easily publish and serve their geographic knowledge to the broader organization. ArcGIS Server supports access using a range of desktop, custom, mobile, and browser-based clients. ArcGIS Server also includes the ArcSDE data management technology for managing multi- user, transactional geodatabases using a number of relational DBMS's.
ArcGIS
ArcGIS provides a scalable framework for implementing GIS for a single user or many users on desktops, in servers, over the Web, and in the field. ArcGIS is an integrated family of GIS software products for building a complete GIS. It consists of four primary frameworks for deploying GIS
• ArcGIS Desktop—An integrated suite of professional GIS applications. Most users recognize this as three products: ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo.
• Server GIS—ArcIMS, ArcGIS Server, and ArcGIS Image Server.
• Mobile GIS—ArcPad and ArcGIS Mobile for field computing.
• ESRI Developer Network (EDN)—Embeddable software components for developers to extend GIS desktops, build custom GIS applications, add custom GIS services and web applications, and for creating mobile solutions.
All four ArcGIS frameworks are based on ArcObjects, a common, modular library of re-useable GIS software component.
• ArcGIS Desktop—An integrated suite of professional GIS applications. Most users recognize this as three products: ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo.
• Server GIS—ArcIMS, ArcGIS Server, and ArcGIS Image Server.
• Mobile GIS—ArcPad and ArcGIS Mobile for field computing.
• ESRI Developer Network (EDN)—Embeddable software components for developers to extend GIS desktops, build custom GIS applications, add custom GIS services and web applications, and for creating mobile solutions.
All four ArcGIS frameworks are based on ArcObjects, a common, modular library of re-useable GIS software component.
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