GIS software is designed to capture, manage, analyze, and display all forms of geographically referenced information.

1. Overview of
Geographic
Information Systems
(GIS)
13 May 2015

2. What are
Geographic Information
Systems?
 Data visualization & analysis tool.
 Used for any kind of data involving a geospatial
component
 i.e. data is somehow a function of geographic location.

3. Examples of GIS Roles
 Demographic analyses
 social welfare/community development programs
 business development and marketing
 Politics
 Biological & environmental research
 Studying animal populations.
 Analyzing availability of resources to support animal
populations.
 Transportation infrastructure planning
 Environmental contamination remediation
 Natural resource exploration

4. Starting ArcGIS
 ArcGIS is not a single program.
 Actually a family of interconnected programs
 Primarily use ArcMap and ArcCatalog

5. Getting Geospatial Data
 Government websites
 Intergovernmental organizations.
 United Nations
 World Bank
 etc.
 Non-profit organizations
 State geospatial data clearinghouses
 At least one per state, as well as District of Columbia
 Florida:
http://www.fgdl.org/metadataexplorer/explorer.jsp

6. Importing Data into ArcMap
 Download data
 Often in form of a “shapefile”.
 Shapefile is actually a set of files.
 Import data using ArcCatalog
 Add background map to provide visual context for
data.

7. Some General Information
 Projections
 Various projections, typically tailored to a particular
purpose or geographic area.
 Image on map is linked to attribute table.
 If selected on map, also selected in attribute table.
 Can select items on map on basis of characteristics in
attribute table.
 Deselecting items.

8. Display Options
 Turning layers on/off.
 Moving layers.
 Transparency
 Using color ranges to represent data values.

9. Geospatial Analysis Tools
 Question: How many Florida State Parks are within 10
miles of an interstate highway?

10. Georeferencing (a.k.a. Georectifying)
images
 Sometimes wish to incorporate images within ArcGIS; for example:
 Aerial/satellite images
 Historic maps (e.g. Sanborn maps)
 If images lack associated geospatial data, they cannot be properly
displayed in ArcGIS.
 Georeferencing allows images to be correctly located and aligned
upon the underlying map.

11. Want to learn some more?
 Register with ESRI (the company that makes ArcGIS)
 It’s free!!!
 https://accounts.esri.com/signup?redirect_uri=http%3A%
2F%2Ftraining.esri.com%2Fgateway%2Findex.cfm%3Ffa%3
Dsearch.results
 Take some ESRI tutorials.
 http://training.esri.com/gateway/index.cfm?fa=search.re
sults&searchterm=&search=Search&cannedsearch=1&or
derby=Price%20asc (some are free, others aren’t)
 Download some geospatial data and play with it.

12. Questions?