Building Project Files with Arcview GIS

    The purpose of building "project file" is to preserve the unique assemblage of  co-registered shape files, and any tailoring that has been done to their properties, legends, charts, layout sheets, attribute database, or scripts.  Once the project file is created, all other files that are referenced must remain with the same network path, or the project must be rebuilt. This requires us to be consistent in our drive letter designation. For this exercise we will set the network path to the Data1 part of geology file server as drive "k:"

Skill Set #1: The first step will be to work with vector data. Try the following tasks:
1.  Start Arcview
2.  When prompted, select "Blank Project." The window that appears is a "project window." It has icons that allow creation and manipulation of different parts of a project.
3.  With the "View" icon highlighted, click the "New" Button. This opens a blank window and adds a lot of other buttons to the tool bar.
4.  Add a shape file (more generally referred to as a Theme) by clicking the "Add Theme" icon.
5.  Navigate to k:\resources\GIs-projects\data\countydata
6.  Open 2 shape files:  geology.shp and trans.shp (multiple files may be opened with a "shift-click."
7.  The shape files are listed in the "Table of Contents." They may be manipulated in a number of ways there:
• click on the small square box to make the theme appear.
• click and drag the trans.shp file upward so it lays on top of the geology.
• Click on the gray space around the name of the trans.shp theme to "select" it.
• rename it to say "Streets" by selecting "Theme Properties" and re-typing its name.
• Rename geology.shp to be "Geology"
• change the color and line thickness of your streets, by double clicking on the line in the table of contents, this brings up a very flexible "Legend Editor," double click again on the line symbol, this brings up a "Palette Editor" which is also very flexible. Make the changes.
• change the legend for the geology polygons so each unit is a different color. Open the Legend Editor by double clicking on the existing symbol in the Table of Contents, change the "Legend Type" box to "Unique Value," select "Description" within the "Value Field" box.
• there are many choices regarding the appearance of polygons, for now the default will suit our needs.

8.  Adjust the View Properties so distance and map units are known.  Select "View/Properties," change map units to "meters" (since this data is in UTM 27) and distance units to "Kilometers."
9.  Save this project.  Select "File" "Save Project As..," type a descriptive name and save to c:\temp

Skill Set #2: Now we will add raster data in the form of USGS DEM's.  Arcview won't display or analyze DEM's in their existing format so they must be imported, which converts them into an ArcInfo format known as "GRID."  Follow these steps:

1.  Start by loading the extension "Spatial Analyst" which is software that works with raster files.  Select "File/Extensions," scroll down to find "Spatial Analyst," click to add check by its name.
2.  Select "File/Import Data Source.."  In the new window, change the file type to USGS DEM.
3.  Find dem data at:  k:\resources\GIs-projects\data\dem .  Select the bham-so.dem file
4.  The next window will ask for a folder name of the new GRID file. Change the un-descriptive name to "bham-so."  Put it into the c:\temp folder.  WAIT for the grid file to be created.
5.  When asked to "add grid now/", click yes.
6.  If "no" is clicked, the GRID (which is considered another type of "theme" may be added later by clicking the "Add Theme" button.  
7.  Click the "Add Theme" to see what is entailed.  This time one must select "Grid Data Source" under the "Data Source Types" box.
8.  Re-save the Project.

Skill Set #3: Arcview can do analysis on Grid data.  Try these simple tasks:

1.  Select the Grid Theme in the table of contents.
2.  Select "Surface\Compute Hillshade."  WAIT
3.  Once the analysis is complete it may be click on for viewing. If you would like to re-do this with another sun angle, the theme may be deleted by selecting "Edit\Delete Theme."
4.  Try "Create Contours." The menus are self explanatory.

To see how the data is currently organized in the server, click below on "Local Data."

Skill Set #4: Building a project file for WWU with city data.

Opening the Data

1.  Start Windows (or NT) Explorer, navigate to k:\resources\GIs-projects\data\wwu-gis\
2. Click on the folder: 'wwu-gis' then select 'Edit/Copy' or right-mouse-click copy. Now navigate to your personal directory through drive u: and paste the whole folder there.
3. Return to Arcview. If you have any themes or projects open close them all ('File/Close All' then 'File/Close Project').
4.  Start a 'New Project' then add a 'New View' and click on the 'add theme' button.
5.  Start by adding the aerial photos to your project (k:\resources\GIs-projects\data\wwu\aerial\), (we didn't copy these over because each image is 29 Mbytes). Since these are images you must change 'Data Source Types:' to 'Image Data Source.' The file names are: R370201.tif, R370206.tif, R380236.tif and R380331.tif. By holding down the shift key you can select and open them all at once.
6.  Once they have all loaded, turn them on for viewing.
7. Now add the contour shape file (u:\wwu-gis\contour.shp). Since this is NOT an image file, change the 'Data Source Types:' back to 'Feature Data Source.'
8. Add the streets shape file (u:\wwu-gis\streets.shp).
9. To add the Geology Theme, you must click ONCE on the geology folder icon, this will reveal several categories of data. From here, click on 'Polygon.' The geology is an ArcInfo Coverage file (analogous to an Arcview Shapefile).
10. Turn on all the themes by clicking a check next to their names. Highlight the Geology Theme in the table of contents and click on the 'Zoom to Active Theme' button.

Formatting the Data: sizing for a desired view

1. Our first formatting challenge will be to clip all the large themes down to the size of the area covered by the aerial photos. Turn all the themes off except for the aerial photos and the streets.
2. First we have to add the 'GeoProcessing Extension.' Select 'File/Extensions' scroll down to 'Geoprocessing' and check, click OK. This will add a tool to the View menu.
3. Using the zooming tool, re-frame the view to the size of the 4 aerial photos.
4. Now we must create a polygon of the size we desire for our streets. Click 'View/New Theme.' In the menu box select 'Polygon.' In the following dialog box, name your theme 'box.shp' and save it to your personal folder.
5. Highlight the new theme in the table of contents, click once on the 'Draw Rectangle' button.
6. Drag the streets theme above the Box so they are visible.
7. Highlight the streets theme in the table of contents, click once on the 'Select Feature' tool. Click and drag a 'rubber box' that is a little bigger than the box.shp file.
8. Select 'View/GeoProcessing Wizard.' From the first menu click on 'Clip one theme based on another.' Click 'Next.'
9. In the second menu make the changes as shown below:



10. Click 'Finish.' The product will be a new shape file made up only of the streets in our defined area. Highlight the original streets.shp in the table of contents, select 'Edit/Delete Theme' to remove it from your project.
11. Since you have invested so much already into this project preserve your work by selecting 'File/Save Project As..', giving it a name (e.g. wwu.apr) and saving to your personal folder.
12. Go through this process again to clip the geology file down to size.
13. Next we will work on the buildings, in a little different way. Begin by clicking on the buildings shape file so it is visible in your view.
14. Because each building is a discrete feature we can select the ones on Western's campus as a set and convert them to a new shape file. Zoom in to the campus area. Highlight the buildings theme in the table of contents. Click once on the 'Select Feature' , hold down the shift key and select each building on campus so they are all bright yellow.
15. Select 'Theme/Convert to Shapefile,' name it (wwu-bldg.shp) and save this into your personal folder. Delete the original buildings theme from your project. Save your project, this time just select 'File/Save Project.'

Formatting the Data: editing views.

1. Turn all the themes off except for the aerial photos and the buildings. Since this buildings file was created before the new science buildings where added to campus they are not included.
2. Zoom in as far as you can on these 3 buildings.
3. Highlight the buildings theme in the table of contents.
4. Select 'Theme/Start Editing.'
5. By clicking and holding the 'Draw Rectangle' tool down you can select a number of other tools; find the 'Draw Polygon' tool.
6. By clicking around the buildings you can add these as new features to the buildings themes. Double click when you are ready to close the polygon.
7. If you want to refine your attempt use the 'Vertex Editing' tool. You can click and drag existing vertices, or add new ones by double clicking on the line.
8. When you finish select 'Theme/Save Edits As..', then 'Theme/Stop Editing.'

Warning: once you save these changes they will replace your original file. To redo an unsatisfactory edit means repeating many steps. One way to avoid the associated frustration is to select 'Theme/Save Edits As..' and giving the file a new name (e.g. buildings2.shp).

9. Another theme that could use some editing is the streets.shp. Turn that theme on and the buildings theme off.
10. Notice the road that leads to the back of the SMATE building is mis-located. Using the vertex editor is possible but it will be easier to delete and redraw the line. Highlight the streets theme, select 'Theme/Start Editing.'
11. Click once on the 'Select Feature' tool and click on the street you wish to delete. Press the Delete key on the keyboard.
12. Click once on the 'Draw Line' tool, found where the Draw Rectangle and Draw Polygon tools are. With single clicks draw the new road. Double click to finish.
13. Select 'Theme/Save Edits,' then 'Theme/Stop Editing.'
14. Adding Peat to the Geology Theme. (to be continued).

Formatting the Data: editing the attribute table (to be continued)