introduction to arcgis for environmental sciences day 2 – fundamentals module 8 creating &...

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Introduction to ArcGIS for Environmental Sciences Day 2 – Fundamentals Module 8 Creating & Editing Data Creating Metadata

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Introduction to ArcGIS forEnvironmental Sciences

Day 2 – Fundamentals

Module 8Creating & Editing Data

Creating Metadata

2 Introduction to ArcGIS

Chapter 8 Objectives

• Describe Steps in Editing Process• Move and Delete Features• Edit the Shapes of Line and Poly features• Create New Features by Digitizing• Edit Feature Attributes• Create Metadata

3 Introduction to ArcGIS

EPA Examples of Creating and Editing Data

• Improving facility locations• Delineating site boundaries • Illegal filling of wetlands• Landfill expansion•Mapping unregulated facilities to conduct inspections (GW Compliance)•Mapping permits not regulated by EPA to evaluate cumulative impacts (Env. Review)

4 Introduction to ArcGIS

Editing Feature Shapes

• When editing the shape of a feature, you work with its sketch• The sketch represents the geometry of a feature

• Segments• Vertices

• When you edit a feature’s shape, you primarily modify the features vertices• You can move, insert or delete vertices• Editing the vertices will affect the segments

• Changes you make to one feature’s shape may affect the shapes of other features if they are spatially related.

5 Introduction to ArcGIS

The Editing Process1. Add the data you want to edit to your map

• Add other layers for orientation and reference (e.g., aerial photography)

2. Display the Editor toolbar and start an edit session3. Set the editing environment

• Specify your editing target – the layer you want to edit• Specify the editing task (e.g., modify)• Enable additional settings (e.g., snapping)

4. Select the feature and display its sketch• Double-click a feature to show vertices and segments

5. Make your edits• Move, insert or delete vertices

6. Save your edits• Changes are not updated until you save your edits – save often

6 Introduction to ArcGIS

Creating New Features - Digitizing• Heads-up digitizing – tracing shapes on screen using another layer for

reference (aerial photos)• Each time you click on screen, an x,y coordinate is recorded• To digitize, follow these steps:

1. Start an edit session and set editing env. (target layer, editing task and snapping environment)

2. Zoom to the feature you want to digitize on your base layer

3. Trace the outline of the feature, clicking to create each vertex

4. Save your edits

7 Introduction to ArcGIS

Editing Made Easier with Snapping

• Snapping is used to make sure features connect properly with other features• Setting the snapping environment involves:

–Setting the snapping tolerance – distance within which a feature is snapped to another feature (Editor menu Snapping Options)

–Setting snapping properties - vertices, edges or endpoints (Editor menu Snapping Snapping Toolbar)

–Specify the snapping priority - order of which layers get snapped to (Editor menu Snapping Snapping Toolbar)

8 Introduction to ArcGIS

Maintaining Spatial Relationships - Topology• If two features are adjacent, connected or coincident with each

other, editing the shape of one will change the other’s shape as well.• Examples:

–Two adjacent land parcels–Roads and bus routes are coincident–Streams must remain connected

• To maintain spatial relationships in ArcGIS, you can setup a map topology during an edit session. • A map topology defines spatial relationships among features and

maintains them during editing.

9 Introduction to ArcGIS

Editing Feature Attributes

• Follow the same process used for editing feature shapes• Start an edit session• Select the features you want to edit•Make the edits• Save the edits

10

Methods of Editing Attributes: The Attribute Dialog Box

• Displays the attribute values of the selected features in the map

• You can edit individual feature attribute values by typing, copying & pasting, or deleting

• You can also make changes to all the selected features at one time

Introduction to ArcGIS

11 Introduction to ArcGIS

Methods of Editing Attributes: The Attribute Table

•Manually edit feature attributes by typing, copying & pasting, or deleting•Use the Field Calculator to automate editing

12 Introduction to ArcGIS

Calculating Attributes with the Field Calculator

• Available from the layer attribute table• Enter an expression that calculates values for selected features• Calculate values for numeric, text and date fields• Create expressions based on values in other fields

13 Introduction to ArcGIS

XTools Pro: Calculating Area, Perimeter, Length, Acres and more

• Xtools Pro extends ArcMap and ArcCatalog's capabilities and streamlines many common data management functions • Editing Functions include

certain table operations, data management and editing options• Under EPA’s corporate license,

Xtools Pro can be installed on any EPA machine that has ArcGIS installed• Download from the Office of Te

chnology Operations and Planning (OTOP) web site.

14 Introduction to ArcGIS

Metadata

• Whenever you obtain/create data, you should also obtain/create metadata• Metadata – a document that describes your data• Contains information like:

–Who created the data–Who is the point of contact–When were the data created–Description of the data (abstract, purpose, etc.) –Data quality (accuracy, completeness, coverage, etc.)–Use and access constraints–Confidentiality–How the data were processed and who did the processing–Attribute definitions–Distribution information and liability

15 Introduction to ArcGIS

Metadata: Why is it so important?

16 Introduction to ArcGIS

Metadata: Why is it so important?

17 Introduction to ArcGIS

• Without metadata, you don’t know much about the data except what the title tells you (sometimes something is better than nothing)• Without metadata, you have to take the data at face value

–probably not defensible in court– this has been a problem with some imagery services

• Without metadata, data can easily be misinterpreted by users, resulting in erroneous maps• Data may not even be usable without certain metadata like

projection information or definitions for attribute codes

Metadata: Why is it so important?

18 Introduction to ArcGIS

Creating Metadata

• EPA Metadata Editor (EME)–Developed as an alternative to ESRI’s Metadata Editor–Much easier to use–Drop-down menu options–Default settings–Links to help files–Color coded items indicate whether they are optional or mandatory

to pass EPA and FGDC metadata standards–Ability to edit Access database with personal contact information

• Access to EME is from ArcCatalog• Download EME from EPA’s National Geospatial Program web site• Other Tools for Creating/Editing Metadata

–ArcCatalog–XTools Pro

19 Introduction to ArcGIS

EPA Metadata Editor (EME)Basic Data Set Information (Tab 1)

20 Introduction to ArcGIS

EME Quality, Coord. System and Attribute Info. (Tab 2)

21 Introduction to ArcGIS

EME Distribution & Metadata Information (Tab 3)

22 Introduction to ArcGIS

Final Words on Metadata

Important to document key points of data: –abstract –attribute definitions–limitations/quality –projection –point of contact