Intro To ArcGIS

Intro to ARCGIS and GIS Data Types
ArcGIS Software Overview

Geographic Data:
Concepts, File Formats, Topology
Anatomy of Spatial File Formats

shapefile, geodatabase, coverage
Coordinate Systems and Projections

Spring 2005
GISC 6382 Applied GIS
UT-Dallas Briggs
Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI)

Redlands, CA
Privately held by Jack & Laura Dangermond

49th largest software company in world
Leader in GIS with at least 1/3rd of market
1 million users (2002) and 2,600 employees
Originator of commercial GIS in 1981 with release of ArcInfo
Released their first GUI (graphics user interface) product,
ArcView, in 1991 based on proprietary Avenue programming
language (for MS Windows, UNIX, Macintosh)
Combined these two product lines together with release of
ArcGIS v.8 in 2000 (for Microsoft Windows only)
complete rewrite based on Microsoft COM/Active X software objects

completely different interface from earlier ArcView and ArcInfo
old, Avenue based, ArcView still available as ArcView 3.3
old command line ArcInfo still available as ArcGIS Workstation
ArcGIS 9 released in 2004

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ArcGIS System
Clients
c:\ ArcGIS Workstation

ArcInfo
ArcEditor
ArcView
ArcMap
ArcCatalog
ArcToolbox
ArcMap
ArcCatalog
ArcToolbox
ArcMap
ArcCatalog
ArcToolbox
ArcEngine/
ArcObjects
Application
Development &
Customization
Consistent interface
Increasing capability
ArcExplorer
ArcServer Services
ArcIMS Services
ArcSDE Services
Internet
ArcPad
Databases
Files
Handheld/Wireless
Browser
(Personal Geodatabase,
Shapefiles, Coverages,
Grids, tins, etc) GISC
6382 Applied GIS
Multi-user Geodatabases
(in Oracle, SQL Server,
UT-Dallas
IBM Briggs
DBII, etc)
Source: ESRI with mods.
ESRI Product Line-up: ArcGIS client products (Fall 2004)

ArcReader (adobe acrobat for maps) & ArcExplorer (spatial data viewer)
Free viewers for geographic data.

ArcGIS 9.x Desktop: two primary modules (MS NT/2000/XP only)
1.
ArcMap: for data display, map production, spatial analysis, data editing
2.
ArcCatalog: for data management and preview
ArcToolbox, for specialized data conversions and analyses, available as a window in both
Available capabilities within these modules are tiered
ArcView: viewing, map production, spatial analysis, basic editing

ArcEditor: ArcView, plus specialized editing
ArcInfo: ArcView & ArcEditor plus special analyses and conversions
Extensions: for special apps.: Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst, Geostatistics, Business Analyst, etc.
ArcObjects: build specialized capabilities within ArcMap or ArcCatalog using VB for Applications
ArcGIS Workstation (for UNIX and MS NT/2000/XP)
the old command line ArcInfo 7.1
ArcGIS Engine (MS NT/2000/XP)
Set of embeddable GIS components (ArcObjects software objects) for use in building custom
applications
Runs under Windows, Unix and Linux, with support for Java, C++, COM and .NET
Replaces MapObjects which were based upon a previous generation of GIS objects
Notes:
ArcGIS 8 released 2000 to integrate two previous standalone products: ArcView and ArcInfo
ArcGIS 9 released 2004 providing the full capability that should have been in ArcGIS 8!!!
--full support for all data types (coverages, shapefiles, geodatabases)
--full support for all previous geoprocessing analyses
--Modelbuilder for scripting and repetitive processing
--ArcEngine for building custom applications
ArcView 3.3 (the predecessor to ArcGIS 8.x) the only GUI option for UNIX.
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ESRI Product Line-up: ArcGIS server products (Fall 2004)

SDE (Spatial Database Engine)
middleware to support spatial data storage in standard DBMS
Supports all major industry databases:
Oracle, SQL-Server, IBM DB2, Ingres
ArcGIS Server
Permits the creation of server-based GIS services using any ArcGIS
capability
Provides GIS capabilities to a user without a desktop GIS system:
inward focususer goes to server
ArcIMS
Software to develop Internet server-based mapping and basic analysis
Provides maps to the user without a desktop GIS system :
outward focusgives user a map
ArcGIS Services
Server based applications built and operated by ESRI or its partners and
made available on the Internet for subscription
Normally charged on a per transaction basis, but can be flat fee
presumably built using ArcGIS Server
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Other ESRI Products: Current and Planned

ArcPAD
Mapping on PDAs (handhelds) with Windows CE operating system
ArcLogistics Route
Specialized business application for delivery routing
ArcFM
water and telecom: industry specific facilities management
ArcGIS Extensions
Spatial Analyst: raster data analysis

3D Analyst: 3-dimensional data display
Geostatistics: surface analysis
Business Analyst: marketing and site selection
Survey Analyst: update of ArcInfo COGO (coordinate geometry) module

Network Analyst: network routing algorithims; shortest path, etc. (2005?)
Maplex: automated, high quality labeling for maps
Publisher: creates .MXP maps for reading with ArcReader
Extensions work irrespective of ArcView/ArcEditor/ArcInfo tier
BusinessMap:
$99 standalone business mapping (originally Richardson-based MapLynx)
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Discontinued Products
ArcCAD
CAD product from ESRI
PC ArcInfo
1st effort at PC based GIS

DOS based, command-line driven
Data not compatible with ArcInfo UNIX
Replaced by ArcInfo 8 and ArcView 3.2
DAK (Data Automation Kit)

Subset of PC ArcInfo for data preparation for ArcView 3.2
Atlas/GIS
once a leader in PC-based mapping
Bought by ESRI in 1996 & discontinued in 2001
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ArcGISVersion 8/9
With Version 8 & 9, now have two flavors:
Desktop:
Largest Microsoft COM/ActiveX application to date
Full GUI interface
Customization via Visual Basic for Applications (altho must
have ArcInfo to run custom apps)
New data base concepts: Geodatabase
Runs on XP/2000/NT only
no UNIX version available
Workstation:
classic, command-line ArcInfo with AMLs (Arc Macro
Language) for customization
same as version 7 and earlier, with minor enhancements
the only option for UNIX, but also available on MS XP
With release of GISC
ArcGIS
9, little
reason to use
6382 Applied GIS
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ArcGIS Desktop Primary Characteristics

GUI-based tools
ArcCatalog, ArcMap, ArcToolbox
Standard Database Environment

MS Access (.msb) for personal applications
Any industry db via SDE for multi-user applications
Modeling of real world as intelligent objects

Houses, poles, not points, lines, polygons
COM/ActiveX components (ArcEngine) for embedding

geography in other applications
ArcInfo7: simple data
complex applications
ArcInfo8: intelligent data
simpler applications
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ArcGIS 9 Desktop Modules

ArcCatalog (schema editor, with VISIO generation)
The base application for ArcInfo Desktop
Windows Explorer-like interface
for organizing access to data and metadata
For launching other Desktop apps: MAP and TOOLBOX
ArcMap (object editor)
Powerful GUI for map creation and spatial data editing
ArcPlot/ArcEdit (from ArcInfo v. 7) & ArcView 3.2
View/Layout combined
Map projections on the fly (not via conversion as in AV)
ArcToolbox (geoprocessor)
An interface to geoprocessing tools
In ArcGIS 8 it was a separate module
In ArcGIS Release 9 its an integrated window in ArcCatalog or
ArcMap
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ArcGIS Desktop Capability Tiers:

Each tier has the same interfaces (ArcCatalog, ArcMap, and
ArcToolbox), but an increasing set of capabilities are
available within them (and $ price rises accordingly!)
ArcView:
viewing, map production, spatial analysis, basic editing
ArcEditor:
ArcView, plus editing of coverages and topologic editing of
geodatabases
ArcInfo:
ArcView and ArcEditor, plus more geoprocessing analysis,
conversions, and full support for coverages.
Old, command line ArcInfo including AML support
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ArcGIS 9.0 versus ArcGIS 8.3

For Spring 2005, we will use ArcGIS 9.0
Main differences from 8.x are in ArcToolbox
ArcToolbox built into ArcCatalog and ArcMap rather than
a separate module
All ArcToolbox tools support all data types (geodatabase,
shapefiles, coverages)
8.3 primarily support coverages
ModelBuilder diagrammatic modeling tool

Invaluable for tracking and replicating geoprocessing steps
New scripting capability for repetitive actions

Python, JScript and VBScript--simpler to use than VB for
Applications, the only alternative in 8.x
Old aml (arc macro language from ArcInfo 7) also supported
What ArcGIS 8 should have been when it was first released!

Incorporates just about everything from ArcInfo 7/ArcView 3.
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Geographic Data
Concepts
File Formats
Topology
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Geographic Data: Classic Approach

Two components of geographic data
Spatial Data: representations of geographic features
associated with real-world locations
Stored in files and managed by the GIS software
Attribute Data: descriptive information

stored in tables and managed by an RDBMS (relational
database managemnt system)
(originally Info, but now most commercial systems)
Two formats for geographic data

Raster data
Rectangular array of cells or pixel
Vector data: three feature types

points/nodes
lines/arcs
areas/polygons
(single x,y locations)

(linear string of x,y locations)
(closed string of x,y locations)
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Geographic Data: Another (object-oriented) View

Object View
The real world is a series of entities located in space.
An object is a digital representation of an entity, with three types
Point objects
Line objects
Area objects
The same entity can be represented at different scales by different object types: the
multi-representation problem
Behavior can be associated with objects thus they can change over time
Field View
The real world has properties which vary continuously over space; every place
has a value
May be represented as raster data, or with vector data as a TIN (triangulated irregular
network
If the value is a categorical or integer variable, then places with the same value
(e.g. soil type) can be grouped--and doesnt this give us an area object?!
The world is how we decide to look at it!!!

From OSullivan and Unwin
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File Formats for Vector Spatial Data

Coverage: vector data format introduced with ArcInfo in 1981
multiple physical files (12 or so) in a folder
proprietary: no published specs & ArcInfo required for changes
Can be exported to a single E00 (E-zero-zero) file for transfer
Shape file: vector data format introduced with ArcView in 1993

comprises several (at least 3) physical disk files (with extension of
.shp, .shx, .dbf), all of which must be present
openly published specs so other vendors can create shape files
Geodatabase: new format introduced with ArcGIS 8.0 in 2000

Multiple layers saved in a singe .mdb (MS Access-like) file
Proprietary, next generation spatial data file format
Shapefiles are the simplest and most commonly used format. Used them in
GIS Fund. Will use Geodatabases in Applied GIS (and some coverages).
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Database
Environment
Geo-relational
Database
Geodatabase
The new approach
Replacement for coverages, with support for
Simple features: points, lines polygons
Complex features: real world entities modeled
as objects with properties, behavior, rules, &
relationships
ArcView downgrades complex features to
simple features
Personal Geodatabase
Single-user editing
Stored as one .mdb file
Max 2GB total & 250,000 features per layer
Multiuser Geodatabase
Multi-user simultaneous editing via
versioning and long transactions
Uses ArcSDE 8 as middleware to store in
standard db: ORACLE, MS SQL Server, etc
the old classic

environment
proprietary coverages
in ArcInfo (INFO
database)
published shapefiles in
ArcView 3.2 (dbIV
database)
Based on points, lines,
polygon model
Raster data (GRIDS)
and TINS (for 3D)
kept in separate files
GIS
User
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SDE
db
GIS Data Models

File-based and Databased
Geodatabase
Features
Workspace
Coverages
Rules
Tins
Images
Relationships
Images
Shapes
Grids
Grids
Tables
Tables
One Repository
Source: ESRI, Inc.
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Concept of Topology
Topology distinguishes GIS data models from nontopological data models supported by many CAD, mapping
and graphics systems
Topology refers to knowledge about relative spatial
positioning of features.
knowledge about how features are connected and which features are
adjacent to each other.
Can be viewed as a mathematical procedure that determines

spatial relationships and properties, including:
The three Cs
Connectivity,
Congruency (same location)
Contiguity (adjacency or next door)
Lengths of arcs and the areas of polygons

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Topology Rules for Coverages:

the classic view of topology
Each arc has a beginning node and an ending
node - this determines directionality.
Directionality is determined during digitizing.
Actual direction is important only if your
application requires directional modeling.
Arcs connect to other arcs at nodes

Connected arcs form polygon boundaries - arc
coordinates are stored only once because two
adjacent polygons share the common arc
between them.
Arcs have polygons on their left and right sides
The next three slides illustrate this
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Topology Concept I
Arc-node topology is how Arc/INFO keeps track of
which arcs are connected to other arcs through shared
nodes (nodes are endpoints of arcs). It defines length,
direction, and connectivity for arcs.
The from-node is an arcs starting point; the to-node is

its ending point. They are determined as you digitize
your data. You can see the from-node and to-node
whenever you list attribute records for a coverage
containing lines. Arcs connect if they share a node.
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Topology Concept II
Polygon-arc topology expresses the relationship
between the arc features and the polygon features for
which the arcs create boundaries. It defines area and
adjacency. Arcs or a set of arcs that form a closed
figure define the area of a polygon. Two polygons are
adjacent if they share an arc. Polygons are stored as a
list of arcs to avoid redundancy.
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Topology Concept III

Left-right topology refers to contiguity -- how
polygons are associated with their neighboring
polygons. Each arc has a list of which polygons are on
the right side and which are on the left side.
Commands in Arc/INFO use this information to
determine from one polygon what the adjacent
polygons are:
1
5
4
2
3
6
7
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Topology: Coverages v. Geodatabase v. Shapefiles

Coverages (classic view of topology)
Topology is a property of the data itself
Applying Topology potentially changes the data file (coverage) via Clean
(location of points) and Build (table structure) commands
A single coverage may have multiple geographic data types (points and lines,
polygons and lines, but not points and polygons)
Geodatabase (new view introduced with ArcGIS 8.3)

Topology is a set of rules selectively applied by the user ( 28 or so currently
defined)
Does not alter the data file (feature class), unless user chooses to fix violations
Topology saved as a relationship class within a geodatabase feature dataset
A feature class contains only one geographic data type (point or line or polygon),
but all can be related together by a topology relationship class providing they are
in the same feature dataset
Shapefiles
share some similarities with coverages but are not fully topological
May need to covert to coverages for some analyses.
Discuss topology for coverages later today and for geodatabases later in the course.
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Anatomy of Spatial File Formats

Shapefile
Geodatabase
Coverage
The following two diagrams show how geographic files appear in:
ArcCatalog
Windows Explorer
We will refer back to these as we discuss each of these file formats.
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Spatial File Formatsexample

ArcCatalog View
In a gdb, feature
class can have
Feature data set
only one feature
Feature class (feature type = polygon)
type.
Feature class (feature type = arc)
Coverage (= feature class)
A coverage can
Feature type (arc)
have multiple
feature typesFeature type (point)
now viewed as a
Feature type (polygon)
shortcoming.
Feature type (point)
Coverage (= feature class)
Feature type (arc)
Tracts feature class table
Feature type (point)
(attributes in columns)
Locator (table)
Raster
Shapefile
Shapefile
Features
(rows)
Feature ID
(key field)
Feature
type
Secondary or
Foreign key
Spatial File Formats: NT Explorer View

Info master folder for AVCAT workspace
Tracts coverage
Trans coverage
Locator (table)
Raster
Tracts
shapefile
Trans
shapefile
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Shapefiles
openly published structure for spatial data (Coverages &
Geodatabases are proprietary)
Partially an attempt (successfully!) by ESRI to make their format the
industry standard
much simpler than coverages: rather than multiple

folders and files, three main files with same name (road)
but different extensions, e.g.
road.shp
road.shx
road.dbf
Attribute (feature) data stored in dBase (.dbf) file

Can be edited in Excel (or other) but do not change the number of rows
If you add columns, may need to change refers to definition via
Insert/Name/Define
Files can be dragged, dropped, cut and pasted into other

folders -- providing the complete file set is moved.
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Geodatabase (gdb) File Structure
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Geodatabase (gdb)
Feature datasets
Spatial Reference
Object classes and subtypes
Feature Classes and subtypes
Relationship classes
Network Topology
Planar topology
Domains
Validation Rules
Raster Datasets
rasters
TIN datasets
nodes, edges, faces
Locators
addresses
x,y locations
Zip codes place names
route locations
Anatomy of a Geodatabase
Geodatabases may contain: feature datasets,
raster datasets, TIN datasets, locators
Feature datasets contain vector data
All data in a single feature dataset share a
common spatial reference system
Similar Objects (e.g. Jane Blow, land owner) are
instances of object classes (e.g. land owners)
and have no spatial form.
Features and feature classes are spatial objects
(e.g. land parcels) which are similar and have
same spatial form (e.g. polygon)
Object (or feature) classes are the tables, and
objects (or features) are the rows of the table
Attributes are in the columns of the table
Subtypes are an alternative to multiple object (or
feature) classes (e.g. concrete, asphalt,
gravel road subtypes): think of subtype as
the most significant classification variable
(attribute) in the class table
Domains define permitted data values.
Topology is saved as a relationship between the
feature classes in the feature dataset.
Spatial Reference
All feature classes within a feature dataset must have the same spatial reference.
Coordinate System
Datum
Geographic (lat/long) or projected?
Projection parameters: central meridian, standard parallels, coordinate system origin
(false easting and northing)
Measurement (map) units: dd (for lat/long), feet, meters, etc. (for proj.)
Spatial domain
The allowable coordinate range for the geographic coordinates
X/Y Domain: MinX, MaxX, MinY, MaxY (horizontal extent)
Z Domain: Min, Max (vertical extent)
M Domain: Min, Max (other parameter, e.g. distance from river mouth ) (can differ within
feature data set)
Once created, the spatial domain for feature dataset/class cannot be changed.
Data outside extent will require a new feature dataset or standalone feature class.
Precision
Number of system storage units (SU) per one map measurement unit (MU)
If precision is 1 and mu= 1 meter ( 1 SU per MU), cannot record values less than 1 meter
If precision is 100 and mu= 1 meter (100 SUs per MU), can record values
to 1/100 = .01 = 1 cm
Data Types: Geodatabase

For every attribute field, must select a data type
Each RDBMS stores data slightly differently
ESRI generic data types will translate into closest RDBMS equivalent
Values given below may differ with RDBMS used
ESRI Generic Data Types
String: text field. Be sure its length (number of characters), absolute or what you
specify, is sufficient to record longest data value.
Short Integer: (or integer) whole numbers (no decimal point) generally
+/-32,767 (2 bytes). OK for size of family, not OK for city size
Long Integer: (or long) only supports integers to +/- 2,147,483,647 (4 bytes)
Float: (or single) single precision floating point; again, be careful-- supports
decimal point but perhaps only 6 digits long with decimal moveable 34 places
(E34) (4 bytes)
Double: double precision floating point; the safest-- supports 12-15 digits with
decimal moveable up to 308 places (E308) (8 bytes)
Blob: binary long decimal for special programming applications
Note terminology:
Precision: the total number of digits (before plus after decimal)
Scale: number of digits after decimal
Coverage File Structure
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Workspace
Coverages must be stored in workspaces
A workspace is the work area used during an
ARC/INFO session.
Within the computer file system, the workspace is
a directory (folder) containing one or more
geographic data sets (e.g., coverage, tin, grid), a
local INFO database, and other supporting data.
at a minimum it is a folder containing an INFO
subfolder (subdirectory)
More than one user can read data from the same
workspace, however, it is strongly recommend
that only one user access a workspace for creating
or updating data.
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The Coverage
Digital version of a single map sheet layer and generally contains one type of
map feature such as streets, parcels, soils,
Can contain both the coordinate/spatial data and the descriptive data for features
in a given geographic area.
Additional attribute data about features (entities) can be stored in data base
tables using proprietary INFO relational data base system
Allowed user to customize, organize and store substantial amounts of attribute data
and relate to spatial data
Spatial data stored in indexed binary files for performance

Full topological relationship information maintained: e.g. nodes that delimit a
line
Permits sophisticated spatial analysis
Coverage will be stored as a directory (folder) within a workspace. An identifier

(feature ID), a unique number for each feature in the coverage, ensures strict
correspondence between spatial and attribute data and between the various data
types (e.g. point feature ID also identifies the from or to node for an arc)
Names for coverages are maximum 13 characters in length and cannot include
blanks or special characters (-,#, etc) other than under_score
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Role of Features IDs
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File Structure: Coverage
ArcInfo coverages consist of a series of files in two folders

The INFO folder
And a folder named the same as the coverage (e.g. water, soil)
both are at the same directory level, which is called a workspace.
The INFO folder contains the feature attribute tables and related tables for all
coverage in that workspace.
Unfortunately, file names do not correspond to the names of files we work with!
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Soil
POLYGON
ARC/INFO Spatial
Database Structure
(coverage)
INFO
ARC
Soil
AAT
TIC
BND
ETC.
PAT
These are the files we work with within ArcInfo:

--PAT: Polygon (or Point) attribute table
--AAT: Arc Attribute Table
--BND: bounding box
--TIC: tie coverage to real world location
Manipulating Coverage File Structure

Ramifications of Coverage File Structure
Do not drag and drop, cut, copy, paste, delete, or rename a
coverage from the NT explorer window. Any of these actions
may result in corruption (and loss) of not only the coverage
manipulated, but of the entire workspace.
Must use ArcCatalog GUI application, or use ArcInfo
Workstation and issue Arc commands (see next slide for full list)
within the relevant workspace to work with coverages:
Exceptions:
Can drag and drop, cut, copy, paste, and delete the entire
workspace
Can drag and drop, cut, copy, paste, and delete the interchange file
(e00) created by exporting the coverage
Naming Coverages
Names for coverages are maximum 13 characters in length and
cannot include blanks or special characters (-,#, etc) other than
under_score
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Topology Maintenance for Coverages

BUILD and CLEAN are the essential commands for
creating/maintaining topology and defining/updating feature
attribute tables for coverages
You must BUILD topology after creation of a new coverage or
after modifications to the coverage such as in ArcEdit or after
changing the projection.
You must CLEAN a coverage if the build command detects
errors. CLEAN will correct geometric relations (thus changes
spatial structure and/or point locations) using the parameters you
specify by
adding nodes at intersections
fixing dangling nodes
(if within dangle length)
Combining nodes (if within fuzzy tolerance)
BUILD constructs topology and defines and updates feature

attribute tables for a coverage. After creating a coverage you
will not have attribute tables unless topology is constructed.
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Feature Attribute Tables

When Arc/INFO constructs topology for a coverage, topological and
geometric properties are defined and stored in a file called the feature
attribute table.
Depending on the feature type (e.g., point, arc, polygon), the contents of
feature attribute tables differ; however, they all have some characteristics
in common, including
Feature attribute tables are INFO data files
Each feature in a coverage occupies one record or row of data in the feature
attribute table
Attribute data comprise columns (items) placed after the internally stored data
You can have more than one feature attribute table for a coverage, e.g. arcs
and polygons define both streets and blocks.
But you cannot have both points and polygons in the same coverage.
Common feature attribute tables:

Points - Point attribute table - PAT
Arcs - Arc attribute table - AAT
Polygons - Polygon attribute table - PAT
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Data Stored for Points

Coordinate information is stored in a LAB file. Each point is described
by a single x,y coordinate pair and an internal sequence number.
A point attribute table (PAT) is created when topology is constructed for
a point coverage. The PAT is used to hold the attribute data about
points. There is one record (row) in the PAT for each point. The record
is related to the point by the sequence number.
At a minimum the PAT contains four items
AREA
Holds the area of a polygon. The value is 0 for points
PERIMETER Holds the perimeter of a polygon. The value is 0 for points
<cover># Arc/Info assigned unique internal sequence number of the
point feature in the LAB. Same as RECNO - do not tamper
with these values (sometimes called pound id)
<cover>-id User assigned unique feature ID for each point (sometimes
called dash id or user id)
You can add items (columns) to the PAT after the <cover>-id item.
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Data Stored for Arcs
Coordinate information is stored in an ARC file. Each arc is described in a

single record by a series of x,y coordinates, the from-node and to-node (for arcnode topology) and an internal sequence number
An arc attribute table (AAT) is created when topology is constructed for an arc
coverage. There is one record in AAT for each arc in the coverage. The record
is related to the feature (ARC file) by the internal sequence number.
At a minimum the AAT contains seven items
FNODE# Internal sequence number of the from-node
TNODE# Internal sequence number of the to-node
LPOLY# Internal sequence number of the left polygon; set to 0 if the
coverage does not have polygon topology
RPOLY# Internal sequence number of the right polygon; set to 0 if the
coverage does not have polygon topology
LENGTH Length of the arc in coverage units
arc in the ARC file. NEVER modify this value.
<cover>-id User assigned unique feature ID for each arc
You can add items (attributes) to the PAT after the <cover>-id item.
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Data Stored for Polygons (PAT)
A polygon is defined by the arcs comprising its border and interior

islands, with polygon-arc topology stored in the PAL file, and arcnode/left-right topology stored in the ARC file, and a label point
inside the polygon stored in the LAB file. The label point id identifies
the polygon and is consistent between files.
A polygon attribute table (PAT) is created when topology is
constructed for a polygon coverage. The PAT is used to hold the
attribute data about polygons. There is one record in the PAT for each
polygon. The record is related to the polygon by the label point id.
At a minimum the PAT contains four items (same as point attrib table)
AREA
Holds the area of a polygon, in coverage units.
PERIMETER Holds the perimeter of a polygon. The value is 0 for points
polygon feature in the LAB, ARC and PAL files
<cover>-id User assigned unique feature ID for each point
You can add items (attributes) to the PAT after the <cover>-id item.
The first polygon is always the universal polygon which represents the
coverage boundary.
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Polygon data stored in PAT
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Understanding Item Definitions

An item (variable stored in a column) is defined by four
characteristics
name - the name of the item, up to 16 characters in length
e.g. cover-id, landuse, pop97, etc.
type - the data types used to store values
I - integer (one byte per digit)

B - binary integer (requires less storage than I types)
C - character
N - floating point (e.g. decimal) number stored as one byte per digit
F - floating point binary number
D - date (e.g. yyyymmdd)
width - the width of the item in bytes required for storage

I - 1-16 bytes
B - either 2 or 4 bytes
C - 1 to 320 characters
N - 1 to 16 digits
F - 4 for single, 8 for double precision D - always 8 bytes
For F or N also provide the number of decimal places for real numbers
Output width - the width of item values when displayed

UT-Dallas Briggs
A Example of Item Definitions

DATA VALUE
TYPE
ABBREV.
WIDTH
Main Street
Character
1 to 320
10/15/1990
Date
23675
Integer
1-16
347.22
Numeric
1-16
1344719822
Binary number
2 or 4
99378164.788
Binary floating
point
4 or 8
Maximum 4 byte binary is 2,147,483,648;
maximum 4 byte integer is 9,999
UT-Dallas Briggs
How to Convert Between File Formats:

multiple different ways!
In ArcCatalog:
By importing from one format into another
E.g import shapefile into geodatabase
By exporting from one format into another

E.g. export shapefile to a geodatabase
(Each achieves same thing. gdb must already exist)

In ArcMap:
ArcMap can read and overlay all three data types
Can use data/export to output and (thus potentially convert) to
a gdb feature class or a shapefile (but not a coverage)
Note: will read coverages but cannot export to a coverage
In ArcToolbox:
The greatest number of conversion options are available here.
UT-Dallas Briggs
Coordinate Systems
UT-Dallas Briggs
Coordinate Systems
All spatial data is in a coordinate system
You must know what it is!
Often loosely, but incorrectly, called a map projection

Coordinate System consists of two main things:
Datum: normally NAD 27 or NAD 83
The same location may have different coordinates just cos of the datum
Projection
The transformation by which 3D lat/long is converted to 2D X/Y Cartesian values
parameters normally required to describe the exact nature of the projection
Projected Coordinates must be in some measurement unit: usually feet or meters
A geographic projection uses lat/long values as X/Y Cartesian coordinates (not

recommended)
Thus, for any a spatial data set, knowing simply the name of the
projection is not sufficient. Must also know:
Datum
Parameter(s)
We often
say map units
projection, when we really mean coordinate system!
Measurement
UT-Dallas Briggs
Define versus Project: a critical distinction!

Define
Informs the ArcGIS system of the datas actual, current projection.
Is essentially metadata. For shapefiles and coverages, saved in a
.prj file
Does not change the actual data.
Define it wrong, and all subsequent analyses or projections of that
data are likely to be wrong!
Project
Actually projects the data. Think of this as reproject.
The data does change.
The current projection (input) must already be known by the
ArcGIS system,
That is, you have to do a Define first, if somebody has not already done it
The desired projection (output) is specified on the Project

command.
UT-Dallas Briggs
How to Project (and Define) Data:

multiple different ways!
In ArcToolbox
Generally, use tools in ArcToolbox to project data
Tools to DEFINE and PROJECT all data types are available
Coordinate system must be defined before running Project
In ArcCatalog
You can define the projections for shapefiles and coverages, but you cannot generally
reproject the original data without multiple steps.
Providing that it is already defined, data brought into a new or existing geodatabase
feature dataset will automatically be reprojected to the coordinate system of the feature
dataset as it is saved there
It can be exported in this (potentially) new projection, if desired.
In effect, this projects the data.
In ArcMap
Providing that it is already defined (projection system known to ArcGIS), data brought
into a data frame (whose coordinate system is also known) will be reprojected in
memory to the coordinate system of the frame for display.
It can be exported in this (potentially) new projection, if desired.
In effect, this projects the data.
Note double proviso: known coordinate system for data inputted and for frame.
UT-Dallas Briggs
Appendix
UT-Dallas Briggs
ESRI Vector Definitions:

Primitives
label point: a point defined by a

single pair of x,y co-ordinates
arc: line defined by ordered set of

x,y coordinate pairs
point feature (tree, airport)

polygon User-ID
may be straight or curved
vertices: points on an arc, which

are not nodes; used to define
curves
node: endpoints of an arc, or
intersection of two arcs, including
features at the intersection (e.g.
stop lights)
polygon: an area defined by the
arcs making up its boundary
Vertice
Node
UT-Dallas Briggs
ESRI Vector Definitions: Topology

The spatial relationships between adjacent or connected primtives
(arcs, nodes, polygons, points).
from-node/to-node
to-
from-
arcs have direction therefore

node
node
1
have:
right
left polygon/right polygon
(also, to-node
polygon
2
left side/right side feature
3
for arc # 3)
attributes (e.g. address range)
first from-node and last to-node
in polygon must be identical.
Sections
route: linear feature made up of

Route
two or more arcs
may be divided into sections
(arcs or portions of arcs)
Three
region: area made up of two or
polys
more polygons
1
2
1
UT-Dallas Briggs
3
Arcs
4
2
Region = Poly 2 & 3
ArcView & ARC/INFO

Additional Terms/Concepts
annotation: feature labels &

names
tic: points on map which are
known locations on earths
surface; used for registration;
allow all coverages to be related
to a common coord. system
links: forced connections or
snaps so features line up (e.g. at
map edges)
tile: map subdivision used for
storage/data handling; can be
regular (squares) or irregular
(e.g. a county)
map extent: outer limits of map:
xmin, xmax,ymin, ymax
Main Street
UT-Dallas Briggs
Computing
Evolution
And it will all keep changing!
Pervasive
Computing
Internet
Desktop
Workstation
Mini
Source: ESRI, Inc.
Mainframe
UT-Dallas Briggs
Small Hardware (Nano)

Wireless Internet
Interoperable
Embedded

Intro To ArcGIS

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Intro To ArcGIS

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Intro to ARCGIS and GIS Data Types

ArcGIS Software Overview

Anatomy of Spatial File Formats

Coordinate Systems and Projections

Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI)

Privately held by Jack & Laura Dangermond

complete rewrite based on Microsoft COM/Active X software objects

ArcGIS 9 released in 2004

c:\ ArcGIS Workstation

6382 Applied GIS

Source: ESRI with mods.

ESRI Product Line-up: ArcGIS client products (Fall 2004)

Free viewers for geographic data.

Available capabilities within these modules are tiered

ArcView: viewing, map production, spatial analysis, basic editing

ArcGIS Workstation (for UNIX and MS NT/2000/XP)

the old command line ArcInfo 7.1

ArcGIS Engine (MS NT/2000/XP)

ESRI Product Line-up: ArcGIS server products (Fall 2004)

Oracle, SQL-Server, IBM DB2, Ingres

inward focususer goes to server

outward focusgives user a map

Other ESRI Products: Current and Planned

Spatial Analyst: raster data analysis

Survey Analyst: update of ArcInfo COGO (coordinate geometry) module

1st effort at PC based GIS

DAK (Data Automation Kit)

ArcGIS Desktop Primary Characteristics

Standard Database Environment

Modeling of real world as intelligent objects

COM/ActiveX components (ArcEngine) for embedding

GISC 6382 Applied GIS

ArcGIS 9 Desktop Modules

ArcGIS Desktop Capability Tiers:

GISC 6382 Applied GIS

ArcGIS 9.0 versus ArcGIS 8.3

ModelBuilder diagrammatic modeling tool

New scripting capability for repetitive actions

What ArcGIS 8 should have been when it was first released!

GISC 6382 Applied GIS

Geographic Data: Classic Approach

Attribute Data: descriptive information

Two formats for geographic data

Vector data: three feature types

(single x,y locations)

GISC 6382 Applied GIS

Geographic Data: Another (object-oriented) View

The world is how we decide to look at it!!!

File Formats for Vector Spatial Data

Shape file: vector data format introduced with ArcView in 1993

Geodatabase: new format introduced with ArcGIS 8.0 in 2000

the old classic

GIS Data Models

GISC 6382 Applied GIS

Can be viewed as a mathematical procedure that determines

Lengths of arcs and the areas of polygons

Topology Rules for Coverages:

Arcs connect to other arcs at nodes

The from-node is an arcs starting point; the to-node is

GISC 6382 Applied GIS

GISC 6382 Applied GIS

Topology Concept III

GISC 6382 Applied GIS