ArcGIS
Desktop
Description:
ArcGIS Desktop is an integrated suite of programs that can be used to create, import, edit, query, map, analyze, and publish geographic information. It is scalable to meet the needs of many types of users. It is available at 3 different functional levels: ArcView, ArcEditor and ArcInfo. All of the computers in the GIS lab have full versions of ArcView and ArcInfo installed. They also have a freeware map viewer: ArcReader.
All ArcGIS desktop products share a common architecture, so users working with any of these GIS desktops can share their work with others. Maps, data, symbology, map layers, geoprocessing models, custom tools and interfaces, reports, metadata, and so on, can be accessed interchangeably. This single, consistent user interface and set of functionality and data formats, minimizes the need to learn and deploy multiple different products.
Capabilities:
• ArcReader
is a freeware map viewer which allows a user to view satellite
images of nearly the entire planet. These maps are generally
of a very high resolution, though there are some areas where
only low-res imaging is available. ArcReader is an excellent
tool for both exploring and analyzing maps, as it can open
nearly all data types, allowing the user to draw from different
sources and compile them into a single file. It can also be
used to print maps.
•
ArcView is the first level version of GIS Desktop. It can be used by anyone who wants to work spatially. It offers the user extensive mapping and data analysis capabilities. A key feature of ArcView is that it's easy to load tabular data, such as dBASE files and data from database servers, into ArcView so that you can display, query, summarize, and organize this data geographically.
• ArcInfo
includes all the functionality of ArcView and adds advanced geoprocessing and data conversion capabilities. Professional GIS users use ArcInfo for all aspects of data building, modeling, analysis, and map display for screen and output. ArcInfo contains several softwares. ArcMap is the central application in ArcGIS Desktop for all map-based tasks, including cartography, map analysis, and editing. ArcCatalog helps you organize and manage all your GIS information (maps, globes, datasets, models, metadata, services, and so on). ArcGlobe and ArtScene add lots of displaying capabilities. ArcTools is a GUI interface to use ArcInfo geoprocessing capabilities.
Limitations:
Virtually none if you know the software well. You can import
almost any file and work with it. Satellite imaging resolution
is not always high.
Basic Inputs:
The user will import their satellite image, map, or aerial
photograph, and convert it to a shapefile that can be modified
and edited using one of the above-mentioned programs. The
shapefile can have data (population, terrain, census, etc),
also user-input, associated with it. Various types of analysis
can then be performed.
Basic Output:
Depending on the type of shapefile and data that the user
has input, graphs, tables and images showing data distributions
over the mapped area can be generated. Maps can also be produced
and printed.
How to Run the Model:
The ArcGIS Desktop suite is not, itself, a Model, but rather
a tool for data analysis and/ or mapping. General directions
for making use of this software are as follows:
• Import files to work with and convert to a common
file type
• Import any data you wish to work with and associate
it with the image or map files
• Use the appropriate software for analysis (it's a
good idea to write down the steps you take so that you can
go back and modify methods if you notice discrepancies or
errors down the line. It is easy to get confused, forget a
step, and lose a lot of time trying to remember exactly what
you did)
• Export the outputs as excel spreadsheets, charts,
images, or maps
Developer: ArcGIS Desktop was developed by ESRI, Inc., which designs and develops the world's leading geographic information system (GIS) technology.
Faculty Contact: Yuri Gorokhovich
Application: E4009: GIS-RES, ENVIR, Infrastructr Mgmt
