geography mapping project
Jack-Sun
mini-project_c_fall2015_instructions.docxMini Project C: Terrain and Image Mapping
The goal of this Mini Project is to familiarize you with online software for access and display of imagery (related to Chapter 7) and surface representation (related to Chapter 8). You will generate a map utilizing an online mapping tool, ArcGIS Explorer Online: This free, online tool is from ESRI (a commercial GIS software company that produces the desktop tool ArcGIS). Related desktop tools, individual accounts, etc. are described here: http://www.esri.com/software/free-mapping-software.
The specific goal is to generate two versions of a map that depicts a few features of interest near the location of the place assigned to you (see list in ANGEL) and to generate both versions at two different map scales. At each scale, you will produce a map version with: (a) an imagery background, and (b) a background that depicts relief.
Please follow the steps below to sign up for an account and set up this mini project.
1) Go to http://www.arcgis.com/explorer/ {using this app requires the Microsoft Silverlight plugin to be active in your browser, thus you either need to install the plugin if you are using your own computer and do not have it, or work on a University computer that does have it installed}
2) At the top right, click the gray text “Sign In”.
3) In the dialog box that pops up, click the blue text “Sign up” at bottom (see Figure 1, below).
4) In the new webpage, click the gray “Create a Public Account” button, at the very bottom left.
5) In the next page, type in the required information and click Create My Account.
6) Once your account has been created, go back to http://www.arcgis.com/explorer/, and you should be logged in with your freshly created account.
Figure 1: Dialog box to sign up for an account (Step 3)
Once you sign up, you are able to save maps you create and come back to them to edit, generate presentations, and share.
After you have created your account, continue with the project:
1)
Figure 2: ArcGIS Explorer Online interface
Hover mouse here to see scale bar
Click here to show coordinates
Figure 3: XY coordinates and scale bar
2) The scale bar that shows up will depict some number of kilometers with a tick mark on top, and some number of miles with a tick mark on bottom. When you begin, these will probably be in between several hundred to a few thousand; this depends on the size of your browser window and screen resolution.
Figure 4: Zoom to rectangle
Click on the “zoom to rectangle” tool (Figure 4). Now you can zoom to your assigned location by clicking a location on the map and drag your mouse cursor to zoom in. Alternatively, you may simply zoom in/out by positioning your mouse cursor at your assigned location on the map and rolling the scroll wheel. Zoom in to the point at which the scale bar indicates a range of 400–600 meters on the metric (kilometer) side of the scale.
Figure 5: Add features
3) Identify two entities to highlight, one point feature and one area feature. Add them to your map using the Add Features tool in the left-hand sidebar (Figure 5). You will find tools for adding points as well as tools for adding freehand lines and geometric shapes. Pick any appropriate tool to add your entities. In the dialog box, clicking “more” gives options for additional symbols that might be more relevant to your features than the default symbols are.
4) For each entity, adjust colors and size to be visible, and add a label, adjusting the color and size of that to be visible as well. To add a label, choose the “Text” option in the Add Features dialog box, then click a feature you created earlier. You can control many parameters of the entities you added as well as the text labels using the “Change symbols” dialog box (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Change symbol
5) Make a screen capture of this map and put it into your Mini Project C template before moving to the next step. Be sure to include the scalebar in the picture.
6) Change the background basemap to “Imagery with Labels” (Figure 7). Readjust the colors, sizes and types of symbols, and the colors and sizes of text labels, to be visible against the Imagery background.
7) Make a second screen capture for the imagery basemap, and put it into your Mini Project C template. Be sure to include the scalebar in the picture.
8) Then, zoom back out until the bar scale indicates 2km on the kilometer side of the scale.
Figure 7: Choose basemap
9) Adjust your text (and if needed symbol sizes) to work at this scale.
11) Respond to the questions at the end of the project template. Type your answers directly into the template.
