Intro to ArcGIS 2

Querying data in ArcMap

In ArcMap, spatial data is represented on a map as a layer. When data has been added to a map, it can be queried according to attributes and/or location to perform analysis. Additional spatial relationships may be revealed by asking questions such as Where is...? What is the nearest...? and What intersects?

Interactive Selection

Click the Selection tab at the bottom of the table of contents, or click the Selection menu and click Set Selectable Layers.
Check the boxes next to the layers from which you want to select, and uncheck the boxes you don't want to select.

Click the Select Features button

, from the Tools toolbar. Click the feature you want to select. Hold down the Shift key while clicking features to select additional features.

To remove a feature from the selected set, click the Selection menu, point to Interactive Selection Method, and click Remove From Current Selection. Click a selected feature to unselect.

Selection > Select By Attributes

From the dropdown menus at the top of the window choose Selection > Select By Attributes.

Click the "Get Unique Values" button to reveal all values.
Double click on value to add to selection box.
Click apply & the selected feature is now highlighted.

Practice:
Read the help file on building a query and then write a query to select the municipality that meets the following criteria:

- County MERCER
- Sq. Mi - greater than 8
- Population Density (2000) - at least 10000

What feature is selected?

You can write the query as one string, or you can use the "Method" options (Create new selection, Add to current selection, Remove from current selection, Select from current selection). If you have not had much practice writing queries, you may wish to write each part of the query separately and use the select from current selection option.

To deselect a feature, use "clear selection" in the Selection menu.

Selection > Select By Location

From the dropdown menus at the top of the window choose Selection > Select By Location.
In this example, the NJ municipalities that are completed within the previously selected County will be selected.

Buffers

Adding the Buffer Wizard View the video

Click the Tools menu and click Customize.
Click the Commands tab.
Click Tools in the Categories list.
Click Buffer Wizard in the Commands list and drag it to the Tools menu on the Main menu.
The Tools menu will open and you can drop it within the menu at any location.
Optionally, you can choose to place the Buffer Wizard on any of the menus or toolbars you wish.
Click Close on the Customize dialog box.

Creating Buffers

Click the Buffer Wizard to open it.
Click to buffer the features of a layer.
Click the dropdown arrow and select the layer to buffer.
Check Use only selected features.
Click Next.

Click to create buffers at a specified distance and type "0.5".
Click the Distance units dropdown arrow and click "Miles".
Click Next.

Click to Dissolve barriers between buffers.
Click to output the buffer as a new layer.
Click Finish.

Attribute Tables

Adding fields to a table

Right-click the layer in the table of contents for which you want to display a table, and click Open Attribute Table.
Click Options in the table to add a field.
Click Add Field.

Type the name of the field.
Click the Type dropdown arrow and click the field type.
Set any other field properties as necessary.
Click OK

Editing Attribute Tables

Click Editor on the Editor toolbar and click Start Editing.
Right-click the layer or table you want to edit and click Open Attribute Table.

Please note that you can only add fields or edit tables stored on a drive which you have access to modify (typically the H:\ drive).

Click the cell containing the attribute value you want to change.
Type the values, press Enter and the table is updated.

Creating a new Shapefile (Part 1)

In the Catalog tree, select the folder (typically H:\) in which you want to create the new shapefile.

Click the File menu, point to New, then click Shapefile.

Type a name for the new Shapefile.

Select the Feature Type: (point, polyline or polygon).

Select a predefined coordinate system (NJ State Plane NAD 1983 Feet).

Add the new Shapefile to your map.

Now sit back and enjoy part 1 of the film

You can stop, pause, replay or rewind with the controls shown below.

Creating a new Shapefile (Part 2)

Click the Editor Toolbar button on the ArcMap Standard toolbar to display the Editor toolbar.

Editing overview from ESRI (ArcGIS desktop help file).
(Please note the ArcGIS desktop help files will only open on computers where they are installed).

Enjoy part 2 of the film.

Back to Beginning

Interactive Selection

Selection > Select By Attributes

Creating a new Shapefile (part 2)

Querying data in ArcMap

Interactive Selection