Introducing Geographic Information Systems with ArcGIS: A Workbook Approach to Learning GIS, 3rd Edition

The Data View and the Layout View

To use ArcMap to make maps, you need to be aware of two distinctly different ways of displaying geographic data: the Data View and the Layout View. The Data View is the view that you are familiar with. The main ArcMap window shows the datasets you have selected; they fill the window pane. In the Layout View you see an image of a map sheet meant to be displayed or printed. In this view you “lay out” the map elements, including the images from datasets that make the map a true cartographic product. A lot is involved in transforming geographic data into a map worth the name. You discover how to begin the process in the exercises that follow.

Exercise 3-1 (Warm-up)

Templates

A template in ArcMap is somewhat like a preprinted sheet of drawing paper. It can be almost blank or can contain graphics and/or data. We start by looking at some examples:

____ 1. Start ArcCatalog. Copy the folder Trivial_GIS_Datasets from [___]IGIS-Arc to ___IGIS-Arc_YourInitials. Make a connection to this new folder. Under ___IGIS-Arc_YourInitials create a new folder named Map_Making. Make a connection to this folder also. Launch ArcMap from ArcCatalog. (By the way, folder connections are easy to make, and even easier to get rid of. So, disconnect folders when it’s likely you won’t need them again soon. This will keep things more organized.)

____ 2. When the initial ArcMap dialog box—Getting Started—comes up (assuming it does1) select My Templates from under New Maps ...