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

Controlling Your View of the Map: Zooming

The two sets of zooming and panning controls take some getting used to. Let’s look at zooming first. If you are in the Data View, the Layout toolbar is inactive. However, in the Layout View, both toolbars may be employed; their tools have different effects.

____ 7. Go into Data View. Using the familiar Zoom In tool, drag a box around Colorado, leaving significant margins around the state boundary. You will be able to make out the word Colorado and may be able to see the green star symbol representing the capital city, Denver. Zoom up on that area by dragging about a 1-square-inch box around it. Notice that the place names and the symbol get no larger, but you see more detail of the highways. Notice also that the state name Colorado is visible, having moved from where it was before into your view. Zoom in again tightly on Denver and its symbol. Again you see “Colorado.” And again, the symbols stay the same size.

____ 8. Click the Go Back to Previous Extent button until the entire state of Colorado is shown again.7 Switch to Layout View. Now using the Zoom In tool on the Layout toolbar, zoom in on Denver. Notice now you don’t see “Colorado,” that Denver’s star is larger, and that the roads are shown with wider symbols. The lesson: When you use the magnifier on the Layout toolbar, the Zoom In feature really does act like a magnifying glass; that is, in addition to seeing a smaller area in more detail, the graphics and symbols get bigger. ...