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

Using the Reference System to Discover the Boundary Coordinates of a State Plane Zone

We can take advantage of what we saw earlier in “Looking at Reference Systems” to set the extent of a geodatabase. We begin by setting the data frame to the correct coordinate system.

____ 21. Using ArcCatalog, make a new folder under

___IGIS-Arc_YourInitials

Rename the new folder Digitize&Transform. Make a Folder Connection to that folder.

____ 22. Start ArcMap with a new, empty map. Depending on whether you are using ArcGIS version 10.0 or 10.1, add data from:

C:\Program Files\ArcGIS\Desktop10.0

\Reference Systems\usstpln83.shp

or

C:\Program Files(x86)\ArcGIS\Desktop10.1

\Reference Systems\usstpln83.shp

You will see a somewhat squashed coterminous U.S. map and a really large Alaska. Bring up the Data Frame Properties window (View > Data Frame Properties; or double-click the word Layers in the T/C; or right-click the data frame and choose Data Frame Properties). If necessary, activate the General tab. What do you find for display units? ________________. Activate the Coordinate System tab. What is the coordinate system? __________________________________.

____ 23. Under the Coordinate System tab, navigate: Projected coordinate Systems > State Plane > NAD 1983 (US Feet) > NAD 1983 State Plane Kentucky North FIPS 1601 (US Feet). Highlight it. Under the General tab, the map units should read Feet and you may need to set the display units to Feet. Click Apply, then OK.

A map appears—distorted ...