Introduction to GIS: Lab 5
Part Two: Uploading, Inputting, and Editing Data¹
This week, we'll be taking our field data and uploading these locations into
ArcGIS Pro for mapping and manipulation. We can create datasets from
many types of data, and point data is one of the most common, and easiest.
For this exercise, you will input your X,Y data into a spreadsheet and see how
to create a shapefile from that information. You'll work with creating and
manipulating other vector features as well, from digitizing lines to calculating
areas from shapes you've created. You'll produce a map of campus along
with a hypothetical campus tour of the points you investigated (and a few
others0. Did you forget your data sheet from the scavenger hunt? Borrow
one from a neighbor or ask us for help!
Part two of Lab 5 is divided into two parts, which you should complete in
order:
Part A: Importing GPS Coordinates as a Shapefile
Objective: Learn how to input information from a csv file into ArcGIS
Pro and make a shapefile.
Part B: Creating a New Shapefile
Objective: Make a shapefile from scratch and put some features in it!
Part C: Editing an Existing Shapefile
Objective: Manipulate features in a shapefile that already exists.
Part D: Lab Production, Digitizing Information on the UMass Campus
Objective: Make a campus map and tour including the points you
collected.
Part A: Importing GPS Coordinates as a Shapefile
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¹ University of Massachusetts - Amherst, ArcGIS Pro Edition
Written by Forrest J. Bowlick, Bethany Bradley, Sophie Argetsinger, Steven Bittner, Brit
Laginhaş, Chloe Thompson, Connor Hughes, and many others/nSummary: Dig into a spreadsheet to set up data you've collected for display
in ArcGIS Pro - and once in Pro, select some imagery to use as a basemap!
Geospatial Technology Competency Model: 5.2.23.2, 5.1.26.8, 4.1.10.8,
4.1.10.7, 4.1.3.3, 3.5.2, 3.5.1, 3.3, 3.2, 2.4.2.3, 1.5.2
Link to Video Walkthrough
1. To import GPS coordinates gathered by hand, we must set up our data
correctly so that ArcGIS Pro can read our information as latitude and
longitude points. This is easiest to set up in Excel³.
H
2. Open a new Excel file. We'll be using three columns for our data, so in
columns A, B, and C, give them the titles: Lat, Lon, and Descript, Type
in the coordinates for the locations you identified in your scavenger
hunt. In the third column, type a description of the location. Make sure
you're using the same coordinate system (decimal degrees!) for all of
them!
3. Also, remember your signs - Are coordinates in the Western
Hemisphere positive or negative? What about coordinates in the
Northern Hemisphere?"
4. Save the Excel file as a .csx.
Fig: 1
Fig: 2