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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.

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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.