Every time we use navigation on our smartphones, look up the nearest gas station, or decide where to vacation to, we are using a Geographic Information System (GIS). As its name suggests, GIS is a system that is capable of collecting, analyzing, storing, and visualizing geographic or spatial data to provide solutions to real world problems. It helps understand patterns, distributions, and relationships of geographic phenomena. It is the how behind the what and where.
“Introduction to Geographic Information Systems: a workbook” is an introductory workbook for learning geographic information systems with ArcGIS Pro. Designed for use in classrooms or for self-learners, this workbook integrates key concepts behind the technology with step-by-step exercises using real-world data. The workbook presents essential GIS tools and functionalities, including creating thematic maps with effective symbology, editing vector data, managing data attributes, delivering dynamic map design, displaying GPS data, analyzing aerial imageries, and more. This book will also be useful for those who are transitioning from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro in classrooms, workplaces, or beyond.
Data for completing the exercises is available for download from the “Lab Data Download” page within this publication.
Dr. Yuen “Yolanda” Tsang is a geographer, an educator, and a mapmaker with a doctoral degree in Geospatial Information Science from the University of Texas at Dallas, and master’s degree in Applied Geography with concentration in Geographic Information Sciences (GIS) and a minor in Public Administration at University of North Texas (UNT). After a brief period working in the GIS department for the Air Quality Group of the Environment Protection Department (HKEPD) of Hong Kong Government, she has been teaching Geography and GIS courses in various colleges and universities in Texas since 2005. She is currently working as an assistant professor and the program coordinator of the Geography and GIS program at Tarleton State University in Texas. She has been involved in different collaborative GIS research projects with the City Planning Department of City of Roanoke, the Northeast campus of Tarrant County College, Timberlake Biological Field Station, and more. Her teaching philosophy is to encourage students to appreciate and treasure all created things on this earth through the lens of creative geography and GIS.
Dr. Opeyemi (Yemi) Zubair is a coauthor of this book. He holds a bachelor's in geography, a master's degree in GIS, and a Ph.D. degree in Geosciences and Social Science Consortium. He has taught several courses relating to GIS, spatial analysis and modeling, and remote sensing for several years at Tarleton State University, and elsewhere. He also served as the department head and coordinator of the Geography & GIS program in the department of History, Sociology, Geography and GIS at Tarleton until the summer of 2021. He is currently an adjunct professor with the department and a full-time employee of the United States Department of Agriculture. He has published a couple of peer-reviewed papers in the discipline.
Unit 1 Getting Started with Map Making and Map Sharing in ArcGIS Pro
Unit 2 Map Projections
Unit 3 Creating and Editing Vector Data
Unit 4 Data Attribute Management
Unit 5 Dot Density Thematic Maps
Unit 6 Proportional Symbol Maps
Unit 7 Choropleth Maps
Unit 8 Flow Maps
Unit 9 Map Labeling
Unit 10 GPS and Aerial Mapping