Appendix Z Basic ArcMap and GDSE Tools

Transcription

1 Appendix Z Basic ArcMap and GDSE Tools Introduction IFMAP has been developed within ESRI s ArcMap interface. As such, the application is inherently map-based. Although a user can enter tabular data through parts of the interface, most activities will happen as a result of clicking on the appropriate feature or area in the map component of the application. Editing occurs completely within the ArcMap interface no data entry occurs in any other database application. IFMAP s ArcMap interface is called the Geographic Decision Support Environment or GDSE. The GDSE toolkits supplement ArcMap. This guide will introduce some basic ArcMap functions encountered during the inventory process. For example, ArcMap tools will zoom to a visible feature. IFMAP custom tools allow zooming to a specific compartment or stand. Therefore, both types of zoom tools will be described in this guide. This chapter is divided into 2 sections: ArcMap Interface Basics ArcMap Interface Basics The GDSE: A Custom ArcMap Application The GDSE has all the components of ArcMap and a few additional tools. Some basic ArcMap components should be understood before beginning to use the IFMAP GDSE. Starting the Application (exercise follows) The Application is housed on a Server in Lansing. In order to connect to the Application, your computer must have the proper version of the Citrix web client. To connect to the Lansing server: 1. Open your internet explorer and link to the Citrix Metaframe Server by entering the following address: IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 1 12/09/09

2 2. This takes you to the website to connect to the Lansing server through the Citrix Metaframe Presentation Server. You can save the site for future connection one of two ways: a. Add the site to your list of Internet Favorites (changing the name if you prefer to, for example, IFMAP Login. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 2 12/09/09

3 b. Create a shortcut to the website and add it to your desktop. Right click somewhere on the login screen and select create shortcut. A shortcut will be created on your desktop that you can rename as desired. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 3 12/09/09

4 3. Right click on the shortcut and select properties. Make sure that the URL is as shown below: 4. If you have not previously used this machine, the latest version of the Citrix application may have to be loaded. To have this done, contact one of the individuals in the Welcome screen well in advance of when you would like to begin work on the system. 5. Once that is done, on the login screen (as shown in #1 above), enter your MDNR NT login (lastnamefirstinitial), IFMAP password, and domain name (dnrifmap). IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 4 12/09/09

5 6. You will then have access to the IFMAP applications ArcMap, Explorer, and Suppose. Suppose is the USFS growth and yield model more on that in later chapters. Other applications may also be present, depending on your administrative role. For now, select the ArcMap icon. 7. Once you are connected to the server, Citrix controls user access. The GDSE application also has its own log-in and password that will control access to tools and edit privileges specific to that application The GDSE login screen will appear. Enter your IFMAP/GDSE user name and password. Note once you are logged on to IFMAP, you can close the MetaFrame window. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 5 12/09/09

6 8. Select one choice Start using ArcMap with A new empty map, A template or An existing map. 9. If you select A template, you will be presented with a list of map template options. When starting initial stand delineation work, use Pre-inventory.mxt. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 6 12/09/09

7 Exercise 2.1 Step 1) Open your internet browser and navigate to the Metaframe Presentation Server Step 2) Create an IFMAP GDSE icon on your desktop. Step 3) created. Close the browser and open it with the IFMAP GDSE icon you Step 4) Step 5) Step 6) Log on to IFMAP using the ArcMap icon. At the GDSE logon screen, select A template Select the template Pre-inventory.mxt Step 7) Save the document, navigating to your user folder, as yourname_exercise2.mxd, inserting your own name instead of yourname. NOTE: As with any network based program, the potential for the network to be disrupted exists. In working situations, save your work often to avoid losing work. Step 8) Exit IFMAP, logging off of the GDSE by clicking File>Exit. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 7 12/09/09

8 Toolbars Customizing your screen IFMAP has several toolbars available for use in IFMAP. Users can customize the location of their toolbars by dragging and dropping them to desired locations. The Tools There are a number of tools and buttons across the top of the ArcMap screen. It is not necessary to know what each tool does, but the following tools are used quite often in any ArcMap session so you should know these. If you move your cursor over a button or tool, a help tag will appear right next to the cursor. Also, at the bottom left of the screen, some additional information about the tool will appear. Zoom / Pan tools Find Measure Open/save/print Paste Undo Edit Help Select Identify IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 8 12/09/09

9 Table of Contents and Map Display Windows Aside from the tool and button portions of the ArcMap interface, there are two other major components the Table of Contents (TOC) and the Map Display. The TOC looks similar to a map legend when data layers are shown. It is more than a legend it is called a Table of Contents because it references much more than just map elements. It is the reference for the attribute tables (data fields) for the layers. You can add shape files, coverages, imagery and tables from databases. TOC Map Display Standard tabs in the Table of Contents are the Display and Selection tabs. The Display tab shows the drawing order of the layers, and allows you to change that order. In any ArcMap document, you may often be looking at many different layers at one time. In order to select features, you will need to set the layer that will be selected from. The selection layer can be conveniently using the Selection tab to your TOC. It is usually best to have only one layer selected at a time. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 9 12/09/09

10 Exercise 2.3 Step 1) Log on to IFMAP using the IFMAP GDSE icon. Step 2) At the GDSE logon screen, select An existing map. Open your saved map. Step 3) Using the zoom tool, zoom into the area around Beaver Island in Lake Michigan (see below). Step 4) Continue to zoom until the compartment and compartment numbers on Beaver Island are clear and only the bottom half of the island is in the Map Display. Note in the Table of Contents (TOC) that the checkmark next to the forested stands and non-forested stands layers are no longer grayed out. You are now at a scale that those layers will be visible if present. Step 5) Change the color of the Statewide Compartments layer to another color of your choice by double-clicking on the symbol in the TOC. Step 6) Zoom back to full extent. Turn on the Forest Management Unit layer and change the symbology to unique values, using a different color for each unit. Step 7) Save the document without changing the name (yourname_exercise2.mxd). Log off of the GDSE by clicking File>Exit. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 10 12/09/09

11 Editing in ArcMap An important component of ArcMap and the IFMAP Toolkits is the ability to edit or create data in the map display. This is accomplished using the Editing Toolbar. Before editing can begin, you must start an editing session by selecting Start Editing from the Editor pull-down menu. You will be prompted to select the server that contains the data you want to edit. For example, if you are editing the Pre-Inventory layer, choose the server which displays this data layer. In the editor pull-down menu, you can also save your edits or stop editing. If you stop an editing session without saving your edits, you will lose any changes you have made during the session. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 11 12/09/09

12 During an editing session, all layers that have been loaded into the table of contents from a feature dataset are editable, so be sure to be aware of which layer is being edited. Control over which features are edited is based on setting the Selection layer(s). To minimize the risk of unwanted edits, explicitly set the selection layer on the selection tab. The attributes browser displays the attributes of the selected feature(s) and allows for attribute editing. More on that in later chapters. Mistakes made during an editing session can be corrected by using the Undo button or by selecting Undo from the Edit Menu. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 12 12/09/09

13 Exercise 2.4 Log on to IFMAP using the IFMAP GDSE icon. Step 1) At the GDSE logon screen, select An existing map. Open your saved map. Step 2) From the tab labeled GDSE, choose the Pre-Inventory Editing template. Step 3) Make the Pre-Inventory Stands layer your selected layer using the Selection tab on the TOC. Click off all other layers. Step 4) Step 5) Start an edit session. Using the Zoom tool, zoom to Drummond Island. Step 6) Select file / save as. Browse to your user folder and save as yourname_exercise2_4.mxd Step 7) End the edit session. If asked to save edits, select No. NOTE: Saving the file (step 6) saves the document the way your screen looks, the layers loaded, etc. Saving edits saves changes to the database. We do not want to save any changes to the database here, but you want to save the way your screen looks. Step 8) Log off of the GDSE by clicking File>Exit. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 13 12/09/09

14 The GDSE: A Custom ArcMap Application The IFMAP Toolbar provides tools that are commonly used across all business practices. Other GDSE tools are organized into toolkits based on the specific stage in the business process or the types of analysis they are primarily used for. When a user needs a tool that is specific to a functional group, they must first open the appropriate toolkit from the Toolkit drop-down menu. The available tools (shown to the right of the drop-down) will change depending on the toolkit selected. The example above shows Activity Tracking tools such as Meeting Tools, Open House, Create Treatment etc. Like all the standard ArcMap toolbars, the IFMAP Toolbar and Toolkit can be moved and repositioned by users as they wish. Adding IFMAP Data When using IFMAP, you will often want to add additional layers of information. There is a customized orange+ add data tool for easy loading of layers. 1. Press the Add IFMAP Data button on the IFMAP toolbar. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 14 12/09/09

15 2. This will take you directly to the IFMAP data directory where you can load any of the available layers. File Structure: The Add data button will give you access to three basic Directories on the server. The I (Information) directory has current manuals, and other available documentation. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 15 12/09/09

16 The L (layer files) directory has available data layer files pre-loaded on the server. The GDSE data folder is comprised of statewide data-sets, maintained by various specialists in their respective field. This data is available to all users to view, but is not editable by users. The IFMAP data folder houses the inventory system data that users are able to edit. The Imagery folder is where the various forms of imagery will be found. Several of the most commonly used data sets are located in the L:\ root directory. The M (home) directory has individual user folders for all current users, by division, on the system. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 16 12/09/09

17 3. In some cases, you may need non-standard data layers that are not stored in the IFMAP default data directory. To load your own data, use the Explorer application (see page 5), and copy it to your home server space (M:/your IFMAP login). Using the Compartment Zoom Tool In addition to the ArcMap zoom and pan tools, you can zoom into an area of interest with the Compartment Zoom tool. This should be the first step when beginning the stand delineation process. 1. Click the Compartment Zoom tool located on the IFMAP standard toolbar. 2. A small window will pop up that allow the user to specify a forest, compartment, or stand to zoom to. Select a forest and compartment and click Go to zoom to the extent of the compartment. If the Select Feature checkbox is enabled, the selected compartment or stand will be automatically selected during the zoom process. Note that the stand function only works on the Stage 1 stand layer, not the Pre-inventory layer. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 17 12/09/09

18 Tip: If the map display portion temporarily goes blank, or for some other reason you can not see the changes on screen you expected, you may need to refresh the screen. You can do this by pushing the refresh button at the bottom-left of the map display or press F5. Refresh If ArcMap is working (drawing or doing a calculation) a small globe at the bottom of the screen spins. After zooming into a compartment or stand, the standard ArcMap Zoom/Pan tools can be used to navigate around the compartment. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 18 12/09/09

19 Tip: Remember to turn off the imagery when panning. Keeping it off as a default will speed up drawing time considerably. If you need to move around data view with imagery on, use the magnifying glass zoom tool and the back arrow, but never the pan tool. You can also use the scroll bars on the side and bottom of the view. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 19 12/09/09

20 Exercise 2.5 Step 1) Log on to IFMAP using the IFMAP GDSE icon. Step 2) At the GDSE logon screen, select A template, selecting preinventory.mxd. Step 3) Change the toolkit to Pre-Inventory. Take a minute and look at the other toolkits to see the tools available. Step 4) Zoom to your assigned compartment Step 5) Add any available imagery to your document. Find the imagery in the L:\ directory, under Imagery. Load the DOQ s and Naip mosaics. Step 6) Make the compartment boundary shapefile into an unfilled outline using a width of 1.5 and a color of peridot green. Change to another color if desired. Step 7) Make sure that Pre-Inventory Stands is the selected and target layer. Do not save edits if prompted. Step 8) Zoom into several different parts of your compartment, using different scales to see the best scale or scales for your use in stand delineation. Step 9) Select file / save as. Browse to your user folder and save as yourname_exercise2_5.mxd Step 10) Log off of the GDSE by clicking File>Exit. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 20 12/09/09

21 Additional Tools: The Symbol Picker and the Query Ladder This section will briefly introduce you to two tools that will be used often when analyzing IFMAP information. For now, you will simply see how to access the tools; further chapters will take users further into specific uses for both tools. The Symbol Picker The symbol picker allows layers to be symbolized in many different ways, with only a few mouse clicks. This can be useful for many types of spatial analyses, quality control, or other renderings of complex data. To use the symbol picker: 1. In the TOC, right click on a layer. 2. Select Symbol Picker. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 21 12/09/09

22 3. Select the desired rendering. 4. View the results. This is especially useful for showing cover types, treatments, and simple analyses like age class distribution. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 22 12/09/09

23 The Query Ladder The Query Ladder will allow you to create specific queries you need at any point, as well as giving you access to specific system queries that are available to all. To access the query ladder: 1. Change your toolkit to QRM (queries, reports, and maps). 2. Select custom queries. 3. The Query Ladder will appear at the bottom of the screen. It may be almost hidden - expand as needed by pulling the ladder up. The ladder will have 2 types of queries under two tabs System Queries and My Queries. System queries are available to all users and cannot be updated. To change a system query, copy it to the My Queries tab and make the changes to your own version. If you think that one of your My Queries would be valuable to all users, contact the Inventory Specialist or the system administrator. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 23 12/09/09

24 4. To create a new query, click on the My Queries tab. 5. Select new query. Name the query and start adding steps. 6. Use the Query Edit button to draft your query. The example below first selects stands from compartment in the first step, then selects the stands from that compartment that are less than acres (the mapping rule for 1 acre see Chapter 3). The Query Ladder interface contains the following controls: Edit Press this button to edit the criteria for a step. You will be prompted with either the Attribute Builder or the Overlay Tool. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 24 12/09/09

25 Delete Press this button to delete the step. You will be prompted to confirm the deletion of the step. Builder Select this field and a drop down list will appear that will allow you to select either an Attribute Query or a Spatial Overlay Query. Method Description: Lists a description of the step criteria. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 25 12/09/09

26 Run Query: Press this button to execute all steps in the query. Status of the steps will appear in the bottom left of the ArcMap window. Zoom to Selected Features: This button will allow you to zoom the map to the features that have been selected from the query. Clear Selection: This button will clear all selected features. Add Step Press this step to add a new step to the ladder. This action is then followed by selecting the Builder Type and then Selection Method prior to Editing the query step. IFMAP MANUAL APPENDIX Z PAGE 26 12/09/09