Calculate Lat/Long for Shapefile

Ever needed to add XY or Latitude/Longitude values to you shapefiles or feature classes?  Well, what seems to be a mystery can easily be done with just a few clicks.

The easiest way to get the lat/long values is to right click the field and select “Calculate Geometry…”. You can define whether to calculate x or y along with other geometries too.

Here is a more extensive video tutorial.

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Override Toolbar Docking in ArcGIS

Here is a quick tip that I ran across today. Have you ever wanted to arrange a toolbar or the Table of Contents in an area that forces you to dock it? Well, the override for this issue is to use the Ctrl key while dragging it.  This prevents the toolbar or Table of Contents from docking.  Go try it today!

ArcToolbox Batch Tool Process

Have you ever needed to run an ArcToolbox tool multiple times?  Here is an illustration for adding multiple fields to multiple shapefiles within one simple process.  The demonstration uses the ArcCatalog interface and uses the batch process to carry out the desired task.

Note: Videos are broadcast through youtube.com.  Some browsers may block this content.

What’s New in ArcGIS 9.3

Now that ArcGIS 9.3 has been out a few months, people are starting to migrate over to the new version.  So what is new?  ESRI has put together a few videos to show what cool additions they have added.  Check them out!

ArcGIS Desktop 9.3: Options for Working with Graphics
ArcGIS Desktop 9.3: Layer Legend Enhancements
ArcGIS Desktop 9.3: Bookmark Manager
ArcGIS 9.3: ESRI Resource Centers
ArcGIS Desktop 9.3: Pause Labeling
ArcGIS Desktop 9.3: Geoprocessing Tool Progress and Messaging
ArcGIS Desktop 9.3: New KML Export Support
ArcGIS Desktop 9.3: Improved KML Support
ArcGIS Desktop 9.3: WYSIWYG Representation Editing
ArcGIS Desktop 9.3: Identify Tool Enhancements
ArcGIS Desktop 9.3: New HTML Popup Tool
ArcGIS Desktop 9.3: Table Enhancements
ArcGIS Desktop 9.3: Custom Relative Scales

Blogs:

• ESRI Seminar on New Features in ArcGIS 9.3
• ArcGIS 9.3 Now Exports Geo PDF Maps (ESRI)

Press Releases:

• ArcGIS 9.3 Improves Your Entire GIS Workflow
• ESRI Offers a Free ArcGIS 9.3 Seminar for Improving an Entire GIS Workflow

Teaching Kids the World of GIS

Kids are like sponges.  They will soak up anything.  It is up to us to help provide children with quality material that they will be able to use for a life time.  Here are some good websites, books, and games that teach kids about GIS.

Websites

• GIS 4 Kids
• National Geographic Games for Kids
• Maps 4 Kids
• GIS Kids Slideshow
• Kids GIS
• Mapmaker, Mapmaker, Make Me a Map
• KidsGeo
• Geb Geography For Kids

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Create Point File from XY Data

Collecting X and Y coordinates are becoming easier and easier with all of the new GPS technology.  Getting the collected data into GIS can be done without adding each point by hand.  Here is a simple tutorial on creating a point shapefile from a table with XY coordinates.

Note: Videos are broadcast through youtube.com.  Some browsers may block this content.

Our World GIS Education Series

A new book series was just released in June 2008 by ESRI Press.  This “Our World GIS Education” series helps teachers present GIS to their students. 

Putting geography, spatial thinking, and GIS in front of the students early on helps educate each student in an adventurous way that will impact them for a lifetime.

Thinking Spatially Using GIS: Our World GIS Education, Level 1 (Our World GIS Education)

Analyzing Our World Using GIS: Our World GIS Education, Level 3 (Our World GIS Education)

• Inquiry-based learning in geography through GIS

Making Spatial Decisions Using GIS, Level 4 (Our World GIS Education)

• GIS in Problem Solving and Decision Making

Compare Vehicle MPG by Map

A new website produced by ESRI will map the distance that your car will be able to travel as compared to an another vehicle of your choosing base on one gallon of gas.  The site, http://mapmpg.com, allows you to select a vehicles by year, make, and model.  A distance polygon is calculated for each vehicle and then routed based upon the location that you select.

Although this is pretty neat feature, ESRI is using this site to promote its BusinessMap software.  This software uses tools to help businesses run extensive analysis.

Other than the BusinessMap motive, this site is pretty cool!

When One Small Monitor Just Won’t Do

I recently found an interesting blog about Why your boss should buy you a larger monitor.  I found it very detailed in the benefits for buying a larger monitor for GIS work.  There is even a slide show with these details laid out.

I do not have a larger monitor, but I do have two monitors.  Althought you have to have a dual video card for this, I feel that the benefits are even greater than just a larger monitor.  I use the Dell UltraSharp 1908FP 19-inch monitor.  Well, I use two of them of course.  

Here are some ways I benefit from two monitors.

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Learning GIS with the Kindle

Amazon.com had made it a little easier to access GIS books.  The Kindle is a device that allows you to access your books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs at a click of a button.  You can carry this 10.3 ounce device anywhere.  It works great outside as well as indoors.  The screen has been designed to reduce eye strain.  The cool thing is that the topics available are endless.  The GIS list for the kindle provides some great topics.  

One thing I like about the Kindle is the ability to do a search on a certain topic and it will return all downloaded books found with the topic.  There is also a dictionary for when you need to look up a certain word from withon the text.  This can be a big help when reading GIS topics.  Now you can carry the content of all those massive GIS books in one small device.

Here are some of the GIS topics available for the Kindle:

• Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach
• Programming ArcObjects with VBA: A Task-Oriented Approach
• Pro Oracle Spatial for Oracle Database 11g
• 3-D Structural Geology: A Practical Guide to Surface and Subsurface Map Interpretation
• Spatial Technology and Archaeology
• Web Cartography

Click here for more info on the Kindle.

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