ArcMap Symbology by Quantity

November 25, 2008 by Timothy
Filed under Cartography, GIS Tips

Symbolizing features is an important part to cartography and map making. Most GIS users symbolize based up one symbology type or unique values. Although this may be appropriate in most cases, you also have the capability to symbolize based upon numeric values within the attribute table of a feature class.

Begin by reviewing your attribute table. Find the numeric attribute you would like to symbolize by. Now notice in the first image, the parcels layer is symbolized with a single symbol.

Double click the layer or right click the layer and choose properties to open up the layer properties. With this dialog open you will see many tabs. Choose the Symbology tab. This will bring up many options to symbolize by. On the left, you have the options of Features, Categories, Quantities, Charts, and Multiple Attributes. Take time to study these areas as they will open a multitude of symbology option.

However, for this demonstration click on Quantities. Select Graduated Colors. Notice The Fields area. Select the attribute that you would like to symbolize by. Normalization is an important feature to keep in mind. You can normalize by percent of total or another field. You can select the number of classes as well. Then select the color range that you desire.