Creating a Map with GIS and GPS Data

One of the most common GIS tasks is map making. As a visual aid, maps can be useful to communicate many different kinds of information between researchers. Maps can easily be added to Powerpoint presentations to share location and other information.

To make a map using GIS software, you need to use ArcMap. In Barclay classroom, open ArcMap

Using the black and yellow + plus sign, add in all of your data.

If you want to use RMBL GIS datasets, you should click on the plus sign

navigate to the database connections

select GISdatasets.sde

highlight the desired datasets

Click Add.

If you are using other data (such as GPS points/lines/polygons), you should click on the plus sign

navigate to where the data is stored (it needs to be saved on the computer at which you are working)

highlight the data

Click Add. Repeat this as many times as necessary to add in all the needed data.

Once all the data are present, you should adjust the symbology.

Left click on the actual symbol and a dialog box called symbol selector will appear.

You can use this box to choose the symbol style, as well as the color.

For more control over symbology, you can right click on the dataset, go to properties, and go to the symbology tab.

After the symbology is correct, you should zoom in or out (using the tools that look like magnifying glasses) so the data is shown at the correct scale.

Click on View in the toolbar

select layout view.

From here you can stretch the image to fill the whole page.

You can also add a title, scale, north arrow, a legend, or a text box.

All of these items can be added by Clicking on Insert from the top toolbar.

Once you are satisfied with your map, go to File

Export Map

Navigate to an appropriate folder

Select the appropriate file type (jpeg, bitmap, tiff)