G 425/525 Field GIS
D. Percy
e-mail: percyd@pdx.edu

Summer Term

Assignment 1

Writeup due Monday

Creating a location map and adding downloaded basemap data.

You have collected a set of data on landslides in the Portland metropolitan area and need to produce a location map.You will find downloadable basemap materials on the Oregon GIS, and USGS Seamless sites. To create an inset map you can use materials in the ESRI data set. Use this landslide file to plot the distribution and of landslides resulting from the 96/97 storm event. Here is a copy of the report that accompanied the data set.

 

1. Download the data file.

2. Open landslides_dd.xls in Excel.

3. Export the data as a DBF3 file (from the Save As dialog box). Close Excel.

4. Open ArcGIS.

5. From the Tools menu, choose Add XY data. Find your table and choose the appropriate columns for X and Y.

  • Save this Event Theme as a Shapefile by rt-clicking it in the legend and choosing Data->Export and giving it a new name. The name should be different than the name you used in step 3, as shapefiles contain DBF files. Refer to "Anatomy of a Shapefile" lecture notes (your own).

6. Add the States and Counties themes from the Esri/Esridata/US directory.

7. Create a new coverage of just Oregon by using the Select Features Tool (turn on Tools if necessary), selecting Oregon and then Exporting (right-click on coverage, Data -> Export, save it to your h: drive as Oregon). Limit the counties similarly, or do a theme Definition Query (try it both ways!), save as ls_counties or something similar.

8. Create a Layout showing landslide volumes resulting from the 1996/97 storm events. Show Oregon, and then a zoomed in view of the study area. (Landscape/Inset), use Insert Data Frame and copy just Oregon and LS_counties to it (paste layer).

9. Start over and DO IT AGAIN!

Continue on with the instructions in Assignment 2.

updated: June 23, 2005