Exercise 2: Working with Geographic Features
Exercise 3: Working with Tables
Exercise 4: Editing Features
Exercise 5: Working with Map Elements
My experience with ArcGIS was not what I expected. While I knew that this software was going to be complicated with many different factors that need to be altered and manipulated, I had no idea just how complex it would be. I had some frustrating moments that oftentimes involved how exactly to save the files. It was my first time working off the Social Science Computer Lab with files that were on the lab's drive and could therefore not be altered. Because of this, I had some trouble when trying to complete the ArcGIS tutorial. I spent quite a few hours attempting to rectify this situation before finally figuring out exactly what the problem was. An unexpected benefit to this struggle was that I found myself understanding the program more and more as I retraced my steps and repeated the exercises. I also discovered that I could apply things I learned in one exercise to another. Moreover, the layer system can be confusing at times. When trying to work with one layer other layers may be on top or under it, which would cause complications frequently.
Some of the problematic aspects of the program were the zooming features. While in layout view, I would often zoom in/out only to discover one of my individual maps would be displaced in the window because I had selected the wrong part of the screen. Of course I'm sure this skill would come with experience with the program, but for a beginner, it set me back quite a few times. In addition, the program seemed a bit finicky at times. For example, there were several occasions when I would change something in a data frame only to see it change something unintentionally. Also, I had some trouble drawing "Airport Dr" because the tangent curve would not cooperate. I had to repeat the step about 6 times before it finally bent the right way. All these problems that I have listed are most likely due to my own inexperience and I'm sure I will improve my skills as we move forward in the class.
That being said, there were many positive qualities of ArcGIS. For example, the database management and application of data to maps was incredible. I know this is the basic purpose of the program, but it was really interesting to see it in action as I applied data to a region of the world. Also, I could see the program getting easier to navigate as I repeated the steps. I believe that once mastered, this program could be more user-friendly that the tutorial portrayed. I also believe that most of the complications I encountered were due to my own error of not saving the maps to the correct drive before proceeding with the rest of the lab. Hopefully this will not be repeated in future endeavors. With more exposure to this program, I am confident my skills will improve and tasks will become much easier to accomplish.
This program has incredible potential. As discussed in class, neogeography has the ability to engage all kinds of people and stirs up interest in map-making. As people are able to interact with and create maps, more attention is drawn to this field allowing it to expand and grow. GIS is a more complicated form of this new map-making phenomenon, but it definitely a huge part of the expansion of the field. It has the potential of revolutionizing the information databases that are applied to spatial mediums. For example, the future of tracking (i.e. available taxi cabs, real estate values) lies in the application of GIS. There are so many facets of this field that the all the opportunities that the field provides haven't been revealed. In my opinion, we have only seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of the potential of GIS; ArcGIS is a huge contributing factor in the equation. A pitfall of ArcGIS is that it cannot be purchased by everyone looking to use it; it is very expensive and also requires a very specialized skills set not possessed by many.
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