Using ArcView on Strauss

Introduction

ArcView is relatively easy-to-use Geographic Information System (GIS) software available only on Strauss. Many digital map layers and corresponding attribute data sets are added periodically to the sample data that accompanies ArcView. For more complex spatial analyses, you should consider using ARC/INFO, also available on Strauss.

This documentation explains how to run ArcView. The complete path of the ArcView program is /opt/bin/arcview. However, the recommended way to start ArcView is different and is described below.

Note that ArcView is not installed on the other central Unix systems (strauss and copland). You can obtain ArcView for installation on a University-owned UNIX system, PC or Macintosh as part of a University site license. For details, send mail to rdms-info@udel.edu.

How to run ArcView

ArcView may only be run on Strauss. Furthermore, you must be on an X terminal or running an X-server on an IBM clone or a Macintosh (such as eXceed/W or MacX). Proper use of ArcView requires you to assign values to a few UNIX environment variables and to erase temporary files that ArcView leaves in /tmp after ArcView terminates. The easiest way to run the program and do these tasks automatically is to type the following command at a UNIX prompt:

~consult/bin/av

How to Run the ArcView Tutorial

Start ArcView as above, by typing

~consult/bin/av Use the left mouse-button to click on the ArcView "Help" menu button. Then use the left mouse-button to select the "Contents" menu item and the "Tutorial" menu item.

The tutorial refers repeatedly to the "path where avdata is installed". You should refer to that directory as $AVDATA. Be sure to use uppercase letters.

An Example Using ArcView Sample Data

These instructions show you how to make and print a map of the 1990 population of Atlanta by census tract. It assumes that you know the basics of using an X terminal, how to select pop-up menus and choose from among menu choices using a single-click of the left mouse-button, and how to resize the main ArcView Window horizontally or vertically.
  1. Start the Program and Resize the "ArcView" Window

    1. At the UNIX prompt, type
      2. ~consult/bin/av &
    2. When the main "ArcView" Window appears, resize it so that it fills the screen.

  2. Start a Project and Select Data Sources

    1. Generate a new view in the Project Window (the one labeled "Untitled") by selecting (clicking once on) the Views icon, then selecting the "New" menu button. A new View Window will appear, labeled "View1" in the window's title bar.
    2. Select the "View" menu button in the ArcView Window. Then select the "Add Theme" menu item. In the Add Theme dialog box, replace the directory name shown on the line labeled "Directory:" by $AVDATA, and select "OK".
    3. Select the directory "atlanta" by double-clicking on that directory name.
    4. Select the subdirectory named "region" by double-clicking. A list of available data sources will appear in a scrollable list to the left of the directory list.
    5. Use the scrollbar to move up and down the data source list and locate the "tracts" data source. Select it by double-clicking.
    6. In the View1 Window, click ONCE on the small "checkbox" to the left of the "Tract" label. A check mark will appear in the box and the tractboundaries will appear in the display window. This may take a bit of time, depending on the system load. Move the View1 Window to the right so the Project Window (labeled "Untitled") is visible. (Point to the View1 Window's title bar and drag the window to the right while pressing the left mouse-button.)
    7. Next you will select an external attribute data table to merge with the tract polygon information in a "Feature Attribute Table". The attribute data table will have one column containing census tract values and other columns containing information about these tracts such as 1990 population, per capita income, etc. In the Project "Untitled" Window select the "Tables" icon and then select the "Add" button.
    8. In the "Add Table" dialog box, select the dBASE attribute data table named "trdemog.dbf" by double-clicking on it. This database will be displayed in a new window.
    9. Point to and click on the title bar of the View1 Window to make that window active. In the ArcView Window, select the "Theme" menu button. Then select the "Table" menu item. The "Attributes of Tract" table will appear. This is known as the "Feature Attribute Table" for the "tract" theme or feature.
    10. Rearrange the windows so you can see both data tables at the same time.

  3. Join the dBASE File with Feature Attribute Table

    1. Select the field labeled "Tract" in the trdemog.dbf table by clicking on the text "Tract" in that table. Similarly select the field labeled "Tract" in the "Attributes of Tract" table. You will need to use the horizontal scrollbar to locate the "Tract" field. When you are done, the label "Tract" will be highlighted in both tables.
    2. Make the "Attributes of Tract" table the active window by selecting its title bar. (Point to the title bar and press the left mouse-button.)
    3. Select the "Table" menu button in the ArcView Window. Then select the "Join" menu choice. This merges all data fields in the dBASE file with the Attributes table based on common tract values. The trdemog.dbf table will disappear and the merged information will appear in the Attributes table. Use its horizontal scrollbar to view the new attribute data fields.

  4. Make a Map of the 1990 Population of Atlanta by Census Tract

    1. Make the View1 Window active by selecting its title bar. (Point to the title bar and press the left mouse-button.)
    2. Double-click on the shaded box under the text "Tract" to cause the Legend Editor dialog window to appear. This may take a few seconds depending on the system load. Move the Legend Editor to an unused part of the monitor screen.
    3. In the Legend Editor dialog box, select the text "<None>" on the line labeled "Field:". From the list of attributes that appears, use the vertical scrollbar to locate "Pop_90". Select Pop_90 as the variable to be displayed in the thematic map by clicking on the attribute name.

      4. In this example, you want to make a monochrome map using various shading patterns to correspond to different population ranges. The initial assignment of values and shading (symbols) presents five categories. The range of values is -99 to 17724. At least one census tract has a missing value code (a negative value) to represent its population. You will make one category for the tracts with missing or zero population values and arbitrarily assign the population range from 1 to 4548 to be the second category. Steps d. and e. will modify the value ranges. Step f. will modify the legend labels.

    4. First adjust the ranges for the values. Select the diamond-shaped button labeled "Values" in the Legend Editor. Select the text "-99 - 3072" and replace it with "-99 - 0". Do not type the quotation marks. Then select the text "3073 - 4548" and replace it with "1 - 4548".
    5. Double-click on any filled symbol box under the heading "Symbol" in the Legend Editor. A "Palette" Window will appear. Move it to an unused part of the screen. Select a pattern for each population class by selecting a symbol box in the Legend Editor dialog box and then selecting the corresponding desired pattern in the Fill Palette.
    6. Now adjust the legend labels in the Legend Editor dialog box. Select the diamond-shaped button labeled "Labels". Select the text "-99 - 3072" and replace it with "Missing". Do not type the quotation marks. Then select the text "3073 - 4548" and replace it with "1 - 4548".
    7. Select the "Apply" menu button in the Legend Editor dialog box. The results of your choices will be displayed in the View1 Window.

      8. In steps h. and i., you will apply a cartographic projection to the latitude-longitude coordinates that is appropriate for making a flat map of Atlanta, Georgia.

    8. In the ArcView window, select the "View" menu button and then select the "Properties" item. In the resulting "View Properties" dialog box, select the "Projection" button. In the resulting "Projection Properties" dialog box, select (with a single mouse-click) "Projections of the World". From the resulting pull-down menu, select "State Plane - 1983".
    9. Similarly use the pull-down menu choices for the "Type:" field to change the current choice to "Georgia, West". Finally, select the "OK" button in the Projection Properties" dialog box and the "OK" button in the "View Properties" dialog box.

  5. Prepare an ArcView Layout for Printing

    1. In the ArcView window, select the "View" menu button and then the "Layout" menu item. When the "Template Manager" window appears, select the "Landscape" icon and then select the "OK" menu button. The preview version of the map will appear in a new "Layout1" Window. You may print it or change its annotation.
    2. For example, to change the title of the map, double-click the title text "View1" in the Layout1 Window. When the "Text Properties" dialog box appears, replace "View1" by a new title and then select the "OK" button. You can change the text font and size by specifying new values in the Font Palette. You may also move the title, the scale bar and the north arrow by selecting each graphical object and dragging it to a new location.
    3. To print the contents of the Layout1 Window, select the "File" menu button in the ArcView Window. Then select the "Print" menu choice. You may change the name of the printer before selecting "OK" in the "Print" dialog box.

      4. You may want to customize your UNIX environment so that printouts are always sent to a different UNIX printer queue than "smips" - the Smith Hall PostScript printer. For example, you can set the PRINTER environment variable to "tnsps" to direct all printer jobs to the Townsend Hall PostScript printer by typing

      setenv PRINTER tnsps at the UNIX prompt before starting ArcView. If you have the "setenv" command in your .localenv file, the PRINTER variable will be set automatically when you log in.

  6. Finish the Session

    1. You may save your work as an ArcView "project" for re-use later. To save it, select the "File" menu item in the ArcView Window. Select "Save Project" and specify a project name with a ".apr" extension. For example, you might type "atl-trct.apr" as the filename. Then select the "OK" menu button.
    2. To end your ArcView session, select the "File" menu item in the ArcView Window and select the "Exit" menu item.

For More Information

ArcView on-line documentation is very helpful. Select the "Help" menu button and the "Contents" menu item in the ArcView Window to get an introduction, a quick tour, or to learn the basics of ArcView. You can also search for help on specific topic using keywords once you are familiar with fundamental ArcView concepts.

There is a non-circulating, brief "Introducing ArcView" manual in the RDMS Data Center, 019 Smith Hall. The manual is not a tutorial, but does provide a good overview of the software's capabilities.

University of Delaware
December 13, 1995