Contents
Introduction
ARC/INFO is Geographic Information System (GIS) software developed by Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI). It is a full-featured package with tools for automation, analysis, display and management of geographic information. Typical applications include land resource management, automated mapping and facilities management, demographic analysis, forestry, environmental analysis, water resource management, mineral exploration, transportation, and telecommunication. Federal agencies such as the U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Natural Resource Conservation Services have adopted ARC/INFO as their GIS standard. Furthermore, many universities teach GIS using ARC/INFO. Consequently ARC/INFO has a large established user base in the GIS community and ARC/INFO-formatted spatial data is readily available from federal, regional, and state agencies as well as commercial data providers.
This documentation introduces the use of the ARC/INFO software installed on Strauss. First-time users should read the introductory book Understanding GIS - The ARC/INFO Method. This book describes the vocabulary and basic concepts of GIS as implemented in ARC/INFO.
ArcView,
a simpler-to-use GIS product from ESRI, is also installed on Strauss.
You can obtain ARC/INFO and ArcView for installation on a University-owned system (UNIX, PC, or Macintosh) at a nominal or no charge through the University site license. For details, send mail to rdms-info@udel.edu.
Using ARC/INFO on Strauss: Contents
ARC/INFO can only be run on Strauss. It is not installed on the other central UNIX systems. Furthermore, you must be on an X terminal or running an X-server on an IBM clone or a Macintosh. (For Windows based PCs xMing is recommended. For Macintoshes, we recommend MacX.)
Proper use of ARC/INFO requires you to assign values to a few UNIX environment variables and to erase temporary files that ARC/INFO leaves in /tmp after ARC/INFO terminates. The easiest way to run the program and do these tasks automatically is to type the following command at a UNIX prompt:
All subsystems of ARC/INFO except the tabular database management subsystem INFO are generally case-insensitive. However, all externally created UNIX filenames as well as commands in the INFO subsystem are case-sensitive. We recommend that you type all commands in ARC/INFO in upper-case letters (except for UNIX filenames). Furthermore, when you define new objects (files or attribute names) in ARC/INFO, you also should use upper-case letters.
Files and directories created outside of ARC/INFO need special attention. The full pathname of the file must be in lowercase. When typing an external filename in an ARC/INFO command, type the name in lowercase.
If you choose not to follow these guidelines, you should consult the
additional details
on case sensitivity at the end of this document.
Using ARC/INFO on Strauss: Contents
Before starting, you should close other graphics-intensive applications. For example, if you are running Netscape, quit the program before continuing; minimizing the program is not sufficient. This will eliminate color-table conflicts between those applications and ARC/INFO.
This section guides you though the 'Map Display and Query' part of the tutorial. Select menu items by using your left mouse-button to click on the item, unless directed otherwise.
ARC/INFO is composed of 7 major subsystems:
In addition, ARC/INFO has several
application-specific extensions
for network analysis and design, volumetric analysis, corridor analysis,
cadastral basemap creation, etc.
Using ARC/INFO on Strauss: Contents
In this quick tour, you will enter the ARC, ARCEDIT, ARCPLOT and INFO subsystems and execute commands in each system to become familiar with the ARC/INFO command syntax. All text appearing after '/*' are comments and are not part of the command. Do not type the comment sections.
In this section, you will use labeling information found on the xv-displayed map to identify the locations of
six streets on the ARCEDIT-displayed map.
After digitizing the four tics, click the cursor at the Tic-ID prompt, and press the Return key. ARCEDIT will prompt you to define an initial boundary. Use the cursor to define a boundary box that is slightly larger than the image by clicking at opposite corners of the boundary box.
This makes 'WASHDC_COV' the current edit coverage.
Move the cursor into the 'ARCEDIT' display window. Select option '8) Digitizing Options' by holding down the Control key and pressing the middle mouse-button. The 'DIGITIZING OPTIONS' message appears in the Strauss xterm window.
Start a street by positioning the pointer at one end of the street. Press the middle mouse-button (to identify that point as a node). Add intermediate points (vertices) by clicking the left mouse-button. When you're pointing to the other end of the street, click the middle mouse-button to signify that you're identifying a node.
Should you make any mistakes during the tracing process, you can stop the digitizing process by holding down the Control key and pressing the right mouse-button in the 'ARCEDIT' window. Then issue the following commands at the 'Arcedit:' prompt to restart the tracing process.
In some cases, the text file's full pathname must be typed rather than the shortened '../washdc.txt' form.
Arcplot: TEXTSET FONT /* Select the FONT text set
Arcplot: TEXTSIZE 0.2 /* Specify the text size
Arcplot: TEXTCOLOR RED /* Specify the text color
Arcplot: ARCTEXT WASHDC_COV AVE_NAME # LINE
If you are following the recommendations on case sensitivity given above, you can skip this section.
There are five key rules that govern the way ARC/INFO deals with uppercase and lowercase commands.
The ARC/INFO on-line help system is very complete. At the Arc: prompt, type 'HELP'
This opens a 'ARC/INFO Help' window. It may take a while for these windows to appear, depending on the load on Strauss. The 'ARC/INFO Help' window provides an introduction to ARC/INFO in the "ARC/INFO Concepts" section. All the commands in its subsystems are listed in the "Command reference for ARC/INFO prompts" section. Within the "Command reference for ARC/INFO prompts" section, there are functional and alphabetical list of the commands in each subsystem.
There is a set of ARC/INFO manuals in the RDMS Data Center, accessible through 002 Smith Hall. In addition to the manuals on each subsystem, we highly recommend the introductory manual Understanding GIS - The ARC/INFO Method (UNIX version). These are all non-circulating reference materials for use only in the Data Center. Please register in 015 Smith Hall to use the Data Center. You can also purchase copies of these manuals directly from ESRI .
The
Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI)
WWW server has
descriptions
of many ARC/INFO-related publications as well
as the text contents of ESRI's quarterly newsletter
ARC News.
You may also contact User Services for assistance with specific ARC/INFO problems.
Using ARC/INFO on Strauss: Contents
How to run ARC/INFO
arc
While running ARC/INFO, the prompt becomes
Arc:
Using ARC/INFO on Strauss: Contents
Running the ARC/INFO tutorial
Using ARC/INFO on Strauss: Contents
arc
Arc: &run $SAMPLESHOME/tutorial/tools/tutorial
The UNIX environment variable SAMPLESHOME is defined in
the ARC/INFO startup script. It may take a while to start the tutorial session, based on Strauss' load. After the 'ARCPLOT' window appears, resize and rearrange your windows so you can see your Strauss xterm, 'ARC/INFO Tutorial', and 'ARCPLOT' windows at the same time.
Overview of the ARC/INFO software system
To start a subsystem, type its name at the ARC/INFO prompt Arc:. For example,
Arc: ARCEDIT
launches an ARCEDIT session and changes the prompt to Arcedit:. Type 'QUIT' at the Arcedit: prompt to exit from the ARCEDIT subsystem.
Quick tour of ARC/INFO subsystems using command line input
Using ARC/INFO on Strauss: Contents
quota -v
Make a subdirectory called 'arctest' to contain the sample data and newly created ARC coverages. Be sure to type 'arctest' in lower-case letters. Make 'arctest' your current working directory.
mkdir arctest
cd arctest
Before starting, you should close other graphics-intensive applications, such as Netscape. This will minimize color-table conflicts between those applications and ARC/INFO.
arc
Arc: CREATEWORKSPACE . /* Trailing '.' refers to current directory
Arc: COPY /hsm/users/dsacher/jianchen/arcsample/quicktour/WASHDC_SUB WASHDC_SUB
Arc: cp /hsm/users/dsacher/jianchen/arcsample/quicktour/example.tif example.tif
Arc: xv example.tif &
Arcedit: DISPLAY 9999
When the 'ARCEDIT' window appears, rearrange the windows so you can see the 'ARCEDIT', 'example.tif', and Strauss xterm windows at the same time.
Arc: ARCEDIT
Arcedit: MAPEXTENT WASHDC_SUB /*Specify map extent's GRID name
Arcedit: IMAGE WASHDC_SUB /*Specify SPOT image as background
Arcedit: DRAWENVIRONMENT ARC TIC /*Display arcs and tics
Arcedit: DRAW /*Display the image
In the Strauss xterm window, type 11 as the first Tic-ID; and press the Return key. Then move the cursor into the 'ARCEDIT' display window. The cursor will become crosshairs. Click the left mouse-button near the lower-left corner of the image at the position shown by the black square marker in xv's 'example.tif' window. Repeat the process to add three more tics in the 'ARCEDIT' window at the corner positions shown in the 'example.tif' window and having Tic-IDs equal to 12, 13, 14, respectively.
Arcedit: DRAW
Arcedit: EDITFEATURE ARC /* Arc is the 'feature' you want to add
Arcedit: ADD /* Begin a session to add arcs
Look in the Strauss xterm window to see the nine options currently available. You can select those options by pressing the mouse-buttons alone or together with the Shift key or Control key. The following table shows the association between the option and the corresponding keyboard and mouse action for a three-button mouse.
(If you are using a two-button mouse, clicking the two buttons at the
same time is equivalent to clicking the middle button on a three-button
mouse.)
Option Number Keyboard and Mouse Action
1 left mouse-button
2 middle mouse-button
3 right mouse-button
4 Shift key + left mouse-button
5 Shift key + middle mouse-button
6 Shift key + right mouse-button
7 Control key + left mouse-button
8 Control key + middle mouse-button
9 Control key + right mouse-button
In this part, you will trace the streets in the 'ARCEDIT' window by marking the start point, any intermediate points you want, and then the final point. First move the cursor into the 'ARCEDIT' display window. Trace the street that is identified by the line labeled 101 in the 'example.tif' window. Be sure to do the tracing in the 'ARCEDIT' window.
Arcedit: DELETE /* Delete all the tracing work
Arcedit: SAVE
Arcedit: EDIT WASHDC_COV /* Specify current edit coverage
Arcedit: IMAGE WASHDC_SUB
Arcedit: DRAW /* Redisplay the image
and return to step g, above.
Arcedit: SAVE
Arcedit: QUIT
Arc: BUILD WASHDC_COV LINE
Arc: ITEMS WASHDC_COV.AAT /* List items in the arc attribute table
Here is a brief description of the items in the attribute table.
FNODE# From (or starting) node number
TNODE# To (or ending) node number
LPOLY# Left polygon number
RPOLY# Right polygon number
LENGTH Length of the arc
WASHDC_COV# ARC/INFO internal number
WASHDC_COV-ID ID number you supplied when digitizing.
Arc: LIST WASHDC_COV.AAT
Arc: pico washdc.txt
and save the file after entering the following information:
101,New Hampshire Ave
102,Rhode Island Ave
103,New York Ave
104,Pennsylvania Ave
105,Pennsylvania Ave
106,Massachusetts Ave
Arc: INFO
ENTER USER NAME > ARC
ENTER COMMAND > DEFINE WASHDC.DAT /* Define a new INFO file
ITEM NAME,WIDTH [,OUTPUT WIDTH] ,TYPE [,DECIMAL PLACES] [,PROT.LEVEL]
1
ITEM NAME > WASHDC_COV-ID /* First field: WASHDC_COV-ID
ITEM WIDTH > 4
ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH > 5
ITEM TYPE > B /* 'B'=Binary item type
5
ITEM NAME > AVE_NAME /* Second field: AVE_NAME
ITEM WIDTH > 40
ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH > 50
ITEM TYPE > C /* 'C'=Character item type
45
ITEM NAME > /* Press Return key to stop
ENTER COMMAND > ADD FROM ../washdc.txt /* Import the data from the text file
6 RECORD(S) ADDED
ENTER COMMAND > LIST /* List the INFO file contents
$RECNO WASHDC_COV-ID AVE_NAME
1 101 New Hampshire Ave
2 102 Rhode Island Ave
3 103 New York Ave
4 104 Pennsylvania Ave
5 105 Pennsylvania Ave
6 106 Massachusetts Ave
ENTER COMMAND > Q STOP /* End the INFO session
Arc: JOINITEM WASHDC_COV.AAT WASHDC.DAT WASHDC_COV.AAT
WASHDC_COV-ID WASHDC_COV-ID
Arc: LIST WASHDC_COV.AAT
Arcplot: MAPEXTENT WASHDC_SUB
Arcplot: IMAGE WASHDC_SUB /* Display the image
Arcplot: LINESET CARTO.LIN /* Use the 'carto.lin' line set
Arcplot: LINESYMBOL 203 /* Use line symbol 203 for the streets
Arcplot: ARCS WASHDC_COV /* Display the streets (arcs)
Arcplot: QUIT
Arc: BUFFER WASHDC_COV WASHDC_BUFF AVE_NAME
# 100 # LINE ROUND FULL
Arc: ARCPLOT
Arcplot: MAPEXTENT WASHDC_SUB
Arcplot: IMAGE WASHDC_SUB
Arcplot: LINECOLOR RED
Arcplot: POLYS WASHDC_BUFF /*Display polygons in the buffer coverage
Arcplot: QUIT
Arc: QUIT
More details on case sensitivity
Using ARC/INFO on Strauss: Contents
For more information
Arc: help
Last modified: May 27, 2009.
This page maintained by
Ben Mearns.
Copyright © University of Delaware 2009.
URL of this document:
http://www.udel.edu/topics/software/special/gis/arcinfo.html