ArcGIS  Tags: arcgis gis maps mapping data  

Pull down the Help menu within ArcMap or press the F1 key to access extensive on-line help. You can also access Desktop Help directly from a choice in the ArcGIS folder.

• ArcGIS Introductory Tutorial, University of Arkansas Libraries
  Recommended!  An overview of ArcGIS 9, with lots of screen shots.  Sections 1 and 2 provide enough information to produce a shaded map depicting demographic information.
• Introduction to GIS and Census Mapping tutorials using ArcGIS, from Baruch College, CUNY.  The Gothos.info website has a lot of useful tips relating to GIS software.
• Mapping Crime: Principle and Practice A nice overview to social science thematic mapping from the U.S. Dept. of Justice.  From 1999, but the concepts are valid.

Tutorials

Tutorials: From within ArcGIS, open ArcGIS Desktop Help.  Under "Getting Started with ArcGIS Desktop," click on "Work through tutorials." The tutorials cover a wide variety of applications.  They are either in Adobe Acrobat format or are videos.

You can also access the tutorials from the website of ESRI, the company that makes ArcGIS:

• ArcGIS 9.3 Tutorials
• ArcGIS 9.2 Tutorials

Tutorial Data (Duke affiliates only):  The data to use with the tutorials may have been installed at the same time the software was installed.  The default install location is C:\arcgis\ArcTutor.  If not, Duke University affiliates can download version 9.3 tutorial data (one tutorial at a time) when needed.  The files for each tutorial are archived in a .zip file and must be unzipped.

Tutorial data is installed on computers in campus OIT Windows computer labs.  You can navigate to the data in C:\arcgis\ArcTutor from within ArcGIS.

ESRI Virtual Campus (Duke affiliates only)

These online courses provide training in a wide variety of ArcGIS applications.  To obtain the access code and instructions to use any of them, you must be a Duke University affiliate and must first contact Peter Harrell with the request for the courses you need.  Tutorials consist of one or more 3-hour modules, and the time to take one is estimated from 3 hours up to 21 or more hours total, depending on the topic.

The following options are available for obtaining help and learning about ArcGIS.  Books are located on the bookshelves near the computers in Data Services & GIS cluster.

The following books are based on ArcGIS version 9, the installed version.

• Using ArcMap : ArcGIS 9  This is the basic manual to refer to for making a map.

• Getting to know ArcGIS desktop : basics of ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo  A tutorial-based introduction, using samples from the CD inside the front cover.

• Mastering ArcGIS, by Maribeth Price.  A thorough guide published by McGraw-Hill.

• ArcGIS 9. Understanding map projections  Explains coordinate systems and geographic transformations, plus reference pages for each supported projection.

• ArcGIS 9. Geocoding in ArcGIS  Details on converting addresses to points on a map.

• Statistical analysis of geographic information with ArcView GIS and ArcGIS

• Using ArcGIS Spatial Analyst  Describes use of an extension to ArcGIS that allows mapping of elevation data.  Written for ArcGIS 8, but generally applicable to version 9.