GIS Video Tutorials
These tutorial videos demonstrate core functions in ArcGIS Pro, most notably how to construct a dataset (selecting cases; adding attributes) and how to analyze the data through the formatting of maps and complementary charts. While the videos are focused on particular examples, I encourage viewers to focus on the techniques more generally and how they can be adapted to their particular data and project needs. Additionally, I challenge viewers to work toward proficiency, such that the tutorials become unnecessary. That requires both play and application.
As you work toward proficiency, remember: The slower you go, the faster you'll be.
Getting started with ArcGIS Pro
- Introduction to ArcGIS Pro (7:51)
Dataset Construction
Constructing a dataset in GIS typically involves two tasks: 1) Selecting and exporting the desired features or cases that will comprise your dataset and 2) Joining additional data (variables) to those features. The following tutorials walk you through functions associated with each of those tasks.
Selecting the features desired for your data set
Which of the following techniques is most applicable will depend on the nature of your data and project. Selecting features using the select features pointer is most appropriate when you have a small number of features you would like to select (e.g., states in the Rocky Mountain West). Selecting features based on location (the cookie-cutter method) is most appropriate when you need to select many smaller features based on their spatial relationship to a larger feature(s) (e.g., tracts in the Denver-Aurora urban area). Selecting features based on their attributes is most useful for selecting many features that share a common spatial attribute (e.g., tracts that have the same state-county fips value) or a meet a certain non-spatial criteria/on (e.g., states that have populations greater than 5 million).
2. Selecting features using the select features pointer (3:11)
3. Selecting features based on location (cookie-cutter method) (8:01)
4. Selecting features based on attribute(s) (4:26)
Joining additional data to your features
Once you've generated a shapefile consisting of the desired cases or features, you may want to join additional attributes to those features. There are three common ways this is done -- joining data from another table based on a shared attribute; joining information based on the spatial location of X-Y data; and creating a new field directly and using the field calculator to generate its values.
5. Joining data from another table (4:40)
a) Supplemental: Selecting, downloading, and prepping ACS data from Social Explorer (6:13)
6. Joining data based on spatial location (2:25)
a) Supplemental: Geocoding addresses (3:19)
b) Supplemental: Displaying X-Y (longitude/latitude) data (2:02)
7. Adding a field (attribute) directly and using the field calculator (4:41)
Analysis
Analyzing data in ArcGIS Pro typically takes the form of formatted maps that can reveal the spatial patterning of population attributes, events, hazards, or resources. The videos below showcase core types of formatting. ArcGIS Pro also permits the analysis of data through related charts (e.g., scatter plots or box plots). Lastly, users may also want to export their constructed data set for analysis in another program.
8. Exporting collated data for use in another program (1:49)
9. Formatting maps
a) Clipping roads (1:49)
b) Symbology -- Choropleths, graduated symbols, dot density (8:11)
c) Kernel density maps (heat maps) -- requires point-based data (6a and 6b may be relevant)
1) Feature to point conversion (0:55)
2) Kernel density map (17:44)
10. Charts (9:04)
11. Formatting and Layout -- Creating detailed maps/charts in poster format within ArcGIS Pro (18:57)