Update Experiences for ArcGIS-based Cartography Teaching at Penn State
ISBN 978-85-88783-11-9
Authors
1Lenze, M.; 2Cynthia, B.; 3Retchless, D.
1THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY Email: michellelenze@gmail.com
2THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY Email: cbrewer@psu.edu
3THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY Email: dpr173@psu.edu
Abstract
The innovative features of Esri's new ArcGIS Pro application provide significant opportunities for changes in cartographic education procedures. We describe the process of converting the Penn State introductory cartography course’s mature series of laboratory assignments, which are currently designed for compatibility with Esri ArcMap 10.2, to incorporate ArcGIS Pro. This new application has a redesigned interface that is ribbon-based and more intuitive for student learning. The application includes panes that allow for embedded instructions and sequences of operations within the map project, rather than on separate instruction pages. The panes also facilitate a more streamlined design process than the dialogue boxes used in the ArcMap interface. The program also provides new visualization options, including the simultaneous viewing of multiple maps in the project window. The labs in this introductory cartography course are designed to teach students how to apply cartographic design principles in their own maps and to familiarize student with the cartographic tools in ArcGIS. The course’s current laboratory assignments cover a variety of topics, listed below. (i) Labs 1 and 2 are dedicated to map layout and the labeling of points, lines, and areas. Students explore the layout view of ArcMap, where they create well-balanced, easily readable layouts, including basic map elements (title, scale bar, legend) and multiple data frames. They also explore the cartographic concepts of label positioning along lines, over areas, and around points and the concept of hierarchy and category representation through feature and label design. GIS tools used include Maplex labeling, highway shields, dictionaries to shorten labels, cartographic lines (multilayer, dash, hash), tapered streams (width by upstream drainage area), symbol-level drawing, label expressions to augment field content, and conversion to annotation. Proportional and qualitative point symbols are also used in Lab 2. (ii) Lab 3 is dedicated to choropleth mapping and requires students to create a single data classification shared over several sets of data. (iii) Lab 4 teaches design principles for representing nested areas, and revisits layout. (iv) Terrain representation is covered in Lab 5, using hypsometric tints, contour lines, curvature, and hillshading. GIS tools employed for topics iii and iv include setting transparencies for overlay, using feature outline masks for selective knockouts, building multi-part color ramps, and using styles. (v) Lab 6 explores map projections, having students customize usual projection geometries offered in ArcGIS to an oblique aspect to place a great circles along a straight line, to customize an inset to specific properties, and prepare a globe-like locator map. (vi) Finally, Lab 7 covers generalization and uses tools for simplification, aggregation, dissolve, collapse, and elimination. We found that ArcGIS Pro was well suited to performing nearly all of the basic cartographic tasks students previously performed in ArcMap. We also found that the organization of tools in panes and ribbons, rather than in an array of dialogue boxes, made the overall interface much more user-friendly. Additionally, the ability to visualize multiple data frames simultaneously on a single screen helped streamline finished map layouts. The task pane also allowed us to embed the instructions in the project, and the interface improvements meant the length of the instructions could be reduced as design choices were more directly available in the new ribbon/pane interface. We expect that the updated interface will be more familiar to beginning cartography students. As a result, we expect that students' learning will be accelerated as they are able to manipulate the software more intuitively through the new interface.