Powering Your GeoDatabase and ModelBuilder for Management/Analysis v10 

Two days

Author: Bruce Kessler

ArcGIS Version: 10

Printed Materials: Color and larger fonts for both lecture and exercise

Overview

This course came about through combining two earlier developed courses: Skills for the GeoDatabase and GeoProcessing and the ModelBuilder. The techniques were combined and ModelBuilder is now used to help implement a GeoDatabase.

Are you still fuzzy on GeoDatabase and topology? This class gets you into the center mass of GeoDatabases in version 10 using an uncluttered and systematic approach -- a powerful building of simple and powerful GeoDatabases under a File GeoDatabase (excluding enterprise GeoDatabases). This course starts with a quick review of objects within a GeoDatabase and the different types of GeoDatabases, then moves deeper. Many users need a strong basis in using the GeoDatabase for daily activities that don't require elaborate designs. Students learn how work with every day topology applications through creation of rules, investigation of specific changes in the data due to validation, work with editing tasks for management issues such as coincidence, and learn how to manage some confusing topology errors. Additionally, subclasses and domains are explored for their simple powerful concepts. This class uses natural resources and urban data so concepts can be easily be transferred to other types of applications.

While working with GeoDatabases, students may  ask “How can I repeat my work, as well as document it?” Using ModelBuilder in conjunction with the tools found in ArcToolbox powerfully enhances your GeoDatabase building/maintenance procedures. The focus of this class is to learn the tools: creating, editing, and documenting models.

Students will leave this class with the confidence for building basic and sound GeoDatabases as well as confidence in constructing their own models from scratch.

Audience

This course is for users who have basic skills in using ArcGIS and need strong experience and confidence to move into GeoDatabases, GeoProcessing, and using the ModelBuilder.

Prerequisites and recommendations

Participants should be comfortable using ArcGIS, particularly ArcCatalog. Users should have some experience in editing procedures and be self-motivated to work quickly and with focus. This is an intense class.

Goals

·       Solid knowledge growth in understanding  GeoDatabases (continuing learning from any basic ArcGIS course)

·        Understand topology properties (rules)

·        Be introduced to using a number of common topologies, know enough to learn more topologies

·        Construct multiple topologies

·        Work with coincident features: lines, points, and polygons

·        Edit features under topology rules and manage errors and exceptions

·        Learn about subclasses and using its power

·        Learn about domains

·        Work with many aspects of ModelBuilder

Topics covered

·        When do you start using a GeoDatabase?

·        Why / why not use a GeoDatabase?

·        GeoDatabase Basics

·        Before using a GeoDatabase

·        Managing your GDB

·        Populating the GeoDatabase and Exporting from the GeoDatabase

·        Import

o       Coverage Regions

o       Linked Coverage Annotation

o       Effects on imported fields

·        Load from ArcCatalog

o       Dropping attributes upon load

·        Add data through editing

·        Export to XML

·        What is topology

·        Why use topology

·        Properties of topology

·        How are topologies built?

·        Topology restrictions

·        Creating topology

·        Topology Rules Review

·        Editing Features Controlled by Topologic Rules

·        Editing coincident lines

·        Checking errors

·        Fixing errors in conjunction with the error inspector

·        Rule exceptions

·        Subclasses

·        Domains

·        Understand Geoprocessing methods

·        Understand the commonly used tools and procedures for Geoprocessing

·        Build skills using ArcToolbox

·        Understand the ModelBuilder and how it works with ArcToolbox

·        Working with model elements

·        Create branching models

·        Batch and loop

·        Create metadata and help documentation for models

Some Specific Exercise Situations

·        Working with File GeoDatabase

·        Import and create schema for roads, wetlands, parcels, zone

·        Import townships and sections at the same time

·        Import coverage annotation

·        Import imagery

·        Importing and exporting data via XML

·        Evaluating history

·        Data changes due to increased cluster values

·        Using the Must Cover Each Other rule

·        Reverse the Must Cover Each Other rule

·        Rules controlling horizontal control markers and section corners

·        Rules for overlapping, intersected, dangling, and pseudo node lines

·        Editing and managing errors: Must Not Overlap; Must Not Have Gaps; Must Cover Each Other; Must Be Covered By Boundary Of; Must Not Have Dangles; Must Not Overlap

·        Review and work with all model elements

·        Validation, parameters, intermediate data, batching, looping

·        Branching models

 “I liked your ability to make people feel comfortable. Humor, etc. Not an old stuffed shirt... your ability to say the same thing in different ways -- this insured understanding...  your waiting for all the class to finish." Karla Roberts City of Ocean Shores, OR

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