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Welcome to ArcGIS Desktop Help
Copyright information
Acknowledgements
GIS Dictionary
What's new in ArcGIS

What's new in ArcGIS 9.3

What's new in ArcGIS 9.3.1
Migration guides
Getting started
Fundamentals of GIS

Three views of GIS

How maps convey geographic information

Georeferencing and coordinate systems

Elements of geographic information

How GIS represents and organizes geographic information

How ArcGIS users work with geographic information

Users work with many data types and data formats in ArcGIS

Comparing Geoprocessing and Spatial Analysis
Introducing ArcGIS Desktop

What is ArcGIS 9.3

An overview of ArcGIS Desktop

Using ArcGIS Desktop

Mapping and visualization in ArcMap

The geodatabase

Workspace and dataset management with ArcCatalog

Data compilation and editing

Geoprocessing and analysis

Tips and tricks within ArcGIS
Tutorials
Toolbars
Getting more help
Map projections and coordinate systems
Getting started with map projections

An overview of map projections

Projection basics the GIS professional needs to know

About the geoid, ellipsoid, spheroid and datum, and how they are related

Identifying an unknown coordinate system

Converting Degrees Minutes Seconds values to Decimal Degree values
Geographic coordinate systems
Projected coordinate systems

About projected coordinate systems

About map projections

Projection types

Planar projections

Conic projections

Cylindrical projections

Other projections

Projection parameters
Geographic transformations
Supported map projections

List of supported map projections

Aitoff

Alaska Grid

Alaska Series E

Albers Equal Area Conic

Azimuthal Equidistant

Behrmann Equal Area Cylindrical

Bipolar Oblique Conformal Conic

Bonne

Cassini-Soldner

Chamberlin Trimetric

Craster Parabolic

Cube

Cylindrical Equal Area

Double Stereographic

Eckert I

Eckert II

Eckert III

Eckert IV

Eckert V

Eckert VI

Equidistant Conic

Equidistant Cylindrical

Equirectangular

Fuller

Gall's Stereographic

Gauss-Krüger

Geocentric Coordinate System

Geographic Coordinate System

Gnomonic

Goodes Homolosine

Great Britain National Grid

Hammer-Aitoff

Hotine Oblique Mercator

Krovak

Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area

Lambert Conformal Conic

Local Cartesian Projection

Loximuthal

McBryde-Thomas Flat-Polar Quartic

Mercator

Miller Cylindrical

Mollweide

New Zealand National Grid

Orthographic

Perspective

Plate Carrée

Polar Stereographic

Polyconic

Quartic Authalic

Rectified Skewed Orthomorphic

Robinson

Simple Conic

Sinusoidal

Space Oblique Mercator

State Plane Coordinate System

Stereographic

Times projection

Transverse Mercator

Two-Point Equidistant

Universal Polar Stereographic

Universal Transverse Mercator

Van der Grinten I

Vertical Near-Side Perspective

Winkel I

Winkel II

Winkel Tripel
Vertical coordinate systems

About vertical coordinate systems

Vertical datums

Geoid
Mapping and visualization
An overview of mapping and visualization
Using ArcMap

Layers, data frames, and the table of contents

Starting ArcMap

Creating a new map

Opening a map

Using the table of contents

About coordinate systems and map projections

Specifying a coordinate system

Referencing data in the map

Working with data frames

Pausing the map's drawing

Saving a map and exiting ArcMap

Saving to previous versions of ArcGIS

Keyboard shortcuts in ArcMap
Working with layers

Adding layers to a map

Adding a layer package to your map

Adding x,y coordinate data as a layer

Changing a layer's drawing order

Changing a layer's text description

Setting layer properties

Managing group layers

Saving a layer to disk

Copying layers

Displaying layers at certain scales

Displaying a subset of features in a layer

Repairing broken data links

Viewing a layer's metadata in ArcMap

Setting HTML pop-up properties for feature layers
Navigating and interacting with maps
Navigating maps and layout pages
Interacting with maps
Adding graphics and text to maps
Working with graphics
Working with text
Symbolizing data
Applying symbology
Styles and symbols
Animation
Getting started with animation
Animation concepts
Building animations
Playing animations
Editing animations
Saving, exporting, and loading animations
Common animation work flows
Using cartographic representations
Getting started with representations
Representation concepts
Working with representations
Editing feature representations
Page layout and map composition
Working with graphs and reports
Working with web maps in ArcGIS

An overview of GIS Web map layers

Working with ArcGIS Server in ArcGIS Desktop
Using services from ArcGIS Server
Using services from ArcIMS
Using OGC Services
Using KML
Using ArcGIS Online
Using image service layers
Working with service layers in the table of contents
Printing and exporting maps containing service layers
Publishing optimized map services in ArcGIS

Publishing optimized map services

Drawing differences between ArcMap and optimized map services
Map Service Publication Toolbar error messages
Map Service Publication Toolbar warning messages
Map Service Publishing Toolbar information messages
Editing and data compilation
Tables and attribute information
Geoprocessing
Geoprocessing tool reference

An overview of commonly used tools

Geoprocessing commands quick reference guide

Licensing for geoprocessing tools

Data types for geoprocessing tool parameters
Input and output data considerations

Overview of input and output data considerations

Geoprocessing considerations for subtypes

Geoprocessing considerations for attribute domains

Geoprocessing considerations for shapefile output

Geoprocessing considerations for cartographic representations
3D Analyst toolbox

An overview of the 3D Analyst toolbox

Understanding 3D data

Concepts of surface analysis

Working with TIN surfaces

Working with raster surfaces

3D visualization
3D Analyst Conversion toolset
Functional Surface toolset
Raster Interpolation toolset
Raster Math toolset
Raster Reclass toolset
Raster Surface toolset
Terrain toolset
TIN Creation toolset
TIN Surface toolset
Analysis toolbox
Business Analyst toolbox
Cartography toolbox

An overview of the Cartography toolbox

Cartography toolbox sample applications
Graphic Quality toolset
Masking toolset
Representation Management toolset
Symbolization Refinement toolset
Conversion toolbox
Coverage toolbox
Data Interoperability toolbox
Data Management toolbox
Geocoding toolbox
Geostatistical Analyst toolbox
Linear Referencing toolbox

An overview of the Linear Referencing toolbox

Understanding linear referencing

Creating route data

Creating and editing event data

Linear Referencing sample applications
Tools
Military Analyst toolbox
Mobile toolbox

An overview of the Mobile toolbox
Tools
Military Overlay Editor toolbox

An overview of the Military Overlay Editor toolbox
Utilities toolset
Multidimensional toolbox
Network Analyst toolbox

An overview of the Network Analyst toolbox
Analysis toolset
Network Dataset toolset
Turn Feature Class toolset
Server toolbox
Schematics toolbox

An overview of the Schematics toolbox
Tools
Spatial Analyst toolbox

An overview of the Spatial Analyst toolbox

Solving problems in Spatial Analyst

Understanding raster data

Performing analysis in Spatial Analyst

Spatial Analyst toolbox sample applications
Conditional toolset
Density toolset
Distance toolset
Extraction toolset
Generalization toolset
Groundwater toolset
Hydrology toolset
Interpolation toolset
Local toolset
Map Algebra toolset
Math toolset
Multivariate toolset
Neighborhood toolset
Overlay toolset
Raster Creation toolset
Reclass toolset
Solar Radiation toolset
Surface toolset
Zonal toolset
Spatial Statistics toolbox
Samples toolbox

An overview of the Samples toolbox
Conversion
Data Management
Tracking Analyst toolbox

An overview of the Tracking Analyst toolbox
Tools
Environment Settings

Environment settings
General settings
Cartography settings
Coverage settings
Geodatabase settings
Geostatistical Analysis settings
Raster Analysis settings
Raster Storage settings
Tool errors and warnings
Geodatabases and ArcSDE
An overview of the geodatabase

An overview of the geodatabase

Essential readings about the geodatabase

Table basics

Feature class basics

Raster basics

Types of geodatabases

Client and geodatabase compatibility

Common geodatabase tasks
Architecture of a geodatabase
Designing a geodatabase
Building a geodatabase
Data management workflows, transactions, and versioning
Geodatabase data storage and schema

A short history lesson on simple features

How geodatabases are stored in a DBMS
Feature geometry and raster data storage
Inside a geodatabase in DB2
Inside a geodatabase in Informix
Inside a geodatabase in Oracle
Inside a geodatabase in PostgreSQL
Inside a geodatabase in SQL Server
Administering ArcSDE geodatabases

An overview of ArcSDE geodatabase administration

What is ArcSDE?

Administering ArcSDE for DB2

Administering ArcSDE for Informix

Administering ArcSDE for Oracle

Administering ArcSDE for PostgreSQL

Administering ArcSDE for SQL Server

Administering a database server
Installing and upgrading the ArcSDE component
Configuring an ArcSDE geodatabase
Creating and administering user accounts
Connecting to an ArcSDE geodatabase
Maintaining a geodatabase
Tuning an ArcSDE geodatabase
Scaling and moving your geodatabase
Administering File and Personal geodatabases
Working with geodatabases using SQL

An overview of working with ST_Geometry storage using SQL

Spatial relationships

Spatial operations

Geometry properties

SQL implementation differences for the ST_Geometry type
Using spatial types with SQL
SQL functions reference
Data management with ArcCatalog

An overview of ArcCatalog

About workspaces
Getting started with ArcCatalog
Building the Catalog

About folders and file types

Managing folder connections

Creating and accessing geodatabases

Creating spatial database connections

Adding OLE DB connections

About database server connections

About GIS servers and services

Connecting to GIS servers

Working with database connections

Hiding folders and items

Altering the data formats read by ArcCatalog

Working with file types

Accessing delimited text file data
Managing the Catalog's contents

The Contents tab

Working in Details view

Changing the columns in Details view

Modifying the default settings for exploring contents

Exploring an item's properties

Organizing your data

Converting data to a different format
Exploring an item's geography
Searching for items
Working with metadata

About metadata

Metadata standards and the ArcGIS metadata format

ArcGIS support for the ISO 19139 metadata standard

Exploring an item's metadata

Changing the default stylesheet

Printing metadata

Creating and updating metadata

Metadata synchronization

Writing metadata documentation

Importing and exporting metadata with ArcCatalog

Importing and exporting metadata

Editing metadata

Using the FGDC metadata editor

Using the ISO metadata editor

Managing enclosures

Requirements for publishing metadata to an ArcIMS Metadata Service

Adding information required by the ArcIMS Metadata Service

Publishing metadata to an ArcIMS Metadata Service

Managing published metadata documents

Changing a published document's properties

Adding custom places to a Gazetteer Metadata Service

Customizing metadata
Image and raster data management
Data support in ArcGIS

An overview of data support in ArcGIS

Data formats supported in ArcGIS
CAD data
The composition of a CAD drawing
Working with CAD data in ArcGIS
Displaying CAD features
Georeferencing CAD data
CAD feature attributes and queries
CAD data translation
Geoprocessing tools for CAD translation
Common CAD data workflows
Coverages
NetCDF: multidimensional, time series data
An overview of netCDF data
Understanding netCDF data
Working with netCDF data in ArcGIS
Shapefiles
Terrains
Extensions
Geocoding and address management
Getting started with geocoding
Understanding geocoding

What is an address?

The geocoding work flow

The geocoding framework

The process of geocoding

Customization of the address locator

Common geocoding tasks
Preparing for geocoding
Building an address locator

Defining the address locator components

Creating an address locator

Modifying an address locator's settings

Managing address locators in ArcMap

Managing address locators in ArcCatalog

Migrating address locators created with ArcGIS prior to version 9.2
Locating addresses
Additional geocoding techniques
Keeping an address locator current

Updating your reference data

Versioned data and the address locator

Rebuilding address locators
Distributing your address locator

Deciding to share an address locator

Collecting address locators

Making your address locator public

Accessing distributed address locators

Sharing pre-9.2 address locators
Adjusting your address locator file
About StreetMap data
Linear referencing
Getting started with linear referencing

An overview of linear referencing

Common tasks in linear referencing

Some linear referencing scenarios

Linear referencing datasets in ArcGIS

Designing a linear referencing system in your geodatabase
Creating route feature classes

An overview of creating route feature classes

Creating route feature classes

Defining the measure properties of your m coordinates

Using existing linear features to create routes

Creating routes from existing lines

About calibrating route measures using points

Calibrating routes with points

Migrating route features to a geodatabase

Accessing the Create Routes wizard

Accessing the Calibrate Routes wizard
Displaying and querying route feature classes
Displaying and querying route events
Editing routes

An overview of editing routes

Creating route features from existing lines

Using ArcMap to calibrate routes with points

About setting route measures

Remeasuring routes

Adding the Route Editing toolbar
Creating and editing event data

An overview of creating and editing event data

Creating event tables in ArcCatalog

About locating features along routes

Locating features along routes

Editing event tables in ArcMap
Working with route event data
Network analysis
Mobile GIS

An overview of Mobile GIS
ArcGIS Mobile integration

Introduction to ArcGIS Mobile

Design and create Mobile maps

Building effective data models for field data collection

Deploying maps to mobile devices

Managing field updates using ArcGIS Desktop

Geoprocessing support for ArcGIS Mobile
GPS
Tablet PC

An overview of Tablet PC technology

Adding the Tablet toolbar

Pen tool

Highlighter tool

Eraser tool

Commands on the Tablet toolbar
ArcPad integration
Interoperability and standards support
Customizing and developing with ArcGIS
Guide to data that comes with ArcGIS
Licensing and desktop administration

Administering the ArcGIS License Manager

Setting up license managers for ArcGIS 93 concurrent use products

Checking license availability

Viewing and changing the license manager

Common license manager problems and how to solve them

Setting the software product

Registering ArcView or ArcEditor and extensions

Evaluating an ArcGIS Desktop extension

Error reporting for ArcGIS software crash data

Frequently asked questions about error reporting
GIS Servers and services