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Welcome to ArcGIS Desktop Help
Copyright information
GIS Dictionary
What's new in ArcGIS Desktop 9.1
What was new in ArcGIS Desktop 9.0
Getting started
What is ArcGIS Desktop?
ArcGIS geodatabase
ArcGIS geoprocessing
ArcGIS geovisualization
ArcGIS Desktop extensions
GIS data structure types
Data types supported in ArcGIS
Desktop Administration
ArcCatalog
Getting started with ArcCatalog
Building the Catalog
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
Previewing an item's geographic data
Exploring data in Geography view
Creating thumbnails
Exploring the values in a table
Working with metadata
Searching for items
Working with maps and layers
About maps, layers, and graphs
Opening a map from ArcCatalog
Adding data to maps
Creating a layer
Creating a group layer
Repairing the data sources in a layer
Joining attributes to the layer's data
Working with shapefiles
Working with CAD data
Working with coverages
About coverages and INFO tables
Creating a new coverage
Creating a new INFO table
Generating topology
Defining a coverage's coordinate system
Modifying a coverage's tics
Modifying a coverage's extent
Setting a coverage's tolerances
Maintaining attributes
About relationships and relationship classes
Creating a coverage relationship class
Working with rasters in ArcCatalog
ArcMap
Getting started with ArcMap
An overview of ArcMap
Layers, data frames, and the table of contents
Starting ArcMap
Opening a map
Using the table of contents
Looking at a map in data view and layout view
Moving around the map
Working with spatial bookmarks
Opening magnifier and overview windows
Exploring data on a map
Saving a map and exiting ArcMap
Saving to previous versions of ArcGIS
Keyboard shortcuts in ArcMap
Working with the map cache
Creating maps
Managing layers
Symbolizing your data
Working with text
An overview of working with text
Adding new text to a map
Working with data frame contents in layout view
Organizing annotation into groups
About labeling
Displaying labels
Prioritizing and positioning labels
Specifying the text of labels
About building label expressions
Using text formatting tags
About annotation
Using feature-linked annotation
A comparison of annotation groups vs. geodatabase annotation
About coverage annotation pseudo items
Displaying geodatabase annotation
Displaying CAD and VPF annotation
About editing CAD and VPF annotation
Displaying coverage and SDE 3 annotation
About editing coverage and SDE 3 annotation
Displaying MapTips
Working with graphics
Laying out and printing maps
Working with styles and symbols
Working with tables
Looking at data with graphs
About looking at data with graphs
Types of graphs
Creating a graph
Displaying a graph
Modifying a graph
Creating a static copy of a graph
Managing graphs
Saving and loading a graph
Exporting a graph
Creating reports
Querying maps
Analyzing geometric networks
Working with rasters in ArcMap
Working with ArcPad
An overview of ArcPad
Adding the ArcPad toolbar
About managing data in ArcPad
Getting data for ArcPad
Checking in edits from ArcPad
Undoing a checkout for editing
Working with StreetMap data
Getting started with StreetMap
Geocoding addresses with StreetMap USA data
Finding a route using StreetMap USA data
About finding a route
Pointing and clicking on your maps to assign stops
Using a point layer for your stops
Using addresses you enter for your stops
Using a point graphic to assign stops
GPS Support
Tablet PC
An overview of Tablet PC
ArcGIS and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
About the Tablet toolbar
Adding the Tablet toolbar
Pen tool
Highlighter tool
Eraser tool
Finish Ink Sketch command
Clear Ink Sketch command
Add Ink to Edit Sketch command
Recognize Ink Graphic command
Reactivate the Selected Ink Graphic command
Find Ink Graphic command
Tablet Options button
ArcReader
An overview of ArcReader
Table of contents, data frames, and layers
Getting help in ArcReader
Starting ArcReader
Opening a map in ArcReader
Controlling the look and feel of ArcReader
Viewing a map in data view and layout view
Using the ArcReader table of contents
Working with data frames and layers
Moving around on the map
Moving around a 3D globe
Using spatial bookmarks
Opening the magnifier window
Exploring data and features on a map
ArcReader messages
Printing from ArcReader
Closing and exiting ArcReader
Geoprocessing in the ArcGIS environment
An overview of geoprocessing
Getting started with geoprocessing
Working with toolboxes
Working with toolsets and tools
Specifying environment settings
Using the Command Line window
Introducing model building
Using the ModelBuilder window
An overview of the ModelBuilder window
Building a model
Element states
Running a model
Using nonexistent output data
Working with variables
About intermediate data
Working with intermediate data
Controlling the flow of processing
Using the Select Data tool
Working with model elements
Adding text labels
Working with diagram properties
Changing diagram properties
Navigating in the model
Validating a model
Repairing a model
Print setup
Setting up and printing a model
Generating a report
Documenting a process
Importing a model from ArcView GIS 3
Exporting a model
Geoprocessing tool reference
Geoprocessing Commands Quick Reference Guide
An overview of commonly used tools
Licensing for geoprocessing tools
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
Overview of the Functional Surface toolset
Understanding the shape of a surface
Analyze Visibility
Create 3D features
Find the volume contained in a surface
Tools
Raster Interpolation toolset
Raster Math toolset
An overview of the Raster Math toolset
Mathematical operations and functions in 3D Analyst
Tools
Raster Reclass toolset
Raster Surface toolset
An overview of the Raster Surface toolset
Creating contours in 3D Analyst
Calculating slope in 3D Analyst
Determining aspect in 3D Analyst
Producing a hillshade in 3D Analyst
Understanding cut/fill volumetric analysis in 3D Analyst
Performing a viewshed analysis in 3D Analyst
Tools
TIN Creation toolset
An overview of the TIN Creation toolset
Creating and editing TINs
Tools
TIN Surface toolset
An overview of the TIN Surface toolset
Measuring aspect
Understanding slope
Working with contours
Tools
Analysis toolbox
Business Analyst toolbox
Cartography toolbox
Conversion toolbox
An overview of the Conversion toolbox
From Raster toolset
An overview of the From Raster toolset
About converting from raster data
Tools
To CAD toolset
To Coverage toolset
To dBASE toolset
To Geodatabase toolset
To Raster toolset
An overview of the To Raster toolset
Converting features to raster data
Converting a DEM to a raster dataset
Tools
To Shapefile toolset
Coverage toolbox
An overview of the Coverage toolbox
What is a coverage?
About the coverage extent
What are TICs?
Coverage resolution
Understanding attributes in a coverage
How coverages are stored
Coverage data limitations
Summary of coverage feature classes
Analysis toolset
Conversion toolset
Data Management toolset
Data Management toolbox
Geocoding toolbox
Geostatistical Analyst toolbox
Linear Referencing toolbox
Military Analyst toolbox
An overview of the Military Analyst toolbox
Utilities (Military Analyst)
Tools
Network Analyst toolbox
Spatial Analyst toolbox
Spatial Statistics toolbox
An overview of the Spatial Statistics toolbox
Modeling spatial relationships
Spatial Statistics toolbox sample applications
Analyzing Patterns toolset
Mapping Clusters toolset
Measuring Geographic Distributions toolset
An overview of the Measuring Geographic Distributions toolset
Using weights
Tools
Utilities toolset
Samples toolbox
An overview of the Samples toolbox
Analysis
Conversion
Data Management
Environment Settings
Building a geodatabase
Getting started with building a geodatabase
An overview of building geodatabases
Designing a geodatabase
Copying the schema of a geodatabase
Ways to create a geodatabase
Creating a geodatabase
Accessing an ArcSDE geodatabase
Upgrading a geodatabase
Creating new items in geodatabases
Importing data
Topology
An overview of topology in the geodatabase
Topologies and ArcCatalog
Topology and feature geometry
About creating a topology
Creating a new topology
Migrating data into a geodatabase to create topologies
Adding new feature classes to your topology
Creating new polygons from lines
Validating a topology
Planning for exceptions
Refining topologies with subtypes
Managing a topology
Modifying a topology
Summarizing topology errors
Topology and versioning
Topology and versioned databases
Dirty areas and versioned topological feature classes
Error features and versioned topological feature classes
Exceptions and versioned topological feature classes
Conflicts and topology features
Topology and disconnected editing
Subtypes and attribute domains
Defining a relationship class
Geometric networks
Managing annotation
Dimensioning
Working with a versioned geodatabase
Disconnected editing
An overview of disconnected editing
How disconnected editing works
The master geodatabase
The check-out geodatabase
Preparing a check-out
Checking out geometric networks
Checking out topologies
Checking out related data
The check-out process
About checking in data to a master geodatabase
Delta databases and XML files
Checking in geometric networks
Checking in topologies
Checking in related data
The check-in process
Working with version 8.3 and 9 geodatabases
Checking out data from a geodatabase
Checking in data to a geodatabase
Managing check-outs
Building geodatabases with CASE tools
Building a raster geodatabase
Editing in ArcMap
Getting started with editing in ArcMap
Creating new features
Using a digitizer
Creating features from other features
Copying parallel line features
Creating buffers
Mirroring features
Creating and exploding multipart features
Combining features from different layers
Intersecting features
Editing existing features
Editing topology
Editing attributes
Spatial adjustment
Editing geometric networks
Editing relationships and related objects
Editing annotation
Editing dimension features
Geocoding
Linear referencing
Map projections
Writing geoprocessing scripts
Customizing the user interface
Migrating from ArcView GIS 3 to ArcView 9
Migrating from ArcInfo Workstation to ArcGIS Desktop
ESRI Data & Maps
Getting started with ESRI Data and Maps
Canada
Europe
Mexico
World
World Administrative Units
World Cities
World Continents
World Countries (generalized)
World Countries 1992
World Countries 2005
World CountryWatch Demographics (table)
World Country Memberships of Political Organizations (table)
World Drainage Systems
World Gazetteer
World Lakes
World Latitude and Longitude Grids
World Named Latitudes and Longitudes
World Regions
World Rivers
World Time Zones
World UTM Zones
World Wildlife Fund Marine Ecoregions
World Wildlife Fund Terrestrial Ecoregions
StreetMap USA
Image data
United States (census)
United States 108th Congressional Districts
United States 109th Congressional Districts
United States Census Block Centroid Populations
United States Census Block Groups
United States Census Feature Class Codes (table)
United States Cenus Tracts
United States Census Urbanized Areas
United States Cities
United States Core Based Statistical Areas
United States Counties
United States Counties (generalized)
United States County Boundaries
United States Country Population Estimates 1990 (table)
United States Country Population Estimates 2000 (table)
United States National Atlas Cities
United States National Atlas Urbanized Areas
United States Populated Place Areas
United States Populated Place Points
United States States
United States States (generalized)
United States State Boundaries
United States Telephone Area Code Boundaries
United States ZIP Code Areas (three-digit)
United States ZIP Code Areas (five-digit)
United States ZIP Code Points
United States (hydrography)
United States Drainage Systems
United States Lakes
United States National Atlas Water Feature Areas
United States National Atlas Water Feature Lines
United States Rivers (generalized)
United States Rivers and Streams
United States Water Bodies
United States (landmarks)
United States Geographic Names Information System Buildings
United States Geographic Names Information System Cemeteries
Untied States Geographic Names Information System Churches
United States Geographic Names Information System Golf Locales
United States Geographic Names Information System Hospitals
United States Geographic Names Information System Locales
United States Geographic Names Information System Populated Places
United States Geographic Names Information System Schools
United States Geographic Names Information System Summits
United States Hospitals
United States National Atlas Historic Earthquakes
United States National Atlas Volcanoes
United States Parks
United States TANA/GDT Institutions
United States TANA/GDT Large Area Landmarks
United States TANA/GDT Park Landmarks
United States TANA/GDT Recreation Areas
United States (other)
United States (transportation)
United States Highways
United States Major Highways
United States Major Roads
United States National Atlas Airports
United States National Transportation Atlas Interstate Highways
United States National Transportation Atlas Railroads
United States TANA/GDT Airports
United States TANA/GDT Transportation Terminals
Extensions
3D Analyst
ArcScan
Getting started with ArcScan
Raster tracing
About raster tracing
Types of raster snapping properties
Setting the raster snapping options
Applying the vectorization settings for raster tracing
Creating line features using raster snapping and the Sketch tool
Creating line features using the Vectorization Trace tool
Creating polygon features using raster snapping and the Sketch tool
Creating polygon features using the Vectorization Trace tool
Batch vectorization
About batch vectorization
Applying the vectorization settings for batch vectorization
Previewing the vectorization
Generating features
Cell selection
Raster cleanup
About preparing raster data for vectorization
Starting and stopping the raster cleanup session
Using the raster cleanup commands
Using the Raster Painting tools
Vectorization options and settings
ArcGIS Data Interoperability extension
Business Analyst
Geostatistical Analyst
Maplex
Getting started with Maplex
Using Maplex to set label positions
Label fitting strategies
Why use additional strategies for placing labels?
Label stacking
Stacking labels with a special character
Adding and removing stacking characters
Controlling how a stacking character is used
Allowing labels to extend beyond features
Allowing a label to overrun the length of a feature
Font reduction
Reducing label size with font size and width reduction
Abbreviating words to place more labels
Building an abbreviation dictionary
Adding words to an abbreviation dictionary
Using an abbreviation dictionary
Saving an abbreviation dictionary
Loading an abbreviation dictionary
Resolving label conflicts
Military Analyst
Getting started with Military Analyst
Data Management
An overview of data management
Creating MA catalogs
Loading data into MA catalogs
Adding MA layers in ArcMap
MA RPF catalogs
Displaying RPF catalogs in ArcMap
Loading nonRPF data
MA DTED catalogs
Displaying DTED catalogs in ArcMap
MA VPF catalogs
Displaying VPF catalogs in ArcMap
Coordinate tool
Terrain Analysis tools
An overview of the Terrain Analysis tools
Setting the Terrain Analysis working directory
Using the Mosaic command
Using the Extract tool
Using the Highest/Lowest Point tools
Using the Radial Line of Sight
Radial Line of Sight parameters
Using the Linear Line of Sight
Using the Hillshade command
Using the Hillshade tool
Creating threat domes with the 3D Viewer
Using the 3D Viewer Fly Through
Geodesy tools
An overview of the Geodesy tools
Geodesy concepts
Adding geodesy lines with the Geodesy Graphic tool
Adding geodesy lines with the Geodesy Calculator
Using the Range Rings tool
The conversion tools
MA catalog wireframe symbology
Military Analyst in ArcGlobe
An overview of the Military Analyst ArcGlobe functionality
Using the Fly Through tool
Using the Threat Dome tool
Setting the Threat Dome options
Military Analyst tools reference
Military Overlay Editor
Getting started with MOLE
MOLE geodatabases
MOLE feature types
Creating a MOLE geodatabase
Creating MOLE feature classes
Attribute data field descriptions
Required field names for MOLE feature classes
Creating MOLE geodatabases for ArcView users
Updating MOLE datasets
Adding MOLE symbols in ArcMap
Controlling the MOLE display
Using MOLE with other ESRI products
Network Analyst
Getting started with Network Analyst
Network dataset concepts
Designing the network dataset
Building and editing the network dataset
Performing network analysis
Migrating to ArcGIS Network Analyst
Network Analyst tools reference
Publisher
Spatial Analyst
Survey Analyst
Tracking Analyst
Getting started with Tracking Analyst
Working with temporal data
Symbolizing temporal data
Displaying temporal data
About displaying temporal data
Displaying symbolized temporal data
Using the Animation Wizard
Labeling temporal data
Charting temporal data
Creating and applying actions
Working with real-time data
Getting more help
Help for developers