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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

Administering the ArcGIS License Manager

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 extension
ArcCatalog
Getting started with ArcCatalog
Building the Catalog
Managing the Catalog's contents
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
Working with shapefiles
Working with CAD data

About CAD data

Defining a coordinate system for CAD data

Supported AutoCAD entities and MicroStation elements
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
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

An overview of geoprocessing in ArcGIS

Introducing geoprocessing methods

Working with data

Results from running tools

Saving and loading geoprocessing settings

Keeping track of geoprocessing operations

Sharing your geoprocessing work
Working with toolboxes

An overview of toolboxes

Opening and docking the ArcToolbox window

Locating system toolboxes

Creating new toolboxes

Managing toolboxes

Copying and pasting toolboxes

Dragging and dropping toolboxes

Adding toolboxes

Deleting and removing toolboxes

Renaming toolboxes

Refreshing toolboxes

Viewing the location and alias of a toolbox

Saving toolboxes within a map document

Adding documentation to toolboxes

Exporting toolbox documentation to an HTML file

Toolbox Help: Referencing a compiled Help file

Viewing documentation for toolboxes

Rules for 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
Building a geodatabase
Editing in ArcMap
Geocoding
Linear referencing
Map projections
Writing geoprocessing scripts
Getting started with writing geoprocessing scripts
Accessing tools within a geoprocessing script
Batch processing with geoprocessing scripts
Messaging and script tools
Data properties and access when scripting

Describing data in a geoprocessing script

Data access using cursors in a geoprocessing script

Working with geodatabases in a geoprocessing script
Scripting Object: Properties and methods
Customizing the user interface
Migrating from ArcView GIS 3 to ArcView 9

Comparing ArcView GIS 3 to ArcView 9

ArcView terminology

ArcView GIS extensions at 9

Importing an ArcView GIS 3 project into ArcMap

Importing an ArcView GIS 3 legend into ArcMap

Working with tables in ArcView 9

New features and functionality beyond ArcView GIS 3

ArcView 9 and the geodatabase

ArcView 9 import tools
Migrating from ArcInfo Workstation to ArcGIS Desktop
ESRI Data & Maps
Extensions
3D Analyst
Getting started with 3D Analyst
Understanding 3D data
Surfaces and surface models

About surfaces and surface models

Discrete vs. continuous features

Functional surfaces

Surface continuity

Solid models

Surface smoothness

Breaklines in surface modeling

Raster and TIN conversion to vector data

Converting surface data to vector data
TIN surfaces
Raster surfaces
Display environments in 3D
3D layer properties
Displaying surfaces
Displaying features and graphics
Interactive tools on the 3D Analyst toolbar
Animation
3D graphics and text

About 3D graphics and text

The 3D Graphics toolbar

Digitizing 3D text

Changing properties of selected graphic elements

Changing defaults for the way graphics appear

Working with graphics layers
3D symbology
ArcGlobe

About ArcGlobe

Types of data you can use with ArcGlobe

Setting default layers

Creating a new globe

Saving an ArcGlobe document

Working with the table of contents and layer types in ArcGlobe

Adjusting the layer drawing order

Navigating in ArcGlobe

Using the camera target to simplify navigation

Zooming to a layer's extent

Using the Walk tool

Viewing globe layer properties

Setting the visibility range of a layer

Reclassifying a layer

Changing layer cache properties

Setting globe display layer properties

Setting globe properties

Setting ArcGlobe application-level options

Setting the table of contents options in ArcGlobe

Working with caching in ArcGlobe
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
Cell selection

About cell selection

Interactively selecting connected cells

Selecting connected cells using an expression query

Using additional cell selection tools and commands
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

About vectorization settings

Setting the vectorization options

Using the Raster Line Width tool
ArcGIS Data Interoperability extension

ArcGIS Data Interoperability extension
Business Analyst
Geostatistical Analyst
Getting started with Geostatistical Analyst
The principles of Geostatistical Analyst
Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA)

Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA)

What is Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA)?

Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) Tools

About examining the distribution of the data

Histogram

Using the Histogram tool to examine distributions

Normal QQ plot and general QQ plot

Understanding distributions with the QQ Plot

Examining the distribution of your data

Voronoi maps

About examining spatial autocorrelation and directional variation

Semivariogram/Covariance cloud

Looking for global and local outliers

Identifying global and local outliers

Examining spatial structure and directional variation

Trend analysis

Examining the global trend through trend analysis

Looking for global trends

Modeling global trends

Crosscovariance cloud

Covariation among multiple datasets

Examining the covariation among multiple datasets
Deterministic methods

Deterministic methods for spatial interpolation

How Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation works

Creating a map using IDW

How Global Polynomial interpolation works

Creating a map using Global Polynomial interpolation

How Local Polynomial interpolation works

Creating a map using Local Polynomial interpolation

How Radial Basis Functions (RBF) work

Creating a map using Radial Basis Functions
Creating a surface with geostatistical techniques
Using analytical tools when generating surfaces
Displaying and managing geostatistical layers
Additional geostatistical analysis tools
Maplex
Getting started with Maplex
Using Maplex to set label positions
Label fitting strategies
Resolving label conflicts

Feature priority

Preventing labels from overlapping certain feature classes

Setting labels to be background labels

Removing duplicate labels within a given radius

Making sure all of the labels for a label class are placed
Military Analyst
Getting started with Military Analyst

What is Military Analyst?

Enabling the Military Analyst extension

Adding the Military Analyst toolbar

Exploring the Military Analyst toolbar
Data Management
Coordinate tool
Terrain Analysis tools
Geodesy tools
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
Publisher
Spatial Analyst
Getting started with Spatial Analyst

An overview of Spatial Analyst

Enabling the Spatial Analyst extension

Adding the Spatial Analyst toolbar

Accessing the Spatial Analyst toolbox

Sample applications using Spatial Analyst

Deriving information from data

Identifying spatial relationships

Finding suitable locations

Calculating cost of travel
Understanding raster data
Solving spatial problems
Performing analysis in Spatial Analyst
The Raster Calculator
Analysis concepts in Spatial Analyst
Spatial Analyst functional reference
Survey Analyst
Tracking Analyst
Getting started with Tracking Analyst
Working with temporal data

About temporal data

Simple and complex temporal events

Adding temporal data in ArcMap

Adding temporal data with date conversion

Adding a tracking shapefile from ArcView GIS 3

Adding complex temporal data

Temporal layer properties

Displaying the most current temporal event

Setting temporal offset for a layer

Saving and exporting temporal data
Symbolizing temporal data

About symbolizing temporal data

Symbolizing point data

Symbolizing line data

Symbolizing polygon data

Symbolizing tracks
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

About real-time data

Setting up real-time connections in ArcCatalog

Setting properties for tracking connections in ArcCatalog

Setting properties for tracking services

Applying actions to real-time data

Applying custom VB actions in real time

Adding real-time data in ArcMap
Getting more help

Using this Help system

Getting help within the applications

Contacting Technical Support

Support for users located outside the United States

Accessing ESRI Software Training

Using the GIS Dictionary
Help for developers