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Welcome to ArcGIS Desktop Help
Copyright information
Acknowledgements
GIS Dictionary
What's new in ArcGIS
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
Tutorials
Toolbars
Getting more help

Using this Help system

Getting help within the applications

ArcGIS Desktop Resource Center

ArcGIS Desktop Documentation Library

Accessing ESRI Software Training

Using the GIS Dictionary

Contacting Technical Support

Support for users located outside the United States

Contacting ESRI
Map projections and coordinate systems
Getting started with map projections
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
Vertical coordinate systems

About vertical coordinate systems

Vertical datums

Geoid
Mapping and visualization
An overview of mapping and visualization
Using ArcMap
Working with layers
Navigating and interacting with maps
Adding graphics and text to maps
Working with graphics
Working with text
Symbolizing data
Animation
Using cartographic representations
Getting started with representations
Representation concepts
Working with representations
Editing feature representations
Page layout and map composition
Getting started with laying out and printing maps
Map elements
Grids and graticules
Rulers and guides
Working with data frames in layout view
Creating interactive and paperless maps
Map output
Map series
Designing maps for optimal performance
Working with graphs and reports
Looking at data with graphs
(Pre-ArcGIS 9.2) Looking at data with graphs
Creating reports
Working with web maps in ArcGIS
Publishing optimized map services in ArcGIS
Editing and data compilation

An overview of editing and data compilation
Getting started with editing
Common editing tasks
Creating new features
Editing existing features
Editing attributes
Editing annotation
Editing dimension features

About editing dimension features

Creating dimension features

Modifying a dimension feature's geometry and style
Using a digitizer

About digitizing

An overview of preparing to digitize

Registering the paper map

Digitizing features on a paper map
Spatial adjustment
Editing topology

About topology

Topology rules

Topology error fixes

Basic topology tasks

Creating a map topology

Editing features in a topology

Editing shared geometry

Topology validation

Topology errors and exceptions

Correcting topology errors

Finding features with shared topology elements

Clearing selected topology elements

Changing the symbology for topology features

Making new features with topology tools
Editing relationships and related objects
COGO

An overview of COGO

Common COGO workflows

About COGO descriptions

Adding COGO fields to a feature class

Traverse file format

Offset points file format

Applying a ground to grid correction

Reporting COGO descriptions

Using the Curve Calculator command

Using the COGO Area command

Splitting features into COGO lines
Tables and attribute information
Geoprocessing

What is geoprocessing?

A whirlwind tour of geoprocessing

Geoprocessing tools

Geoprocessing framework

Frequently Asked Questions about geoprocessing
Fundamental tool concepts
Using geoprocessing tools
Automating your work with models
Automating your work with scripts
Geoprocessing environments
Documenting tools and toolboxes
Sharing tools and toolboxes
Geoprocessing with ArcGIS Server
Keeping track of geoprocessing history
Advanced modeling through simulations
Geoprocessing tool reference
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
Administering ArcSDE geodatabases
Administering File and Personal geodatabases

An overview of administering file and personal geodatabases

File geodatabases: compressing vs. compacting

Compacting file and personal geodatabases

About compressing file geodatabase data

Upgrading file and personal geodatabases

File geodatabases and Windows Explorer

File geodatabase size and name limits

File geodatabases and locking
Working with geodatabases using SQL
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
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
Coverages

What is a coverage

Summary of coverage feature classes

Coverage resolution (precision)

How coverages are stored

Creating a new coverage

Understanding and maintaining attributes in a coverage

About fields (items) in coverage attribute tables

Creating a new INFO table

About the coverage extent

Coverage tics

Defining a coverage's coordinate system

Coverage topology

Coverage tolerances

Coverage relationships and relationship classes

Coverage data limitations

Importing an ArcInfo interchange file (E00)
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
Linear referencing
Network analysis
Mobile GIS

An overview of Mobile GIS
ArcGIS Mobile integration
GPS

Getting started with ArcMap GPS Support

Adding the GPS toolbar

Connecting to a GPS device

Simulating a connection to a GPS device

Using the GPS Position window

Changing the display options

Keeping the current location in the view

Adding a destination

Writing GPS locations to a log
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
GIS Servers and services