Mapping and visualization > Page layout and map composition > Map series
Creating a map series |
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Release 9.3
Last modified April 24, 2009 |
Print all topics in : "Map series" |
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This topic was updated for 9.3.1.
A map series is a set of maps that share the same page layout. Each of the individual maps in a map series shows a different geographic area. For example, a map series might contain an individual map for each county in a state, or each country in a continent, or each parcel in a new subdivision. The individual maps in a map series are often called map sheets. Each sheet in a map series also typically contains map elements, like the map title, that change to reflect the name of the area shown in the particular map sheet.
You can create a map series by creating multiple map documents (MXDs), one for each of the map sheets in the series. However, this method requires that you create and maintain multiple MXDs and is obviously not convenient if you have a large number of map sheets in your series. For example, if you want to change the symbology used in your map series, you would have to make that change manually in each of the MXD files in your series.
The most common way to automatically create a map series in ArcMap is to download and install the free developer sample called the DS Map Book. As a developer sample, the DS Map Book also contains all the source code so it can be further customized by developers. But you don't need to be a developer to download and use it. The DS Map Book is self-contained and can be easily downloaded and installed by any ArcMap user who wants to automatically create a map series. As a free unsupported download, the DS Map Book isn't supported by ESRI Technical Support. However, people using DS Map Book regularly exchange tips, issues, etc., in threads on the Desktop User Forum on ESRI's Support Center Web site.
You can download the DS Map Book from this link on the ArcGIS Desktop Resource Center. (If that link doesn't work for any reason, search the Desktop Resource Center for "DS Map Book"). On that link, click the option to download all the VB6 files. After downloading the files, double-click the _INSTALL.bat file to install DS Map Book. That set of files also includes a Word document containing a full description of the functionality. Remember that the DS Map Book is not supported by ESRI, and you should test this functionality to see if it meets your needs before deploying it in a production situation. Some users have extended the DS Map Book to add functionality. You can find these on the Web or in the Desktop User Forum by searching for "DS Map Book" or "ArcMapBook".
The DS Map Book lets you define a map series from a polygon layer in your map, which is treated as the index layer for the map series. A map sheet will automatically be generated for each of the polygon features in your index layer. Various options are provided for specifying the actual scale and extent that will be used for each of the map sheets including deriving these from fields in the index layer. When you install the DS Map Book, you'll get a new tab in your ArcMap table Of contents called Map Book. Each sheet in your map series is listed here, and you can click on a map sheet to preview it in layout view. You'll also get a new toolbar called Map Series. The DS Map Book is a popular way to create a map series because your map series is contained in one MXD file, so any changes you make to the appearance of the layers or the page layout immediately apply to all the sheets in your series. You can right-click on the Map Book entry in the Map Book TOC tab to access additional functionality such as the ability to tag a text element like a title on the page layout so that it automatically reflects the name of the feature from the index layer being shown in the current map sheet. You can also tag other text elements on the page layout so that they automatically reflect an attribute from the index layer. For example, you could have a text element in your page layout that is tagged as linked to a population attribute in your index layer, so each map sheet in your map series could show one county in a state and the population of the county would also be shown on the map sheet surrounds.
The DS Map Book is a very simple, free solution for map series creation. There are other solutions available for map book and map series creation. If your organization has requirements for high-volume cartographic production, maintenance, and publication, including advanced handling of map series, map books, and map atlases, you should consider the Production Line Tool Set (PLTS) for ArcGIS extension available from ESRI. For more information about PLTS, start at the PLTS introduction page on esri.com.