Mapping Mars with ArcGIS Pro

I only discovered relatively recently that the Desktop suite is not limited to mapping Earth. Hidden amongst the thousands of coordinate systems available, you can find those for mapping planets within the Solar System.

Just for kicks, I downloaded all the geological data from Mars to have a look in ArcGIS Pro and see how it would fare in the hybrid 2D/3D interface.

You can try this out for yourselves by downloading the data from the USGS here. The datasets are conveniently provided in a file geodatabase and the layers come with some standard symbology in MXDs, so it’s an easy feat to import into ArcGIS Pro.

Maps with brains and beauty: creative cartography in action

Maps, in an abstract sense, are a vehicle for information; a way of presenting an idea, a plan, or a story. Since the earliest cave paintings, maps have been a pivotal communication tool, but in today’s world the amount of data that we have access to makes it harder than ever to clearly articulate our thoughts.

Our presentation’s main focus today was to look at how we can use lessons learned from other disciplines to simplify, modernise and improve the appearance of our maps.

Wondering how to use Python with ArcGIS? Esri Australia have courses that can help

Learning how to complete your ArcGIS Geoprocessing steps using Python will allow you to reduce the time spent on complex and/or repetitive tasks and will enable your staff to learn a more productive and dynamic pathway to return results.

So the question is; which course is for you?

The Introduction to Geoprocessing Scripts Using Python (10.2) course will teach you how to create Python scripts to automate tasks related to data management, feature editing, geoprocessing and analysis, and map production using ArcGIS. You will also learn how to share your Python scripts so your key GIS workflows are accessible to others. This course is designed for GIS analysts, specialists, data processors, and others who want to automate ArcGIS tasks and workflows.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

Business Analyst Online Tour (Part 2)

As you may recall in our previous post about Business Analyst Online we were able to look at the demographic profile surrounding our retail locations to get a better understanding of each retail location. We took a closer look at the stores in Sydney as they were performing very well and were able to see a trend in the demographics. See the previous post entitled “Business Analyst Online Has Arrived in Australia (Part 1)”

Today we are going to look at using the “Smart Map Search” functionality to identify other locations that have similar demographic profiles to the stores in Sydney that are doing well.

Creating an upside-down map centered on Australia

Most of the projected coordinate systems we use to create maps of the World use the Greenwich meridian as the prime meridian. From time to time my clients ask me whether this can be changed and how to make a map centered on the International Date Line rather than the Greenwich meridian or how to center the ArcMap’s data frame on Australia. Let’s have a look at how to achieve this in ArcGIS for Desktop.

To add some fun to this task let’s also rotate the map upside down so that Australia will be displayed on top of the World. I’m sure that most of you saw The Upside Down World Map, which is very popular among tourists and even I have one hanging on the wall at home. So how did they make this map?

The top five things you should try in the ArcGIS for Desktop v.10.2

As a technical support analyst and software trainer I am in constant contact with GIS users in Australia (predominantly in Queensland as I’m based in Brisbane). From time to time I realize that some of my clients are not aware of some of the simple improvements that the software developer implement with version upgrades. So I decided to make a brief overview of the “top five things” that my clients were not aware of or haven’t used in the new v10.2 software release.

So, if you’ve got ArcGIS for Desktop v 10.2, check out these hidden functions:

A PDF Version of ArcGIS 9.3 Style Galleries

Recently, I had the task of symbolising a road reporting map for a local client. To help this client choose appropriate symbololgy to create the look and feel they wanted for the map, I needed a document showing the contents of Esri’s style galleries. After a bit of digging, I found this PDF  showing a catalog of the symbols included with the 9.3 release:

It’s an excellent starting point if you need to plan or document symbology at the beginning of a project.
[Note: Even though ArcGIS 10 does not yet have a version of this 9.3 document, many of the symbols are the same. If a version of this document becomes available for ArcGIS 10, we will be sure to post it—so stay tuned!]

For more reading see this link 

Keera P.

Design great web mapping apps

In this post, we’ll focus on methods for building external facing web sites.  Often, the immediate approach is to create a single application to solve all ‘spatial’ needs of an organisation on the web.  As the web has evolved, this mechanism is becoming harder to implement.  Harder, because the expectation for spatial content in many web based initiatives is greater.  So how do you create compelling online applications that are fit for purpose and don’t grow to become bloated button heavy behemoths that users look at and sigh!