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GEO325: Lab 01

Finding and Exploring Spatial Data

Objective:
This lab introduces students to locating, downloading, and handling spatial data in vector and raster formats. Students will practice finding datasets online, navigating through the download process, and using GIS software to explore the data.

Duration: 3-4 hours

Resources Needed:

- Access to a computer with internet

- GIS software (for example, ArcGIS Pro)

- Access to websites: U.S. Census Bureau, NASA Earthdata, Michigan DTMB

Keys:

Remember if you are struggling to find a tool or certain portion of ArcGIS go to the ArcGIS Pro Video Library. All the tools or buttons needed for this lab are demonstrated in the videos.

Part 1: Self-Exploration and Flowchart Creation

Step 1: Self-Exploration Activity

In part 1, step 1 of the lab you will identify websites that offer spatial data, focusing on vector data sources.

1. Search for Spatial Data Websites

a. Use any search engine to find websites that provide vector spatial data. Some examples might include:

- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles

- OpenStreetMap Data Extracts

- State or local government GIS portals (MDOT open data portal for instance)

*Find 5 websites that host freely available data!

2. Evaluate Data Availability

a. Look for datasets related to your chosen area or topic (e.g., public parks, county boundaries, transportation networks). You can pick ANY area of interest or topic for Part 1 of the lab.

3. Document Your Findings

a. Take notes on the types of vector data available and their sources.

Step 2: Create a Flowchart

In Part 1, Step 2 you will develop a step-by-step flowchart outlining the process of finding, downloading, unzipping, and opening vector data in ArcGIS.

1.  Finding Data:

a. Start with searching for vector datasets on identified websites. (Hint! There is a video about this on the ArcGIS Pro Tutorial Video Library.)

b. Identify a dataset of interest to you (any dataset), examine the website where the data is available and understand its attributes and format.

2. Downloading Data:

a. Locate the download link on the website.

b. Download the dataset to your computer, within the remote desktop (i.e. not on your personal desktop).

3. Unzipping Data:

a. Locate the downloaded file, which may be in a compressed format (e.g., ZIP file).

b. Unzip the file to access the vector data files (e.g., Shapefile components).

4. Opening Data in ArcGIS Pro:

a. Establish a VPN connection and log into the course's remote server (Magellan2), as you learned how to do in Weekly Exercise #1).

b. On the Remote Server, Launch ArcGIS Pro (Start → ArcGIS Pro) and log in.

- On the Sign in window, make sure you have Your ArcGIS organization's URL option selected and type "msugis" into the .maps.arcgis.com URL line → Click Continue.

 

- On the next Sign in to MSU Online ArcGIS window, click on the blue button "Use this button to login with MSU net id or to create a new account".

- Log in with your MSU NetID credentials.

c. Create a new project called Lab01_YourLastName.

- Click on the Map icon under New Project.

- Change the Name of your project from MyProject to Lab01_YourLastName.

- Click the folder icon to change where you will store your project. Navigate to  D:\Classes\Geo325\users\session\yourworkingfolder and click OK.

- Click OK to create your project.

d. Use the "Add Data" function to import the vector dataset (Shapefile) into a new or existing map project.

e. Inspect and visualize the dataset (to the best of your abilities). (See the online video tutorials that are linked).

Part 1 Deliverable:  (20 points total)
Create and submit a flowchart that visually represents the steps to find, download, open, and add data to a map. Use any diagramming tool or hand-draw the flowchart if preferred. (20 points).

Part 1 Question:  (5 points total)

Question 1. What five websites did you use to find GIS data? Include the URL of the websites. (5 points)

Answer:

Part 2: Finding and Exploring State-Level Vector Data

Step 1. Visit Michigan DTMB GIS Website:

- Go to (https://gis-michigan.opendata.arcgis.com/ ). Locate and download a vector dataset related to public parks or park boundaries in Michigan. There is no right or wrong dataset, just pick one related to parks.

Part 2 Step 1 Questions:  (8 points total)
Question 2: What is the name of the vector dataset you downloaded from Michigan DTMB? (1 point)

Answer:

Question 3: On the GIS data portal, for your specific parks shapefile, how do you find a list of the attributes associated with the data? (3 points)

Answer:

Question 4: List attributes that are provided for each feature in this dataset (e.g., park name, size)? (3 points)

Answer:

Question 5: What format is the dataset in (e.g., Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML)? (1 point)

Answer:

Step 2. Open Vector Data in ArcGIS:

a. Open the downloaded vector data in ArcGIS and inspect the attributes and visualize them.

b. Use the flow chart you developed in step 1 to download, open, and view the data. If you find that your flowchart is not sufficient to get this task completed feel free to edit it.

Part 2 Step 2 Questions:  (12 points total)

Question 6: How many features (for example, parks) are present in the dataset?
Hint: Use the tutorial videos to help you open the attribute table in ArcGIS Pro. (2 points)

Answer:

Question 7: Open file explorer and scroll to where you are saving your lab 1 data. What file extensions does your park's shapefile have? Use the internet to help you understand the difference between the different file extensions. In 1 sentence describe each one. (10 points)

Answer:

Part 2 Step 2 Deliverable:  (5 points total)

Provide a screen capture of your ArcGIS Pro screen with the newly obtained dataset added and visualized. Make sure the attribute table is open. (5 points)

All Deliverables:

In your D2L course section, place your diagram, and answers to lab questions in a Word doc and upload your file to the “Lab01 Submission" folder. 50 points total.