Starting the campus geodatabase

This exercise will mark the beginning of our campus geodatabase project. Begin by creating a folder for this project. File management is vital to the success of all GIS projects. Make sure to maintain a logical and consistent file structure for this entire project.

OBJECTIVES:

• Create a file based geodatabase
• Incorporate ABTech main campus parcels into geodatabase
• Create raster catalog of images for ABTech main campus

STEP-BY-STEP:

1. In ArcCatalog, create a file based geodatabase to store our project database.
2. Open ArcMap and load the parcels layer for the Buncombe County.
3. Utilize an attribute query to select the parcels owned by AB Tech. You'll need to be creative when selecting since all the parcels owned by AB Tech are not listed exactly the same attribute table.
4. Unselect any parcels that are not part of the main campus.
5. Export the selected parcels in to the geodatabase for this project. Name this new feature class something logical.
6. Go to the Buncombe County digital data download page and download the 2006 aerial grid. This will be used to determine which images you need for the campus.
7. http://www.buncombecounty.org/GOVERNING/depts/GIS/aerialImagery_06.htm - will take you to the download page.
8. Unzip the shapefile and add it to ArcMap.
9. Utitlize select by location (Selection drop down ==> Select by Location) and select the features in the grid that intersect the AB Tech parcels.
10. Export the selected polygons in the grid to the AB Tech geodatabase. Add the new grid layer for the ABTech campus to map document. Open the attribute table and determine the grid numbers for the AB Tech campus.
11. Go back to the Buncombe County digital data download page and download the images that go with the campus. Unzip them all into the same directory.
12. In ArcCatalog, right-click your geodatabase and create a new Raster Catalog. --Learn more about creating raster catalogs from the ESRI Support Center.
13. Type in a name for the new raster catalog.
14. Click the Spatial Reference Properties button to choose a coordinate system for the raster catalog. You should import the spatial reference from one of the images you downloaded.
15. Choose that you want your raster catalog to be unmanaged by the geodatabase (as opposed to managed).
16. Click OK.
17. Now you must get the images into your Raster Catalog. In ArcCatalog, drag and drop the images into the raster catalog.
18. Add the raster catalog to ArcMap.

Managing CAD data in ArcCatalog

Adding CAD data to ArcMap

Transforming CAD datasets

World Files