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Buildings (points)Roads (lines)Ponds (polygons)
Autocomplete to avoid tracing the same edge twiceMerge to combine polygonsSplit to divide one polygon into multiple features
In Class Assignment
In this in-class assignment, we created an ArcGIS Pro project and built a clean map layout to show Purdue Airport at different scales. The layout included a locator map showing the airport’s location in the state, a city-level map of West Lafayette, and a zoomed-in map of the airport itself. Each map needed a scale bar, clear titles, and our name on the layout. The main goal was to practice organizing map layouts and presenting geographic information clearly without using overly busy basemaps.
Lab Assignment
1. Getting set up
First, we created a new ArcGIS Pro project and made sure everything was set to the correct coordinate system (NAD83 2011 UTM Zone 15N). We added a scanned image provided for the lab, which acts like a background photo that we digitize features from. The main goal here was just to get the project organized and ready to edit.
2. Creating new layers
Next, we created our own feature dataset and added three new layers:
These layers are where we stored everything we digitized. This step was about understanding the difference between points, lines, and polygons and when to use each one.
3. Digitizing buildings (points)
We used the editing tools to click on the center of each building in the image and add a point. This included houses and permanent structures, but not things like trailers or gazebos. We also practiced fixing mistakes by moving or deleting points when needed.
4. Digitizing roads (lines)
For roads, we traced along the center of each public road using line features. We placed vertices as we clicked down the road and made sure roads connected properly using snapping. This section focused on accuracy and clean connections between road segments.
5. Digitizing ponds (polygons)
We traced around the edges of ponds to create polygon features. Making the polygons slightly transparent helped us see the image underneath. We also practiced editing vertices to clean up boundaries after drawing them.
6. Editing practice: split, merge, and autocomplete
After digitizing, we practiced more advanced editing tools:
These tools help keep data clean and prevent errors like overlaps or gaps.
Figure 1: Editing Practice Map
7. Final maps and submission
Finally, we created clean map layouts showing our digitized data. Each layout needed a title, legend, scale bar, north arrow, and our name and date in the corner. The maps were exported as PDFs or images (not screenshots) and submitted for grading, with emphasis on neatness and presentation quality
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