Lab 4 - ArcGIS

Using ArcGIS to create a map is far more complicated than using Googlemap or other tools for neogeographers. Instead of having a pre-existing map for us to plot the information that we have for each place, ArcGIS requires the users to import their own desired layers and compile them into a map with our previously recorded information that we are interested in. Although it seems more complicated than Googlemaps when so many different layers overlay each other, it is actually a benefit for users. Users thus have the ability to control each and every layer at a time and combine them afterwards to see the effect, moreover, the layers are shown very systematically on the left hand column and the users can turn them on and off at ease when working on each layer.

In the previous exercise in which we had to work on googlemaps, I did not encounter any problem exploring how to use the system myself. Googlemap is very user-friendly and very self explanatory. On the other hand, for this lab, if I did not have the 50-page guideline, I am sure it would be quite difficult for me to explore without guidance. Even though it might be easy to add data/layers and to add legends and titles, these are only basic steps to create a very basic map. In order to manipulate at a deeper level for example joining the different graphs and also drawing streets and editing information, I am sure it would not be easy for an amateur to figure it out. That is why ArcGIS is for professionals and googlemaps are for amateur cartographers. Although ArcGIS is very systematic, after repeating the steps on the guideline, I am now able to manage the basic use of it without constantly referring back to the steps. For example, adding frames, resizing frames, and shifting from frames to frames are relatively easy. I am sure after a few more uses, amateur users will be able to manipulate the system quite easily.

ArcGIS also has another benefit for creation of professional maps. It allows users to easily convert qualitative data as shown on the map into quantitative data on graphs and vice versa. Users can therefore make use of the numbers to create graphs and make relevant calculations to understand the relationship of a place and its attributes. For example, in this exercise, we can understand the relationship of the population density and a particular place with or within the noise contour area. Users can thus understand the situations and connections between these data and make possible changes or proposals for changes to improve the lives of the people. On the other hand, ArcGIS can also combine qualitative and quantitative data. For example the drawing of a street. The system allows us to plot the starting point on the map and then we get to enter the length of the street. This allows the accuracy of the location and length of the street.

Apart from these benefit, it has its other pitfalls too. When I used this program, I realized the undoing process is very troublesome. ArcGIS can only allow us to undo or redo the macro details like the movements of the frames and adding layers but not the micro details like the change of color and the inserting of words, for these changes, we have to reset them manually. Moreover, as I have mentioned in the first paragraph that we have to import the data from other folders (including ArcCatalog), I realized that ArcGIS does not allow us to search for a place by its address and area code. And it is different from googlemaps in that it does not allow us to have a street view of the places therefore ArcGIS is very technological and computerized.

Overall, there are aspects that I appreciate but there are also some that I dislike about ArcGIS. Even though it is very hard to manipulate at first, it is relatively easy to handle after a few tries by following the guidelines. And it allow us to do more than we can on neogeographic tools, for example we can be able to import different data we are interested in and allow the system to correlate them for us. Nevertheless, the using of the system is still very complicated because it includes a lot more than just the basic adding of streets and points at a superficial level. Rather, it includes a lot of quantitative and qualitative data which, although allow us to understand the attributes of a location, need a lot of interpretation and analyses.