Working with ArcMap throughout the course of this week’s lab
was a completely new experience. I do
not consider myself in any way computer savvy, so working my way around a brand
new program to complete a lab on a subject I am only recently acquainted with
proved to be challenging. However, the
ArcMap program and the tutorial that came with it made the process easier. Although it took me a period of time to
become comfortable with the layout and basic functions of ArcMap, by the end of
the tutorial, I found the program to be very user-friendly even for GIS novices
like myself.
Certain features within the ArcMap program, like the “Zoom
to Layer” application, were irreplaceable time savers. One of the biggest challenges upon starting
the lab was accidentally zooming in too close on certain data field layers or
even completely losing them in whatever particular field view I had placed
myself in. Similarly, the table of
contents displaying all of the different data frames and layers proved to be an
organized and efficient way of keeping track of the different data sets that I
was working with throughout the lab.
Other actions asked of me during the tutorial, like joining two tables
together, required outside assistance.
Luckily, once the process was shown to me I was easily able to repeat
the process again the next time I completed the tutorial. Overall, the ArcMap program was interesting to
work with. Although I was worried about
exactly how much I did not know how to do when I started using the program, I now
feel comfortable carrying out the tasks asked of me throughout this lab.
Using ArcMap has helped to reveal some of the various
potentials and pitfalls that surround the use of this program in regards to
GIS. The extensive tools and functions
within the program prove to be extremely beneficial when working on data
analysis. Specifically with this lab, looking at population density
within the noise contour of an airport would allow for analysis of the extent
to which airport noise effects the areas surrounding the airport boundary. This could prove useful when deciding what to
build in the areas within the noise contour.
For example, one particular school (Northwestern Prep) fell within the
boundary of the noise contour of the airport.
Should the county decide to build another school, they can take a look
at the data frames built within the ArcMaps program so that their school is not
placed within the noise contour boundary like Northwestern Prep was. This is an example of the potential that GIS
and the ArcMap program both have in helping with analysis of real scenarios.
The use of the ArcMap program also revealed some pitfalls
that befall GIS. Although the program
has made it so that anybody can work their way through the program, that does
not mean that the capacity for human error goes away. While the program is relatively easy to use
with time and practice, it is not a perfect program. There are still scenarios where human error
can distort any potential gains from GIS analysis. For example, the ArcMap program has a feature
that allowed me to extend a specific road near the airport and even build a
brand new one. The first time I
attempted to complete this feature, I built my road incorrectly. The program made it simple to extend the
existing map roads, but I was still able to erroneously utilize that function
the first time around. Had I not fixed
this problem, this could have led to some misinterpreted GIS analysis should
someone be analyzing the roads layer on the ArcMap data frame. The capacity for human error is not something
that the ArcMap program can completely do away with and this provides a
potential pitfall in its use with GIS.
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