Lab 5
Lab 5 was a lot easier only because i feel I’m becoming a little more familiar with the software. Once i got the right information in to the data i didn’t have many problems cleaning it up. I did make many small errors from not paying attention and had to go back and correct these but other then these minor inconveniences i didn’t have any major problems. The calculations was probably the hardest thing that i had to deal with and i just waited to class and after talking to Professor Krygier about the situation i learned how to use the field calculator which turned something i was doing that was hard into something which took five minuets. Even after making a few mistakes i was still able to go back in and change things in a minimal amount of time and effort. For the first time in this class i don’t feel so far behind and I’m actually becoming a lot more comfortable using the programs and software and even thinking like a computer sometimes in order to figure out problems.
Word to look up
1.) .DBF file- A .DBF file is a file form that is used for processing data in ArcGIS..
2.) Select by Attributes- When you select attributes while using ArcGIS, you are telling the program to pick a certain part of the data that is present for the map you are using. An example would be, to tell ArcGIS to select only major streets or highways or even rivers in the state of Ohio.
3.) Query- Allows you to give commands in the software. A great example of this would be in this lab where we had to get the change in population from year to year.
4.) Fields- The fields in the table represents the different columns of the attributes table.
5.) Records- The records in the table represent the different rows of the attributes table.
6.) Attributes- In ArcGIS attributes are the different bits of information that are begin use to create the image of the map.
7.) Relational Database- is a way to group different sets of data together by using common attributes or characteristics. This is accentually what makes ArcGIS functional. .
8.) Join Function- This is used to link two different sets of data together.
9.) Monitor Fire- A fire of the monitor which can occur when trying to link the use of join function in ArcGIS. Many things can go wrong causing a fire to the monitor!
10.) Calculate/ Field Calculator- This calculator in ArcGIS is used to query and help calculate certain values. We also used this in Lab 5 where we used the field calculator to calculate the population changes between the different decades.
