- 10/28/05
Hyperlinks in ArcGIS At least a few
people were having trouble getting hyperlinks to work in ArcGIS.
I distributed a handout in class today that addressed the
problem. The handout was a printout of some information in the
ArcGIS Help (put "hyperlinks" in the index part of Help to see
it). The most important point seems to be that you MUST omit the
"http://" portion of the URL in order for the hyperlink to work.
I tried it both ways and could only get it to work if I left off the
"http://". The Help information says that you MAY omit the http,
but it appears that you MUST omit it. If you're still having
problems, let me know.
- 10/25/06
Ziehr absent on Oct. 25 I will not be in
the GIS class on Wednesday, Oct. 26. Please press ahead with your
tutorials and homework. I plan to see you Friday.
- 10/19/05
Homework #3 is Online Check the class
website for Homework Exercise #3.
- 10/18/05
Coming soon: Homework #3 The third
homework exercise should have been online yesterday, but as you can see
it wasn't. I plan to have it online either later today or
tomorrow. Either its due date will be extended to allow you two
weeks to complete it or the requirements in the assignment will be
reduced to adjust for the delay in posting it.
- 10/17/05
Update on how to concatenate I have
updated the Obtaining U.S. Census Data via American
FactFinder online tutorial following the discussion in today's
class. The tutorial can be accessed at:
<http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~ziehr/courses/geog3813/Data_via_American_FactFinder-Fall2005.html>.
- 10/17/05
Concatenation Problem If you followed
the instructions carefully and exactly in the online tutorial that I
gave you on Friday (Downloading from
American FactFinderand Excel Instructions), you may (probably will)
encounter problems converting the newly concatenated column from
fornula to values. I'll talk about it in class today and post
some additional details to the tutorial later today.
- 10/17/05
GIS Specialist Jobs at CN There are two
new GIS specialist jobs posted on the Cherokee Nation website
http://www.cherokee.org/home.aspx?section=employment&co=cn&id=Q3KVJ4Nx+u0=
- 10/14/05
Obtaining U.S. Census Data via American
FactFinder The "Downloading from
American FactFinderand Excel Instructions" are now online; they can be
accessed by going to:
<http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~ziehr/courses/geog3813/Data_via_American_FactFinder-Fall2005.html>.
- 10/12/05
Oct. 12 & 14 Today in class we'll
continue to work on the tutorials in chapter 8 & 9 and/or the
mid-term exam. Friday, Oct. 14 will be an important day of new
content in class -- joining tables.
- 10/12/05
Omit pages 215-224 You may omit pages
215-224, "Creating Reports" in chapter 8 of GTKArcGIS. If you've
already completed this part of the tutorial, that's good. It's
good stuff to know, but not essential for this course.
- 10/10/05
Tip for the Mid-term Exam As I mentioned
in class today, the ESRI website might be a very good place to get some
ideas, data, maps, example applications, and/or images to help you get
started on the first question on the the mid-term exam. The URL
of ESRI's website is <http://www.esri.com/>.
Be careful if you use images or text from ESRI or any website in your
presentation/demonstration. It's acceptable if you do, but then
you must give a specific, complete, source citation for those images
and/or quotes; otherwise that would be plagiarism.
- 10/7/05
Mid-term Exam The take-home, mid-term
exam is now online. We will discuss it in class today.
- 10/7/05
Style file problems Several people have
reported problems trying to create a functioning style file. If
you are using the correct procedural steps (see ArcGIS Help or the
step-by-step instructions on the website in the e-mail that I sent you
a few days ago), then the problem is probably with ArcGIS not with
you. ArcGIS does not support floppy drives very well. Some
things seem to have been programmed correctly to be able to write them
to a floppy disk, such as map documents, but several folks, including
me, have encountered problems trying to save (export) style files
directly onto a floppy disk in the A: drive. I don't know if
ArcGIS always fails at this task or only does sometimes, but the
"solution" is to save (export) your style file initially directly onto
your L: drive (or C: drive if you're working at home) and then to use
Windows Explore (file manager) to copy the style file from your L: (or
C:) drive to your floppy disk or CD (if you're turning in a CD) or
e-mail the file to me. I'm sorry about the confusion, but I'm
glad we had this problem because it illustrates the type of problems
that you'll likely run into when you're using ArcGIS (or any software)
on the job and demonstrates the variety of strategies that one needs to
try when you do encounter a problem.
- 10/3/05
Late penalty for homework I can't
believe that I didn't put a statement about late penalties in the
syllabus or on the assignment, but apparently I did not.
Assignments should be turned in by the due date and time, but if you
are late for any reason (I don't even need to know the reason) then
there will be a 10% (5-point) penalty for each day that a
homework assignment is late. Of course, if you're ill or injured
or in a wreck on the day the assignment is due, I'll waive the penalty.
So, at 5:01 pm today there would be a 5-point penalty until 5:01
p.m on Tuesday when there would be a 10-point penalty and so on.
The best practice, of course, is to get your work done on time --
that's certainly what will be required when you're on the job (or you
won't be on the job long!).
- 9/14/05
Homework Exercise #2 The second homework
exercise is now online. It is not due until October 3.
- 9/9/05
Getting Help for ArcGIS The first thing to do
is to review the appropriate tutorials in GTKArcGIS. If you're
still perplexed, try Help from within ArcGIS and click on ArcGIS
Desktop Help. For really tough problems that you still can't
solve a good place to look for solution ideas is the ESRI website at www.esri.com. At that website
click on the Support tab at the top of the page, and then choose User
Forums from the drop-down list. Then click on ArcGIS Deskstop in
the Software Discussions list. Then click on the drop-down arrow
for the Jump to a Forum list and select the part of ArcGIS for which
you have a question or problem.
- 9/8/05
Career & Internship Fair
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
University Center, 2nd Floor, Herb Rozell Ballroom
Tahlequah Campus
10 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Hosted by NSU Career ServicesResume assistance is available to anyone registered with Career Services. Students may call for an appointment for resume assistance; or, resume help is available through e-mail. Students may register with Career Services in Haskell Hall Annex Room 1 at the Tahlequah Campus; or, students may see Donna Trout in Building A Room 130 at the Broken Arrow Campus; or an application may be downloaded on the NSU Home Page, www.nsuok.edu/placement, select Placement File, scroll down to "To establish an official credential file" and download the Personal Data Sheet. Students should complete the data sheet and follow the instructions at the bottom of the page.
Until our NSU web master has an opportunity to update NSU's web site, our office is operating under the old name, Placement Services, as well as our new name, Career Services. I apologize for any confusion.
Thanks so much,
Gayle--
Gayle Anderson
Coordinator of Career Services
Northeastern State University
Haskell Hall Annex Room 1
705 North Grand Avenue
Tahlequah, OK 74464
(918) 456-5511, x3110
(800) 722-9614 (ask for Career Services)
FAX (918) 458-2114
anderson@nsuok.edu
www.nsuok.edu/careerservices - 9/6/05
Tutorial for Chapter 4 In the GTKArcGIS
tutorial in chapter 4 there are instructions for creating "thumbnails"
using ArcCatalog. If you try this tutorial in NET 307 using
ex04c.mxd directly from the C: drive, it will not work. The
problem is that this procedure makes changes to some files that cannot
be done on the protected C: drive on the lab computers. In order
to be able to complete successfully this operation, you will first need
to copy the entire Chapter04 folder from C:\GTKArcGIS to your L: drive
before executing the ex04c.mxd file (which you should then do directly
from the L: drive)..
- 9/2/05
ESRI Student Discount The Department of
Geology and Geography at Northwest Missouri State University offers an
online M.S. GIScience degree. They have developed a webpage that
describes what the systems requirements are for ArcGIS software, and,
more importantly, have listed the price ($100) and ordering
instructions for getting a one-year license for ArcGIS from ESRI.
If you are interested, the hyperlink to this information is:
If you decide to purchase a license, I will be glad to fax the required confirmation to ESRI (that you're an NSU student taking a GIS class); let me know (be sure to get the fax number for me).
- 9/2/05
Course on Blackboard
Additional online
components have been created in Blackboard (a course management system)
to support this course. Each of you is already enrolled in this
Blackboard course entitled: GEOGRAPHIC INFO SYST: GEOG 3813: 1462.
To access
the course simply
log-on to Blackboard at http://nsuonline.nsuok.edu/
or from the NSU homepage click on the seventh bubble
(Blackboard) on the right-hand side of the screen. Follow the
on-screen instructions on the initial Blackboard screen to
log-on. Once you have logged-on click on this course in the
section labeled "My Courses." The primary
uses of the Blackboard portion of this
course will be (1) communication--it allows for easy e-mail access to
all class members, (2) gradebook--students will be able to access
all grades for course assignments, exams, and quizzes via Blackboard,
and (3) discussion board -- we may develop discussion forums to support
our homework exercises.
Other uses for this Blackboard website may be developed later in the
semester. The points that you earned for the e-mail assignment
are already in
the Gradebook; click the "User Tools"
button and then "My Grades" to access the gradebook. If you have
questions on how to use Blackboard, please contact me.
- 9/2/05
Theobald on Reserve The second editon of the
Theobald book (GIS Concepts and ArcGIS Methods) is now on reserve in
the library. There are very few changes from the first edition,
so if you've already read any of the assignments in the first edition,
that will be completely adequate. Currently, only the second
edition is on reserve; I retrieved the first edition so that I'll have
access to a copy (both editions were my personal copies).
- 9/1/05
ArcGIS in NET 307 Supposedly, the
following diagram shows the final location of computers in NET
307 that now have ArcGIS installed. If you're ever seated at one
of these machines, and you find that the software is not available or
fails to function properly, please let me know as soon as possible so
we can get the situation corrected. Thanks!
- 8/31/05
Homework Exercise #1 The first homework
exercise is now online. Check the class website.
- 8/31/05
ArcGIS Tips Here are two important tips
to keep in mind when using ArcGIS:
- All spatial data files (that contain coordinates of spatial features) actually require several files in order to function. These files all have the same filename, but have different extensions. When ArcGIS does various operations on a spatial dataset it makes changes in most of these files. Therefore, it is important to keep all of these files together in the same folder so that they will be all be the same up-to-date version and can be found by the system. All this means that copying and moving GIS files should be done using ArcCatalog because it will automatically take care of the necessary updating and file transfer.
- Filenames in ArcGIS should not contain spaces.
If you need to separate words in a filename, use a dash or an
underline. While spaces are actually "permitted," sometimes files
that have spaces in their filename will cause the software to freeze up
at unpredictable and inconvenient times.
- 8/28/05
GIS/GPS Technician Job Here's a job
listing from the August 25, 2005 issue of GISuser.com (online GIS
newsletter). After completing this course and an internship at an
area 911 office (like Lee Harrell, a senior geography major, has done
-- the guy who's sitting in this class for review), you would certainly
be qualified for the following position. I notice this
organization is behind the times, and is still using ArcView 3.x.
I'll share a variety of job ads and internship opporunities such as
this from time to time -- to keep you motivated to pursue excellence in
this course because it definitely can lead to future employment if you
want it to.
GIS/GPS Field Technician
Job Type Full-time Job Status Sourcing
Job ID 443
Date Posted 08/22/2005
Company Information microDATA GIS
1016 US Route 5
St. Johnsbury, 05819
Website: http://www.microdatagis.com
Job Description microDATA GIS, Inc. (microDATA), a St. Johnsbury VT based mapping company, is seeking GIS/GPS Field Technicians to collect data for Enhanced 9-1-1 rural addressing work throughout the United States. Utilizing a global positioning system, a digital camera, and sophisticated computer equipment, technicians will drive and collect data. Data will be uploaded daily to the main office in Vermont for processing. This entry level position is available immediately.
You must be willing to travel full-time. Relocation for extended periods of time (months) is required. A valid driver’s license and a clean driving record are also a must. Candidates will train and work in Vermont prior to beginning work in various locations in the US.
microDATA is a GIS mapping and data development company specializing in software products and services for Enhanced 9-1-1 emergency management. Our products are developed for the wireless and wireline systems used by state and local Enhanced 9-1-1 projects throughout the United States. Please see our website at www.microdatagis.com.
Qualifications Qualified applicants will:
• Possess a bachelor’s degree in GIS (Geographic Information Systems), Geography or a related field.
• Have at least 1 year of GIS/GPS experience (internships acceptable).
• Be experienced with ArcView 3.x
• Be competent and reliable, highly computer literate, organized, able to work on their own, self-motivated, and enjoy working with GPS equipment and learning about new technologies.
How to Apply Please send resume, three references, and cover letter to Human Resources, microDATA GIS, Inc., US Route 5, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819; email: jobs@microdatagis.com; or, Fax: 802.748.5447.
Email Resume To jobs@microdatagis.com
- 8/24/05
Accessing GTKArcGIS and ArcGIS in the NET
At any machine with the appropriate software installed (see second
announcement below) to access the tutorials that accompany the Getting
to Know ArcGIS Desktop book do the following:
- Right-click on Start and choose Explore.
- Click on the c:\GTKArcGIS folder.
- Click on the folder of the chapter that you're interested in.
- Within the chapter folder the files that end in .mxd (such as ex03a.mxd) are ArcGIS map documents that accompany the appropriate tutorial in the GTKArcGIS book. For example, ex03a.mxd is the spatial dataset for Exercise 3a. The exercise numbers correspond to the chapter in GTKArcGIS.
- By double-clicking on one of the .mxd files you will cause it to execute which will automatically start the ArcGIS program and load that particular map document (.mxd).
- Left-click on Start
- Click on Programs
- Click on ArcGIS
- Click on the appropriate part of ArcGIS such as ArcMap.
- 8/24/05
E-mail Assignment The instructions have
been updated (if you've already done it, that's fine; don't do it
again). The change is a requirement to send the information in
the body of an e-mail not as an attachment. It makes it much
easier for me to use.
- 8/21/05
Please check this page often (at
least once a week). Important information pertaining to the
class, especially revisions to assignments and cancelled classes, will
be posted here. New announcements
will be listed first. Older announcements will be retained but
will be moved farther down the list. There are already several
announcements below that you will likely find helpful (if not
immediately, fairly soon).
- 8/21/05
ArcGIS in NET 212 The ArcGIS ArcView 9.1
software and Getting to Know ArcGIS tutorials software are loaded on
seven computers in NET 212. The accompanying diagram shows which
ones. The computer labelled "4" has a CD burner on it.
- 8/21/05
ArcMap Error Message When trying to open an
ArcMap document which was created (or saved) using ArcMap in the NET
labs onto your home computer using the 180-day trial version of ArcGIS
that came with your textbook you probably will get the following error
message:
This happens because the map document refers to some extensions that are available on the full implementation version of ArcGIS that we are running in the lab, but that are not available on the trial version that came with your textbook. Map documents created using the trial version will open and run correctly in the full version but not vice versa. I don't know of any direct solution. You might try creating a new copy of your map document (using save as) when you bring a map that you started at home and work on later in the NET lab. You still won't be able to open this new file at home, but at least you'll still have your original that you started at home.