Projections

 In our previous class we used ArcGIS to manipulate how data is displayed and presented in ArcMap. Now we will start making actual changes to datasets in ArcMap. It’s very important to know that although data sets are in different coordinate systems they can still be displayed together. To re-project a dataset you must first access the data management toolbox and go to projections and transformations toolsets and click on the project subset tool since you are using a vector shapefile. The input and output information is then filled and saved in the specific activity folder. The coordinate system is then renamed UTM and added in a separate data frame. Both data frames needs to be activated before they are displayed, slight difference in size are noted from both projections. The second step that needs to be done is to add another field to the attribute table to add area in each specific state. To get the specific area of selected states (Alachua, Escambia, Polk and Miamia-Dade) use the calculate geometry function. A color ramp was also used to identify and label both projections, this was done with an SQL query. To finalize this map both projections needs to be displayed; the major difference will be the size of the states. The maps also need labeling for Alachua, Escambia, Polk and Miamia-Dade as well as labeling for the separate maps which are UTM and Albers. Basic map elements are then added (title, scale, legend and north arrow).