2c. Adding background data

1. Introduction

2. SETTING UP YOUR PROJECT

2a. Setting up in ArcCatalog

2b. Starting ArcMap

2c. Adding background data

2d. Georeferencing a field map

3. Creating data (first steps)

4. Creating and editing data

5. Creating polygons

6. Preparing a print-quality map

2c. Adding your first bit of background data

If you have any background data such as a DEM that you’ll be working with, now is a good time to add this in to your project. If you don’t, go ahead and skip on to the next bit, “Georeferencing your field map”. Many DEMs and images come in a georeferenced format, so as soon as you load it into ArcMap it will be properly positioned spatially. Sometimes you’ll load in two different layers that have two different coordinate systems (not a big deal), but we’re not going to deal with that here.

Here’s how to load data into your project:

1. Click on the “Add Data” icon – the little yellow box with a black cross.

2. Navigate to where your data is, and select what you want to load in. NOTE: If you are storing your data on a USB drive, you may need to tell Arc where that drive is. This is easily done in ArcCatalog by typing in the letter assigned to your USB drive in the “Location” bar; e.g. “G:\”.

2.5 If you are loading in data such as a .tif or other image file, single click on the file, then click “Add”. Otherwise you’ll only load one band of spectral information into your project, not the entire image.

3. Don’t be surprised if this warning message pops up: