Welcome to the Understanding GIS Workbook discussion forum

[JimBarry]

If you are learning GIS by using the lessons and exercises in the "Understanding GIS: An ArcGIS Project Workbook" then this discussion forum is for you.  Welcome!

For many years, users of Esri's GIS and mapping products and technologies have found these discussion forums to be a great way to connect, share, and learn with others around the globe.   Likewise, the "Understanding GIS" series of books have been a great way for many thousands of people to explore the power of GIS.  These tools help us better model and visualize our surroundings spatially.  Better map data plus better analytical tools equals better decisions for improving how we interact with our world.

As you come across questions or have comments about the Workbook, or questions about the GIS concepts in general as you are learning them, post them as new threads here.  Or if you see other questions and comments, feel free to jump in and share what you think.  Others who are using the Workbook will jump in and do the same.  Esri Staff will also watch this forum to see how we can help.  Let's learn together!

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[RossMiller1]

I'm very glad to see the new Understanding GIS Workbook published. Like many I still believe its predecessor to be the best workbook yet published for learning ESRI software and GIS concepts at the introductory level. It was a book I used for many years as a GIS educator.

I am hoping to adopt the new version for a course I will be teaching in January. Unfortunately it appears the university only has a lab kit at the Arcview level.

Can you comment on how feasible it would be to use the book without ArcInfo level licensing? How many lessons would be affected, and if there are other resources (slide shows, lesson results etc.) that one could use to demonstrate those sections? Is there any list that cross references the workbook lessons to software functionality at the different license levels to help in lesson planning?  

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ross

[TimOrmsby]

Hi Ross,

The book includes a free 90-day ArcInfo license, so the best solution might be to have the students download and run the software. But I'm not sure if that's compatible with your classroom setup and practice.

The heart of the book is the analysis lesson (Lesson 6). There are two key ArcInfo-level gp tools used here: Erase and Identity. You can't get through the book straightforwardly without them. Other ArcInfo-level tools are Aggregate Polygons and Near (also Lesson 6) and the Maplex labeling extension (Lesson 8). These tools are a bit less crucial to the outcome. Basically, using ArcView, you'd have no problems with Lessons 1-5, but 6 and 7 wouldn't work. (Lesson 7 reproduces the analysis of Lesson 6 using ModelBuilder.)

There's a resource center for the book at http://resources.arcgis.com/understanding-gis. It has lesson results for each chapter. So you could download the results for Lessons 6 and 7, but it's such an important part of the book, I wouldn't recommend this as a workaround. The resource center will also have software videos for each exercise. Right now, only the Chapter 6 videos are up there--check them out.

I think it should be possible to achieve essentially the same analysis results we get in the book using ArcView tools. Just not as easily. I'll try to do that and document the steps and put them up on the resource center. It may take me a little while, though.

Regarding a list that cross-references the lessons to software functionality: I'll work on this, too. I can make a table of which gp tools are used in each chapter and what license level they require. But the short answer is that ArcView should be fine for Lessons 1-5. Lessons 6-7 need ArcInfo. Lesson 8 is mapmaking. No gp tools, but it does use Maplex for labeling. Lesson 9 is ArcGIS Explorer Online, with no gp tools used.

Tim

[TimOrmsby]

The two documents I described in the last post are now available on our resource center:
1) A table showing where geoprocessing tools are used in the book and which ones need ArcInfo.
2) Supplemental instructions for doing the book with an ArcView or ArcInfo license.

On the resource center, click the Using ArcView link, or click here to get there.

Tim

[MajedAlnkhali]

Hi There
I am Majed from Kingdom Saudi Arabia I have a book of understanding GIS first edition  but unfortunately I lost the DVD which contain a data of the exercises and because I recently bought a new compete I need the DVD to install the exercises, kindly I am asking you to advise me how can I get it?

[TimOrmsby]

Hi Majed,

Can you please send your request by email to understandingGIS at esri dot com?

Thank you,

Tim

[YasirElsadig]

Hi,

What if one owns the book, loses the DVD, and discovers that the official resources page on Esri's website is no longer available?

Only frustrated!

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