ArcGIS Pro 2.x Cookbook: Create, manage, and share geographic maps, data, and analytical models using ArcGIS Pro

As you have begun to see, ArcGIS Pro is a powerful tool for visualizing data. However, you have only begun to scratch the surface. One of the things that makes ArcGIS Pro so powerful is its ability to make use of many different data types and formats.

Unlike other programs, such as Word, Excel, or even AutoCAD, ArcGIS Pro is not limited to a single file type. Based on your experience with previous recipes you have learned that ArcGIS Pro makes use of project with a .aprx file extension. In the projects, you accessed a file geodatabase to add new layers to a map and you were able to import a map file with a .mapx file extension. These are just three of the many different files you can bring into ArcGIS Pro. You will encounter many more the longer you use ArcGIS Pro.

In this chapter, you will begin to explore some of the various data formats you can use with ArcGIS Pro, and their limitations. You will start with the two basic data categories, Raster and Vector, to ensure you have...

GIS data can generally be categorized as either being Raster or Vector. Within those categories, there are many specific formats. In an ArcGIS Pro project, you will often combine both raster and vector data together in order to create maps, edit data, and perform analyses. So, what is the difference between these two data categories? How do I make use of this data in ArcGIS Pro?

In this recipe, you will explore vector and raster data by adding them to a map. You will perform various steps to help you gain a better understanding of how they work within ArcGIS Pro.

As we have mentioned, there are many GIS data storage formats. However, the Geodatabase is the preferred storage format for ArcGIS Pro. It has many advantages over other formats such as shapefiles, coverages, or DWG files.

First, it can store tabular, raster, and vector data in a single database. This makes it easier to manage and access all your GIS data because it is in one place.

Second, it allows for data validation using topologies, geometric networks, domains, and subtypes. This allows you to find and correct errors in your data.

Third, geodatabases are scalable, so they can grow as your organization does. There are several types of geodatabases. Each is designed to support varying sizes of organizations.  So, as you grow, so can your geodatabase.

In the previous recipes, you made use of existing geodatabases. You used the data contained in them to create various maps. In this recipe, you will learn the basics skills needed to create a new geodatabase.   

While geodatabases are the primary format for ArcGIS Pro, Shapefiles are probably the most common GIS data format you will encounter. It has become the default data sharing format because so many GIS applications are able to make use of them. This includes QGIS, AutoCAD Map 3D, MapInfo, Map Window, and Manifold. In addition, most high-grade GPS/GNSS units are also able to input or export shapefiles. This makes them very versatile when you need to share data between different platforms.

They do, however, have some limits. First, shapefiles can only store a single feature class. This means a shapefile will only contain either points, lines, or polygons. It is not able to contain a mix of feature types. Second, shapefiles are built on old technology. They were developed in the 1990s for use with Esri’s now-discontinued ArcView GIS application. A shapefile uses dBase tables to store its attributes. This greatly limits the amount of data that can be stored, as well as...

A lot of data that ends up in GIS is often created first by engineers, surveyors, and landscape architects.  They will often use a computer-aided drafting or design software, commonly referred to as CAD. There are two major CAD applications, AutoCAD and Microstation, with several smaller competitors. These will generally produce files that are referred to as drawings.

ArcGIS Pro does allow you to add these drawings to your map. Once added, you can adjust display properties, perform queries, and even import the CAD data into your GIS data.

In this recipe, you will learn how to add a CAD file to a map. Once added, you will learn how to adjust some display properties. Later in Chapter 7, Converting Data, you will learn how to import CAD data into GIS.  

It is not unusual to get data from outside sources that is nothing more than a table with some information that includes X and Y data. This may come from a surveyor, someone that collected data with their smartphone, or some other source. The data might be a spreadsheet, a text file, CSV file, or even a database table.

If the data includes coordinates for the location, you can turn these into points within a map. This is called an event layer. The coordinates can be in any known coordinate system as long as they are all the same, meaning that all coordinates for all the records in the table must be listed in the same coordinate system.

In this recipe, you will plot the locations of crimes from a standalone database table. This table has several records, each of which has a latitude and longitude coordinate. You will use that information to plot the location.   

In the previous recipe, you saw how data can be in something other than a traditional GIS format. It can be a standalone table which contains X and Y coordinates along with other information. That can then be turned into points on a map. X and Y coordinates are not the only way we identify a location.

Another even more common way to show a location is with an address. This is how postal carriers knew where the mail needed to be delivered well before the days of GPS. ArcGIS Pro can also use an address to identify a location. This is called geocoding.    

Simply put, geocoding is the process of converting an address or series of addresses into a location on a map or in a GIS. In this recipe, you will learn how to geocode addresses within ArcGIS Pro. This will include determining reference data in your GIS, creating an address locator, and finally geocoding an inspections spreadsheet.