Lab 4: Introducting ArcMap

Exercise 1: School and Noise Contour Map

Exercise 2: Land Use in Noise Contour

Exercise 3: Population Density

Exercise 4: Adding a New Road

Exercise 5: Adding Map Elements/Putting it All Together!

       For our fourth lab, I got to start using the ArcGIS software to make a few maps through a tutorial in class. The tutorial made it very straightforward to go through the steps and it illustrated the applicability the GIS tool is to many everyday urban planning issues, like planning airports with the integration of noise, population and school data. Using the software by following the tutorial step by step was very easy, but I am not sure if I would be able to use the software with ease if I did not have a guide. However, with practice and greater familiarity, I am sure the ease-of-use will improve gradually.

       From my experience with this lab and map-making tutorial with ArcGIS, I would say that the "pros" of the software are that it is fairly user-friendly with the use of a tutorial guide. In addition, some of the labels and buttons are very similar to many regular computer users (i.e. selection boxes, pointer arrows, zoom in, zoom out, etc.) so it is relatively easy to apply some of the common use of the tools to the different applications within the software. I also thought it was very easy and helpful to turn certain layers on and off, depending on what variables you needed to see/not see. For the fourth exercise, turning off certain layers and omitting certain data layers was actually helpful to just see what I needed to see (the roads) in order to create the new road on the map. It might have been confusing to have every layer turned on, so those features were really helpful. In general, the potential of GIS using ArcGIS is very beneficial and powerful, as it is fairly easy to use when making basic maps, like the ones we completed in our lab. Additionally, there is so much information that can be applied to the maps that the possibilities are endless. 

       There are a few pitfalls of this GIS software, which were a bit frustrating at times. For example, I had to redo some of my maps because my data randomly disappeared. I figured out how to get some of it back, but then sometimes the data just didn't ever come back so I had to restart my exercise from my last saved file. For these problems, it's really hard to pinpoint the causes of the issues and how to fix it. I can see where it can be very easy to lose important data or important maps if you are not constantly backing up. With any software, especially one that is as data-driven as GIS is, saving is especially important. I also felt as if the software might be overwhelming for some users at first, because there is a LOT of buttons and icons. It would literally be impossible for a new user to know exactly what to do if they did not use a guide or tutorial. In other words, icons that don't look like common computer icons (i.e. zoom in, zoom out, selection boxes, etc.) are not intuitive. I also noticed that there were a lot of changes on our instruction to the way the program worked, which means that the software gets updated frequently. In some ways, this is good, because problems in the software can be resolved but it also means that the user will constantly have to adjust to new changes. Overall, the main pitfalls of the software would be that it's not really intuitive (like Google Maps), so the average person might not be able to use this software right away if they didn't use a tutorial or a guide. Additionally, there are a few bugs in the software that I found to be frustrating in my short exposure to the program. Lastly, another pitfall could be the way the software has periodic changes which can be difficult to adjust to.

       I think GIS is a very versatile and powerful program that literally can map anything imaginable. I think once exposed to the program through a tutorial, the program is very accessible and easy to approach. However, for an average computer user, this program might not be as easy to use as Google maps and may be confusing to figure out how to operate the program. All things considered, GIS is great for high volume of data and sophisticated maps for urban planning, business research and development, conservation efforts and so much more. I really think it is meant more for professional use (geographers, urban planners, architects, engineers, etc.) more so than for the average person.