Modify map contents
The Contents pane allows you to modify the map’s layers. In the next steps, you will get a quick overview of how to work in the Contents pane.
1 Look at the Cities layer. Cities are represented by graduated point symbols that correspond to population values—the larger the point, the larger is the city’s population. Click the check box to the left of Cities to clear it (thereby turning the layer off in the map).
2 In the same way, turn off Countries, and then click the World Population check box to turn it on. Expand the World Population legend by clicking the triangle symbol next to the check box.The countries are symbolized by population categories using a graduated color ramp—the darker the color, the higher the population.TIP If you want to remove a layer from the map entirely and not just turn it off, right-click the layer name and click Remove.
3 Collapse all legends. Collapsing the legends makes it easier to reorder layers in the Contents pane.
4 Move Latlong below Air Pollution by Country by clicking and dragging to move the layer and release it in the desired location.
5 Turn on Air Pollution by Country. You cannot see this layer because it is underneath World Population. To see the Air Pollution layer, you can turn off World Population or reorder the layers. Think of layers as shapes drawn on sheets of transparent paper. You typically place points and lines above polygons so that they are not covered up.
6 Turn off World Population to examine the Air Pollution by Country layer. Expand its legend so that you can better understand the map. This layer shows particulate matter (PM) concentration measurements for each country.On which continent are PM concentrations highest?You can find the answers to the questions posed in this book in the book’s online resources (go.esri.com/GTKPro2.6Resources).
7 When you finish, turn on World Population again. You may also collapse the Air Pollution legend again if you want. Next, you will change the map’s name from Layers to World.
8 In the Contents pane, click Layers once to highlight it, and click it again to make it editable. Type World, and then press Enter.
Explore the map
To navigate around the map, you will use the Explore tool.
1 On the Map tab, in the Navigate group, make sure the Explore tool is active.TIP If you want, you can right-click the Explore tool and click Add to Quick Access Toolbar. A small Explore tool icon is added at the top of the application window, so you can easily switch to Explore mode without changing tabs. To undo this change, right-click the icon and click Remove from Quick Access Toolbar. You can add any tool you want to the Quick Access Toolbar.
2 Navigate around the map:To zoom in and out, move the mouse up and down while pressing and holding the right mouse button. (You can also zoom using the mouse wheel.)To pan, press and hold the left mouse button, and drag the map.
TIP If you are using a touchscreen monitor, try panning and zooming using conventional touchscreen motions. (Swipe to pan, “pinch” to zoom out, and “reverse pinch” to zoom in.)
1 With the Explore tool still active, click any country to see its attributes in a pop-up window. (Zoom and pan as needed.) Notice that the feature first flashes blue and then flashes red.As explained in the first chapter, attributes are pieces of information about a geographic feature in a GIS. They are usually stored in a table and linked to the feature by a unique identifier. For example, city attributes might include the city name, the county in which it is located, total population, and demographic data. Attribute tables also store information about feature geometry, such as length and area (for lines and polygons).
2 Close the pop-up window.
3 Go to the full extent of the map: on the Map tab, in the Navigate group, click the Full Extent button.
Examine the contextual ribbon
Before you open an attribute table, you should understand that the ribbon and tools you see in ArcGIS Pro are automatically updated according to context. When you are working with the map view, you have the standard available tabs and tools; but when you work with layers, additional contextual tabs and tools appear.
1 Make sure the World map frame is selected in the Contents pane. The map frame ribbon contains eight tabs.
2 Click each tab to see the tools and functions offered for each tab. (If you click Project, click the back arrow to return to the map.)If you close your Contents pane, how do you restore it?How do you find a geoprocessing tool?
3 In the Contents pane, activate and turn on Cities.
4 Notice that the Feature Layer ribbon appears, on which there are three additional tabs that relate to feature layers.
TIP The Feature Layer ribbon is activated when a layer is highlighted in the Contents pane, regardless of whether the layer is turned on or off.
Examine feature attributes
1 Make sure Cities is still active (highlighted) on the Contents pane. On the Feature Layer ribbon, click the Data tab. Notice the functions that are available here.
2 In the Table group, click the Attribute Table button.The attribute table opens. It can be docked or floating. The table contains all of the attributes of all of the features in a layer. Compare this table to the Explore pop-up window, which shows only the attributes of a single feature.TIP You can also open the attribute table by right-clicking the feature layer in the Contents pane and then clicking Attribute Table.
3 Arrange the table as you prefer, and examine the attribute data.
4 Right-click the POP heading (scroll as necessary), and click Sort Descending.
Select features
1 Click the gray square to the left of the top row. Notice that the row is highlighted in aqua, and so is the associated feature on the map. This step is called selecting a feature. You can select one feature at a time or multiple features.
2 Press and hold the Ctrl key and select the five most populous cities in the table. Notice that the cities are highlighted in the map, and at the bottom of the table you can see how many features are selected. By clicking the buttons at the bottom of the attribute table shown in the accompanying graphic, you can choose to show all records in the table or only the selected records.
3 On the Map tab in the Selection group, click the Clear button . This step clears the selection.
4 Close the table by clicking the X (in the upper-right corner if the table is floating, or next to the table name). You can also select features manually in the map, without using the attribute table.
5 Zoom in to any country. On the Map tab, click the Select tool , and click a country.