ArcGIS Skills for Hawaii

Do you want to learn ArcGIS for Desktop GIS Software?

I teach a night class for the PCATT program at Honolulu Community College that introduces students to ArcGIS for Desktop using Esri's Virtual Campus supplemented with additional Hawaii-specific "Show & Tell" information and "Challenges".

This summer (2013) I'm working on a GIS project with several students from Maui and the Big Island - Hawaii GeoTeam 2013 - and they needed to learn ArcGIS for Desktop. Since we're working remotely, I've moved a lot of my "Show & Tell" and "Challenge" content to a GeoTeam 2013 blog.

Special thanks to Alex, Jeremie, Josiah and Lotus for working on this project and helping me test the online content, and to Bill and Ria for giving me the idea to make the materials available to others.

You're welcome to use these materials to support your own self-study. You'll need to purchase the online class "Learning ArcGIS Desktop (for ArcGIS 10)". If you don't have the ArcGIS for Desktop software, you can request a copy after you register.

The online class was prepared with Desktop version 10.0 but works just fine with version 10.1. I've posted some notes where there are differences.

There are three types of blog entries: notes, show & tell and challenges.

   - Notes are used to show where version 10.0 and 10.1 are different

   - Show & Tells are used to give materials that supplement what you've learned in the online class modules.

   - Challenges are used for you to practice what you have learned using Hawaii examples.

Here are the blog entries, in order, to go with the eight modules in the online class. Modules 1 thru 4 are treated as a unit.

Modules 1 - 4 (Introduction to GIS, Features and Attributes)

   Notes on differences between 10.0 and 10.1

   Quiz

   Answers to Quiz

   Show & Tell for Modules

   Challenge for Modules

Module 5 (Editing)

   Notes on differences between 10.0 and 10.1

   Show & Tell

   Challenge

Module 6 (Tables, Analysis)

   Show & Tell on Safe Relationships

   Show & Tell on Census Data

   Challenge

Module 7 (ModelBuilder, Analysis)

   Show & Tell on Parcel Data

   Challenge

Module 8 (Layouts, Maps and Reports)

   Show & Tell on Election Data

   Challenge

Extra Credit (ArcGIS Online) - Free online tutorial, instructions in Show & Tell

   Show & Tell

There's A Map For That: Online Mapping Resources for Hawaii

PCATT IT Summit

Presentation Notes

May 16, 2013

1:15 to 2:00 pm

Room 514

I love maps! And I love teaching teachers about maps and mapping software. So the PCATT IT Summit is a great chance for me to reach Hawaii high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers and show them the great online mapping resources available here in Hawaii including data from the State of Hawaii and from our four Hawaii counties - Honolulu, Maui, Hawaii and Kauai.

Instead of handing out a piece of paper, I decided to blog my notes and relevant links so they're easy to find and share. So here we go...

These will only be some brief notes along with links to online resources. If you're interested, my full presentation is posted on slideshare. It's also embedded here:

GIS = ( ( Maps + Data ) * Analysis ) ^ ( Web + Mobile )

This handy formula summarizes the power of GIS, or geographic information systems. We start by looking at maps, but we more than just a map. We see things (features) on the map. And behind every feature on the map there is data describing that feature. On a paper map we can't see all that data, but when we bring that map on to a computer (using GIS), we can start asking questions and seeing patterns. We can start doing analysis. Analysis is the "force multiplier" of GIS. And in the last few years, all that power of GIS has been multiplied exponentially via the web and, even more recently, via mobile devices.

There was an article in the December 2011 issue of Honolulu Business Magazine that describes this in more detail and gives examples of how business and government use GIS. Here's the link:

Honolulu Business Magazine on GIS

There are many mapping applications now online, here are links to a few local ones you may find interesting:

City and County of Honolulu Fast Maps for Parcels

State of Hawaii Office of Planning EnerGIS (renewable energy)

State of Hawaii Flood Mapping

Honolulu Crime Mapping

Map Services to Web Maps

Behind the scenes, the mapping applications above are all using map services to create the maps and reports you see online. You can use these same map services to create your own online maps called web maps.  Here are some links to map services, web maps and web map applications:

Open Data for Mapping: State of Hawaii

Open Data for Mapping: City and County of Honolulu

Open Data for Mapping: County of Maui

Honolulu Refuse and Recycling
State of Hawaii Electioneering Maps
Honolulu Tsunami Refuge Centers

Honolulu's Exceptional Trees

Honolulu's Exceptional Trees Finder

Story Map: Veronese

Software, Training and more...

Fortunately for Hawaii teachers, the Hawaii Department of Education has a site license for the GIS software used for both desktop (ArcGIS for Desktop) and online (ArcGIS Online) mapping software that teachers can use for free!  The licenses are administered for DOE by the MEDB Women in Technology (WIT) Program.  Here are some useful links:

ArcGIS software through DOE and MEDB/WIT

MEDB/WIT GIS Training

MEDB/WIT GeoTech Program for GIS and GPS

MEDB/WIT Blog

Esri Education GIS Conference July 6-9, 2013 in San Diego, CA