Introduction to ArcGIS for the DIHSLE Communities

An ArcGIS 9.2 version of this course, Introduction to ArcGIS for Geospatial Intelligence and Law Enforcement, is now available.

Designed with input from the defense, intelligence, homeland security, and law enforcement (DIHSLE) communities, this course helps members of those communities learn the core GIS skills they need to support their organizations' missions using terminology, exercise scenarios, and data relevant to their daily work. Students learn how to use ArcGIS tools to perform basic GIS tasks such as accessing, displaying, querying, and editing geographic data. In course exercises, students label crime incidents based on the type of crime, produce a map to brief a strike team, display a GPS track log of a targeted suspect, and identify potential gaps in a sensor grid for a possible border crossing. The course concludes with a capstone exercise in which students independently apply what they have learned to work through one of several scenarios they consider most applicable to their jobs.

This course is designed for those new to ArcGIS and to GIS in general. This course provides the fundamental ArcGIS knowledge and experience needed by members of the DIHSLE communities and should be taken instead of Introduction to ArcGIS I.

Those completing this course will be able to:

• Understand fundamental GIS and ArcGIS concepts
• Work with tabular data similar to significant activities (SIGACTS) contained in a spreadsheet.
• Select features using logical expressions for help in route reconnaissance.
• Find features based on their locations to other features, such as hazmat-capable fire stations within a distance of a chemical sensor.
• Edit data using ground-truth verification, additional reporting methods, or heads-up digitizing.
• Associate tables from a reporting database with geographic data to help with link analysis.
• Perform spatial analysis to append information from two geographic layers.
• Produce maps to create target packages for operational and intelligence command briefings.

• ArcGIS overview: Capabilities and applications; Interacting with the interface; Basic map display.
• Spatial data concepts: Representing spatial data and descriptive information.
• Querying data: Selecting and identifying features
• ArcGIS vector data models: Geodatabases; Shapefiles; Coverages; VPF; CAD.
• ArcGIS raster data models: Supported formats and RPF.
• Spatial coordinate systems and map projections: Georeferencing data; Understanding map projections; How ArcMap works with map projections.
• Working with tables: Work with data contained in a spreadsheet.
• Editing: Tools for creating and editing spatial data; Editing attribute data.
• Spatial analysis: Buffers; Spatial overlays; Extracting features for analysis; Analytical methods and tools.
• Map displays: Creating; Symbolizing; Scaling; Adding map elements.

Students should know how to use Windows-based software for basic file management and browsing.

This course is designed to work with the following software:

How do I know what ArcGIS Desktop software I have? [Flash] [Text]