In a modern society, the demand and use of various types of thematic maps are more frequent. Do many small partners also need a beautiful and generous overview map of the research area in the process of writing papers? The answer is yes. In addition to the general map of the study area, many expressions related to geographic space can be displayed with the help of the mapping function of ArcGIS software. In the production of thematic maps, the design of the map is mainly based on specific requirements, and some of the elements are presented in a specific and complete manner, so that the map can realize thematic transformation and give full play to its visualization effect. The use of ArcGIS can enhance the intuition and convenience of the map, and the drawing process is simple and the drawing is beautiful, so it is widely used. I believe that many friends majoring in geography have the need to use ArcGIS software to map, so here I will share my steps and experience with you, hoping to help those who need it!
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Open the ArcMap software, in its map display window, ArcMap provides two map display states: data view and layout view. The data view is an interface for users to perform operations such as data query, retrieval, editing, and analysis, while the layout view is an interface for making maps, in which map auxiliary elements such as map titles, legends, scales, and north arrows can be loaded. The two drawing methods can be switched by the two buttons in the lower left corner of the window (Figure 1: Data View; Figure 2: Layout View).
Figure 1: Data View
Figure 2: Layout View
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Page and print settings. Before making a picture, we should pre-design the size of the picture, that is, the width and height of the picture. You can right-click outside the frame of the layout view and select Page and Print Setup to enter the frame setting interface (Figure 3). Here first we need to uncheck the Use Printer Paper Settings, so that we can set the width and height we need. As shown in Figure 4, the figure is set to a width of 13 cm and a height of 10 cm.
Figure 3: Page Setup
Figure 4: Page Setup Modifications
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Add the vector and raster layers used for mapping to the data frame, and set the symbolic representation of the features of each layer (Figure 5). The symbolic expression of each element can be set by right-clicking to select Properties or double-clicking to open the attribute list Layer Properties, and then selecting Symbology (Figure 6). As in Figure 4, we add the study area vector border and set it to light brown. There are many ways to choose the symbolic expression of data here. Feature is to select a single symbol display for a certain element, which is also the simplest one. Categories are displayed by category, Quantities are displayed by magnitude, and Charts are charts. Display, Multiple Attributes is a multi-attribute display. The above 5 display methods can meet rich cartographic needs. Friends in need can try to use it by themselves. For specific setting steps, please refer to Chapter 5 of "ARCGIS Geographic Information System Spatial Analysis Experimental Tutorial" by Mr. Tang Guoan.
Figure 5: Symbolic representation
Figure 6: Symbolic representation page
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After adding data and setting symbols, you can adjust the layout of the graph. The main elements in the graph should occupy the frame as much as possible without touching the upper, lower, left, and right borders. The blank area should not be too much. The zoom in, zoom out and small hand tools in the upper left corner of the toolbar can help us complete the zoom in, zoom out and move settings of the elements in the map (Figure 7).
Figure 7: Zoom in, zoom out adjustment settings
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When the size and position of the elements in the map are set, you can add graticules, scale bars, north arrows and legends. First introduce the addition of graticules: right-click in the frame and select Properties, select Grids (Figure 8). Then click New Grid, and the grid selection interface appears (Figure 9). Here you need to choose which form of grid you want to create: Graticule (graticule), Measured Grid (square grid) and Reference Grid (reference grid). net), select the graticule in Figure 4. The next step is to enter the appearance and interval interface. In Figure 3, it is set to only mark the interval as 30 minutes. The rest can go on to the next step to completion. The specific settings for the added grid can be set through the Properties tab. In the property interface, you can set various properties of axes, labels, lines and intervals (Figure 10), and you need to try to set the style that is most suitable for your own drawing.
Figure 8: Adding a grid
Figure 9: Grid Type
Figure 10: Grid Settings
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Add a scale bar. Click Insert in the menu bar, select Scale Bar, enter the interface in Figure 11, choose the most beautiful and elegant style you think, and then click the Properties tab to make further settings (Figure 12).
Figure 11: Adding a scale bar
Figure 12: Scale settings
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Added compass. The addition of the compass is very similar to the addition of the scale bar, that is, click Insert in the menu bar, select North Arrow, and enter the interface shown in Figure 13. The property setting interface is shown in the figure (Figure 14).
Figure 13: Adding the North Arrow
Figure 14: North Arrow Settings
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Add a legend. Also select Legend through Insert to enter the wizard interface (Figure 15). On the first page, you can select the elements that need to be displayed in the legend, and then click Next to go to the interface in Figure 16. Here we can choose some common representation methods for lines and areas. For example, the symbol of a river can use Flowing Water. Then click Next until finished, and the legend will be generated. But such a legend is not perfect yet, we need to set the font size of the legend, and arrange the legend appropriately according to the blank positions in the figure. So first right-click the legend to select Convert to Graphics, and then right-click to select Ungroup to disperse. After breaking up, we can set the font size and arrangement for the legend of a single element. After all the settings are completed, combine all the components into one, and then right-click the combined whole to open the properties to set the border and background. Finally, put the legend in the appropriate position in the figure, generally choose the four corners according to the distribution of the study area in the figure (Figure 4), and the final figure is shown in Figure 17.
Figure 15: Add legend
Figure 16: Legend Settings
Figure 17: Mapping
Source of this article: Urban and Rural Planning and Design
Tree Valley Database Resource Encyclopedia (updated on May 29)