ArcGIS Create A Map Layout

Go to the Start menu and locate the ArcMap shortcut icon. Double-click on the ArcMap icon to open this application. Select the Africa map and Open. This map contains 4 layers of data. The layers have been classified and symbolized based on underlying attribute values. Notice the two display mode buttons at the bottom of the map frame. You can toggle between Data View and Layout View. The Insert drop-down menu provides the utilities to insert standard map elements such as a title, legend, scalebar, etc.. .Let's insert a new data frame and set up an inset map view in the layout. Right-click and select Properties> General tab to change the Data Frame name to a more descriptive name. Change the page layout size by selecting File > Page Setup. Change from 8.5 by 11 inches - portrait to ANSI C - landscape. Now the page size changes considerably. Move and resize the two data frames on this larger sheet. Allow space for a margin. Use the zoom tools and fill the Africa Data Frame with the Africa data. Use the scale menu and change to whole numbers. While the data frame is active, select the Insert > Scalebar option. Double-click on the scalebar to change units to kilometers. Stretch the scalebar until the values are whole numbers. Click on the World Inset Data Frame to make it active. Add the World.lyr and Countries_inset.lyr files by dragging from the Catalog on the right into the Table of Contents on the left. Use the incremental zoom out tool and zoom out until the data fits nicely into this active data frame. Use the incremental zoom out tool and zoom out until the data fits nicely into this active data frame. Insert a title box with the Insert > Title option. Type in a title. Change the text size; make it bold and italicized using Change Symbol. Select the Insert > Text option. Type text into the box. Hit enter, drag the box into some whitespace, then double-click on it. Enter author, date, and any other information such as data source in this text box. Use the Change Symbol button to change the text. Drag the text box to a location that suits you. Final moves and resizing will be applied later to give a balanced look to the layout. Add a neatline to delineate the map from the edge of the paper by providing a margin of whitespace. Select Insert > Neatline. A decorative border and colored background can be applied. Try out different options and view the results. Also, resize the neatline. Insert a North Arrow of your choosing by using the Insert > North Arrow option. All ArcMap maps are oriented to the North. Insert a legend with the Insert > Legend option. Remember to click on the pertinent data frame before adding the legend. This video accepts most of the defaults but you are encouraged to experiment with the different legend settings. Practice moving and resizing the map elements. There are two types of pans. The layout pan on the layout menu moves the layout page. The map pan moves the map data in the active data frame. Move the Africa map to the left to allow more space for the legend. Move and resize the legend. Ensure text readability by viewing at 100% from the layout menu. Insert a picture by selecting Insert > Picture and navigating to an image of your choosing. Move and resize the image in the layout. Multiple elements can be selected by holding down the shift key and clicking on each element. Right-click and select Align options. When the layout is finished, remember to save your map with File > Save. Then use File > Export Map to create a PDF layout. The Save As Type drop-down menu allows you to export to different image formats. Notice what folder you save it in. Save and close the ArcMap application. Locate the PDF layout file and open it. View it at 100% and check all text for readability.

Channel: Wake Tech GIS

Views: 437,134

Rating: 4.8002348 out of 5

Keywords: Layout, ArcGIS, ESRI, ArcMap, ArcCatalog

Id: w7G3SF4doVg

Length: 9min 45sec (585 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 22 2014