ESRI Authorized Instructors

The current course schedule can be found in the "Workshops" page.
Quick Links:
Learning GIS Using ArcGIS Desktop
Introduction to ArcGIS I
Introduction to ArcGIS II
Working with ArcGIS Spatial Analyst
Introduction to ArcIMS
Introduction to Geoprocessing Scripts Using Python
Introduction to Programming ArcObjects Using VBA
Introduction to Programming ArcObjects with VBA

Learning GIS Using ArcGIS Desktop

Course Length: 2 days (16 hours)

Overview

This course provides the foundation for understanding what GIS is, what it can do, and how others are using it. Students learn the basic functions of a GIS, the properties of GIS maps, why a GIS database is powerful, what coordinate systems and map projections are and why they are important, two common GIS data structures, and where geographic data is obtained and how it is made. In course exercises, students work with ArcMap to visualize geographic data, create maps, query a GIS database, perform spatial analysis using simple analysis tools, and solve simple geographic problems using a systematic approach.

Those completing this course will be able to:

• Explain what a GIS is and what it can do.
• Discover how GIS can help them in their work.
• Work with and create GIS maps in ArcMap.
• Access and query a GIS database.
• Explain what geographic data is, how it is made, and where to get it.
• Explain what spatial analysis is and solve geographic problems using simple analysis tools.

Topics Covered

• The big picture of GIS: Basic functions of a GIS; Real-world applications.
• Exploring GIS maps: Defining features, layers, and data frames; Exploring map scale; Understanding the relationship between features and attributes.
• Exploring a GIS database: Exploring attribute tables; Identifying features; Symbolizing features based on their attributes; Labeling features based on their attributes.
• Creating map layouts: Understanding data view and layout view; Using the Layout toolbar; Using map templates; Modifying map elements; Printing maps.
• Understanding location: Defining coordinate systems and map projections; Reading and finding location coordinates on a map; Measuring area and distance on a map.
• Understanding raster and vector data: Representing geography; Storing real-world locations; Symbolizing rasters; Using raster and vector data together; Understanding geodatabases.
• Acquiring geographic data: Data formats; Methods of creating geographic data; Using ArcCatalog to explore geographic data; Using metadata.
• Querying data: Understanding and performing attribute queries; Understanding and performing spatial queries.
• Analyzing spatial relationships: Understanding overlay; Understanding buffer; Accessing tools in ArcToolbox; Performing Union and Intersect; Buffering features.
• Solving problems with GIS: Applying the geographic inquiry process; Using GIS tools to solve a geographic problem; Creating a map to show results.

Introduction to ArcGIS I

Course Length: 2 days (16 hours)

Overview

ArcGIS is ESRI’s full-featured GIS software for visualizing, creating, managing, and analyzing geographic data. This course provides the foundation for becoming a successful ArcGIS user. Students learn fundamental GIS concepts and become familiar with the range of functionality available in ArcGIS. In course exercises, they work with ArcGIS Desktop and see how it provides a complete GIS software solution.

Those completing this course will be able to:

• Describe the structure of ArcGIS Desktop software.
• Display geographic data.
• Query a GIS database.
• Edit geographic data.
• Associate tables using joins and relates.
• Create maps, reports, and graphs.

Topics Covered

• ArcGIS overview: Capabilities and applications; Interacting with the interface; Basic display.
• Spatial data concepts: Representing spatial data and descriptive information.
• ArcGIS data model: Geodatabases; Shapefiles; Coverages; Feature types; Attributes.
• GIS software: Components; Functions; Applications.
• Spatial coordinate systems and map projections: Georeferencing data; What map projections are; How ArcMap works with map projections.
• Querying data: Selecting and identifying features; Creating reports and graphs.
• Map displays: Creating; Symbolizing; Scaling; Adding map elements.

Introduction to ArcGIS II

Course Length: 3 days (24 hours)

Overview

ArcGIS software offers many tools for visualizing, creating, managing, and analyzing geographic data. In this course, students extend their ArcGIS skills in the areas of cartography, data automation and editing, and geoprocessing and spatial analysis. Students work with advanced cartographic tools as they learn how to efficiently create effective maps. A major focus of the course is the geodatabase. Students learn database design considerations and techniques for creating, maintaining, and managing GIS data stored in a geodatabase. The ArcGIS geoprocessing tools for spatial analysis are also covered and, in a course project, students apply many of their newly acquired skills.

Those completing this course will be able to:

• Classify and symbolize data.
• Create custom symbols, labels, and annotation.
• Work with map templates.
• Geocode addresses.
• List database design considerations.
• Create and edit metadata.
• Create a geodatabase and add data to it.
• Set and use geodatabase validation rules.
• Create and edit features using a variety of ArcMap editing tools.
• Describe components of a model.
• Perform geoprocessing operations using tools, the Command Line window, and ModelBuilder.

Topics Covered

• Spatial analysis and data management: Buffers; Spatial overlays; Extracting features for analysis; Analytical methods and tools.
• Geocoding and display of locations from tabular data: Address geocoding; Display of points from x,y coordinates.
• Editing: Tools for creating and editing spatial data; Editing attribute data; Spatial adjustment.
• Data automation: Data sources; Digitizing; Data conversion.
• Project management: Database organization; File and directory naming conventions; Creating and using metadata.
• Geoprocessing: Introduction to the Command Line window and the ModelBuilder interface.
• Cartography: Advanced symbology and labeling.

Working with ArcGIS Spatial Analyst

Course Length: 3 days (24 hours)

Overview

ArcGIS Spatial Analyst software provides tools for conducting sophisticated spatial analyses and creating different types of spatial models. This course covers fundamental raster data concepts and shows how to use ArcGIS Spatial Analyst tools to create, process, and analyze spatial data. Students focus on problems that are best solved in a raster environment such as surface analysis and distance measurement. The use of ArcGIS Spatial Analyst tools in the ArcGIS 9 geoprocessing environment is emphasized, and students learn how to access ArcGIS Spatial Analyst functionality through ArcToolbox, the command line, ModelBuilder, and scripting.

Those completing this course will be able to:

• Understand fundamental raster concepts.
• Display and query raster data.
• Georeference, transform, and project raster data.
• Create geodatabase raster datasets and raster catalogs.
• Understand how ArcGIS Spatial Analyst tools are organized.
• Apply ArcGIS Spatial Analyst tools for surface and distance analyses.
• Use groundwater hydrology tools.
• Use map algebra functions.
• Interpolate surfaces from sample points.
• Understand basic suitability modeling methodology.
• Use ModelBuilder to create suitability models.

Topics Covered

• Basics of ArcGIS Spatial Analyst: Overview of the extension; Understanding raster concepts; ArcGIS Spatial Analyst interface; Comparing rasters and feature layers; Querying rasters.
• Structure of rasters: How to create raster datasets; Raster storage and management.
• Aligning data: Raster registration and georeferencing; How projection affects analysis; Importing and exporting raster datasets.
• Conducting surface analyses: Calculating density; Choosing an interpolation method; Interpolating a continuous raster from sample points; Contours and hillshading; Visibility analysis.
• Map algebra functions: Writing expressions; Expression syntax.
• Calculating distance measurements: Euclidean distance; Cost–distance; Finding the least-cost path.
• Surface hydrology: Identifying watershed basins; Determining surface runoff characteristics.
• Designing and implementing GIS models: Spatial modeling concepts and issues.

Introduction to ArcIMS

Course Length: 2 days (16 hours)

Overview

ArcIMS® software is an integrated approach for delivering dynamic maps and GIS data and functionality over the Internet. This course provides a comprehensive introduction to ArcIMS and its powerful capabilities. Students explore the structure of ArcIMS and learn how to create ArcIMS Web sites. The course also covers the options for client viewers and teaches how to configure ArcIMS Web sites and servers.

Those completing this course will be able to:

• Understanding the components and structure of ArcIMS
• Understand the process of creating ArcIMS Web sites
• Author maps that can be served on the Internet
• Create ArcIMS services and viewers
• Utilize different client functionality
• Understand ArcXML syntax
• Make basic ArcIMS customizations
• Perform basic site administration tasks

Topics Covered

• ArcIMS overview: What is ArcIMS?; Introducing multitier architecture; Creating an ArcIMS viewer; Using ArcIMS applications.
• Authoring a service: Adding layers with Catalog; Supported data formats; Setting layer properties; Map configuration files; Working with ArcMap map documents.
• Creating ArcIMS services and viewers: Creating ArcIMS services; Using ArcIMS Designer; ArcIMS viewer output.
• Using ArcIMS Viewers: HTML Viewer; Java Viewers; ArcExplorer—Java Edition; Client tools.
• Basics of ArcIMS customization: ArcXML syntax; Map configuration files; Refreshing ArcIMS services; Requests and responses; ArcXML Programmer’s Reference Guide; HTML Viewer structure; Frame layout; Customizing the interface; Changing viewers.
• ArcIMS server administration: ArcIMS Spatial Servers; Virtual Servers; Instances; Site configuration.
• ArcIMS architecture and installation: ArcIMS components; Web servers; Servlet engines; ArcIMS installation process.

Introduction to Geoprocessing Scripts Using Python

Course Length: 2 days (16 hours)

Overview

The ArcGIS 9 geoprocessing framework includes a scripting environment, and Python® is the scripting language included with ArcGIS. This course introduces the Python scripting language and shows how it can be used to access and automate geoprocessing functionality. Students learn Python scripting syntax, then begin writing scripts to automate geoprocessing operations. Students also learn how to incorporate Python scripts as custom tools in ArcToolbox.

Those completing this course will be able to:

• Understand the basics of the Python scripting language.
• Understand how scripts can be used in the ArcGIS geoprocessing framework.
• Incorporate tools and environment settings into scripts.
• Incorporate cursors, describe objects, and enumerations into scripts.
• Work with scripts in ArcToolbox.
• Access resources for debugging Python code.

Topics Covered

• The geoprocessing framework: ArcToolbox; Dialogs; Models; Command line; Scripts.
• The basics of Python: Variables; Commenting code; String concatenation; Looping; Conditional statements; Modules.
• Accessing tools and environment settings in scripts: The Geoprocessor ArcObject; Accessing the Geoprocessor from Python; Accessing tools and environment settings from Python.
• The Geoprocessor object: The Geoprocessor Programming Model, the Geoprocessor (GpDispatch) object.
• The describe objects: Access various properties for different data types (e.g., feature classes, workspaces, datasets, raster datasets, etc.).
• The enumeration objects: Create lists of data (e.g., tables, rasters, feature classes, workspaces, fields, feature datasets, etc.).
• The cursor objects: Search cursors; Insert cursors; Update cursors.
• Incorporating scripts into the geoprocessing framework: Scripts as tools; Scripts in models.
• Finding and fixing errors: Python error handling; Identifying syntax and logical errors.

Introduction to Programming ArcObjects Using VBA

Course Length: 3 days (24 hours)

Overview

ArcObjects components are the building blocks of the ArcGIS family of products, and the ArcObjects libraries provide a rich set of functionality that developers can use to build powerful GIS applications. This course introduces the ArcObjects libraries to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programmers and teaches how to develop custom applications and solutions that extend core ArcGIS functionality. Students work with VBA development tools and the ArcGIS Customize dialog box and learn how to use the various help resources available. In course exercises, students work with the ArcObjects VBA developer resources to create applications and tools that perform specific GIS tasks including map navigation, feature selection and rendering, spatial operations, data projection, data management, editing, geoprocessing, and map creation.

Topics Covered

• Programming with COM: Coclasses, class libraries, COM, query interface, creating objects.
• Object model diagrams: Object model diagrams, types of classes, inheritance.
• The ArcGIS application framework: Customize dialog box, Visual Basic Editor.
• Working with maps and layers: Active data frame, layer properties.
• Accessing data with ArcObjects: Accessing existing data using ArcObjects.
• Displaying data: Feature and raster data rendering.
• Working with queries and selections: Cursors and feature cursors, selection sets.
• Geometry and spatial analysis: Spatial analysis, spatial reference, calculating area.
• Data creation and editing: Creating new data, editing using cursors.
• Geoprocessing: Running geoprocessing tools, setting environments.
• Working with layouts: Making maps, adding elements, exporting and printing.
• ArcObjects beyond VBA: Extending applications, ArcGIS Engine, ArcGIS Server.

Introduction to Programming ArcObjects with VBA

Course Length: 5 days (40 hours)

Overview

Learn the fundamentals of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) application development and the specifics of working with ArcObjects. This course employs hands-on programming exercises to create usable code for many typical GIS programming tasks using the most commonly used ArcObjects classes. Participants learn to use VBA development tools including the VBA Editor, customize dialog box and online help resources. Upon finishing the course, participants will have plenty of sample code from which they can build their own applications.

Audience

This course is for those who work with ArcGIS on a technical level but may be new to programming with VBA. It is ideal for users who want to increase productivity by extending ArcGIS applications and for developers who want to create custom applications using VBA.

Goals

• Customize the graphical user interface (GUI)
• Learn VBA fundamentals
• Learn Object Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts
• Get help for writing code
• Navigate the ArcObjects OMD
• Program with ArcMap objects
• Program with ArcCatalog objects
• Program with geographic data, display and geometry objects

Prerequisites/Recommendations

Participants should have taken Introduction to ArcGIS I or have equivalent knowledge. It is mandatory that participants gain basic proficiency with VB/VBA before taking this course.

Participants in this course should already know how to:

• Declare and use variables
• Write function and subprocedures
• Use conditional statements (If Then Else, Select Case)
• Work with loops (Do and While loops)
• Create forms, add controls and write event procedures

Those without the requisite VB/VBA experience can gain proficiency before taking this course in one of the following ways:

• Read and complete the exercises in an introductory VB/VBA text
• Take Introduction to Visual Basic for ESRI Software (Web-based course)
• Take a third party introductory VB/VBA course
• Read the first four chapters of the Getting to Know ArcObjects book by ESRI