ArcGIS Overview - Overview Lab Experience

The main purpose of this lab was to help me familiarize myself with a few basic tools found in ArcGIS desktop with "real-world" data.  The data  provided information on world population by Country in one layer and broke the information down further by categorizing cities within those countries, including their population range in another layer.  Additionally the lab allowed for practice with the e-Desktop application and associated drive maps.  I found the instructions for all aspects to be clear and easy to follow.  The second portion of the lab also allowed for exploration of the help menus and search feature within ArcDesktop.  During the course of the lab several basic concepts of the ArcGIS file system were clearly explained, including an opportunity to view metadata; The process of exporting the .mxd to a .jpg for sharing with others was a nice culmination to the map production process, illustrating that these maps can be shared pictorially with users who do not have GIS software and that these images can, in fact, incorporate information derived from the database information on which the geographic features are built by creating a layout delineating the type(s) of information you need to convey.  With my background in land surveying, civil design and utility engineering, I truly enjoyed my experience with ArcDesktop and cannot wait to explore the tremendous potential the software provides.  The map attached to this blog is the result of the lab and delineates the population of World Countries using a color ramp which can be matched to a numerical range within the legend.

Orientation - Cartographic Skills GIS 3015

Hi everybody!  I've been in the AEC industry for about twenty years and have had some exposure to GIS.  I'm looking forward to formalizing my training.  In my free, (yea right), time I love to travel, hike, indoor rock climb, hunt, fish, cook and bake.  I have a great partner and two dogs...a chihuaua who is close to ten and a 9 month old German Shepherd.  I work full time with the City of Port Saint Lucie in the Utility Engineering department.  I am adventerous, enthusiastic and oftentimes quirky.

Here's a link to my story map link:  http://arcg.is/1Tg3nwV