These instructions provide a basic introduction to ESRI ArcView 3.3 and are intended to get you started with the software and CD data resources.
In the “view” window you should see a map of New York (and surrounding states) with a variety of data themes (i.e., Ski_resorts, cities, roads, etc.). The “view” is the window where all your GIS themes will be displayed. You can open as many of these “views” as you like; each one will be separate from the other (each will contain a unique set of data).
In the left hand column of the “view” there are a variety of themes listed (i.e., Ski_resort.shp). The themes are the different types of data that are present in the view window. You may turn them on/off by clicking the check box for each theme (try it now). You may also control the order in which the themes are presented (in the display) by clicking on a theme and dragging it up/down in the column (for example, try dragging the “Counties_newyork” theme up above the “Roads” theme). (It may be useful to think of the themes as different layers in a sandwich.)
Each theme has a database table of information (similar to an excel file) associated with it (i.e., each of the ski resorts has an address, phone number, etc., associated with it). This table can be viewed by clicking on the theme (in the left column) and then clicking the “table” button 
on the toolbar at the top of the ArcView window. When you do this, an attribute table will open and display a variety of information on each ski resort (Latitude, Longitude, Phone, County, etc.).
You should also make yourself familiar with the GIS tools available in ArcView.
Identify Tool: Allows you to view attribute information for each symbol on the map. To use this, click on a theme (i.e., Roads_newyork, Ski_resorts, etc.) in the view, click on the Identify Tool , and select (click on) a feature on the map (i.e., a “star” if you chose Ski_resort as your theme). An attribute window will pop up displaying information about that feature. Similar to the “table” button listed above, this feature allows you to access attribute information. However, this tool only displays attribute information for the selected feature (not the entire theme).
Select Tool: Select features on the map. This tool allows you to select different map features (points, lines & polygons). Note: The “shift” key can be used to select features in this program in the same way it is used in the Microsoft Excel program.
Zoom In/Out Tool: Zoom in and out on the map.
Measure Tool: Allows you to measure distances on the map.
The themes visible in the “view” are only a small portion of the information available to you in this project. The instructions below describe how to add more themes to the view. The GIS data on the CD is partitioned into two directories (“shapefiles” and “ski_resorts”). The “ski_resorts” directory offers datasets that cater to each of the eight individual resorts (Please note the extra steps required to add this data to the view.)
to add a new theme. to add a new theme.When you have reached the point that you would like to print maps, this is done by creating a “Layout” by clicking on “Layout” under the “View” dropdown menu. Please feel free to explore this option on your own. A more detailed discussion will be presented in class. Note: The “export” function (found under the “file” drop down menu can be used to export views and layouts as image files (.jpg, .bmp, etc.). This will be very useful for creating PowerPoint presentations.
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