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Before beginning this joyous lab, you should have the following in ArcGIS:

• 11 graduated color (choropleth) maps of your % population change data, all with the same classification and color scheme. You may have a second set of 11 maps with a different classification: for example, a two class map of gains and losses, or a different color scheme.

• 12 graduated symbol maps of your total population data, all with the same classification and color scheme.

• 12 proportional symbol maps of your total population data, all with the same color scheme.

• 12 dot density maps of your total population data, all with the same dot value ("one dot = 500 people" - or something like that), size, and color scheme.

Our next goal is to create graphic files in .gif format (one of the most common graphic file formats for the WWW). The means to this end is ArcGIS's Layout view, where ArcGIS allows you to arrange your map, add titles, legends, and export your maps to more generic graphic file formats. In Lab 9 you will animate the graduated color, symbol, and dot density maps and prepare them for the WWW. Your proportional symbol maps are not really comparable, but we will include them on your WWW pages as 10 static images.

Lab 8 Goal: Export your various population maps and legends using ArcGIS's Layout feature and use whatever means to get them into GIF format. Your GIF files should have good color, text, and exact sizing ready for animation (in Lab 9).

The Details:

1) As tidiness is still a virtue, create a new folder in your personal directory called GIF_Maps. You should save your files exported from ArcGIS (and eventually your animated GIF files) in this folder.

2) Take a moment to think about where you are going with your maps: the graduated color, graduated symbol, and dot density maps will be animated. The proportional symbol maps will not be animated, but will be included in your pages as a series of ten maps (they are not comparable). All of the following should be decided before you export your maps:

• You may want to consider adding additional map layers to your map - this could be roads, cities, rivers, etc. - do this if you claimed you would do it in your mid-project evaluation (Lab 7). You must add these elements to your maps prior to exporting the maps in this exercise. Do engage your medulla oblongata if you are using additional data: interstate highways, for example, did not exist prior to the 1950s, but major cities in most states did.

• You need a legend for each map or map animation: what should be included in the legend, and how should you produce it? Consider these issues:
  • show the classes, associated colors/symbols, and the class ranges; avoid decimals, add a % after each number if it is a percent, and make sure larger numbers are at the top of the legend. You can format the legend in the Symbiology window (I can show you how if you can't figure it out yourself).
  • do you need to include the word "Legend"? What the hell does that mean, anyway?
  • if you include other data on your map (roads, cities) should their symbol be in the legend?
  • I suggest that you save the legend separately from your maps (as a file, called legend.gif): since the legend is the same for all the maps, one legend can be used for all of the maps on your WWW pages. In some cases the high or low value in the legend for each layer of your choropleth map will adjust to the highest or lowest value in the data set. Make sure to use the legend from the map layer that includes all the values in your entire series of maps.

• You need a map title: this will communicate the year or span of years of each map. The title may be on each map, the title may be part of the legend, or the title may be part of the HTML code. What ever floats your boat.

• You need to consider the final size of each of the map animations (or static maps). You don't want people to have to scroll around to see your entire map, nor do you want the maps to be too small. You may want to have a few maps side by side. You need to export the maps from ArcGIS at the appropriate final size: you may attempt to reduce or enlarge the files later - in Photoshop or using HTML commands - but this can degrade the image (make it blurry) so don't do it.

  
  

The Layout View in ArcGIS is the means by which you will export your maps, and provides functions for creating titles, legends, etc. Access it by clicking on the small 'page' icon next to the 'globe' (the 'globe' is your data view which you have been working in):

3) Once in the Layout View go to the Insert menu and add the following; some have options you can set (don't worry about these too much - you can change them later):

• Title

• North Arrow

• Scale Bar

4) Layout View items such as titles, legends, etc. only exist in the Layout View (eg., not in the Data View) and they are saved when you save your ArcGIS project. Most can be edited, deleted, and/or resized by selecting them. They can also be changed by double-clicking on the item to call up an options dialog box.

• modify all of the elements you added to your Layout just to see how it works.

5) Another important feature of the Layout View is that it is connected to the Data View. The layer or layers visible in the Data View will show up in the Layout View. Thus you can set up a nice layout for one of your maps (% Pop. Change 1900-10), then turn that off and turn on the next map (% Pop. Change 1910-20) and it will show up in the Layout View with the same size, legend, etc. as the previous map. This is important, as we need to have our maps all at exactly the same size and with any map elements in the same location to successfully animate them.

TIP: Seems as if the new version of the software does not make it easy to swap legends when changing layers, as indicated above. In that case, create your legend (using the layer with the lowest low value) and export it as a seperate file. You can just place this next to the animated gif file of your maps using HTML code.

To get rid of junk from the legend, double click on the legend in the Layout. You can change the title of from Legend to "Population Change 1900-2007" or whatever under the Legend tab. Go to the Legend Properties tag, then the Style button (to the right of the legend items), then the Properties button, then uncheck "show heading" and/or anything else you want to modifiy.

• cobble together a layout and then change the maps just to see how it works.

6) Please make decisions on the issues noted above in step 2. Consult with your kindly instructor if you have questions.

• Please set the zoom control to 100% (should be near the top of your ArcGIS window), between the table of contents and Layout View. You should adjust the size or your map and map elements to the final size you want them to be on your WWW pages.

• Make sure your map title reflects the actual data you are viewing.

7) Once you have a decent layout at the correct size please add a neatline around your map and its elements.

• This option is under the Insert menu. Neat!

This neatline is very important: it will be used to trim your maps, so they are all exactly the same size. If your maps are not the same size, the animation will be all wobbly. The neatline should leave some white space around your map, but not too much. Please dont use a fill, and make the neatline a thin, black line.

8) Once you have a layout with properly sized map, legend, and neatline, you are ready to export your map to a graphics file. Our goal is to end up with a .gif file.

• From the File menu select Export Map

• Click on Save as type to see all the file formats you can save into. .gif is what we need to do our GIF animations in the next lab.

• Hit the Options button and change the resolution of the file to 72. WWW browsers show files at 72 dpi resolution. If you have a higher resolution file then it will be displayed at 72 dpi, thus making the actual size of your image larger on the screen.

• Give the export a logical name (such as wi_00-10.gif). Remember to use all lower case characters, no spaces, etc. Navigate to your GIF_MAPS folder and save the file.

TIP: If you find a file extension (.eep, .pip, etc.) you are confused and/or amused by, you can try and find what kind of file it is at one of the following sites: FIL EXT or a list at Saugus.net or just google the extension.

9) Once in Photoshop carefully inspect your file. Check that the colors and resolution and all the elements look good.

• Carefully crop the file based on the neatline. This is an exacting process: if you are off by even a pixel, your animation may be wobbly. Crop right on the line!

• Save. If you want a transparent GIF file (the white is transparent on a WWW page) do the following:
  • Under the File menu select Export and GIF89a Export...

  • Options: you may use the dropper tool here to select a color that will be transparent. For example, you may select white. This will make the white background in the file transparent when you view the file on the WWW. This is helpful if you want your WWW page background to surround your map, but can cause problems if you have white somewhere else on your map. You can give it a try and reexport without a transparent color if it does not work.

  • Another option: the interlace option creates that effect you have probably seen where an image on the WWW is initially blurry and becomes more focused. This is good to do when you have a single image, but avoid it for any files that are to be animated: uncheck the box.

10) Add the image to one of your HTML pages and critically examine it.

• Did the colors carry over through all the transformations? Compare to the original colors in ArcGIS. Sometimes lighter colors disappear, and that would be a bad thing. Also make sure there are no odd resolution problems, or that the size of the map is wrong.

• If you have type in the image, did the type hold up? You might want to have your instructor review your map at this stage if you think there is a problem.

11) If you are having color problems, then consider one of the myriad of other ways to get your maps out of ArcGIS. Try a different file format when you export from ArcGIS, such as TIFF, and then use Photoshop to convert and export as a GIF file.

Of course the good old it almost always works fine option is to use the Print Screen feature of your computer. Get your map on the screen, in ArcGIS, at 100%. Hit the Print Screen button on the keyboard. Open Photoshop and create a new empty file. Paste will drop the entire screen in the file. Crop back, carefully, to the neatline. Under the Image menu change the mode to Indexed Color and hit OK to any windows that pop up. Save as a GIF file. Once again, it is good to be reminded that if something is not working, there is probably an alternative way to do it. You should already know how to do the Print Screen routine. Just modify the Mode and follow the same procedure as outlined in step 9 above.

TIP: Sometimes Print Screen ceases to work after the 2nd timep (the previous saved screen shows up when you Paste into Photoshop). This is a Windows bug. It is hard to believe that Windows has any bugs. To fix it, go to the Edit Menu in Photoshop and select Purge then Clipboard after you have pasted a Print Screen image. This should solve the problem. Do that every time after you paste.

12) Once you are happy with your map (color, size, type) return to ArcGIS and export the rest of your maps - however worked best for you. Also export a single legend for each of your map types: While viewing your map layer with the highest high value: from the Insert menu select Legend, which will plop a legend down near your map. Move the legend away from your map and any lines, make sure you are viewing the screen at 100%, and export it (.jpg or .gif is fine) or Print Screen & Photoshop it.

With regards to the maps, the Layout View should be all set up and all you should have to do is change the map you are exporting. Don't change anything in the layout - position or size - as the maps must all be exactly the same to animate properly. You will have to adjust the layout for your other map types before you export them.

• 11 graduated color (choropleth) maps and 1 legend as GIF files

• 12 graduated symbol maps and 1 legend as GIF files

• 12 proportional symbol maps and 1 legend as JPG files (we will not animate, so you don't need to save as gifs).

• 12 dot density maps and 1 legend as GIF files

Next: Animating your exported maps.

E-mail: jbkrygier@owu.edu

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