TABLE OF CONTENTS

Obtaining the Tutorial Data

There are three ways of obtaining the tutorial data. The best option for getting the full GIS project experience is to follow Option 1 and learn how to download and prepare data from online GIS data portals independently. You will also gain exposure to the best GIS data websites for the Houston region.

If you have already completed the Introduction to Data Management tutorial, but did not save a copy of your files or if you would prefer to complete this tutorial first, then you may follow Options 2 or 3. Option 2 is best if you are completing this tutorial in one of our short courses or from the GIS/Data Center and Option 3 is best if you are completing the tutorial from your own computer.

Before beginning the tutorial, you will copy all of the required tutorial data onto your Desktop. Follow the applicable set of instructions below depending on the particular computer you are using.

OPTION 1: Accessing tutorial data from Fondren Library using the gistrain profile

If you are completing this tutorial from a public computer in Fondren Library and are logged on using the gistrain profile, follow the instructions below:

1. On the Desktop, double-click the Computer icon > gisdata (\\file-rnas.rice.edu) (R:) > Short_Courses > Introduction_to_GIS.
2. To create a personal copy of the tutorial data, drag the Intro folder onto the Desktop.
3. Close all windows.

OPTION 2: Accessing tutorial data online using a personal computer

If you are completing this tutorial from a personal computer, you will need to download the tutorial data online by following the instructions below:

1. Click Intro.zip above to download the tutorial data.
2. Open the Downloads folder.
3. Right-click Intro.zip and select Extract All...
4. In the 'Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders' window, accept the default location into the Downloads folder and click Extract.
5. Drag the Intro folder onto your Desktop.

Establishing a Map

Creating the Map

In the Insert ribbon, under the Project group, click New Map.
Name the map Median Household Income by Census Block Group.
In the Map ribbon, in the Layer group, click Basemap>Light Gray Canvas.
In the Contents pane to the left, uncheck the World Light Gray Reference.
In the Catalog pane, under the Databases folder, open the geodatabase and add the BlockGroupCensusData feature class to the map.

Editing Class Boundaries

In the Contents pane, right click BlockGroupCensusData>Symbology.
Select Graduated colors.
For Field, select the MEDIAN_HOUSE_INCOME.
For Classes, change it to 4. (4 classes are easier to distinguish on a black and white map).
Click Color scheme, and at the bottom of the drop-down menu click Show Names.
Select the Grays (5 Classes).
For each symbol, change the upper value to a round number.50000 90000 150000 250000
For each symbol, there is a corresponding label. Change the labels to number ranges: ≤ $50000 $50001 – $90000 $90001 – $150000 $150001 - $250001

Editing Class Symbology

In the symbol – upper value – label table, click the More dropdown on the top right corner. Navigate to Symbols>Format all symbols. Click on Properties, expand Appearance. Change the Outline color to Gray 80%. Click again on the Outline color drop down and click Color properties. Change each Red, Green, and Blue value to 60. Click OK.

For the Outline width, type 0.5 pt. Click Apply. Click the upper left back arrow.
Now, left-click on the first symbol. Go to Properties. Expand Appearance. Change the color to Gray 10% and click Apply.
Click on the second symbol. Change the color to Gray 30%. Click Apply.
Change the 3rd symbol to Gray 50%.
Change the 4th symbol to Gray 70%.
On the Contents pane, under the BlockGroupCensusData layer, there is the MEDIAN_HOUSE_INCOME symbology title. Click the title twice until the text is editable. Type Median Household Income by Census Block Group.

Establishing the Layout

Creating the Layout

In the Insert ribbon in the Project group, click New Layout>Custom page size.
Under General, for the Name, type: Median Household Income by Census Block Group.
Under Page Setup, change the Width and Height to 5 x 4 inches. Click OK.
In the Insert ribbon in the Map Frames group, click Map Frame, and under the Median Households group, click Harris County. This zooms the map to the Harris County bookmark created earlier.
On the top rulers, at 0” and 5”, right click and Add Guide. Repeat on the left side. Snap the corners to the guides.
In the Layout ribbon, in the Map group, click Activate. In the Map ribbon, in the Navigate group, click Bookmarks>Harris County. Scroll into the map as wide as it will let you without Harris County extending beyond the map frame borders.
Click and drag the map up so that there is an inch of space at the bottom of the map for a legend.

Adding Map Surrounds

In the Insert menu, in the Text group, click Dynamic Text>under the Layouts heading>Service Layer Credits. Move the text box with the Basemap credits off of the map frame.
Under the Activated Map Frame Ribbon popup, the Layout Ribbon, in the Map group, click Close Activation.
In the Insert ribbon, in the Map Surrounds group, click Legend, and draw a box on the lower left corner of the map frame.
On the Insert ribbon, in the Map Surrounds group, click the North Arrow button and select the middle arrow in the first row. Move it to the lower right corner.
In the Contents pane, click on the North Arrow. The North Arrow Element pane pops up on the right side. Under the North Arrow drop down menu, select Point Symbol. Change the Color to Gray 50%.
On the Contents pane, right click the Map Frame and go to Properties. In the Element pane on the right, under the Map Frame drop down menu, go to Border. For Color, choose No color. Click Apply.

 Adding a Legend

In the Contents pane, right-click on Legends>Properties. The Legend Element pane pops up in the right side of the screen.
Under Legend Items, click Show properties… Under the Show drop down menu, uncheck Layer name.
Resize the Legend box so it fits in the space provided by the map.
Still in the Legend Element pane, under the Legend drop down, select Headings. Expand Appearance. Change the size to 18pt and the color to Gray 70%. At the bottom of the screen, click Apply.
Under the Headings drop-down, select Labels. Change the size to 14pt and the color to Gray 80%.

Export

In the Share ribbon under the Export group, click the green arrow Layout. Navigate to your folder and save it as a pdf, 600dpi. Click the Layout button again and save it as a tiff, 600dpi.