Intro to Data Visualization in ArcGIS

The goal of this lab is to understand basic concepts and functions of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and produce geo-coded maps (displaying data) using ArcGIS. We will go over the very basics of spatial data and coordinate systems used in GIS, and then create thematic maps with demographic data representing the Bay Area from the US Census Bureau. For example, if you’ve ever seen a map that shows, say, poverty concentration or population density according to a color-coding scheme, it was likely produced in GIS. You will learn the basic data input functions such as file setup, joining excel spreadsheets with geographic ID fields, and thematically representing data on maps.