Digital Data Sources in ArcGIS Pro

  Digital Data Sources

Kendrick Wittmer

Date: 5/7/2025   

    The objective of this project was to learn how to work with downloadable digital data, such as elevation models, census data, hydrology datasets, and land cover layers. Each map was made using real-world data and involved a range of GIS tasks, from selecting features and changing map projections to symbolizing data and editing attribute tables.

 Kodiak Island Cities

    This map shows the cities located on Kodiak Island, Alaska. The city data was downloaded from the USGS National Map website. In ArcGIS Pro, only the cities on Kodiak Island were selected and saved into a new layer. A topographic basemap was added for context, and city names were labeled for clarity. The coordinate system was changed to better match the Alaska State Plane Zone, reducing distortion on the map.

Lower St. Croix Watershed

    This map focuses on the Lower St. Croix watershed along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border. Several layers were used, including elevation data and stream networks from the National Hydrologic Dataset (NHD). A hillshade layer was created to give the map a 3D appearance by showing terrain shadows. Stream and river features were color-coded based on type, and waterbodies like lakes and reservoirs were also added. The result is a detailed hydrographic and terrain map of the watershed.

                                                      

Besset Topology Errors

    This map highlights topology errors in a land use dataset for an area called Besset. In GIS, topology refers to how geographic features connect or overlap. Using ArcGIS Pro’s topology tools, areas where polygons overlapped or didn’t meet properly were identified. Errors were symbolized in red, and exceptions were marked separately. Insets were added to zoom in on specific problem areas. This map shows how GIS can be used to check data quality.

Populations of U.S. Counties

    This map shows population sizes for counties in the lower 48 U.S. states. Data was taken from the 2010 U.S. Census. To make the map easier to read, only relevant columns were kept, and the data was symbolized using proportional circles. Larger circles represent more populated counties. The map clearly shows high population areas like California, Texas, and the East Coast. This is a good example of how to display numeric data in a visual and meaningful way.

Stillwater Wetlands Classified by Size

    This map shows wetlands in the Stillwater, Minnesota area, categorized by size. A new column was added to the attribute table, and wetlands were manually sorted into five groups: Small, Medium, Large, Upland, and Wisconsin (used for areas outside the mapping boundary). Each group was symbolized with a different color. This task involved basic table operations like sorting, selecting, and calculating values. The final map shows how wetlands are spread across the region and how data can be classified based on size.

    These five maps demonstrate key GIS skills, including working with online data sources, editing and analyzing spatial features, and creating clean, informative map layouts. This project provided hands-on experience with many common tasks used in real-world GIS work.