Lab 1 – Part 3

Creating the Final Map

Working with map elements:
You will create the final map by changing from the Data View to the Layout View. Next you will add the different map elements you want displayed on the final map and will create a final product using not only your cartographic skills, but artistic skills as well.

1. Under View - select Layout View
2. Click on Insert and add the following:
North Arrow
Scale Bar
Legend
Neat Line (optional)
Title and somewhere add your name - keeping the cartographic principals in mind set up the final layout so it looks cartographically correct and that you have created a nice finished product.

One recommendation about centering your map, keep in mind that the Layout is mirroring the map in the Data View. You should go to the Data view and set things up the way you want them before you click on Layout view. Sometimes it is best to add the final text with the A (text) button at the bottom of the window at the last minute, because you cannot control the zoom factor for this tool. (There are three small buttons at the bottom of the Dataview window. One is arrows that go around and this is the refresh button, the other two switch back and forth between the Data view and the Layout view).

Everything should be fairly straightforward; however, a problem that is frequently encountered is changing from the data view to the layout view and not having your map show up in the layout view. You may have accidentally deleted it, one way of bringing it back if this happens, is to click on Layout on the right button in the layout toolbar. This will bring up a window with Select Template. Click on the General tab and you can select from a variety of different templates. This will bring your map back into the layout frame.

From here, you can select each element on the layout and customize it any way you want by selecting the element and double clicking. This will bring up the properties box for that element. You can add a neat line and a background color if desired. Before you turn in the map, be sure to un-check the Ft. Douglas.tif.

After - Thought

A few tips for digitizing and text labeling. If you want to connect two polylines, bring up your Editor tool bar and start editing. Next, select both lines and using the dropdown menu under Editor, click on merge. This will create one line and also move the text if any, to show that it is connected.

If you labeled your roads in the attribute table and you want to move one of the text labels, you must remove that particular name from the attribute file and using the text tool in the drawing toolbox, add your new text. This will allow you to double click on it and change it any way you want. I have not discovered another way to successfully perform this task.

Sample of a few maps, two good maps and one with many errors.