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ArcGIS Explorer Application
Be
cause the ArcGIS Explorer application
is more sophisticated, it will take a little
more time to work with, however the
quality of paper maps that can be
produced is much higher. The
application is not quite as intuitive as
Google Earth or BING Maps, however the
enhanced functionality balances the time
needed to learn all of the tools.
With ArcGIS Explorer, typing an address,
keyword, city or other geographic term
into the search box at the top of the
application window finds the location
and marks it with a pin. To edit the
location, get information about it,
change the symbol or perform any
analysis, users must select the right
search item, right click on the item and
select Move to Map. This action
transfers the item found to the
temporary map being created, moving it
as a data layer to the Contents window. Once in the Contents window, users right click on the item and select Go To, to
zoom into the area of interest. From this same menu, users can change the symbol associated with a feature or add a
label for the feature.
Like Google Earth, users can easily find coordinates associated with a point, line or area feature drawn on the map. Also
Google Earth, users need to define what coordinate system those coordinates will be displayed as on the screen, add
scale information and other map elements. Unlike Google Earth, where the cursor moving changed the coordinates,
ArcGIS Explorer always displays the coordinates associated with the center of the map view. Moving the map image, as
opposed to moving the cursor will update the coordinates displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Click on the Display tab at the top of the application to
select the map elements and details that are needed. Click
in the box next to Position Information to make sure
coordinates display on your screen. Click in the box next
to Target Indicator to display the crosshair at the center of
the map display that will correspond to the coordinates
being displayed on the map. Select Decimal Degrees as
the Coordinate system to make sure that the position
information is displayed in the right format. Choose the
type of distance measure (English or metric) that the
application will use to display any calculations made when
drawing features.