ArcGIS Basics – Somerville Land Use

Learn the Basics of ArcGIS by mapping Somerville, Massachusetts data from MassGIS. Learn how to symbolize data by unique values, label features, set a projection, create a locator map, and create a final map layout for export.

This tutorial takes approximately 2–3 hours to complete.

• ArcGIS Pro Tutorial: ArcGIS Pro Basics: Somerville (Version 2.6)
• ArcMap Tutorial: ArcGIS Basics: Somerville (Version 10.8)
• Download Tutorial Data

ArcGIS Basics – India

Learn the Basics of ArcGIS by mapping large and small-scale demographic data in India and Kolkata. Learn how to symbolize data by quantities, select by attribute and location, label features, set a projection, create a locator map, and create a final map layout for export.

This tutorial takes approximately 3–4 hours to complete.

• ArcGIS Pro Tutorial: ArcGIS Pro Basics: India (Version 2.6)
• ArcMap Tutorial: ArcGIS Basics: India Tutorial (Version 10.8)
• Download Tutorial Data

ArcGIS Basics: Examining the Link between Human Epidemic Status & Cases of Yaws in Primates – Africa, 2013

Learn the basics of ArcGIS by mapping cases of Yaws in Africa by country and by primate outbreaks. Compare the outbreaks to primate habitats. This tutorial will cover symbolizing categorical and quantitative data, selecting by attributes, setting a projection, labeling features, creating a locator map, and creating two final map layouts for export. 

This tutorial takes approximately 2–3 hours to complete. 

• ArcGIS Pro Tutorial: ArcGIS Basics: Yaws in Africa (Version 2.6)
• ArcMap Tutorial: ArcGIS Basics: Yaws in Africa (Version 10.8.1)
• Download Tutorial Data

ArcGIS Pro: Selections and Queries: Mapping the Transatlantic Slave Trade Database: 1676 – 1805

This GIS tutorial will lead you through the steps in ArcGIS Pro to create a thematic map of transatlantic slave embarkment ports in Africa between 1676 and 1805. This tutorial will cover adding data to ArcGIS Pro, symbolizing categorical and quantitative data, select by attributes and select by location, attribute table tools, and composing a final map layout.

This tutorial takes approximately 2 hours to complete.

• ArcGIS Pro: https://tufts.box.com/v/ArcGISPro-SlaveTrade-Tutorial
• Data can also be downloaded here

Basic Mapping & Cartography Exercise – Haiti

This short tutorial focuses on mapping unique categorical values showing livelihood zones in Haiti. It also introduces users to the select-by-attributes query tools, labeling features, inserting a locator map, and creating a final map layout.

This tutorial takes approximately 1 hour to complete.

• ArcMap Tutorial: Basic Mapping Exercise – Haiti Livelihood Zones 
• Data can also be downloaded here: Basic Mapping-Haiti Livelihood Zones-Data

Basic Queries Exercise – Haiti

This tutorial teaches different selection tools, including Select by Attributes and Select by Location, in addition to attribute table functions. It also introduces students to spatial joins and zonal statistics tools.

This tutorial takes approximately 1.5 hours to complete.

• ArcMap Tutorial: Basic Queries Exercise – Haiti
• Data can also be downloaded here: Basic Query Practice Data

Using the Selection Tools for Querying

With this tip sheet, you will understand how to use selection tools for fundamental basic queries and analysis with Select by Attribute and Select by Location. You will also learn how to view statistics for select records.

• ArcMap Tutorial: Using the Selection Tools for Querying

Viewing Statistics and Summarizing Information

This tip sheet explains how to get information for selected sets of records or see data summarized for types of features.

• ArcMap Tutorial: Viewing Statistics & Summarizing Information

Downloading, Joining, and Mapping International Census Data – South African Census Tutorial

This tutorial covers how to access and download South African census data. It teaches how to clean and join the Excel data to administrative boundaries. Students symbolize quantitative data, review attribute table tools like field calculators and statistics, and create a final map layout.

This tutorial takes approximately 2–3 hours.

• ArcMap Tutorial: International Census Tutorial
• ArcGIS Pro Tutorial: https://tufts.box.com/v/SouthAfricaCensusTutorial

Downloading and Mapping Healthcare Census Data for Massachusetts – USA Census Tutorial

This tutorial teaches students how to access and download health care insurance census data for Massachusetts from the US Census Bureau website. It also covers cleaning Excel data, joining data to census tracts, field calculator, labeling features, and creating a nice final layout.

This tutorial takes approximately 2–3 hours to complete.

• ArcMap Tutorial: USA Census Tutorial: Joining Healthcare Census Data

Downloading and Joining Housing Demographic Data in Boston, MA – USA Census Tutorial

This tutorial teaches students how to access and download the US Census Bureau website’s housing demographic data for Boston, Massachusetts. It also covers cleaning Excel data, joining data to census tracts, field calculator, formatting and labeling features, and creating a nice final layout.

This tutorial takes approximately 2–3 hours to complete.

• ArcMap Tutorial: USA Census Tutorial: Housing Demographic Data in Boston

Using Census Data to Calculate Social Inequality in Colombia

This tutorial uses international census data from Colombia to review Joins and Selection tools. The tutorial aims to teach students how to create a vulnerability model within the Attribute Table by Adding Fields and using Field Calculator. Students will create a final map layout showing social inequality and vulnerability.

• ArcMap Tutorial: Using Census Data to Calculate Social Inequality in Colombia

Using Census Geolytics – Neighborhood Change Database

Census Geolytics Neighborhood Change Database is an archive of census data at the census tract level for 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000. Tufts Data Lab has purchased this and other Census Geolytics products.

• ArcMap Tutorial: Using Census Geolytics – Neighborhood Change Database

Geocoding vs. Latitude & Longitude (XY) Data using Axle (Reference USA) Data

In this exercise, you will map businesses from an Axle (previously Reference USA) database. The exercise demonstrates three methods for geolocating business (or other address-based) information to compare accuracy. It will cover using latitude and longitude (XY) coordinates, using address information geocode using Census TIGER street centerlines, and geocoding to address points for the city of Cambridge.

• ArcGIS Pro Tutorial: https://tufts.box.com/v/Axle-Geocoding-XY
• ArcMap Tutorial: Geocoding vs. Add XY Data using Reference USA data in ArcMap – Using Tiger 2019 Shapefiles

Displaying Latitude & Longitude (XY) Data

In this tutorial, users will learn how to import a table of longitude and latitude (or XY coordinates) as points to work with them in GIS.

• ArcMap Tutorial: Displaying Latitude and Longitude (XY) Data in ArcMap
• Data Available Here

Raster Suitability Analysis: Siting a Wind Farm Facility North of Beijing, China

The purpose of this suitability analysis is to find optimal locations for an energy storage facility that will serve Wind Farms in the region north of Beijing.

• ArcMap Tutorial: Raster Suitability Analysis: Siting a Wind Farm Facility North of Beijing, China
• Download Tutorial Data

ArcGIS Pro Raster Suitability Analysis: Who were the Indo-Europeans and where did they live?

The goal of this tutorial is to learn how to conduct a raster suitability analysis to determine the most likely
location of the Indo-European’s homeland considering various factors experts know about their culture and environment, including the density of Proto-Indo-European languages, distance to wild horse range in 5000BCE, and historical climate data. You will use the analysis criteria to determine which of the three proposed homeland hypotheses by Heggarty et al is the most to least likely for their homeland.

• ArcGIS Pro Tutorial: https://tufts.box.com/v/ArcGISPro-PIE-Tutorial
• Download Tutorial Data

Raster Risk Assessment: Determining the Risk of Malaria Transmission in Ethiopia

The purpose of this analysis is to determine the overall risk of Malaria transmission throughout Ethiopia when considering proximity to rivers, elevation, slope, land cover, and accessibility of health clinics.

• ArcMap Tutorial: Raster Risk Assessment: Determining the Risk of Malaria Transmission in Ethiopia
• Download Tutorial Data

Proximity Tutorial: A Risk Assessment for Nuclear Power Plants in Southern New England

This exercise walks through a simple analysis of the population at risk around New England’s four nuclear power plants and exploring potential evacuation centers and routes. You can follow along and practice using the following tools: Spatial join, buffer and multi-ring buffer, near tool, point distance tool, and network analysis – service area.

• ArcMap Tutorial: Proximity Tutorial: A Risk Assessment for Nuclear Power Plants in Southern New England
• Download Tutorial Data

Hot Spot and Kernel Density Analysis: Calculating the Change in Uganda Conflict Zones

This tutorial uses Armed Conflict Location and Event Dataset (ACLED) data to create hot spot maps of conflict events in Uganda for two time periods: 2000-2004 and 2005-2010. The final map displays where Uganda has experienced an increase and decrease in conflict over this time period. By the end of this tutorial, students will be familiar with the following tools: Kernel Density Tool, Raster Calculator, and Setting your Geoprocessing Environments.

• ArcMap Tutorial: Hot Spot / Kernel Density Analysis: Calculating the Change in Uganda Conflict Zones
• ArcMap Tutorial: Calculating Conflict Density and Change over Time in Uganda using Vector Techniques
  • This tutorial provides vector methods to calculate the density of incidents rather than using the hotspots function in the Hot Spot / Kernel Density Analysis: Calculating the Change in Uganda Conflict Zones tutorial.
• Download Tutorial Data

Overlay Analysis: Using Zonal and Extract Tools to Transfer Raster Values

If you have raster data that you want to join to existing vector data, you can transfer these data values in ArcMap using the Spatial Analyst toolbar. Skills covered in this tutorial include enabling the Spatial Analyst extension, using the Zonal Statistics Tool to tabulate areas, using the Extraction Tool to transfer underlying raster data to points, and calculating a percent change using the Field Calculator.

• ArcMap Tutorial: Overlay Analysis: Using Zonal and Extract Tools to Transfer Raster Values

Plastic Pollution in the Ocean: Using ESRI ArcGIS Online (AGOL) Map Viewer

This tutorial goes through an introduction to GIS, spatial data, and spatial formats. Then it goes through an activity creating a web map of plastic pollution in our oceans. It covers adding data, stylizing data, configuring pop ups and sharing a web map.

ArcGIS Online New Map Viewer Link
ArcGIS Online Class Map Viewer Link