Write a four paragraph review of your ArcMap experience that discusses the potential and pitfalls of GIS.
Working through the ArcMap tutorial was quite an experience. It was very time consuming and meticulous work; however, I do feel as though it was helpful and somewhat fun.
At first, working with ArcMap was very frustrating. There were so many small steps to work through. It seemed almost pointless. However, as I continued to work through the tutorial, it was obvious to see that in order to create more advanced maps or scales I had to know how navigate my way through the simple toolbars. I knew that no matter what I was being asked to do, I could figure out how to do it especially as I continued through the tutorial.
I know that we were asked to go through the tutorial at least three times, but I felt as though I went through it many more times! This was one of the pitfalls, because after I had been working on one of the maps for a while, I would make one simple mistake such as clicking the wrong icon on the toolbar and I couldn't undo my mistake. This was frustrating. After a few trial and errors I realized how to undo my mistakes or how to go back and fix them. So this is definitely a program that requires a lot of practice.
I think that one of the good things about GIS is that it really allows you to do a lot in terms of creating maps, legends, and so forth. It goes beyond a simple map creation and allows you to really create something that focuses on what you're interested in. For example, in this tutorial we were looking at the noise affecting schools and houses near the airport and increased traffic along major roads. By looking at this data and analyzing it using ArcMap, we were able to create land use maps and create a poster that illustrates proposed airport expansion.
Working through this tutorial and creating the poster also helped me to appreciate other ArcMap creations that I have seen. I would have never known how much work goes into creating such a simple looking illustration!
