VDB4023Z: GIS FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS

SEPTEMBER 2019 SEMESTER

LABORATORY REPORT

Module 2: Displaying Data (Spatial Reference)

Name ID

Muhammad Afiq Ammar Bin Muhammad Hijaz 22524

INTRODUCTION

For module 2, The ArcCatalog is fully utilized for students to understand how to describe and analyze
Spatial References of a given ShapeFile. A spatial reference is the georeferencing and coordinate system
assigned to any geographic data, including raster datasets and raster catalogs. The spatial reference
defines how geographic data is mathematically transformed onto a flat map with the least amount of
distortion. We have been acknowledged that almost all predefined spatial references have already been
defined across the globe and are available for us students to utilize. We can modify the current
projections or create our own if a given shapefile has no Spatial Reference of our needs. If we want to
utilize same spatial reference of an existing feature class, feature dataset, or a dataset, we can import
that exact spatial reference as well.

OBJECTIVE

1. To learn how to Extract existing Shapefiles via Secondary Data and connect it to
ArcCatalog
2. To be able to assign new Spatial Reference into a new Shapefile.
3. To utilize an existing Spatial Reference and import into our designated new Shapefile.
4. To analyse the output display of Spatial Reference in a Shapefile via Table and
Geography formats.
METHODOLOGY
1. Data received via Secondary Data where Shapefiles are obtained from Google Drive
and downloaded into our personal PC. Refer Figure 1

Figure 1

2. The zip file (SHPFILES) is then being extracted into a designated location folder
as referred to Figure 2 where it is easy to be access by all team members.

Figure 2
3. Launch ArcCatalog software from ArcGIS file in “All Programs” from Windows Home
Menu UI. Refer Figure 3.

4. From the Home Menu of ArcCatalog, we then right click on Catalog Tree and choose
“Connect to Folder” on the toolbar of software and we relocate the file location where
we extracted our SHPFILES.

Figure 3

5. A display of Shapefiles is shown in Figure 4 below obtained via Secondary Data. There
are 2 methods of inputting Spatial Reference in ArcCatalog in our new Shapefile; please
refer the below methodology.
INPUTING NEW SPATIAL REFERENCE IN A NEW SHAPEFILE

 The 1st Step is by right clicking our Shapefile Folder and create a new “Shapefile”
and we set Feature Type to be on “Polygon”.

Figure 4 Figure 5

 We then go to “Edits” and under “XY Coordinate System” tab, we would want to direct
ourselves to “Projected Coordinate System” and as you can see (Figure 6) the
breakdowns of that file leads us under a file entitled “UTM” >> “Malaysia” >> click
on Spatial Reference “Kertau UTM Zone 47N” once we already obtain the information
that we need under “Current coordinate system” tab, we click “OK”.

Figure 6 Figure 7

 As you can see, our “New_Shapefile” (Figure 7) has a Description of Spatial

Reference that we have successfully input following the steps mentioned above.
INPUTING EXISTING SPATIAL REFERENCE IN A NEW SHAPEFILE

Figure 8 Figure 9

 Referring figure 8, Simply create a new Shapefile and again we would want to choose
“Polygon” as our Feature Type. We then click “Edits” and “Import” (as shown on
Figure 9) existing Spatial References that we own in our recently saved Shapefile and
importing it in our New Shapefile. The list of Shapefiles are as shown on Figure 10
below. Each Shapefile (figure 10) has its own Spatial References and we are just
simply importing the information onto our new Shapefile.

Figure 10
RESULTS

As we can see, the Spatial Reference on ROAD.shp obtained can be preview in two ways:

 Geography
 Table

The Spatial Reference allows us to observe what is being capture in real life as a reference point and
able to be previewed in a flat map in ArcCatalog. Based on our Spatial Reference. Our Geographic
Coordinate System is known as GCS_Kertau and the rest of the information is displayed under the
Coordinate System (refer figure 6). Our Prime Meridian would be Greenwich and datum is D_Kertau.
The Table format shows us that ROAD.shp has a Polyline feature therefore, for every FID will have its
own length dimension and coordinates.
LESSON LEARNT & CONCLUSION

All in all, Module 2 guided us on how to extract Spatial References into a new Shapefile made by us.
We have been thought on 2 methods of inputting new and existing Spatial References in our Shapefile.
For this case, different methods of inputting Spatial References serves different purposes for example,
the 1st method is used when we are at a new location and our plan is to develop the unused land into a
new city, we then would have to input a new Spatial Reference in our New Shapefile and we will use
that data and analyse it hence, commencing the project. The 2nd method would be, let’s say our project
is to install a new traffic light system on a certain area A which already has its own existing Spatial
Reference in its Shapefile, we would then import Area A’s Shapefile into our new Shapefile and will
use the existing Spatial Reference to do analysis on where should we locate to install our new traffic
light.

To conclude, the coordinate system in geodatabase and other related spatial properties are defined as
part of the spatial reference for each dataset. Where it is a coordinate system used to store each feature
class and raster dataset, as well as other coordinate properties such as the coordinate resolution for x,y
coordinates and z (optional) together with measurements including coordinates of real life location.