In this lesson, we will be adding customized data into our project. For this project, we will be using the file “Sales by State” which is a comma separated CSV file. To be able to add in custom data, the editor uses a tool called “Data Join”. Another tool that we will use is the “Identify tool“ which allows us to view the information that we have linked with our layers.

Download "Sales by State 2012.csv" for this lesson

Data Join is the method used by the editor to import customized data into our project. This information can be applied to geographical attributes already built into the map. Upon clicking the “Data Join” button, the wizard will appear to help walk you through the process, which we will also discuss. Through this wizard you can add any delimited file that can be linked through a similar attribute.

As mentioned earlier the Identify tool is used to view the data that is associated with the layers. To get to the identify tool right click on the state that you want to view information for. Select the identify features option, now you should be able to view the Data on the right side of the screen as shown below.

Begin by opening up your file from Adding Layers To Your Map. Once open, we will want to add our customized data. As we mentioned earlier we will use the “Data Join Wizard” to do so. First click on the tools tab at the top of your screen and then select the “Data Join” button. This will open the “Data Join Wizard”.

• STEP 1: We will choose what layer we want our Data connected to. For our project, we want to choose the “USStates” layer. You might also notice the only layers that show in the wizard are those that are in our project; that is, it doesn’t include the files in the “Data Repository”.

• STEP 2: The second step in the wizard is locating the file that you are wanting to add. In our case, we have a comma separated CSV file of sales data. Use the browse function to locate your file on your computer.

• STEP 3: At this point we will decide how we join our data. The best way to join data is by using a common ID. Since in most data that you find will not have a common key we will want to try to find a column that will have a low chance of error at input. If you select the “View Delimited File Data”, the wizard will preview your data that you want to enter. Since “State-Abb” is a simple yet descriptive column let us check our “Layer Data”. Both data sets have this common field, therefore select these fields for both data sets in the drop drown boxes.

• STEP 4: In this step of the process, we will want to choose the columns that we want to include in our output. The drop down list at the top of “Available Columns” allows the user to narrow his search by a delimited file, layer, or all columns. Begin by clicking the drop down arrow and select delimited file. As you can see this drastically narrows our options. Add all the columns from the delimited file by selecting them and clicking the arrow to move them over. At the bottom of the wizard you will see two radio buttons. We only want to include features from the layer that match a row in the delimited file. The reason for this is that in our data set we do not have data for Alaska and Hawaii. By selecting this option, when we are finished, the GIS Editor will only show data for the contiguous 48 states.

• STEP 5: This step completes the wizard by saving your changes. It will create a new shape file, and then add it to your map. You have now successfully added data into your map by joining it to an existing layer.

At this point, you should be back at the main screen of the Editor. You should now see three layers in our Layer list. If you use the Identify tool from earlier the “Feature Information” shows both our joined layer and the original layer information. If you deselect the check box next to the original “USStates”, the Information from this layer is no longer shown in our “Feature Information” section. Now we have a layer with the information from our delimited file. Don’t forget to save your work before you close!

In our next lesson you will learn how to style your own layers. To create visually and geographically appealing styles.

Continue to:
Styling Your Layers

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