Creating your own data is one of the most essential items when it comes to GIS Editing. With our Map Suite Editor, you can create Data during map creation. In this lesson, we will show you how to create a shape file using a point layer to display regional offices. To complete this we will be using the layer builder.

To add our new layer, locate the new layer button under the “Edit” tab. Once you click “New Layer”, you should see a screen that looks like:

This is where you you add your columns of the Data you want to add. Name the layer “Office Locations” and select the point Layer type from the drop down menu. Click add new and add the columns: Name, Region, Type. Then select the browse button to locate a spot to store the file on your disk. Once we have our columns defined, we need to input the data. For this we will be using the “Drawing Tools”. Make sure that “Office Locations” is the current layer you are editing.

To input the point data after you have selected the drawing tool all you have to do is click on the map on the location of where you want the first point. Let’s start with Kansas City. Once you have the drawing tool out locate Kansas City on the map and click. This places a dot on the map and prompts you with a data input screen.

Go ahead and input the data for the following locations:

After you have your points added to your layer you need to save. To do this select the “Save Edits” button located next to “Drawing Tools”. From here you can use the styling tools we learned earlier to change your points to fit your own project, but for ours we will add an office building point. To do this open the style builder by double clicking the icon next to the title of your layer “Office Locations”.

• Select “Load from Library”

• Open “point Styles”

• Select the office building

You have now successfully added “New” data to our project. For more information on our other edit tools visit our Wiki at http://giseditorwiki.thinkgeo.com/w/Editor_Plugin

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Reprojection

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