ArcGis workflows

From website:
https://courseware.e-
education.psu.edu/courses/geog484/L03_compiled.html

(Goes from lesson 1 thru 6)

Lesson 3: Georeferencing Raster Images

Scenario: Registering an Image for the Purpose of Data

Creation
Introduction

A. Goals

Upon completion of this project, you will be able to georeference a raster image for the
purposes of heads-up digitizing, or for the sake of adding visual information to
accompany existing GIS data.

B. Background

We have been using spatial vector data provided by vendors, we have been creating
our own vector data, and in Lesson 5 we will be downloading data from the Web.
Effective use of the analytical and display capabilities of GIS software often requires
that all layers pertinent to a given area of interest be in registration--be in the same
georeferenced coordinate system. In Geography 482 you learned that such coordinate
systems can be either spherical or Cartesian. Spatial data representing mapped, or
flattened, portions of the world are stored in 2-dimensional Cartesian coordinates based
on a map projection. In contrast are spherical coordinates, represented by degrees of
longitude and latitude (often referred to, for the sake of convenience, as the
"geographic" projection, though it is not a map projection, per se). You may want to
review some of the material in Lesson 2 of Geography 482.

Viable GIS datasets compiled from different sources may be in different georeferenced
coordinates -- for example, UTM or State Plane or Albers Equal Area Conic or
Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area. (Remember that UTM and State Plane are technically
referred to as "coordinate grid systems," not map projections, because in both cases the
measured Cartesian grid has an origin other than at the origin of the map projection on
which they are based.) A robust GIS has tools that allow you to change from one
coordinate system or map projection to another. In other words, it has tools that enable
you to re-project the already georeferenced data.

This lesson is not about changing map projections, however. We will visit that process
in Lesson 5 and again in the Final Project.

When the source of new data for use in the GIS is a tablet digitizer or a scanner, there
is an arbitrary Cartesian coordinate system imposed on the new dataset by the
digitizing method [XY coordinates in inches from the tablet digitizer, or cells (or
pixels) per inch from the scanner]. The process of converting from the digitizing
method-imposed coordinates to georeferenced coordinates is known as georeferencing.
In general, converting from any referencing system to coordinates that define a
location on the surface of the Earth is referred to as georeferencing. For example,
converting from postal addresses to longitude-latitude coordinates (address-matching)
is a type of georeferencing.

The process that we refer to as georeferencing actually comes about via one of four
transformation methods. In this lesson you will apply two different transformation
methods to three different datasets, via two software techniques:

1. Using an affine transformation, and explicit XY coordinates of control

points, you will georeference a USGS DRG that has "lost" its georeferencing
information.

2. Using an affine transformation and, again, explicit XY coordinates of

control points, you will georeference a scanned portion of a paper version of
the same USGS topo quad represented by the DRG referred to in #1 above.

3. Using a second-order polynomial transformation, you will attempt to

georeference a vertical aerial photograph (not orthorectified) by using an
interactive tool to specify pairs of control points.

Learn more about coordinate transformation and georeferencing in the Concept

Gallery.

The transformation methods are usually best-fit using a statistical method that seeks to
minimize what is called the root mean square error, RMSE, or RMS error. The RMS
error provides a comparison of the measured and predicted control points. Which gives
us an indication of the quality of the transformation.

Learn more about RMS error in the Concept Gallery.

C. Overview
 1. Georeference a USGS DRG.

2. Georeference a scanned USGS paper topographic quadrangle.

3. Georeference a vertical aerial photo that has not been orthorectified.

D. Lesson Data Preparation

The data you need for Lesson 3 are available here for download.

• Lesson3.zip

This single zip file is ~14 MB and will take approximately 33 minutes to download
over a 56 Kbps modem.

If you are, in deed, connecting via a modem I have broken the Lesson 3 data up into
4 .zip files. Instead of attempting to download the single Lesson3.zip file you could
download these four.

• Lesson3_1.zip 23 KB, it'll take 3 seconds

• Lesson3_2.zip ~2.6 MB, approximately 6 minutes via modem

• Lesson3_3.zip ~3.2 MB, approximately 7.5 minutes via modem

• Lesson3_4.zip ~8.1 MB, approximately 19 minutes via modem (I'm

sorry, I cannot make it smaller.)

Once you have downloaded the .zip file(s), extract the archived files. If you use the
extract feature of your compression software and be certain that you extract the
Lesson3 folder along with its contents. Else you can create a Lesson3 folder in your
\WCGIS\GEOG484 directory path and drag-and-drop the individual files out of your
compression utility into it.

Your Lesson3 folder, when viewed via Windows Explorer or a My Computer window,
should contain 11 files:

• DRG_utmControlPoints.txt

• map_utmControlPoints.txt

• statecollege_DRG.tif

• statecollege_map.tif

• statecollege1963.jpg

• StCol_Rds.dbf
 • StCol_Rds.prj

• StCol_Rds.sbn

• StCol_Rds.sbx

• StCol_Rds.shp

• StCol_Rds.shx

The files are now ready to use in this lesson. The two .txt files contain information
duplicated in the lesson write-up. I provide these text files to give you the option to
copy-and-paste versus key-stroke entering of information. The two .tif files and the
.jpg files are images that you will georeference in the course of the lesson. The
remaining 6 files, all having the same StCol_Rds root name, comprise a shapefile
dataset, named, you guessed it, StCol_Rds.

E. Deliverables

These deliverables are due two weeks after the Lesson is revealed. See the course
Calendar for the specific due date.

1. A single Microsoft Word document should be submitted, containing all

of the deliverables for this Lesson. (If you use WordPerfect please save as
a .doc file before you submit. Please do not send a WordPerfect document.
Please DO NOT submit a PowerPoint document.)

Incorporate your name into the name of your document file: something
similar to "JSloan_Lesson3.doc" (your first initial and your last name).

Upload your document file to the Lesson 3 Drop Box - Don't forget to hit the
Submit button!

Your document should contain the following, in the order specified:

a. Screen captures of the three data frames, taken where

specified in the lesson write-up.

Each screen capture should show:

 the ArcMap interface Table of Contents, so

we can determine the activated layer.

 the entire Link Table, so we can see the list

of links and the Transformation method and RMS
error.
  the coordinate readout slot, at the bottom of
the ArcMap interface window.

Your screen capture images need to be

clear and comprehensible. Please do not include
your desktop background as part of the image(s).
(If you use the Print Screen button to capture the
screen image, know that by holding down the
Alt-key when hitting the Print Screen button you
will be able to capture only the active window.
This can help make your screen captures more
space-efficient.) Switching the page format of
your Word document to landscape orientation
will allow for placement of wider images. The
image file formats most often used include
.png, .jpg, .gif, .bmp or .tif. Lastly, be sure to
review your document in either a print layout
view or the print preview (change zoom to 75%)
before uploading and submitting.

b. Show how you calculated the threshold value of "an

acceptable RMS error" that was called for in Part II Section B
Step 7.

c. Based on the discussion in the Concept Gallery, and on the

comments in the Lesson write-up, answer the following
questions. The explanations asked for are important--we want to
be certain you understand the concepts. Be succinct.

 Does the RMS error that you ended up with

for the statecollege_DRG.tif have any diagnostic
value? Explain your answer.
If it does, do you consider it acceptable? Explain
why.

 Does the RMS error that you ended up with

for the statecollege_map.tif have any diagnostic
value? Explain your answer.
If it does, do you consider it acceptable? Explain
why.

 Does the RMS error that you ended up with

for the vertical air photo of State College have
any diagnostic value? Explain your answer.
If it does, do you consider it acceptable? Explain
why.
 d. List a minimum of 5 factors that might limit your ability to
arrive at a low RMS error when georeferencing raster image
data.

2. Make an entry in your e-Portfolio, reflecting upon the Lesson. (Do NOT
post any of the specific results of the Lesson homework to your e-Portfolio
web site.)

3. Take the Lesson 3 quiz.

Lesson 3: Georeferencing Raster Images

Scenario: Georeferencing an Image for the Purpose of

Data Creation
Part I: Getting Started

A. Organize the data - Create three map documents

In this section you will set up 3 map documents.

1. Open ArcCatalog.

2. Create a connection to your Lesson3 directory. Note the contents of the

Lesson3 folder: 2 text files, 3 image files and 1 shapefile dataset.

Let's create the first map document .

3. Open a new map document in ArcMap.

4. Use the Add Data button (the Plus-sign tool on the Standard toolbar) to
bring the statecollege_DRG.tif image into your map document.

5. In the Create Pyramids for... box that appears, select Yes. This
process may take several seconds, but creation of the pyramids file will
increase the subsequent rendering speed of the image.

6. Click OK to the "...missing spatial reference information...." message. It

should not be a surprise that we received this message. After all, the point of
the exercise is to georeference the image file.

It is possible that the image will display as either solid black, or

in shades of gray. Please let me know if this happens to you. It should be
in color, looking like a typical USGS topographic quadrangle map. If your
image appears black or in gray-scale, right-click on it in the Table of
Contents pane and Remove it. Then Add it again. It should now be alright.
If it initially came in as a solid black you may have to Remove it and add it
a second time. This behavior is new with version 9.x of the software. I
have yet to track down an explanation. With past versions of the software
the .tif images came in to the ArcMap session in color, as expected. The
rendering in grays or in black seems to only happen with TIFF image files,
not with JPEG images for example.
Going into the ArcCatalog interface before attempting to add the image
files to an ArcMap session, right-clicking on each image file, and
choosing to both Calculate Statistics and Build Pyramids
(accepting all default settings) is a more proactive way of preventing the
black/gray-scale symbolization from happening, but I have no explanation
yet as to why.
This may happen with the second TIFF image you add, below, too.

7. Change the name of the data frame from the default Layers to State
College DRG by right-clicking on Layers and selecting Properties. The
Name is found under the General tab. (Or, simply left-click, on the Layers
name, pause, then left-click on it again. The Layers name should be
highlighted and you can then type over it.)

If, via Windows Explorer or a My Computer window, you look in

your Lesson3 folder you will now see a statecollege_DRG.rrd file and
a statecollege_DRG.aux file. You may need to View | Refresh. (The
.rrd file may initially show a name similar to :
...DRG_1192214622.rrd.) These were just created. The .rrd file is the
pyramids file. The file extension letters stand for reduced resolution
dataset. The file is actually a lower-resolution copy of the original image.
The .aux file is an auxiliary file that is associated with raster datasets.
You were briefly introduced to the auxiliary file in Lesson 2. Again, to
learn more about it, open the ArcGIS Desktop Help and Search on aux.
Look at the About auxiliary (AUX) files topic.

The statecollege_DRG.tif file is a USGS DRG that I have made "lose"

its georeferencing information. (A USGS DRG is, by definition, in the
Geotif format; a TIFF image with georeferencing information built into it.)
You will georeference it, based on the UTM (meters) coordinates of the
corners of the map. Because the image is derived from a DRG it is free of
distortion, and so you should be able to do an accurate job of
georeferencing.

Let's do a few more things:

8. Right-click on the name of the image file on the Table of Contents pane,
and select Properties.
9. In the Layer Properties window that opens, click the Source tab.
Scroll down through the information, taking note of the Cellsize, the Extent
values, and the fact that the Spatial Reference information is undefined.

Given that the map image that we are dealing with is a reproduction of a
USGS 1:24,000 scale topographic map, we can surmise that the Extent
values are in units of inches. A paper version of this map would be
approximately 20.6 inches wide and 27.4 inches high. Given that the units
are in inches, the Cellsize of .004 equates to 1/250th of an inch. Or in
other words, the resolution of the image file is 250 cells per linear inch.

10. Click the Cancel button to close the Layer Properties window.

11. Now, right-click in the data frame/map display area and select Data
Frame Properties (In v.9.1 the choice is Properties.) to bring up the
Data Frame Properties window. Click the General tab and change the
Units, Map: and the Display: units to Inches. This way you get the
proper, more easy to read values in the coordinate read-out slot at the
bottom-right of the ArcMap interface.

12. Next, while you are still in the Data Frame Properties window, click
the Frame tab. In the Background area of the dialog, go to the dropdown
arrow and chose a color other than white.
Then click OK to close the Data Frame Properties window. You can now
see the true extent of the image file. Put your mouse cursor in the lower-left
corner of the white map collar. This is where the 0,0 origin of the image file
coordinate system is.

13. Activate the Georeferencing toolbar (View | Toolbars |

Georeferencing).

14. Go to the File menu and Save the map document to your Lesson3
folder. Name it DRG_<your first initial and your last name>. For example,
DRG_JSloan.

Next we will create a second map document .

15. From the File menu choose New, and with the lower-left radio button
for Document selected, click OK. Or click the New Map File icon on the
Standard tool bar (the white page icon).

16. Change the name of the data frame from the default Layers to Map
State College.

17. To the data frame, add the statecollege_map.tif image.

18. Build the pyramids, and click OK to the "...missing spatial reference
information...." message.
This image should be in color. If it is not, attempt the steps that I outlined
above in the Step 6 Note.
The statecollege_map.tif file is a scan of a portion of a USGS paper
topo sheet. You will georeference it, based on the UTM (meters) coordinates
of four tick marks found on the map.

The statecollege_map.tif image file has no georeferenced--or

real-world--spatial reference information associated with it either. But,
chances are, you did not receive the "...missing spatial reference
information..." message after you built the pyramids. If we were to have
closed ArcMap, then reopened it before adding the image file of the map
we would have received the "...missing spatial reference information..."
message. What's more, if we were to have added the image file to the new
map document that we had created from the already-open ArcMap
session, via the drag-and-drop method from ArcCatalog, we may have
actually received the "...missing spatial reference information..." message.
I find disconcerting the fact that you do not always get the"...missing
spatial reference information..." message. The lesson we should take away
from this is to investigate the Properties of a dataset via ArcCatalog in
order to directly learn what we can about the data we are working with.

19. If you bring up the Layer Properties of the statecollege_map.tif

image you will see that the resolution of this image file is also 250 cells per
linear inch (.004 inches on a cell side): It is a scan of only the lower right
portion of the paper quadrangle map, so its dimensions are approximately 8.5
by 14 inches; the cell size is .004 by .004 (inches).

20. Go ahead and change the Map: and Display: units to Inches for this
data frame, too. If you desire, change the background color of the data frame
as well.

21. Activate the Georeferencing toolbar.

22. Save the map document and name it Map_<your first initial and your
last name>. For example, Map_JSloan.

Next we will create the third map document.

23. Create a third map document -- you know how to do it.

24. Change the name of the data frame from the default Layers to State
College 1963 Photo.

25. Add first and separately the statecollege1963.jpg image into the
State College 1963 Photo data frame. This is a black-and-white image.
 26. Build the pyramids.
Again, even though this image file has no real-world spatial information
associated with it, dependng upon how you created the new map document,
you may not see the "...missing spatial reference information...." message.

27. Now, Add the StCol_Rds.shp layer to this data frame. Even though it
shows in the Table of Contents pane, it will not appear in the map display
area; its coordinates do not match those of the photo, so they do not appear
together....yet. Leave the data frame in this state.

28. Do not alter the Map: or Display: units this time.

The statecollege1963.jpg file is a scanned image of a vertical aerial

photo. It is NOT orthorectified. This implies that the horizontal scale
varies throughout the photo, and that the photo is not projected into any
sort of Cartesian coordinate system. You will still attempt to georeference
it, based on creating transformation links between road intersection
locations.

29. Activate the Georeferencing toolbar.

30. Save the map document and name it Photo1963_<your first initial and
your last name>. For example, Photo1963_JSloan.

That is it for Part I

You have just completed Part I of this activity, which involved preparing three image
files (in three separate map documents) for georeferencing. In Parts II and III, you will
register the images to georeferenced, or real-world, coordinates.

Lesson 3: Georeferencing Raster Images

Scenario: Georeferencing an Image for the Purpose of

Data Creation
Part II: Georeferencing Using Explicit XY Coordinates of Control
Points

In this Part of the project you will be working with the two TIFF images that you
added, respectively, to the first two data frames that you created in Part I. The first is a
DRG (Digital Raster Graphic) of the State College 1:24,000 USGS topographic
quadrangle that no longer has georeferencing information associated with it. (Recall
that a USGS DRG, by definition, is a Geotif, and therefore is georeferenced. For the
sake of the lesson I have destroyed the georeferencing information.) The second image
is a scan of the lower-right portion of a paper version of the same State College
topographic quadrangle. (Although it is an older version than the DRG.) Be certain to
examine the characteristics of the paper map that can be viewed in the image. Note the
fold near the top.

Control points, or transformation links, come in pairs: an x-y coordinate location

corresponding to a point on the un-georeferenced layer and an x-y coordinate for the
same location in the georeferenced, or real-world, coordinate system that you are
transforming the coordinates of the un-georeferenced layer to. In both of the cases
dealt with in this Part of the Lesson, you will be establishing the values of the control
points on the digitized (un-georeferenced) layer by interactively clicking on specific
locations on the image of the topo map. You will then explicitly add the coordinate
values for the georeferenced counterparts of those same locations by typing in (or
copy-and-pasting) the UTM (meters) coordinate values.

(For those of you who realize that the topographic quadrangle maps used in Part II of
this lesson are actually cast on a polyconic map projection, and not on the UTM
system, I offer the following excerpts from Paul Bolstad, GIS Fundamentals, 2002,
Eider Press: "...USGS 1:24,000-scale maps are cast on a polyconic projection. If these
maps are digitized, it would be preferable to register them to the appropriate polyconic
projection, and then re-project these data to the desired end projection. This is often not
done, because the error in ignoring the projection over the size of the mapped area is
typically less than the positional error associated with digitizing. Experience and
specific calculations have shown that the spatial errors in using a transformation
instead of a projection are small at these map scales under typical digitizing
conditions." So, technically we are transforming between map projections, something
that should normally be avoided. Again, from Bolstad: "...USGS 1:24,000 maps are
often digitized directly into a UTM coordinate system with no obvious ill effects,
because the errors in map production and digitizing are often much larger than those in
the projection distortion for the map area. However, you should not infer this practice
is appropriate under all conditions, particularly when working with smaller-scale
maps." So, for the sake of the lesson and the questions you are to answer in part (c) of
the Deliverables, consider our use of transformation techniques to georeference the
State College topo maps to be valid.)

Regarding the management of your time relative to this lesson: You

should plan to go through Sections II-A and II-B with out stopping. And once you
begin Section II-C do not stop until you get through Section II-D. Then, without
stopping, do all of Part III. You can do these three phases separately, just do not stop
within them. If you find it necessary to do so, then I advise that you start over with the
georeferencing of the image involved. There are guidelines for starting over in the
Note at the end of Step II-B-12.

A. Create temporary transformation links

In Step II-B-7 you are asked to perform a calculation. I recommend that you
read through the lesson to that point, then attempt that calculation before beginning
Section II-A of the step-by-step instructions. That way you will be able to proceed
from Step II-B-7 to Step II-B-8 without interruption.
1. Open the DRG_<your name> map document.

2. Before proceeding let's do a little bookkeeping. We are going to set the

coordinate system of the data frame. Based on the discussion in the
introduction to this section and on the information that can be seen in the
lower-left portion of the map collar we are going to be georeferencing the
image file to the UTM Zone 18 NAD27 coordinate system. By explicitly
defining the coordinate system of the data frame the name of the coordinate
system will be automatically associated with the georeferenced image file
once we complete the georferencing steps.

a. Right-click in the map display area/data frame and bring up

the Data Frame Properties dialog window.

b. Click on the Coordinate System tab. In the lower pane of

properties window you will see that the coordinate system of the
data frame is currently Unknown.

c. Expand the Predefined list through Projected Coordinate

Systems, then UTM, then Nad 1927, then...

d. select (click to highlight) NAD 1927 UTM Zone 18N

e. Click the OK button. (You may need to use the Full Extent
tool to bring the map back into view.)

3. Notice that the label in the coordinate readout slot now reads Meters.
The units of the UTM coordinate system are meters.

4. Verify that the statecollege_DRG.tif file name appears in the

Layer: window of the Georeferencing toolbar. (It should be, it is the only
layer in that data frame!)

5. On the Georeferencing toolbar, click on the View Link Table button

. The Link Table will open.

6. In the lower-left of the Link Table note the check box labeled Auto
Adjust. We are going to leave it checked. As a result you will witness slight
alterations/movements in the image as you go through the next 5 steps. (The
Auto Adjust setting is also located under the Georeferencing pulldown
menu.)

7. Move the Link Table so it is not obscuring the map display area.

8. Zoom in on the upper-left corner of the map neat line, labeled "1" in
red. (The neatline is the black/brown border of pixels that bounds the map.)
Attempt to zoom in until you can clearly see the cell resolution of the image
 file, but not so far in that you loose track of where you are in the context of
the image. See Figure 1.

9. Select the Add Control Points tool by clicking on it.

10. Establish the first image-based control point (the "From" control point)
by clicking on the upper-left corner of the map neat line. Then, for the time
being, establish the georeferenced control point (the "To" control point) by
clicking anywhere, a short distance away. [See Figure 1.] An entry will
appear in the Link Table. You have created the first transformation link.

In Step11 you will be instructed to create 3 more links at the remaining

corners of the map. You can toggle among the Full Extent tool, the
Zoom In tool and the Add Control Points tool in order to create the
remaining three links. It does not matter where you initially specify the
"To" or georeferenced control point location (the second left-click
defining each control point pair), since you will be explicitly specifying
these coordinates in a later step.

When interactively establishing control point locations that

define transformation links, you always establish the control point on the
un-georeferenced layer first, then define the control point on the
georeferenced, or target layer. The TIFF image of the DRG is what we
have set out to georeference, so we establish the first control point of each
link in reference to it.

11. Now, add links for the other three control points in the same manner.
They are located at the other three corners of the map, and should be added
in the order that they are numbered (see the large, red numerals adjacent each
corner of the map).

If you look at the Link Table after you add each link you will see
that the values in the Residual column, and the value for the Total RMS
Error will be blank or 0, until you add the fourth link. Recall from the
Concept Gallery that, even though the Affine transformation can be
performed based on 3 control point pairs (links), it requires at least 4
control point pairs for the RMS Error to be calculated. In our case, at this
point, even though there are now four control point pairs in the Link Table
the residuals and the RMS error are meaningless because you have yet to
define the "To" points in georeferenced coordinates--the UTM values of
the map projection.)
If you had un-checked the Auto Adjust box before beginning the creation
of the control points, the RMS error and the residual values would not
show at all, until you reactivated the AutoAdjust.

B. Update the "To" coordinates of the transformation links in the Link Table
map corner X_coord Y_coord name

UL 257730.59 4528648.87 Upper-Left

4 2

UR 268265.24 4528310.19 Upper-Right

6 0

LR 267829.56 4514432.32 Lower-Right

3 5

LL 257275.06 4514770.78 Lower-Left

7 9

Table 1. Georeferenced (real-world) values for DRG control points (UTM Zone 18, NAD27). (The
longitude-latitude coordinates that define the corners of the topo quad can be converted to UTM Zone
18 NAD27 meters values using tools such as that found on the Web at http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-
bin/utm_getut.prl.)

1. Retrieve the Link Table if it is hidden. It should list 4 control point

link pairs.

2. In the Lesson3 folder, find and open the DRG_utmControlPoints.txt

file. (If the columns and column headings do not line up, change the font to
Arial.) You are going to replace the values in the X Map and Y Map columns
of the Link Table with the values from the Xcoord and Ycoord columns
from the text file. The same values are found in the Table 1, above.

3. In the Link Table, uncheck the Auto Adjust box, found in the lower-
left.

4. Now, in turn, highlight each value in the X Map and Y Map columns in
the Link Table, and replace it with the corresponding Xcoord and Ycoord
value from the DRG_utmControlPoints.txt file. You have to click once to
highlight the row, in the Link Table, then click on the X or Y value to
highlight it. You can avoid errors if you copy-and-paste from the text file
into the Link Table.
Note the values for the Residuals in the Link Table. They will change to
something more meaningful in the next step.

A more realistic scenario, perhaps, would have the control point links
being established at road intersections, for example. The georeferenced
coordinates of the control point locations coming from surveyed or GPS
measurements.

5. Had we left the Auto Adjust active, the map image would have
drastically distorted as you supplied the X Map and Y Map values. As fun as
this might be to witness, it also tends to slow down your computer as it
processes each alteration of the display caused by the modification of the
control point pairs.
After you have finished entering the georeferenced (UTM) coordinate
values, re-activate the Auto Adjust. The map display area will probably go
blank. You will need to reset the extent of the data frame. Right-click on the
statecollege_DRG.tif layer in the Table of Contents and select Zoom to
Layer. Or, just click on the Full Extent tool.

6. If you run the cursor over the map display area, you should notice that
the coordinates in the lower right of the window are now much larger values
that they were before you began the georeferencing process. The values are
now reflecting the fact that you are transforming the image file into UTM
coordinate space.

7. Turn your attention back to the Link Table.

Now, since supplying the UTM coordinate values for the "To"
control points, the Total RMS Error value in the lower-right of the Link
Table means something--it is diagnostic of the quality of the placing of
the control point links, diagnostic of the georeferencing process--for two
reasons: (1) you have replaced the temporary values of the "To" control
points with the correct and appropriate georeferenced coordinate values,
and (2) there are four valid pairs of control points--four transformation
links. By "appropriate" in #1 of the previous sentence I mean that the
coordinates of the "To" control points are in the same coordinate system as
that of the map that was scanned. Alluded to in #2 above is the fact that
you need 4 control point pairs in order for the RMS error to be calculated.

A rule-of-thumb for what is an acceptable RMS error when georeferencing

a raster image is... what? Do you recall from the Concept Gallery? Given
that this is an original USGS DRG file and therefore has a cell (pixel)
resolution of 250 cells/inch, and that the scale of the original scanned topo
sheet is 1:24,000, can you determine how many meters on the ground the
side of one cell represents (since we are working in UTM meters)? Then,
based on the rule-of-thumb referred to above can you arrive at what is a
reasonable/acceptable RMS error for this exercise? I hope so.

I want you all to grapple with this on your own, without any help from me
or from each other via the message board. When you feel you have
grappled enough and want verification of, or help with, your calculations,
contact me (Jim Sloan) via the Course e-mail system. (Do not spend an
inordinate amount of time on this. I just want you to take a good stab at it.)

Also, be certain to supply your complete calculation in the deliverables for

this lesson.

8. If you have an inordinately high RMS error you can do one of two
things: Based on the values in the Residual column you can highlight and
delete, from within the Link Table, individual links having high residual
values. (The stylized X button at the upper-right of the table is the Delete
button. The center of the cross hair of the selected control point turns from
blue to yellow.) Or you can Delete Control Points from the
Georeferencing dropdown menu. This will delete all links. You will need
to update the data frame with the Full Extent tool in order to bring the
image back into view.
If you replace any links, be certain to copy and paste the correct values for
the "To" coordinates from the text file.

Making a mistake while typing or copying-and-pasting the XMap and

YMap values will result in a high RMS error.

9. At this point, if you are satisfied with your RMS error, hit the Save
button that is in the Link Table window. You will be saving the coordinates
of the control point links in a text file. Give the file an appropriate name and
save it in your Lesson 3 folder. This is not always necessary, but is not a bad
idea. (If you want to view the contents of the text file, it is better rendered
with WordPad than it is with NotePad.)
DO NOT close the Link Table.
In the following step you are asked to make the first of three screen
captures that are to be part of your Deliverables for the Lesson. The Link
Table would NOT be retained by simply saving the ArcMap session; if you
finish the lesson and close ArcMap before you make your screen capture you
will not be able to retrieve the Link Table. Having saved the Link Table
contents to a .txt file gives you something to fall back on, just in case.

10. Make your screen capture. This is a required part of your deliverables.
See Figure 2. for what I expect to see in your screen captures.

11. Now, go to the Georeferencing dropdown menu and select Update

Georeferencing. This is a crucial step.

This Note pertains to the results if you are using version 9.2.
If you are using version 9.0/9.1, take a look at the next Note. In
Windows Explorer, or My Computer, look in your Lesson3 folder. You
may need to View | Refresh. If you have installed Service Pack 2 or 3 or
4 for version 9.2 you will see two new files. One named
statecollege_DRG.tif.aux.xml and one named
statecollege_DRG.tfwx. If you have not yet installed Service Pack 2 the
only new file will be the statecollege_DRG.tif.aux.xml. (One of the
reasons for Lesson 0!) The file with the .tfwx extension is the world file.
Open the world file with WordPad. This world file contains information
crucial to the georeferencing of the statecollege_DRG.tif file. As long
as the image file and the world file are kept together in the same directory
the image will be interpreted by the GIS program as being georeferenced.
The GIS software, however, will not know WHAT the georeferenced
coordinate system is--look again in the world file, there is no information
in it stating that the coordinate system is UTM NAD1927 Zone 18. The
.xml file contains the georeferencing information, too, but it also contains
the name of the coordinate system. This is by virtue of our having set the
coordinate system of the data frame before we began the georeferencing
process. So, if the original image file and either the .xml file or the .tfwx
file are kept together, in the same folder, the GIS will be able to properly
display the image file in the georeferenced coordinate system. The .xml
file is more complete in that it can store the name of the coordinate
system, but the contents of the world file (the .tfwx file) are accessible
via a text editor, which can come in handy if you perceive of a need to
alter any of the parameters that it contains. The scope of this course does
not allow us to explore the need to do so. The world file is also often
necessary when the image file is intended for use in software other than
ArcGIS.
(If you have not complied with Lesson 1 and have not installed Service
Pack 4 (or at least SP2) for version 9.2 all is not lost (except maybe my
patience with you! -- kidding), because, as is explained above, all of the
necessary information required for your georeferencing efforts to be viable
is contained in the statecollege_drg.tif.aux.xml file. As long as the
image file and the .xml file are kept together in the same directory the
image will be interpreted by the GIS program as being georeferenced, and
the GIS will know WHAT the georeferenced coordinate system is.
A last note, regarding the .aux file. Prior to version 9.2 the .aux file used
to serve a purpose similar to that of the .xml file. (See the Note below.)
This no longer is the case in version 9.2. The .aux file does not get
updated with the name of the coordinate system as it does in versions
9.0/9.1.

If you are using version 9.0/9.1 things are a bit different: In

Windows Explorer, or My Computer, look in your Lesson3 folder. You
may need to View | Refresh. You should find one new file, called
statecollege_drg.tfw. You should also notice that the time stamp on
your statecollege_drg.aux file has been updated.(Recall that the
.aux file was actually first created when you Added the image to your
ArcMap session.) The .tfw file is called a world file. Its extension is
automatically formed by taking the first and last letters of the .tif
extension, then adding a "w". The world file contains the 6 coefficients
 for the two equations created during the affine transformation. (Recall
the information in the Help files, referred to in the Concept Gallery.)
Open the world file with WordPad. This world file contains the
information crucial to the georeferencing of the
statecollege_drg.tif file. As long as the image file and the world
file are kept together in the same directory the image will be interpreted
by the GIS program as being georeferenced. The GIS software,
however, will not know WHAT the georeferenced coordinate system
is--look again in the world file, there is no information in it stating that
the coordinate system is UTM NAD1927 Zone 18. The .aux, or
auxiliary, file contains the georeferencing information, too, but it also
contains the name of the coordinate system, if it has been supplied. So,
if the original image file and either the .aux file or the .tfw file are
kept together, in the same folder, the GIS will be able to properly
display the image file in the georeferenced coordinate system. The .aux
file is more complete in that it can store the name of the coordinate
system, but the contents of the world file (the .tfw file) are accessible
via a text editor, which can come in handy if you perceive of a need to
alter any of the parameters that it contains. The scope of this course
does not allow us to explore the need to do so. The world file is also
often necessary when the image file is intended for use in software other
than ArcGIS.

One last point: If you want to re-georeference an image file, it

is necessary to delete the world file, the .aux file and the .xml file (if
using v.9.2), and to set up a new map document before doing so.

12. Before we move on let's check the Properties of the image file again.
Right-click on the name of the statecollege_DRG.tif image file on the
Table of Contents pane, and select Properties.

13. In the Layer Properties window that opens, click the Source tab.
Scroll down through the information, comparing the Cellsize, the Extent
values, and the Spatial Reference information to what you recall from doing
so in Step A-9 of Part I.

Instead of .004 the Cellsize is now 2.438 (if you did a good job of
positioning the "From" control points). What are the units? The Extent
values reflect the fact that the coordinates are now in terms of the UTM
system. The Spatial Reference information is now present.

14. Cancel out of the Properties window.

15. Save the map document.

This exercise served, hopefully, to give you a feel for what it is like to georeference an
image file where you can expect the RMS error to be low. The image file, one I
derived from a USGS DRG, was, for all intents and purposes, distortion-free. And the
coordinate values for the georeferenced control points you entered explicitly, rather
that interactively (as you will do in Part III). So, the primary source of error that would
contribute to an unsatisfactory RMS error was your use of the Add Control Points tool
to place the un-georeferenced ("From") control points--on the image. If you were
careful, and patient, you should have come up with an RMS error within an acceptable
range. Keep all this in mind and compare it to the situation in the next portion of the
lesson.

C. Georeference the scanned image of a paper map

The TIFF image that you will work with in this section was created by scanning, on a
flatbed scanner, a portion of an older paper version of the same USGS topographic
quadrangle that you dealt with above. So, the scale of the original paper map is
1:24,000. And, as with the DRG-based image in the previous Section, the cell (pixel)
resolution of this scanned image is 250 cells/inch. You will be executing the same
basic steps as you did above in order to georeference it, but you will have the option to
use an alternative way of supplying the "To" control points values (note Steps 7 and 8,
below), and, in Section D, you will learn the second way to assign the coordinate
system definition to an image file.

map loc X_coord Y_coord name

UL 264458.72 4519169.42 Cross-hair

4 5

UR 267974.66 4519058.25 47'30" side

7 4

LR 267829.56 4514432.32 LR Corner

3 5

LL 264311.41 4514543.47 47'30" bottom

6 2

Table 2. Georeferenced values for the statecollege_map.tif control points (UTM Zone 18,
NAD27).

1. Open the Map_<your name> map document..

2. Familiarize yourself with the image, particularly the fold near the top.
Find the four labeled (in black numerals this time) locations that define the
positions of the control points that I want you to use. The four locations are
comprised of a cross hair mark (in the middle-left of the map), two side-ticks
labeled 47'30", and the lower-right corner of the map neat line. The side-
tick marks and the cross hair denote 2.5-minute marks. Do not be confused
by the note in the margin of the map that reads, "(CENTER HALL
1:62,500)." It refers to a neighboring map from the 1:62,500 series. As I said
above, the scale of the map that I scanned to produce the
statecollege_map.tif image is 1:24,000.

3. Open the Link Table if it is not still open from your earlier work.

4. If the Link Table is not empty go to the Georeferencing dropdown

list and choosing Delete Control Points.

5. This time disable the Auto Adjust by un-checking the box.

6. Open the map_utmControlPoints.txt found in your Lesson3 folder.

7. You can establish the temporary transformation links, just as you did for
the DRG image (See Figure 3 and Figure 4) by creating the four links with
dummy "To" values, then changing the XMap and YMap values in the Link
Table to those found in the Xcoord and Ycoord columns of the
map_utmControlPoints.txt file.

OR

8. Right-click instead of left-clicking to create the dummy "To" control

points (the second click defining the control-point pair). This will bring up a
box from which you can choose Input X and Y. Then you can change the
values of the "To" control points to the UTM values listed in the text file as
you create the control point pairs, instead of editing the Link Table. Not an
earth-shatteringly different technique, but I wanted you to know about it.
(Note, that once you initiate this method, were you to create subsequent "To"
points by left-clicking in the map display area, as was done in the previous
Section, the new "To" x-y values will be in UTM coordinates, not scanner
coordinates, but will still need to be edited/replaced with the values from the
map_utmControlPoints.txt file.)

9. After you have created the four control point links enable the Auto
Adjust feature. The Residual list and the Total RMS Error should now
become populated with meaningful values.

10. If necessary, update the display by using either Zoom to Layer, or the
Full Extent tool.

11. If the map display area comes up empty (you may see only
the control point cross hairs), and the check box next to the layer name is
grayed out, change the Map: and Display: units to Meters.
 How does the Total RMS Error look compared to what you got
with the DRG? What about the Residuals? Are you able to improve upon
the RMS error by deleting links and recreating them? In your Deliverables
document discuss possible explanation(s) for why not.

12. Save the Link Table contents when you are satisfied that you cannot
improve upon the RMS error.

13. Make your screen capture for the Deliverables!

14. Update Georeferencing.

15. Save the map document.

Again, If you want to re-georeference the image file, it is

necessary to delete the world file, the .aux file and the .xml file (if using
v.9.2), and to set up a new map document before doing so.

D. Define the coordinate system of the now-georeferenced image in

ArcCatalog

Notice that I did not have you define the coordinate system of the data frame before
you georeferenced the statecollege_map.tif image. We will now learn a second
way to provide the coordinate system definition for a georeferenced image file. The
statecollege_map.tif image file is georeferenced, and we know what the
coordinate system is because we georeferenced it based on UTM values for the "To"
control points. But, the GIS program does not know the coordinate system of the
image file. (If you don't believe me, check the Properties of the
statecollege_map.tif image.)

1. Now, in ArcCatalog, right-click on the statecollege_map.tif image

file and select Properties.

2. Scroll down to the Spatial Reference section.

3. Click the Edit button.

4. Click the Select button.

5. Double-click on Projected Coordinate Systems.

6. Double-click on UTM.

The datum for this paper USGS topo sheet is NAD27:

7. Open the Nad 1927 list.

The State College, PA quadrangle is in UTM Zone 18 North:

 8. Double-click, or highlight and Add, NAD 1927 UTM Zone 18N.prj.

9. Click OK twice to finish defining the coordinate system.

The coordinate system information you supply here is stored in

the .tif.xml file that got created when you hit Update Georeferencing.
(If you are using version 9.0/9.1 the .aux file gets updated with the
coordinate system information.) So, if you delete the .tif.xml file (or the
.aux file in the case of v9.0/9.1), you will lose the information that
ArcMap needs in order to recognize the coordinate system of the image
file.

After you define the coordinate system of the image file, you
may be inquisitive enough to remove and then add the
statecollege_map.tif image file back to your open ArcMap session.
Before doing so, though, you should first go to the View menu in
ArcCatalog and choose Refresh. If you do not do this, the image will
come into your ArcMap session properly, but if you look at the Properties
of the layer holding the image, the Spatial Reference property will
display unknown, rather than show the description of UTM Zone 18 North,
NAD27 coordinate system.

That is it for Part II

You have just completed Part II of this activity, which involved

graphically/interactively adding "From" control points and explicitly adding "To"
control points in order to georeference two images. In Part III, you will georeference
an image by graphically adding both the "From" and the "To" control points.

This Try This! uses a copy of the statecollege_DRG.tif image file, and has you
creating a new ArcMap document. You might want to come back to it AFTER you
have completed Part III. I placed it here because of its relation to the image file you
used above.

Try This! A. Prepare by making a copy of the image file and starting a new
ArcMap session

1. In either My Computer or Windows Explorer make a new folder in your

Lesson 3 folder called TryThis.

2. Make a copy of the statecollege_DRG.tif image file and place it in

the new TryThis folder.

3. Open a new map document in ArcMap.

 4. Add the statecollege_DRG.tif image file from your TryThis
folder. Be certain NOT to add the statecollege_DRG.tif image file that
resides in your Lesson3 folder.

5. Build the pyramids.

6. Define the coordinate system of the data frame to be UTM Zone 18

NAD27.

In neither of the two georeferencing exercises above, involving the two topo map
images, did we alter the inherent coordinate system of the original image file. The
crucial georeferencing information is contained in the XML file and in the world file
(or, with 9.1, in the AUX file and in the world file). What if you do not want to
worry about keeping track of those files? The Rectify command will actually
perform the georeferencing transformation, prescribed in the world file, on the
pixels in the TIFF image file, creating a new image file in the process. The
coordinate system of this new image file will no longer be that of the scanner
platform, but will be the georeferenced coordinate system from which came the "To"
control point coordinates. And as long as you have defined the coordinate system of
the data frame prior to performing the georeferencing steps the new image file will
retain the proper coordinate system name.

In this Try This! there are two versions of the Try This! B steps. The first is for
those of you with version 9.2 of the software, the second is for those with v9.0/9.1.

Try This! B. Create a new georeferenced image that stands alone

If you are using version 9.2 of the ArcGIS software follow these steps.
Otherwise, if you are using version 9.0 or 9.1 proceed with the steps in the
Alternate Try This! B section, below. (You might want to read through the steps
that are specific to version 9.2, since they reflect the current state of the software
relative to this topic.)

1. This will be good practice: create the 4 control point pairs that will
enable the Affine transformation (Steps II-A-9 through II-B-8). Don't forget
to replace the "To" coordinate values.

2. DO NOT select the Update Georeferencing option!

3. Instead, once you are satisfied with your 4 control points choose
Rectify from the Georeferencing drop down list.

4. Accept the default settings for Cell Size and Resample Type, but
rationalize them to yourself.

5. For Output Location, browse to your Lesson3/TryThis folder.

Set the Format to TIFF.
 You can accept the default Name which should be statecollege_DRG1.tif.
(Make sure in the process of setting the name and output destination that the
output file format does not change from TIFF.)

6. Click OK to save the image. This process may take some time. (We are
creating a new, ~35Mb TIFF image. I think it took my machine about 4
minutes to process.)

7. If you look at the Spatial Reference properties of the

statecollege_DRG1.tif image you should see that they reflect the UTM
coordinate specifications that we assigned to the data frame.

How many new statecollege_DRG1.___ files are now in

your Lesson3/TryThis folder? You should find a .tif file, along with
a .aux, a .rrd and a .tif.vat.dbf file. If you move (make a copy to
be safe) the new statecollege_DRG1.tif file, by itself, to another
directory, then add it from there to a new, empty ArcMap session or to a
new data frame, you will find that the data frame coordinate system has
been defined as UTM. Try it and see. So, the new TIFF image is a
stand-alone, georeferenced image file with a properly-defined
coordinate system. Do you understand the difference between Update
Georeferencing and Rectify as far as what files are created and
where the georeferencing information is stored?

Alternate Try This! B. (For those using version 9.0/9.1) Create a new
georeferenced image that stands alone

If you are using version 9.0/9.1 of the ArcGIS software follow these
steps.

1. This will be good practice: create the 4 control point pairs that will
enable the Affine transformation (Steps II-A-9 through II-B-8). Don't forget
to replace the "To" coordinate values.

2. DO NOT select the Update Georeferencing option!

3. Instead, once you are satisfied with your 4 control points choose
Rectify from the Georeferencing drop down list.

4. Accept the default settings for Cell Size and Resample Type, but
rationalize them to yourself.

5. For Output Raster, browse to your Lesson3 folder and save the image
in TIFF format as rectifystatecollege_DRG.tif.

6. Click OK to save the image.

 7. If you look at the Spatial Reference properties of the
rectifystatecollege_DRG.tif image you should see that they reflect the
UTM coordinate specifications that we assigned to the data frame.

How many new rectifystatecollege_DRG.___ files are in

your Lesson3/TryThis folder? Even though there are a world file and
an auxiliary file accompanying the new TIFF image, you should be able
to move (make a copy to be safe) the rectifystatecollege_drg.tif
file, by itself, to a new folder, then add it from there to an new, empty
ArcMap session and find that the data frame coordinate system has
been defined as UTM. Try it and see. Do you understand the difference
between Update Georeferencing and Rectify as far as what files are
created and where the georeferencing information is stored?

Lesson 3: Georeferencing Raster Images

Scenario: Georeferencing an Image for the Purpose of

Data Creation
Part III: Georeferencing Using a Target Layer

A. Register the image

1. Open the Photo1963_<your name> map document.

2. Because, in Part I when you set up the data frame, you added the un-
georeferenced air photo image file first to the data frame, the data frame
coordinate system is undefined. (This behavior concerning how the
coordinate system of the data frame is defined will be elaborated upon in
Lesson 5.) If you look at the Properties of the StCol_Rds layer you will
see that its coordinate system is State Plane Pennsylvania-North, NAD83
(the units are meters).
Define the coordinate system of the data frame to match it.

3. In the Table of Contents, right-click on the StCol_Rds and select Zoom

to Layer. This is the target layer in the context of what we are about to
perform.

4. On the Georeferencing toolbar, confirm that StateCollege1963.jpg is

selected as the Layer. (It will be, because it is the only image file in the data
frame.)

5. Select Georeferencing > Fit to Display. Which ever image file

(where there more than one in the Table of Contents) is named in the Layer
window, is re-drawn so that it appears in the same coordinate space as the
target data. [See Figure 5] (In this particular case the
StateCollege1963.jpg entry is the only choice from which to choose in
the Layer window.)

6. Change the color of the target layer so that it shows up clearly against
the image background.

7. Open the Link Table, unless it is still there from Part II. Make certain
that it is empty.

8. Enable Georeferencing > Auto Adjust.

This photo of State College, Pennsylvania was taken in 1963. Using the
Control Points tool, you will define links FROM street intersections on
the air photo image (StateCollege1963.jpg), TO the corresponding street
intersection on the target roads layer (stcol_rds.shp). Links are
established such that the air photo image location is clicked first, then its
corresponding target location on the roads layer is clicked second. In a
project like this, it is always helps if you are familiar with the study area. We
have identified 5 street intersections that you can use as link locations:

o L1: College Ave/Corl St in the southwest corner

o L2: Curtin Rd/Porter Rd in the north-central part of the image

near Beaver Stadium

o L3: Orchard Rd/Puddintown Rd in the northeast corner

o L4: S Atherton St/Allen St in the southeast corner

o L5: College Ave/Allen St near the center of the image

9. Visually locate these intersections on the image. Then, locate the

corresponding intersection in the StCol_Rds layer. You will find it useful to
turn on labels for the roads, labeling them with the contents of the name field.
You could use the Identify tool to determine street names when you are
zoomed in, if necessary.

If, when you zoom in on the image, it goes black try zooming in
further to see if the definition of the image returns. If not, remove it and go
to ArcCatalog and right-click on the image file and calculate the statistics.
Then add the image back to the data frame.

In order to help define the links accurately, you can use the Magnifier
window. You can decide. When placing the links, keep in mind that the
roads layer represents the centerlines of the roads. Cross hairs have been
placed on the image to help you determine where the roads layer and the
image layer should coincide. [See Figure 6]
10. Click on the Add Control Points tool .

11. Select Window | Magnifier. Right click on the window title bar and
select Properties. For the Modify main view by option (In v.9.2: Zoom |
Magnify By:), select 1000% and click OK. (You can resize the Magnifier
window. Zooming in or out on the data frame view effects what is
magnified.)

12. Drag the Magnifier window so that the cross hairs line up with the
landmark L1 in the image. Click on the intersection next to the L1 label.

13. Drag the window so that the cross hairs line up with the L1 intersection
in the target layer. Click on the intersection. Because the Auto Adjust is
enabled, the image will automatically adjust itself based on the established
link. After establishing a link, the extent of the data frame may change such
that parts of the image disappear. If necessary, use the Pan tool to change the
extent of the data frame. Then, re-activate the Control Points tool to continue
establishing links.

14. Repeat steps 11-12 for the other four control points in the target layer
(L2-L5).

After each link is entered, the software adjusts the image as best it can to fit
to all of the links. If you pan around the map, you will notice that some areas
of the map have been adjusted more accurately than others. This is a function
of the links that we have chosen to use. Five different links would result in a
different pattern of accuracy.

Also, as you add transformation links pay attention to the Transformation:

dropdown window at the bottom of the Link Table; see if/when it allows
you to expand it to see more than just the 1st Order Polynomial
(Affine) choice. After you create each new link, check to see how many
choices there are. (Those of you using version 9.2 will notice that, after 3
links are added to the table, there will be an Adjust choice in the
Transformation list. We will ignore that for now. If you are curious, search
the Help on "Georeferencing image files.")

15. Note the RMS error reported in the bottom right of the Link Table
window. Based on the information provided in the Concept Gallery, and
knowing what you do about the image data involved in this part of the
exercise, can you put much stock in the RMS error? Elaborate in the
discussion you submit with your deliverable.

16. After you have created the 5 links from the points that were specifically
indicated on the photo, continue to add links, paying attention to the
Transformation: dropdown list.
Suggested intersections that may make reasonable additional link locations
are:

o Park Av and Shortlidge Rd (though the curve in the road

makes this an exercise in extrapolation)

o Westerly Py and Sparks St (the trees make this a challenge)

o Beaver Av and Allen St

After you have added 6 control point pairs does the choice list in
the Transformation dropdown change? Opt for the new choice; select it.
What is the new transformation choice? Make certain it is in your
discussion deliverable.

17. Create a total of at least 7-8 links (including the original L1-L5 points).
Be certain to pull out to Full Extent and witness what has happened to the
once-rectangular image; look closely at the edges of the image--are they still
straight?. Choosing the alternative to the affine transformation when it is first
available will show an RMS error and residual values of 0 in the Link Table.
This is similar to what happens when you have only 3 control point pairs
when using the affine transformation. The residual values and the RMS error
will appear when you have added more control point pairs.

18. Do not forget to make your screen capture, showing the transformation
choice that you switched to after entering the 6th control point link.

19. In the Georeferencing dropdown, choose Update Georeferencing.

In version 9.2, with 2nd Order Polynomial picked as the

Transformation: method, there will be a .jgwx file created. Ostensibly it
is a world file. (In older versions of the software, because we are not using
the affine transformation there is no world file created when we choose to
Update Georeferencing.) However, this .jgwx file does not serve in the
same capacity as does the world file associated with the results from using
the Affine transformation: if you put this .jgwx file and the original .jpg
image file in a folder by themselves the image file will NOT come in to
the GIS in the proper coordinate space. The transformation equation
coefficients for the higher-order transformation methods are stored in a
.jpg.aux.xml file in the case of v9.2; and in the .aux file in the case of
version 9.0/91.

20. Save the map document.

21. In ArcCatalog, check to see that the coordinate system information is

associated with the statecollege1963.jpg file. You may need to View |
Refresh.
 It should be, since we defined the coordinate system of the data frame in
Step III-A-2.

Keep in mind that this photo has not been orthorectified. Orthorectification
involves using elevation data to correct for the scale variations inherent in a vertical
aerial photo. The workflow we are using in this project is best when applied to
relatively flat areas. The positional accuracy of the image will decrease as the relief
within the area increases. Because we usually want the most accurate data possible,
most aerial photos you work with in the GIS field are not only georeferenced, but also
orthorectified. (Orthorectification often implies that the photo is georeferenced, due to
the fact that the terrain model used in the rectification process is usually
georeferenced.)

B. Deliverables

Project Evaluation criteria include:

• Quality and Completeness: 90%

A document that includes: three screen captures showing proof of having
georeferenced three image files, description of a specific RMS error
calculation, discussion of RMS error diagnostic value, and discussion of
limiting factors when it comes to georeferencing image files. (See below.)

• Timeliness: 10%
Upload and submit the required content to the lesson drop box. Post by
assigned due date.
Most project deliverables are due on Thursdays, one week and a day from
the official start of the assignment (two weeks and a day from the day the
Lesson is available). Refer to the course calendar for the exact schedule.
Please make every effort to submit your deliverables on time. Remember, to
be consistent and fair we must deduct the 10% for late submissions, no
matter what.

These deliverables are due two weeks after the Lesson is revealed. See the course
Calendar for the specific due date.

1. A single Microsoft Word document should be submitted, containing all

of the deliverables for this Lesson. (If you use WordPerfect please save as
a .doc file before you submit. Please do not send a WordPerfect document.
Please DO NOT submit a PowerPoint document.)

Incorporate your name into the name of your document file: something
similar to "JSloan_Lesson3.doc" (your first initial and your last name).

Upload your document file to the Lesson 3 Drop Box - Don't forget to hit the
Submit button!
Your document should contain the following, in the order specified:

a. Screen captures of the three data frames, taken where

specified in the lesson write-up.

Each screen capture should show:

 the ArcMap interface Table of Contents, so

we can determine the activated layer.

 the entire Link Table, so we can see the list

of links and the Transformation method and RMS
error.

 the coordinate readout slot, at the bottom of

the ArcMap interface window.

Your screen capture images need to be

clear and comprehensible. Please do not include
your desktop background as part of the image(s).
(If you use the Print Screen button to capture the
screen image, know that by holding down the
Alt-key when hitting the Print Screen button you
will be able to capture only the active window.
This can help make your screen captures more
space-efficient.) Switching the page format of
your Word document to landscape orientation
will allow for placement of wider images. The
image file formats most often used include
.png, .jpg, .gif, .bmp or .tif. Lastly, be sure to
review your document in either a print layout
view or the print preview (change zoom to 75%)
before uploading and submitting.

b. Show how you calculated the threshold value of "an

acceptable RMS error" that was called for in Part II Section B
Step 7.

c. Based on the discussion in the Concept Gallery, and on the

comments in the Lesson write-up, answer the following
questions. The explanations asked for are important--we want to
be certain you understand the concepts. Be succinct.

 Does the RMS error that you ended up with

for the statecollege_DRG.tif have any diagnostic
value? Explain your answer.
 If it does, do you consider it acceptable? Explain
why.

 Does the RMS error that you ended up with

for the statecollege_map.tif have any diagnostic
value? Explain your answer.
If it does, do you consider it acceptable? Explain
why.

 Does the RMS error that you ended up with

for the vertical air photo of State College have
any diagnostic value? Explain your answer.
If it does, do you consider it acceptable? Explain
why.

d. List a minimum of 5 factors that might limit your ability to

arrive at a low RMS error when georeferencing raster image
data.

2. Make an entry in your e-Portfolio, reflecting upon the Lesson. (Do NOT
post any of the specific results of the Lesson homework to your e-Portfolio
web site.)

3. Take the Lesson 3 quiz.

That is it for Part III...and for Lesson 3

You have just completed Lesson 3. Do not forget...if you have any questions, feel free
to post them to the Lesson 3 Message Board.

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