Tech Tip: Map Series Tabulation and Customization
A map series of Rocky Mountain National Park. Image from Esri.
Do you have map data that covers a large area? Fully displaying a project area along with its related assets and data in a traditional map or web map format can be challenging. Large-scale projects in many industries can overcome this by utilizing ArcGIS Pro’s map series functionality and customizing tabulation and data. The end result? A project site that is organized into specific areas using unique map booklets for each section.
Map Series: What is It?
Esri defines a map series as “a collection of pages (also known as map sheets) built from a single layout in which each page shows a particular map extent.” This can be created using the Grid Index Features or Strip Map Index Features tools, either by specifying the grid size that you want the area divided into and displayed or by selecting a feature such as a pipeline or roadway to use as the grid breakdown. The grid index layer used by the map series can be grouped into sections depending on the page and are typically drawn left to right.
The different types of Map Series options are spatial, bookmark, and thematic.
Spatial is the traditional map series which uses the extent of each ‘grid/page’ as a feature. This is best for showing pages at the same scale relative to one another.
Bookmark allows the user to iterate through a list of created bookmarks, turning each bookmark into a page in the series.
Thematic uses the same extent for each page, rather than different areas, with each page displaying the different existing features from contents in the same grid.
The map series is also highly useful for tabulation of data and dynamic text. It can be changed based on what is in the visible extent of each map series grid. Data can be drawn in as tables or dynamic text into the layout view and queried to the needs of the user. For example, a pipeline project spanning 10 miles, could be divided into 1000-foot by 500-foot grid sections using the spatial map series, with tables drawn underneath in the layout view, to give insight into what data/assets are on the page.
Spatially Supported Field Work
These spatially organized grid sections can then be easily accessed and interpreted by someone in the field. These can be viewed as data updates using ArcGIS Field Maps with an organization or printed in pdf format for areas with no signal. Additions such as graphs, charts, and map elements can be added into layout view and will correspond to the page and data from the map above.
Customizable
Further customization can be done with SQL queries performed on the tables in layout view to show desired fields, calculations, and attributes. Leveraging map series for project asset management and field work can be effective and efficient for organizations. Scalability and sharing the layout templates created with the map series is versatile and can be saved and re-used at varying sites.
Would your projects be better supported by map booklets for large areas? Do you need help converting CAD data into a map series? Does your data require customized fields, calculations, and alignment? Schedule a discovery call and let’s discuss the best plan for your spatial data.