Customer Reviews

GIS Tutorial Updated for ArcGIS 9.2: Workbook for Arc View 9, 2nd Edition

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After completing a couple lessons I have learned about making maps, adding layers, bookmarking, viewing and selecting from the data, labeling, and much more. I look forward to adding to the progress I've already made. Previous students in the GIS course, as well as my instructor, said that the first edition of the book (or its accompanying data disk) was full of "bugs," but this edition seems to be bug-free. The lessons take you through the skills twice before it's time to do the assignment. If you don't remember how to perform the skills, the assignment takes a long time. Every detail of the assignment is important (e.g. font size, color, etc.), so read it carefully. Also, as in other workbooks, it would be nice if there were an index so you could more easily go back to those skills you don't quite remember how to do.

I bought this book as an alternative to a workplace-offered course that was going to cost me $300, and I'm glad I did. This book took me about a month to get through, working on in my free time, as opposed to the 2-day class, but I've come away with a much more extensive grasp of how to use GIS. The book is quite extensive in what it introduces you to, and is great for referencing if you're already an experienced ArcGIS user. It's obvious the book was originally designed to be used as a college textbook.
My two main complaints are: some of the assignments require downloading information off the web, and it's extremely difficult to locate the information required for the assignment, and in several cases, was impossible, due to the ever-changing nature of websites.
My other complaint is that there is no index, so you have to be very familiar with the textbook and table of contents to know what you're looking for in terms of referencing.
I highly recommend the book, but I would suggest to ESRI to incorporate an index and dedicated companion website for it in future editions.

I am using this to get up to speed for a class next month. I expected a simple introduction, but it seems to go pretty deep with a lot of detail. This is my first time playing with GIS, and I am sold on ArcView.

One comment about the book is that sometimes the directions are not accurate, which actually helps me learn the program a little more intimately. For example, when changing an attribute the directions say "Click Okay," but I needed to click "Apply" first. This is no big deal and actually makes me think a little bit more about what I am doing and why I am doing it.

Overall, this is a good deal, especially getting a six month trial of the software, which will get me through next semester for less than half the price of the academic version.

I also like that the practice excercises allow me to use a little of my own discretion. Again, this might not be a big deal for others, but I hate getting micro-managed. I tend to shut down and not realy learn a whole lot, until I start experimenting on my own, but the book's format allows me to make enough of my own decisions that I don't feel like I am trapped. I realize that this is probably more of a personality issue, but if you need to learn some GIS fundamentals and hate authority then this book might just work out for you.

This manual is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to learn the ArcGIS enviornment. I teach this professionally, and often recomend this as a good source for material. I highly recomend this to anyone who is starting out in the GIS field.

This book is a complete and easy to understand tutorial for beginners or self-study readers, it explains through examples, so readers can easily understand the subject. Full of graphics, step-by-step instructions, CD data for working with the tutorials, and 180 days trial ArcView 9.2 Software, make this book a complete tutorial book. Highly Recommended.

The book was in the shape described. I feel that the book arrived extremely slow and was not shipped in a satisfactory container. When I order books in the future, I will make sure to avoid this seller. The book its self is good, lots of information.

had to get this book for a class, basically lived out of this book the entire semester for that class. some interesting stuff for sure

This book is also now out of date - things change quickly in GIS - but is a great way to begin learning.

Really, I have impressed with your dispatching services which are good.GIS Tutorial: Workbook for ArcView 9

This book is very good for a self paced tutorial on learning the basics of GIS. I used it as a refresher after taking a GIS course in college, but I'm sure that even with no experience with GIS, this would be a useful learning tool.