Getting to Know ArcGIS

I'm taking my first course in GIS at UCSB, and I decided to get this book to guide me through the learning process of using ArcGis. I just received the book in a very timely manner and I haven't fully put the knowledge to the test, but having read through the first few chapters I can already tell this is going to be a great tool for me as a student.The writing / Instruction is clear, concise, and well structured. There are fully colored and well-captioned images to facilitate the learning. The fore-edge of the book is color-coded (different shades of green) and thus allows you to access specific chapters with more ease! (I thought that was a nice touch!). The more technical sections of the book offer very useful "Tips" on how to do something and/or avoid common mistakes. A dictionary of the technical terms used in GIS and within Arc is located in the back, which is important when putting parts of the text in layman context.Overall, based on what I have seen thus far, I would say this book is probably the best bang for your buck on Amazon. I will come back after I finish the class and the exercises in this book to provide a more comprehensive review of the book and its contents.IMPORTANT: I did not receive a CD with the book. HOWEVER! the key to the 6 month trial of ArcGIS is on the inside of the back cover! Go to esripress.esri.com/bookresources, make an esri account, follow the steps, and use your key there! NOTE: Despite the book being tailored for using ArcGIS, 10.2/10.3, Esri allows you to download the 6 month trial with any version from 10.2.2 up to the most recent 10.4.1 version. Which is a big plus!

I am using this for a 10-week Intro to GIS course at my university. I love it! It could not be more clear and easy to follow. I've found very few mistakes, and they have usually been misplaced images that don't affect the walkthrough. The only other area of improvement would be the index - it's not necessarily the easiest to find where you learned something in an exercise, so I recommend taking notes. The glossary is clear and thorough.I bought this rather than renting and I'm happy I did since I expect to use it for reference. If you expect to continue on to more advanced books that may cover similar ground, or if your memory is super sharp, renting may be a good option, though the six-month ArcGIS license seems like it might be worth the price of buying new. The exercises go by very quickly and it would be easy to do the whole book in a few weeks if you were committed.I am using this with ArcMap 10.5.1 and have had no issues with compatibility. However, make sure you check your system requirements if you are new to ArcGIS. This is especially true for Mac users.

I can't recommend this book, if you're new to GIS and also have a low tech threshold. Downloading the sample version of the ESRI-GIS program onto Windows 10 took most of the day, including 2 hours spent on a tech call trying to work around some irritating issues with Windows. I discovered several errors that have you trying to load the wrong file into the wrong place, that were frustrating. The author also has a tendency to skip from Step 1 to Step 3 (like most tech writers do, I suppose on the assumption that any idiot should know what Step 2 is) a bit more than is necessary. If you make a mistake in the exercises and have to back up, you're likely to run into some serious problems; an issue with ArcGIS in particular and something the author doesn't seem to foresee. In Chapter 6 I made a mistake that I could not see any way of undoing, without deleting and reloading the entire exercise program...which I didn't do (see my second sentence, and because I wasn't sure ESRI would allow me to reload the program with the limited access license that comes with the book). And anyway, I'd say for most of us beginners by the time we get to Chapter 5 are just following the exercise instructions and have no real idea what we're doing -- the GIS babble is worse than any techno-babble you'll ever hear on Star Trek, and it makes about as much sense.. If you've got someone knowledgeable to help you, this might be a good book. If you're a true beginner and only technologically-savvy on a rudimentary level and working by yourself...not so much.

I am currently in a GIS course at my university and have no prior experience with GIS. We are using the ArcGIS software included with this book. I have enjoyed using the book because it has step-by-step instructions for the exercises and screenshots of the dialogue boxes so you never have to guess at what the correct selection is. It has you review material from previous subjects in the new exercises and teaches you the different ways to go about doing things within menus. For example, you learn the different ways to open the properties or attribute tables and it shows you the different ways you can change a symbol or a label. I feel like I am learning the program well and will be comfortable using it on my own or at work. I will update the review in December when I am finish with the course

It is a really helpful book when you are starting with GIS. Exercises are good and clear (with steps) and the material that we are able to download for the exercises is excellent (including the student license for the software). Beautiful illustrated and excellent quality book. Given the complexity of the GIS software, I wish there was more explanation about some topics (deep explanations why certain tools are used or why not to use certain other tools. E.g. Page 561, Chapter 17, Spatial Join - merge rule). On the other hand, the package, when the book was sent, was really bad and the book was not protected.

I largely learnt ArcGIS by myself, playing with models and reading forums. As it became clear that I needed to use it more for my research I felt the need to buy a book to ensure I was using the software as possible.---- Layout ----At 700 pages, there is certainly a lot of detail in the book! It has a very clean presentation with a clear headings, a nice modern appearance plenty of figures. The writing is generally very easy to follow---- Content ----The book is aimed at people getting started with ArcGIS. It therefore starts with pretty basic details, such as setting up models and displaying data.As the book progresses, it discusses some of the geoprocessing tools which can be used. As GIS software can be used in so many different disciplines, the book does a great job in keeping it general enough to be useful regardless of your background. The tools are demonstrated with a large number of worked examples, and the supporting files which can be downloaded allow you to carry out the same process.The book touches upon some of the more advanced features of ArcGIS, such as the ModelBuilder and using Spatial Analyst. It is useful to be made aware of these features, and helps provide the reader with a basic understanding---- Who Should Buy It? ----I think this is a great book for any person looking to learn GIS quickly. While nothing actually beats playing around with some real data, this book gives some great knowledge which can help reduce the time it takes to learn GIS.I also think it is a great read for anyone who thinks they know GIS well but may want to fill gaps in their knowledge, as there are a lots of little hints and tricks shared in the book which can help make many processes easier. I personally discovered quite a few features which I hadn't known so it was definitely worth the read.A great read, and it is a book I would certainly recommend.

Very comprehensive and goes into good detail

Thank you very much. Took some time to be delivered to me. However, i am happy with it. You are my main book store from now on.

Not for myself, but arrived promptly and is very suited to purpose.

Good