Creating grids based on an area of interest (Maritime Charting)

Every chart has coordinate information displayed using borders, grids, and/or graticules, indicating to its users the coordinates of where it's located in the world. The grid is also important to navigation, assisting mariners in determining direction and distances traveled. Grids, graticules, (linear) scaled borders, and neatlines are created with grids and graticules tools.

ArcGIS for Maritime: Charting comes with preconfigured grids based on the IHO's INT2 standard. These preconfigured grids are delivered as XML files in the following locations:

The following INT2 grids are provided:

Preconfigured grids for the INT2 standard

File name

Limiting scale

Purpose

INT2_C.xml

N/A

Sheet of plans

INT2_D.xml

N/A

Inset plan

INT2_E_10K.xml

Greater than or equal to 1:10,000

E grid for large-scale plans

INT2_E.xml

1:1 to 1:30,000

Neatline and geographic grid system for E-scale plans

INT2_F.xml

1:30,000 to 1:100,000

Neatline and calibrated border for 1:30,000- to 1:100,000-scale plans

INT2_G.xml

1:100,000 to 1:200,000

Neatline and calibrated border for 1:100,000- to 1:200,000-scale plans

INT2_H.xml

1:200,000 to 1:500,000

Neatline and calibrated border for 1:200,000- to 1:500,000-scale plans

INT2_J.xml

1:500,000 to 1:1,500,000

Neatline and calibrated border for 1:500,000- to 1:1,500,000-scale plans

INT2_K.xml

1:1,500,000 to 1:2,250,000

Neatline and calibrated border for 1:1,500,000- to 1:2,250,000-scale plans

INT2_L.xml

1:2,250,000 to 1:4,750,000

Neatline and calibrated border for 1:2,250,000- to 1: 4,750,000-scale plans

INT2_M.xml

1:4,750,000 and above

Neatline and calibrated border for 1:4,750,000-scale plans and above

INT2_N.xml

N/A

Noncalibrated border (tick marks only)

INT2_S.xml

N/A

Secondary/Projected ticks

INT2_V.xml

N/A

UTM grid and border

Preconfigured grids for the INT2 standard

Each grid is created independently using the Make Grids And Graticules Layer geoprocessing tool using a data frame that has the same geographic coordinate system (ensuring that any transformations that are required have been set before the grid is created).

Creating grids for charts based on an area of interest involves the following processes:

Creating grids

This section covers how to make your chart's grid based on an area of interest represented by a preexisting polygon. This polygon may be stored in your product library; it may come from another source, such as a personal database, shapefile, or layer file; or it may be part of your data, already captured as metadata. In any case, you may need to edit this polygon. It is strongly recommended that you double-check that you have permission/privileges to perform edits on the area of interest (AOI) polygon used to make your chart's grid.

NoteNote:

Before running any geoprocessing tools in ArcMap, it is strongly recommended that you do the following: From the main menu, click Geoprocessing > Geoprocessing Options. In the General area, check the Overwrite the outputs of geoprocessing operations and Log geoprocessing operations to a log file check boxes. Uncheck the Enable check box in the Background Processing area. In the Display/Temporary Data area, check the Add results of geoprocessing operations to the display check box. Click OK to close the dialog box and apply your options.

Steps:
  1. On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Nautical Cartography.
  2. If necessary, open the Product Library window by clicking Customize > Production > Product Library on the main menu.

    A tree view of the product library appears.

    Product Library tree view
  3. If necessary, expand Product Library and Products.
  4. Navigate to the AOI for the product instance.
  5. Check the check box next to the AOI.

    The AOI feature layer is added to the ArcMap data frame.

    NoteNote:

    If you do not see the AOI feature, right-click the AOI feature in the Product Library tree view and click Zoom To.

  6. Right-click the AOI feature in the Product Library tree view and click Select.
  7. On the Nautical Cartography toolbar, click Grids > Make Grids and Graticules Layer.

    The Make Grids and Graticules Layer dialog box appears.

    Make Grids and Graticules Layer dialog box
    NoteNote:

    The Make Grids And Graticules Layer tool requires you to have a feature dataset to write the output to. You may need to create a feature dataset in your production database before you continue.

  8. Click the browse button Browse next to the Grid Template (XML file) text box.
  9. Navigate to the following location:
    • For 32-bit Windows operating systems—<Installation location>\Program Files\ArcGIS\EsriNautical\Desktop10.1\Charting\Cartography\GridDefinitions
    • For 64-bit Windows operating systems—<Installation location>\Program Files(x86)\ArcGIS\EsriNautical\Desktop10.1\Charting\Cartography\GridDefinitions
  10. Choose the grid XML that best suits your chart based on purpose and scale.

    For example, a chart that has a scale of 1:50,000 would use INT2_F, since the F scale range is 1:30,000 to 1:100,000.

  11. Click Open.
  12. For the Input Area of Interest [feature or extent] parameter, use the Feature Layer option and choose the AOI polygon layer from the drop-down list.
  13. For the Input Feature Dataset parameter, click the browse button Browse.
  14. Navigate to the Grids feature dataset in your production database.
  15. Click Add.

    You have the option of removing or modifying this grid name or keeping the default.

    The Output Layer parameter will be automatically filled with an abbreviation of the grid XML you choose; the Name [value or field] (optional) parameter is also autopopulated. In this instance, it will take the last letter of the grid .xml selected.

    Make Grids and Graticules Layer dialog box

  16. Expand Advanced Settings (optional).

    If there is a warning next to the Mask Size (optional), you can ignore this, since it is optional to change the mask size and units.

    The Advanced Settings parameters appear.

    Make Grids and Graticules Layer dialog box—Advanced Settings
  17. Change the value in the Reference Scale (optional) text box to that of your chart.
  18. Click the Properties button Properties that is next to Primary Coordinate System (optional).

    This will already be populated with World_Mercator.

    The Spatial Reference Properties dialog box opens.

    Spatial Reference Properties dialog box
  19. Double-click Mercator (world) to modify the projection.
  20. Enter the decimal degree values for the central meridian and standard parallel for your chart.
    Projected Coordinate System Properties dialog box
  21. Click OK to close the Projected Coordinate System Properties dialog box.
  22. Ensure that the values you entered are now listed on the Spatial Properties dialog box.
  23. Click OK to close the Spatial Properties dialog box.
  24. Leave all other advanced settings.

    It is optional to change the values for Ancillary Coordinate Systems 1 and 2; however, the grids will be generated without changing these parameters.

  25. Click OK.
  26. Once the tool has finished running, click Close to close the Results dialog box.

    Grids are added to the top of the Table Of Contents window; be sure to keep them there. After later steps in the guide book, it will be necessary to move the grids back to the top of the list of layers in the Table Of Contents window.

  27. Examine the grids after they have been added to the Table Of Contents window.
  28. Save the map document by clicking the Save button Save on the Standard toolbar.
  29. Close ArcMap.

Versioning and archiving

Now that the grid feature classes have been created, they must be registered as versioned and enabled for archiving.

NoteNote:

Only the owner of the data can register or unregister it as versioned.

Steps:
  1. Click the Catalog Window button Catalog on the Standard toolbar to open the Catalog window.
  2. In the Catalog tree, right-click the Grids feature dataset, point to Manage, then click Register As Versioned.

    The Register As Versioned dialog box appears.

  3. Do not check the Register the selected objects with the option to move edits to base check box.

    See Deciding how to register data for more information on the move edits to base option.

  4. Click OK.
  5. Right-click the versioned dataset in the Catalog tree, point to Manage, then click Enable Archiving.
  6. Close ArcCatalog.

Reconciling

When you reconcile, the version you are editing is updated with changes from the target version.

NoteNote:

Reconciling only updates the edit version so that ArcGIS can check for conflicts; it does not merge changes into the target version. Once you finish reconciling and reviewing any conflicts, you complete the merging process by posting your changes to the target version with the Nautical Post tool.

Steps:
  1. Start ArcMap.
  2. Click the Production Start Editing button Production Start Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.
    NoteNote:

    The Manage Features and Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes windows automatically appear when you start an edit session using the Production Start Editing tool.

    TipTip:

    If the Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes window does not appear when you start an edit session, click the Show/Hide Attributes button Show/Hide Attributes on the Manage Features window.

  3. Connect to the version that you want to reconcile with an ancestor version.
  4. Click the Reconcile button Reconcile on the Nautical toolbar.
  5. Click the target version.
  6. Specify to define conflicts By attribute (by column).
  7. Choose In favor of the Target Version.

    When you choose to resolve in favor of the target version, all conflicting features in the current edit session are replaced by their representations in the target version. If multiple users are editing the same version and conflicts are detected, the feature that was first saved replaces the edit session's representation.

  8. Click OK.

Posting nautical data

Once you've finished reconciling and have reviewed conflicts, you complete the merge process by posting your changes to the target version. The Nautical Post tool acts as the standard ArcGIS Post command for all nautical databases, except for Digital Nautical Charts (DNCs).

Steps:
  1. Click the Nautical Post button Nautical Post on the Nautical toolbar.
    NoteNote:

    If you have unverified features in your edit version, a message appears notifying you that there are unverified features found in your version. You must verify all features before Nautical Post will run successfully.

At this point, you can proceed to Setting projection, scale, and page size, unless you have a chart in which north is not at the top of the chart.

Related Topics

12/22/2014