Retail Profit Management (RPM)

Tips And Tricks With Atlas GIS

Here is a summary of the Atlas Tips And Tricks we covered at the User’s Conference (and also some others we did not get to cover). We hope these will be helpful to you.

Atlas GIS: The Best GIS Choice For Older Platforms
We stressed (repeatedly) that Atlas GIS is absolutely the easiest-to-use and most intuitive of all GIS desktop applications. It has a special place as a 16 bit application running on 486 and even 386 systems, used by analysts, experts and the non-technical person alike.

Atlas GIS & Windows 95
Most Atlas users who attended the conference are not using Windows 95. In fact, most seem to still be running under Windows 3.1. Certainly, an upgrade to Windows 3.11 would be beneficial (fewer crashes and 32 bit disk access), and we have noticed a big performance jump running the 16 bit Atlas under W95. If you are considering W95 but are not sure, Microsoft has made available some software which will diagnose your current system’s W95 compatibility. You may download this diagnostic software from the Microsoft website. The file is called SYSCHECK.EXE and is a self-executing zipfile. After you uncompress it (via double-clicking on it or File-Run), just run the resulting W95CHECK.EXE and follow the instructions to diagnose your system.

Key File-Preferences Settings
Control Redraw and Label Sizes in File-Preferences-Workspace. It is especially useful to turn off the Auto-Redraw on lower-end 486 systems; and to limit the maximum label size to avoid "the label that ate Texas" when you zoom in.

Dealing With Corrupted Files
If your geography files become corrupted, GEOFIX may be able to fix them. GEOFIX is best run from DOS. At the command line, simply type GEOFIX (path and name of your .AGF geography file. The GEOFIX program sgould be in your AGISW program directory). Use the Norton Utilities File Fix to repair corrupted databases and spreadsheets.

Loading Partial Project Files
Dylan Vance’s PARTAPP, while not supported by ESRI, is a fine Atlas App that will allow you to use some of the view, page layout and other settings from a project file without opening the entire file (including geofiles and databases that may have become corrupted or even wiped off a hard drive). Please contact us at rpminfonet@earthlink.net if you need a copy of PARTAPP.

Pasting Page Elements In Atlas GIS

Atlas GIS 3.x does not allow users to copy a page element and paste it back into Atlas GIS. It is our understanding that this is a 3.x bug, as we seem to remember that 2.0 could do this. We are hoping the bug will be addressed and corrected, but for now, it may be circumvented by using Powerpoint. To do so:

  • Edit-Copy Visible Page.
  • Paste-Special-Picture in Powerpoint.
  • Object-Scale in earlier Powerpoint Versions, Draw-Scale in later versions.
  • Edit-Copy Feature in Atlas.
  • Paste-Special-Picture in Powerpoint, as necessary.

    • Using Custom Symbols
    You can use any bitmap (.BMP file) as a Custom Symbol in Atlas by specifying a custom symbol directory in File-Preferences-System, and placing the .BMP files you would like to use as custom symbols in that directory. By far the most common application of custom symbols are corporate logos.

    Working Around The Number Of Vertices LimitationAn unfortunate limitation of Atlas GIS is the limit on how many vertices a polygon may have (4,096). Clark Swinehart, the product manager for Atlas, has promised us that the vertices limit will be increased in a future maintenance release. For now, to work around this and "subvert the NVERT", please contact ppetri@esri.com or call Peter if you have a current tech support contract at 909-793-2853. An important concern – generalizing files to remove vertices works best at macro levels. The vertices you remove may very well make an important difference when you are "zoomed in" at more micro levels.

    Using Images In Atlas GIS Projects
    Images – such as photos of site locations – can add a lot of value to your GIS. To use images such as this in Atlas, you can simply include a Field for the images(e.g. IMAGES) in the point database of your locations; and populate the Field, for each record, with the name of its corresponding bitmap, JPEG or other image format. Then, you can pop up an Info Window for your point or browse the table (Window-New Table Window) and simply double right-click to view the image. You will find that you will need to associate the images with their viewer(s), using the File-Associate command in Windows 3.x or the Open With command in Windows 95, if you have not already done so.

    As an image format, bitmaps have the unfortunate limitation of not being scaleable. As such, they cannot be resized to fit a particular layout or presentation without loss of resolution, detail, and/or distortion. The map images produced in Atlas GIS are Windows metafiles (vector-format files, bitmaps are raster format), and it is very easy to copy them and paste and resize in other applications (e.g. Quark, Word, Powerpoint) without the vast majority of associated "lossiness". As examples, you can copy an entire map page and use it in Powerpoint via Edit-Copy Visible Page and Paste Special-Picture in Powerpoint; or merely select the Map Window and then Copy Feature and Paste Special-Picture in Powerpoint; followed by Copy Rows from a Table, Statistics or Info Window and Paste Special-Picture in Powerpoint to create a page with a map and a report on it.

    We have used this technique at RPM to create entire electronic slide shows of maps in Powerpoint, and to create some very nice pages with maps and reports.

    Raster Underlay is one of the new Atlas Apps that works with Atlas GIS For Windows 3.03, and allows the inclusion of raster images (BMP, JPG, etc.) as map backgrounds. This is especially powerful when using aerial photography as the background, allowing users to review the spatial patterns of their own data against the aerial photo. An example of a Raster Underlay map created with Atlas GIS 3.03 can be found on our Atlas Maps page. To tie such an aerial photo to a map using Raster Underlay:First, load your conventional project file. Then, open up the Raster Underlay Atlas App (File-Open-Type, Atlas App; Atlas App, Raster Underlay).Open your image file, and then register it to the map by keying it visually to latitude-longitude coordinates.In order to best do this, identify two obvious places or intersections that can easily be identified in both the aerial photograph and your street file in Atlas.

  • For optimum results make these two points diagonally across from each other as close to the top and bottom of the page as you can.
  • Zoom in as closely as you can on the aerial photo and Click the first registration point. Close zooms are critical to accuracy.
  • Zoom in as closely as you can in Atlas and Shift-Click to register the first point.
  • Repeat the process for the second point.
  • Send the image to Atlas GIS.
  • Repeat as necessary for the most accurate registration. We have been able to align the aerial raster and vector street files to about 100 feet (2/100 of a mile) using this technique.

    • Aerial Photos (orthophotoquads)
    Users who would like to obtain The Cities Below CD with the aerial photographs that RPM showed at the conference may do so from Tiger Software at 800-888-4437. Please ask for the product by name and by number, C4120003. Also, RPM will be putting together a Raster Underlay package that includes the 3.03 upgrade and Plus Pak, a copy of JASC’s Paint Shop for either Windows 3.1 or Windows 95/NT to convert the images to JPEGs, and documentation for being comfortable and successful in using the Raster Underlay application. If you are interested in this package, please contact us at rpminfonet@earthlink.net.

    Reporting With Atlas GIS Using Microsoft Excel
    A lot of users complain that "Atlas can’t report." Here’s an example of using Atlas and Excel together to create a nicely formatted site report.

  • Select a site point to report on.
  • Create a buffer around the site (Map-Create Buffer).
  • Aggregate data for the site buffer based on data for the underlying geography (Table-Aggregate Data), Calculate Data For Buffer, By Aggregating Data From your base layer to which the attribute table is linked).
  • Pop up an Info Window for the buffer to review the data aggregated.
  • Copy the Info Window to the clipboard, and into Excel, where you can format it.

    • RPM has a product called One Touch Reporting for Atlas GIS which automates much of this process, formatting a nice report with graphs and charts. Please call us if you are interested in One Touch, or download the One Touch demo from the RPM website.

    Geocoding
    The Atlas GIS for Windows Geocoder offers a set of nicely integrated geocoding functions with a reasonable amount of user control over the process. Understanding how this process works allows users to optimize both the number of matches and the accuracy of those matches.
    A Note About Relax OptionsThe Atlas Geocoder allows users to control the match process through use of the Relax options. These options allow you to loosen the match criteria for the following items:
  • Street Name
  • Street Number
  • Directional Prefix or Suffix
  • Street Type
  • Zip Code

    • For example, if your file contains many addresses in which the street type is often missing (e.g. 123 Main as opposed to "123 Main St."), relaxing the Street Type option will allow the match to occur by ignoring the street type. One issue to be aware of is that if the area you are geocoding contains both "Main St." and "Main Blvd." and both streets contain the address you are looking for (123) the process will result in a multiple match for that address which requires that you use the Interactive mode to physically select whether you want to place the address at 123 Main St. or 123 Main Blvd.

    One caveat to the above example is that if there is only one "123 Main" within the given zip code with the correct directional prefix or suffix, and the spelling of Main is correct and only the Street Type relax option is checked, the geocoder will produce a single match. Once another relax option is checked, however, we open the door to a possible multiple match which must be resolved by the user. The bottom line here is that we can produce a greater number of matches by relaxing only one option at a time versus all of them together.

    We have found that the following procedure produces the best match accuracy and the best match rates.

    Step 1 - Go for the most accurate matches first.
  • Select Address and Zip+4 (assuming you are licensed for Zip+4 geocoding).
  • Batch Geocode with no relax options checked.

    • Step 2 - Repeat with Address Standardization.
  • Select Unmatched Rows Only for the Rows to Geocode Option.
  • Select Address and Zip+4 (assuming you are licensed for Zip+4 geocoding).
  • Batch Geocode with no relax options checked.
  • Check Standardize Address and specifically check the Save Standardize Data boxes for the address components.

    • Step 3 - Relax...
  • Select Unmatched Rows Only for the Rows to Geocode Option.
  • Select Address and Zip+4 (assuming you are licensed for Zip+4 geocoding).
  • Check the relax box for the first option (Directionals).
  • Batch Geocode.
  • When complete, uncheck the box to relax Directionals and check the next box down (Street Type).
  • Continue until you have geocoded with each relax option checked one at a time.

    • Step 4 - Mix and Match
  • Select Unmatched Rows Only for the Rows to Geocode Option.
  • Select Address and Zip+4 (assuming you are licensed for Zip+4 geocoding).
  • Check the relax box for the first and second options (Directionals and Street Type).
  • Batch Geocode.
  • When complete, uncheck the box to relax Street Type and check the box for Street Name.
  • When complete, uncheck the box to relax Street Name and check the box for House Number.
  • Continue by selecting Street Type in combination with each of the other options until all of the combinations have been used.
  • The goal at this step is to geocode using every combination of relax options two at a time.

    • Step 5 - Finally...
  • Select Unmatched Rows Only for the Rows to Geocode Option.
  • Select Address and Zip+4 (assuming you are licensed for Zip+4 geocoding).
  • Check the relax box for the first option (Directionals).
  • Batch Geocode.
  • When complete, check the box to relax Street Type.
  • Continue Geocoding by adding another relax option at each step until you have cumulatively used all of them.

    • Dealing With Missing Zip Codes and Zip+4's
    If your database has incomplete, inaccurate, or missing 5 Digit Zip Codes or Zip+4's, the Atlas Geocoder can do a reasonable job of populating those fields.

  • Check the main Standardize Data box and also the Save Standardized Data boxes for the Zip Code and Zip+4 fields.
  • Check the Relax option for Zip Codes.
  • Batch Process -- After processing you can go back and re-geocode using the zip codes which were assigned to the file.

    • General Geocoding Notes
    Atlas users seem to agree that the largest challenge we face in geocoding is the "dirty" nature of the underlying files to be geocoded.

    One user also pointed out that geocoding logic is defeated by streets with names like "West End Avenue" or Clark’s example of "West North Street". The user-suggested fix is to change the place name to Westend or Westnorth.

    Linking Two Attribute Tables to the Same Geography Layer
    While Atlas GIS does not support linking of two attribute tables to one geography layers you can produce a pseudo relational database if needed. This approach works in situations where variables from two separate tables must be mapped (or used in a calculation) and there is no database management system (dBase, Foxpro, etc.) available to combine the files.

  • Step 1 - Create a duplicate layer of your geography layer to which the attribute tables will be linked using Edit-Copy To Layer.

  • Step 2 - Open the two attribute tables linking one to each of the two geography layers (one attribute table links to the original layer and one links to the copy you created).

  • Step 3 - Choose one attribute table to use as your master file. This table should be the one which contains the majority of fields you need to work with.

  • Step 4 - Using Table-Define Columns, add columns to your master file to match ones from the second table which you need to add. For example, let's call the master file Table "A" and we'll call the other file Table "B". If Table "B" contains a field called Customers which we would like to add to Table "A" you will need to add a column to Table "A" called Customers. Make sure to use the same width and column type (numbers, string, etc.). Do this for each of the columns you wish to include.

  • Step 5 - Using Table-Assign Data By Location select your master file table for the Assign Results to Selection and choose the second table for the From Containing... option. Match up the fields in the Columns to Assign options and you're ready to go!

    • Some Final Points

  • The basic skills required to be happy and productive with GIS are database skills, graphics skills, and geographic skills. If you feel you don’t have enough education in one of these areas, definitely try to learn more. It is the rare user indeed who is expert at all three. Rarer still is the user with nothing left to learn!

  • Invest in technical support, it does not make sense not to. It is a very small investment in our success and in our comfort as users.

  • Make use of a variety of support options, including the ESRI website, the ESRI forum on CIS (GO ATLAS or GO ESRI), and the AGIS-L user’s group list and archive (to subscribe to the Atlas GIS Discussion List, send mail to majordomo@ciesin.org with subscribe agis-l in the message body). There are some exceptionally talented people "in the family", and Atlas users have a reputation among GIS users for being especially friendly and helpful to one another.

  • Have new users complete the tutorial that ships with Atlas GIS within the first two weeks. Try not to plan to accomplish mission-critical work immediately with your system. However, new users should be able to create maps and do analysis from the very first day – and that is truly the power of Atlas GIS.
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