ArcAtlas: Our Earth
Overview | Data Layers | Projections | Data Access | Using the ArcView Projects | Documentation
(morphological structure in Eurasia)
Overview
ArcAtlas: Our Earth is a digital atlas comprised of small scale GIS data sets and digital images containing information related to both the physical and cultural environment. More than 40 different geographic themes are incorporated. A number of prepared ArcView projects allow the user to view precompiled views by theme and region. Data are in ARC/INFO, ArcView or image formats. The map content and level of detail are similar to other standard maps at scales of 1:10,000,000 for Europe; 1:20,000,000 for North and South America, Africa, and Antarctica; and 1:25,000,000 for Asia and Australia.
This data was prepared in a collaborative effort involving DATA+ (Russia), the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, and ESRI. See the documentation for more detailed information about this data. ArcAtlas is available to NCSU affiliates in conjunction with the campus license for ESRI software.
Data Layers
For each data layer in the following listings, seperate coverages exist for each continent. Therefore, once you find the data layer you are interested in, you will still have to select the individual coverage that corresponds to your continent of interest. File names are listed as "varies," but in each folder, coverage names starting with these letters correspond to these continents:
AF*=Africa; ANT*=Antartica; AS*=Asia; AU*=Austrilia; EU*=Europe; NA*=North America; SA*=South America
Projections
For all continents the atlas data are stored in geographic coordinates in decimal degrees
(Antarctica data has some exceptions, explained below). The world maps use the Robinson projection.
The continental maps use the Lambert Equal-Area Azimuthal (Equitorial) projection. (In
ArcView, this projection is listed under "Projections of a Hemisphere".) The central
meridian and reference latitude specified for each continent are as follows:
Africa
Central meridian: 20
Reference latitude: 0
Asia (shown with Europe)
Central meridian: 85
Reference latitude: 40
Australia
Central meridian: 140
Reference latitude: -25
Europe
Central meridian: 18
Reference latitude: 52.5
North America
Central meridian: -95
Reference latitude: 45
South America
Central meridian: -60
Reference latitude: -20
The Antarctica data are in geographic coordinates. Duplicates of these maps, as well as all the other Antarctica maps, are stored in the Lambert Polar projection. Choose the data in geographic coordinates when you are making world or regional maps in which you want to show the continuous pattern of earthquakes or volcanoes, or just to include the Antarctic land mass on the map. Choose the data in Lambert Polor projection when you are mapping Antarctica by itself.
Data Access
ArcAtlas is available in the /arcatlas directory on the Geodata server. Data is organized into subdirectories as indicated in data layers. Users should be able to open and use the ArcView project files if the Geodata server is mapped as a network drive. The CD-ROM can also be made available for loan by contacting Data Services.
Using the ArcView Projects
If you are mapping RPP as a network drive and wish to use the ArcView project files (recommended), you will need to set an environmental variable called $WORLD to indicate the complete path, with drive letter, to /arcatlas/world. (example: j:\arcatlas\world). You may or may not be able to set an environmental variable in you operating system. Another way to set this variable is to do the following:
- open a blank ArcView project
- open a blank Script document
- enter the text: system.SetEnvVar("$WORLD","j:\arcatlas\world".AsFileName.GetFullName) where j: is the drive letter you have mapped Geodata to
- click on the compile button (the check button)
- click on the run button (button with a person running)
- close the ArcView project without saving it
- open the ArcAtlas project of choice from the network drive
Documentation
The complete ArcAtlas documentation is available as a 657 page PDF document at /arcatlas/world/atlas.pdf (requires authentication, 1.3 MB) on the Geodata Server.
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