This course was very helpful in allowing me understand how mapping works. It was enjoyable to learn about layering and different options available in mapping. During the course, one of the examples/tutorials used a hiking trail in Yellowstone Park as an example. This was my favorite part of the course. I know that I will use the skills I learned during the Yellowstone hiking trail example. Being an outdoor enthusiast, this is exactly the type of skill I needed! Now I'll be able to plan my hikes and camping much more thoroughly. With this training I learned how find the elevation, vegetation, distance and average temperature along the route for specific areas.
Another part of the training that was helpful was learning about how to pan on different areas. This simply means moving the map around in the way you need it so that the user is allowed to view different areas of the map. I also learned how to find out detailed information about a specific area such as population, city names, currency and so forth. I had no idea that such detailed information was available through a mapping system.
There were tutorial videos throughout this course that were exceptionally helpful. Through these slide shows/videos, I learned how a map layout is the overall product a mapper is designing to share. But more so, I learned about all of the things that go on a map layout. Such as features, quantities and data. Furthermore, I learned the difference in type of data.
The only problems I encountered while completing this assignment were technical problems. I found the esri website which this course was completed through to be user friendly with clear instructions and visually stimulating examples. In overcoming the technical problems I switched to completing the assignment on a PC instead of a mac.
