Software

ArcGIS Software
Simplifies Map Book Generation
By Nathan Shephard, Melanie Baker, and Larry Young, ESRI

Editor’s note: Firefighters, assessors, utility workers, and many others rely on custom map books to do their jobs.
A map book is a multipage document based on a dataset and an index grid representing the pages. A new utility
for ArcMap, available at no charge from the ESRI ArcOnline Web site (arconline.esri.com), provides a wizard that
automates map book production and can print or export any or all of the pages in a map book.
Developed by ESRI, the Map Book Developer Sample consists of two Visual Basic projects and documentation on installa-
tion and use. The first project contains a set of objects, with their properties and methods, that are used in the second project
to create the user interface. In addition to a copy of the Map Book Developer Sample downloaded from the Samples >
ArcMap > Map Production folder at the ArcOnline Web site, you will need a dataset to output, an index grid of that dataset,
and a layout to use with each page to create a custom map book of your own.
If you do not already have an index grid, the Map Book Developer Sample can be used to generate one.
A layout can be made using standard ArcMap tools in Layout View.

This 1:20,000-scale regular grid has alphanumeric identifiers and is set up to include all the grids.

8 ArcUser July–September 2002 www.esri.com

 Software

Why Do I Want One?

If you want a complete, organized hard copy
of your geographic data then you need a map
book. With the Map Book Developer Sample,
you can create and output a map book based on
your own dataset and an index grid represent-
ing the pages. The index grid for a map book
represents how the dataset should be divided
up for plotting at a more workable scale. For
example, in the case of a road atlas, the index
grid would represent the individual pages of
the atlas. Wizard-driven tools provided in the
Map Book Developer Sample allow for the Another
creation and persistence of a single map series 1:20,000-scale
(i.e., a collection of pages based on the same regular grid,
layout) within a map book. The map book can this time with
be printed or exported and includes smart map numeric-
elements that automatically updated based on numeric iden-
the page of the map book being displayed. tifiers (with
separator).
In the Beginning, Any empty
There Was the Index Grid grids will be
We’ve talked you into it. You really do need discarded.
a map book and the Map Book Developer
Sample will help you create one. However, Give Me My Map Series
before creating a map series, you will need an Once you have an index grid and a layout,
index grid to base your pages on. You need to you can generate a map series. The Map Book
know “where you are” before you can create a Developer Sample adds a new Map Book tab
map of “where you are.” An index grid is just to the standard Display and Source tabs in the
a feature layer that contains grid features that ArcMap interface and a Map Series toolbar.
are polygon shapes and have a field with string To access the Map Sheet wizard, click on the
values representing the name (or title) of each Create Series tool in the toolbar or right-click
page. Often an organization will already have on Map Series tab and select Create a Series
an index grid defined for its data. If you need from the context menu. As you run through the
to create an index grid, the Map Book Devel- Map Sheet wizard, you will set some required
oper Sample includes wizard-driven tools to parameters, such as the source Data Frame,
do this. index grid layer, and tile identifier field name,
You can create two types of index grids— and can set some optional parameters, such as
regular grids and strip map grids. Regular suppressing empty tiles, adding a percentage
grids are like a quilt laid over your data. The buffer, rotating frames based on an attribute,
orientation of each grid is identical and each and labeling neighboring tiles. For the com-
grid (generally speaking) abuts another grid. plete list of parameters and options, refer to
A strip map grid is a snaked trail of grids that Map Book Generation.doc, a guide that comes
follows a specified path based continuous set This 1:5,000-scale strip map grid follows the
with the Map Book Developer Sample. Suf-
of selected line features. Each grid can change path of Highway 61.
fice it to say, there are many possible com-
orientation as it follows the path. Both regular binations and permutations available for your tion of the current map (Local Position and
and strip map grids can be created using a map book making pleasure. Once a map series Global Position). Full instructions for adding
variety of parameters including a tile-naming is created, clicking on the Map Book tab dis- page specific elements into your layout are
schema, map scale, and exclusion of nonpopu- plays the map book pages generated and lets found in Map Book Generation.doc.
lated grids. you navigate through them.
Getting Your Map Book Out There
Surrounding the Map Smarter Than Your Average Element Even though you may have created the world’s
Before creating a map series, you will also After looking at the generated map page on most amazing map book in ArcMap, none of
need a layout containing the surrounding ele- page 10, you may notice that some map ele- that matters if you can’t distribute it. Never
ments, or marginalia, for your map. Marginalia ments seem to behave intelligently. They auto- fear, we also built some tools for getting your
includes such items as a North arrow, scalebar, matically update themselves based upon what maps out there, both as hard-copy plots and
legend, neatlines, and copyright infringement page in the map book is currently being dis- digital graphics files.
notifications. You may also want to include played. The identifiers of the neighboring tiles The Map Book Developer Sample allows
your company logo. (You know, that dancing that surround the data frame were added as printing and exporting of a single page, a set of
purple aardvark that the marketing depart- part of the Map Series wizard. However, the pages, or the entire series. Both the Print and
ment spent three years developing.) All of title text was added after the map series was Export options are available by right-clicking
these elements can be added using standard created. In addition to map title, there are on the Map Series title in the Map Book tab.
ArcMap tools in Layout view. smart elements for the map generation date You can limit the pages that are printed or
and two options for showing the relative posi- Continued on page 10
www.esri.com ArcUser July–September 2002 9
Software

ArcGIS Software Simplifies Map Book Generation

Continued from page 9

One page of this

1:10,000 map series,
Sheet D08, is dis-
played. Map Book
Developer Sample
features such as adja-
cent tile indicators
and smart title infor-
mation are
highlighted.

exported in a number of ways—by specifying

the page range in the dialog (for example,
entering 1-4 would output just the first four
pages) or by disabling pages interactively by
clicking grid numbers. You can also use a
tool that automatically disables grids based on
scale or generated date (i.e., the date the grid
was last edited).

About the Programmers (and Authors)

The programmers who brought you the Map
Book Developer Sample hope that a large por-
tion of your immediate map book needs can be Any or all of the pages in a map book can be
met with the tools provided. The architecture exported. The dialog box settings were used
Local position smart element for Sheet D08
used (Visual Basic) also allows for significant in conjunction with the disabled settings to
embellishment, so please feel free to expand export Sheet 5 (B08), the first page, as JPG
the functionality of the sample as you see fit. file and save it on the D drive. Disabled pages
We won’t be offended, we promise. The func- are not printed or exported but they can still
tionality provided by Map Book Developer be viewed and edited.
Sample will be included in the core function-
ality of upcoming releases of ArcGIS. at Columbia. She joined the ESRI–Charlotte
team in May 2000 and is currently a member
Nathan Shephard, the principal author of of the professional services group.
this article, has a bachelor’s degree in com-
puter science (GIS) from Curtin University in Larry Young earned a master’s degree in for-
Western Australia. He worked for three years estry from Duke University. He has been with
with ESRI Australia and has been in technical ESRI since 1989 in a variety of technical posi-
marketing with ESRI Redlands since October tions. Currently he is a technical marketing
1999. resource and a member of the Editor develop-
ment team.
Global position smart element for Sheet D08 Melanie Baker holds a bachelor of science
degree from the University of South Carolina

10 ArcUser July–September 2002 www.esri.com