Desktop Help 10.0 - Automating symbology

Symbols are used to display real-world objects in a way that is meaningful to those who use charts for navigation. The Nautical Solution uses visual specifications and feature class representations to apply symbology. The following steps describe how to automate the process of symbolizing the features that compose a nautical chart.

To automate symbology, the first task you have to complete is calculating visual specifications. You can then continue to align topmarks and signal equipment if you have any (optional). Once you finish, you can apply a preconfigured view, which will set up label classes and properties, set the layer list draw order, and many other layer properties.

Note:

There is one or more default specifications provided in the sample product library database. However, these can be modified, or new ones configured, to display any type of nautical chart.

Calculating visual specifications

Visual specifications is a powerful tool that provides a link between a hydrographic agency's data and its symbology.

Steps:

If necessary, open the product map document in ArcMap.
If you ran geoprocessing tools in previous steps, make sure those feature classes are added to your map document.
For example, light sectors, magnetic isolines, and data points representing compass roses.
If working in a versioned environment, verify that you are in the appropriate edit version for all feature classes by using the List by Source tool on the Table Of Contents.
Ensure that the Production Mapping extension is enabled.
From the main menu, click Customize > Extensions to ensure that the extension is checked.
Open the ArcToolbox window with the Show/Hide ArcToolbox Window button on the Standard toolbar or by clicking Geoprocessing > ArcToolbox.
In the ArcToolbox window, click the plus sign (+) next to the Nautical Tools toolbox, click the plus sign (+) next to the Cartography toolset, then double-click the Calculate Visual Specifications geoprocessing tool.
The Calculate Visual Specifications dialog box appears.
Select all but the grid layers from the Table Of Contents and drag and drop them into the Input Table list.
Note:

Do NOT select Nautical_Topology, as this will cause the tool to fail. You can select feature layers that do not have rules created for them in the specification (for example, PLTS_VectorConnectedNodes, PLTS_VectorIsolatedNodes, and PLTS_VectorEdges). However, these features will be ignored by the specification.
If necessary, browse to the visual specification table location.
If your visual specification is stored in your product library, this should already appear in the tool.
Check the box next to the specification you want to apply.
Click OK to calculate the specification.
This may take several minutes.
Close the Calculate Visual Specifications dialog box when the process is complete.
Note:

If necessary, this procedure can be reversed. To remove the symbology applied by the Calculate Visual Specification tool, use the Drop Visual Specifications geoprocessing tool and repeat steps 6–9.
Save the map document.

Aligning topmarks and signal equipment

If buoys and/or beacons in the data have topmarks, the Align Representation Markers tool can be used to properly align and offset the markers from their master features. This step can be skipped if the agency generating the chart does not represent topmarks on its navigational aids. This tool may also be used for radar reflectors and fog signals. This tool only adjusts the location of the representation, not the underlying data.

Steps:

In the ArcToolbox window, click the plus sign (+) next to the Nautical Tools toolbox, click the plus sign (+) next to the Cartography toolset, then double-click the Align Representation Markers geoprocessing tool.
The Align Representation Markers dialog box appears.
For the Input feature class or layer parameter, select from the drop-down list or drag and drop your base features from your Table Of Contents.
If using ENC data, this will be your AidsToNavigationP feature class.
Create a SQL selection query for your base features.
If using ENC data, a convenient query is FCSubtype Between 0 And 55. This query will only select your buoy and beacon subtypes and none of the other navigational aids. You can also modify this to suit your data as you see fit.
For the Input representation parameter, select the appropriate specification.
For example, AidsToNavigationP_INT1. In most cases, there will only be one option available. However, if you ran more than one specification, be sure to select the correct one for this situation.
For the Aligner feature class or layer parameter, you can select the layer from the drop-down list or drag and drop from your Table Of Contents.
If you are using ENC data, these features will also be in your AidsToNavigationP feature class.
Create a SQL selection query for your topmarks.
If using ENC data, a convenient query is FCSubtype = 110. This query will only select your topmarks and exclude all other navigational aids. You can also modify this to suit your data as you see fit.
For the Aligner representation parameter, select the appropriate representation.
For example, AidsToNavigationP_INT1. In most cases, there will only be one option available. However, if you ran more than one specification, be sure to select the correct one for this situation.
Click OK to run the tool.
Overrides most likely will not be necessary with topmarks. However, if you run the tool again, and set the aligner feature as radar reflectors, optional angels and distances are provided.
Once the tool has run, verify that all markers have been offset properly.
While panning and scanning, it's recommended that you rotate the light flares since they will all most likely share the same base features.
1. Start an edit session by clicking the Production Start Editing button .
2. Once a light feature with a flare is selected, there are two options: click the Rotate tool on the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar and "spin" the flare, or open the Representations Properties dialog box and manually enter the angle.
  In many cases, one or the other will need to be repeated for the radar reflectors and/or the fog signals.
3. Save your edits by clicking the Save Edits button on the Production Editing toolbar.
  It is helpful to keep in mind where annotation placement will be (if labels are converted to annotation) while performing offsets and rotations.
Save the map document.

Setting the chart display (using a preconfigured view)

The drawing order of layers and symbols is important for the correct display of features within a chart. This can be controlled and set with views. Applying a view will rearrange the Table Of Contents drawing order and set the labels and masking layers. If your agency has created preconfigured views, follow these simple steps to apply one.

Steps:

From the Nautical Cartography toolbar in ArcMap, click the drop-down list next to View and choose the <Charting view name> View.
Click Apply.
The map document will refresh. Once complete, the layers in the Table Of Contents will have been updated to include masking and labels.
Note:
Some of the most important information on a nautical chart is conveyed with the use of a textual description, or label. Most feature classes require labeling, and in some cases a single feature class can require multiple label classes. The Visual Specifications tool will create text fields and use them for labeling. However, you will still need to make adjustments to most, if not all, layers before creating annotation feature classes from these labels.

4/19/2012