Making cartographic finishing edits

The symbology that results from an automated process is a starting point for chart creation. Cartographers usually need to edit the resulting symbols and annotation to remove overprinting and improve the clarity and legibility of the chart. Edits made to representations do not affect the underlying geometry when using the Nautical symbology configured for paper chart products that are provided with the Nautical Solution.

Rotating symbols

The most common example of rotating representations for Nautical chart production is to rotate light flares. The following steps outline how to rotate light flares and other representation symbology.

Steps:
  1. Start ArcMap.
  2. Open the product map document.
  3. On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Production Editing.
  4. Click the Production Start Editing button Production Start Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.
    NoteNote:

    The Manage Features and Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes windows automatically appear when you start an edit session using the Production Start Editing tool.

    TipTip:

    If the Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes window does not appear when you start an edit session, click the Show/Hide Attributes button Show/Hide Attributes on the Manage Features window.

  5. If necessary, add the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar from the main menu by clicking Customize > Production > Toolbar Settings > Nautical Chart Production.
  6. Make the AidsToNavigationP layer selectable:
    1. Click the List By Selection button List By Selection on the Table Of Contents window.

      The List By Selection view displays one or more drop-down lists in the Table Of Contents window.

    2. Locate the AidsToNavigationP layer.
    • If you find AidsToNavigationP in the Not Selectable list, click the grayed-out Click to toggle selectable button.
    • If you don't find AidsToNavigationP in the Not Selectable list, or there is no Not Selectable list, it is already selectable.
  7. Click the Select tool Select Tool on the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar.
  8. In the data frame, select the symbol you want to rotate.
    NoteNote:

    Lights are often associated with other features in the AidsToNavigationP feature layer. To remove other features from the selected set, click the List By Selection button List By Selection on the Table Of Contents window, then right-click the feature layer containing the selected features to clear and choose Clear Selected Features.

  9. Click the Rotate tool Rotate Tool on the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar.
  10. Click and drag the mouse around to visually rotate the light(s).
    TipTip:

    There may be multiple lights in one geographic location exactly on top of each other. It is recommended that you select all the lights in those situations so that all the light flares rotate together simultaneously.

    TipTip:

    A specific value can also be entered by right-clicking the selected feature with the Rotate tool active and selecting Angle from the shortcut menu or by typing a value in the Angle text box on the Drawing tab of the Representation Properties dialog box.

  11. Repeat steps 7 through 10 for all features you want to rotate.
  12. Click the Stop Editing button Stop Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.

    The geodatabase becomes uneditable. If you have made edits, you will be prompted to save the changes if you want.

Rotating symbols for non-north up charts

When you rotate the data frame for a non-north up chart, you many notice that some symbols in the chart will be pointing to geographic north instead of to the top of the page. To change the rotation of the symbols from geographic north to the top of the page, follow the steps below.

Steps:
  1. Start ArcMap.
  2. Open the product map document.
  3. Double-click a layer that needs to have symbols rotated to the top of the page.

    The Layer Properties dialog box appears.

    Layer Properties dialog box

  4. Click the Symbology tab if necessary.
  5. Click a representation rule to rotate.
  6. Type a value in the Angle text box in the Marker properties area of the form.
    NoteNote:

    Representation markers rotate counterclockwise from geographic north. Therefore, the value you enter for the angle should be the inverse of the data frame rotation. If the data frame rotation is 30, the Marker rule Angle value would be -30.

  7. Click OK.

    The symbols are rotated to the top of the page.

  8. Repeat steps 3 through 7 for all markers that need to be rotated.

Moving symbols

Symbols that overlap others that are critical to navigation may need to be offset to improve clarity, legibility, and safety for the mariner.

Steps:
  1. Start ArcMap.
  2. Open the product map document.
  3. On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Production Editing.
  4. Click the Production Start Editing button Production Start Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.
    NoteNote:

    The Manage Features and Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes windows automatically appear when you start an edit session using the Production Start Editing tool.

    TipTip:

    If the Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes window does not appear when you start an edit session, click the Show/Hide Attributes button Show/Hide Attributes on the Manage Features window.

  5. If necessary, add the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar from the main menu by clicking Customize > Production > Toolbar Settings > Nautical Chart Production.
  6. On the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar, click the Select tool Select Tool.
  7. Set the target layer as selectable:
    1. Click the List By Selection button List By Selection on the Table Of Contents window.

      The List By Selection view displays one or more drop-down lists in the Table Of Contents.

    2. Locate the target layer name in the Not Selectable list.

    If you find the target layer in the Not Selectable list, click the grayed-out Click to toggle selectable button.

    If you don't find the target layer in the Not Selectable list, or there is no Not Selectable list, it is selectable.

  8. Use the representation Select tool Select Tool to select the symbol you want to move.
  9. There are two ways to move a feature:
    • Click and drag the selected feature to its new location.
    • Click the Move button Move Tool on the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar.
  10. Click and drag the mouse to offset the symbol.
  11. Click the Save Edits button Save Edits.
  12. Click the Stop Editing button Stop Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.

    The geodatabase becomes uneditable. If you have made edits, you will be prompted to save the changes if you want.

Hiding symbols

Remove symbols from charts when their omission improves visual communication without decreasing the ability to navigate safely.

Steps:
  1. Start ArcMap.
  2. Open the product map document.
  3. On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Production Editing.
  4. Click the Production Start Editing button Production Start Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.
    NoteNote:

    The Manage Features and Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes windows automatically appear when you start an edit session using the Production Start Editing tool.

    TipTip:

    If the Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes window does not appear when you start an edit session, click the Show/Hide Attributes button Show/Hide Attributes on the Manage Features window.

  5. If necessary, add the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar from the main menu by clicking Customize > Production > Toolbar Settings > Nautical Chart Production.
  6. On the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar, click the representation Select tool Select Tool.
  7. Ensure that the target layer is selectable.
  8. Select the symbol you want to hide.
  9. Click the Representation Properties button Representation Properties on the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar.

    The Representation Properties dialog box appears.

  10. Click the Drawing tab.
  11. Uncheck the Visibility check box.

    Representation Properties

  12. Click the Save Edits button Save Edits.
  13. Click the Stop Editing button Stop Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.

    The geodatabase becomes uneditable. If you have made edits, you will be prompted to save the changes if you want.

Suppressing line symbology

All line symbols come preconfigured with a geometric effect called Suppress. This geometric effect allows you to hide, or suppress, sections of a line by simply inserting control points at the locations along the line where you want to begin and end suppressing the line symbology. To use the Suppress geometric effect on a line feature, perform the following steps.

Representation symbology with no control pointsRepresentation symbology with control points suppressing stroke within marker

Steps:
  1. Start ArcMap.
  2. Open the product map document.
  3. Click the Production Start Editing button Production Start Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.
    NoteNote:

    The Manage Features and Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes windows automatically appear when you start an edit session using the Production Start Editing tool.

    TipTip:

    If the Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes window does not appear when you start an edit session, click the Show/Hide Attributes button Show/Hide Attributes on the Manage Features window.

  4. Make the feature layer you want to suppress selectable:
    1. Click the List By Selection button List By Selection on the Table Of Contents window.

      The List By Selection view displays one or more drop-down lists in the Table Of Contents window.

    2. Locate the layer.
    • If you find the layer is in the Not Selectable list, click the grayed-out Click to toggle selectable button.
    • If you don't find your layer in the Not Selectable list, or there is no Not Selectable list, it is already selectable.
  5. Click the Select tool Select Tool on the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar.
  6. In the data frame, select the symbol you want to suppress line symbology for.
    NoteNote:

    If you have selected more than one feature, then to remove other features from the selected set, click the List By Selection button List By Selection on the Table Of Contents window, then right-click the feature layer containing the selected features to clear and choose Clear Selected Features.

  7. Click the Insert Control Point tool Insert Control Point Tool from the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar.
  8. Click where you want to begin suppressing the line symbology.
  9. Click again on the line where you want to end suppressing the symbology.

    The line symbology is suppressed between the inserted control points.

  10. Click the Save Edits button Save Edits on the Production Editing toolbar.

Changing the size and position of the compass rose

The default rose size may not be appropriate for the chart being produced. The following steps outline how to change and/or load a new representation rule and apply it to the feature so that the new rule will reflect the rose size appropriate for the chart.

The compass rose is a very important element on a nautical chart, which depicts both true north and magnetic north. True North is where all the longitude lines meet at the North Pole of the earth, whereas Magnetic North varies based on location, altitude, and time. The magnetic field is constantly shifting over time, and the angular difference between true North and Magnetic North is the declination we see depicted on nautical charts with the compass rose.

Steps:
  1. Determine the size of the rose(s) that will be plotted on the chart.

    If there is an older paper chart edition available with which to compare, measure the inner diameter of the outer ring (the true north ring). Measure the inner distance between the 90° and 270° tick marks; this will most likely be between 2 and 5 inches (representation rules included in the style are 2", 2.5", 3", 3.5", 4", and 5").

  2. Start ArcMap.
  3. Open the product map document.
  4. If necessary, add the Production Editing toolbar from the main menu by clicking Customize > Production > Toolbar Settings > Nautical Chart Production.
  5. On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Production Editing.
  6. Click the Production Start Editing button Production Start Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.
    NoteNote:

    The Manage Features and Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes windows automatically appear when you start an edit session using the Production Start Editing tool.

    TipTip:

    If the Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes window does not appear when you start an edit session, click the Show/Hide Attributes button Show/Hide Attributes on the Manage Features window.

  7. Select the MAGVAR (compass rose) feature that you want to change the size of using the Representation Select tool Select Tool.
  8. Open the Representation properties dialog box.
  9. From the drop-down menu, choose the size compass rose you want to use.

    If the rose measured 5 inches, identify the representation rule number for ROSE5.

  10. Click the Refresh button Refresh or press the F5 key if the representation of the rose does not automatically update in the Data View.
  11. Click the Save Edits button Save Edits.
  12. If the location of the compass rose is not where you want it, you can move it, but remember to calculate its magnetic declination for the new location.

Editing annotation

In most instances, the automated labeling process will leave you with text that overlaps important symbols, as well as other annotation, obscuring important information. In this case, you will need to displace the annotation to remove the overlaps and improve that chart's legibility.

Follow the steps below if you need to move annotation.

Steps:
  1. Start ArcMap.
  2. Open the product map document.
  3. On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Production Editing.
  4. Click the Production Start Editing button Production Start Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.
    NoteNote:

    The Manage Features and Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes windows automatically appear when you start an edit session using the Production Start Editing tool.

    TipTip:

    If the Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes window does not appear when you start an edit session, click the Show/Hide Attributes button Show/Hide Attributes on the Manage Features window.

  5. If necessary, add the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar from the main menu by clicking Customize > Production > Toolbar Settings > Nautical Chart Production.
  6. Use the Edit Annotation tool Edit Annotation Tool to select a piece of annotation.
  7. Drag the annotation to a location where it will not conflict with other features.

    Changing annotation text and moving annotation may need to be repeated as the chart goes through the QA/QC process. Annotation edits will make up the majority of the finishing process, so it is import that you understand how to edit annotation. For more information about editing annotation, see An overview of editing annotation. In some cases you may need to split the annotation into multiple parts. For more information, see multipart annotation.

  8. Click the Save Edits button Save Edits.
  9. Click the Stop Editing button Stop Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.

    The geodatabase becomes uneditable. If you have made edits, you will be prompted to save the changes if you want.

Free representations

In cases where extra flexibility for particular symbols is required, a free representation can be created. Free representations allow individual properties of the representation rule to be overridden. Following are examples where free representations can be used to enhance the appearance of particular symbols.

Overprinting reef on features with acute curves

You can edit the acute curves like the example shown below to fix overlaps.

Before:

Acute Curve Before

After:

Acute Curve After

The following steps guide you through the process of using the free representation editor to resolve symbology overprints.

Steps:
  1. Identify which polygons require cleaning up.

    This is best done by creating a QC plot of the chart at scale.

  2. Start ArcMap.
  3. Open the product map document.
  4. On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Production Editing.
  5. Click the Production Start Editing button Production Start Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.
    NoteNote:

    The Manage Features and Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes windows automatically appear when you start an edit session using the Production Start Editing tool.

    TipTip:

    If the Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes window does not appear when you start an edit session, click the Show/Hide Attributes button Show/Hide Attributes on the Manage Features window.

  6. Click the Select tool Select Tool on the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar.
  7. Select the line in the data frame.
  8. From the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar, click Free Representation > Convert to Free Representation.
  9. Click Free Representation > Edit Free Representation.

    The Free Representation Editor dialog box appears.

    Free Representation Editor

  10. Click the Select tool Select Tool.
  11. Select the line, right-click, then click Convert Effect to Geometry.
  12. Right-click the marker symbol outline layer and click Explode Multi-part Geometry.
  13. Select individual markers.
  14. Rotate, move, resize, delete, or hide markers as necessary.
  15. Click the Save Edits button Save Edits.
  16. Click the Stop Editing button Stop Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.

    The geodatabase becomes uneditable. If you have made edits, you will be prompted to save the changes if you want.

Overprinting embankment on features with acute curves

In some situations, the symbol that represents an embankment will overprint itself when depicting a particularly detailed coastline. When this happens, you'll need to remove the offending markers so that the symbols are clearly visible with no overlaps. See the images below for examples of before and after.

Before:

Overprint embankment before

After:

Overprint embankment after

The following steps guide you through the process of adding a geometric effect and using the free representation editor to resolve symbology overprints.

Steps:
  1. Right-click on the layer and select Layer Properties.

    Depending on which specification is being used, a geometric effect needs to be added to the representation's marker layer (not a Global Effect).

  2. Click the Symbology tab.
  3. Select the marker layer for the embankment rule.
  4. Click the plus (+) button at the top to add a geometric effect.
  5. Click Simplify, then click OK.
  6. Change the default tolerance level from 10 to 0.
  7. Click OK to apply these changes to the feature class and close the Layer Properties.
  8. On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Production Editing.
  9. Click the Production Start Editing button Production Start Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.
    NoteNote:

    The Manage Features and Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes windows automatically appear when you start an edit session using the Production Start Editing tool.

    TipTip:

    If the Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes window does not appear when you start an edit session, click the Show/Hide Attributes button Show/Hide Attributes on the Manage Features window.

  10. Click the Select tool Select Tool from the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar.
  11. Select a feature.
  12. Click the Representation Properties button Representation Properties on the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar.
  13. Adjust the Simplify Tolerance property of the feature selected.

    You can continue with the following steps if further editing is required for editing Embankment lines. Otherwise, you can click the Save Edits Save Edits button and Stop Editing Stop Editing button on the Production Editing toolbar.

  14. Click the Select tool Select Tool on the Nautical Editing Cartography toolbar.
  15. Select a representation feature.
  16. From the Nautical Editing Cartographytoolbar, click Free Representation > Convert to Free Representation.
  17. Click Free Representation > Edit Free Representation.
  18. The Free Representation Editor dialog box opens.
  19. Click the Select tool Select Tool.
  20. Select the free representation, right-click, then click Convert Effect to Geometry.
  21. Select the marker symbol outline layer of the polygon, right-click, then click Explode Multi-part Geometry.
  22. Select individual markers.
  23. Rotate, resize, move, hide, or delete markers as necessary.

    TipTip:
    You can also split lines at sections where the default symbology is particularly cluttered and adjust the simplify tolerance for that section alone instead of converting to free representation. However, this method is only recommended if you are using the Desktop environment and should not be performed in the Enterprise environment.

  24. Click the Save Edits button Save Edits.
  25. Click the Stop Editing button Stop Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.

    The geodatabase becomes uneditable. If you have made edits, you will be prompted to save the changes if you want.


4/19/2012