Using ArcCatalog

Exploring an item’s geography
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IN THIS CHAPTER
• Previewing an item’s geographic
data
• Exploring geographic data
• Creating thumbnails
In ArcCatalog, you can preview an item’s geographic data without first
having to create a map. Who hasn’t been told about a map they can use,
then promptly forgotten its name even though they remember what it
contains? Now you can look at a map in the Catalog to make sure it’s the
one you want before opening it in ArcMap.
Have you ever been almost certain that two coverages with different
names actually contain the same data? You can zoom in and pan around to
get a good look at their features to decide which coverage has the most
recent data. The Geography view in ArcCatalog lets you quickly decide
which maps and data sources you want to use.
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