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Importing Waypoints or Polygons directly from your Garmin GPS into ArcMap.

This procedure works both from within Customer Toolkit as well as a regular ArcMap session.

1) First verify the version of DNR Garmin installed. This procedure only works with version 5.1.1 and above. Graphic of Garmin Properties Project tab

2) Set your default projection in DNR Garmin if you have not done so already.

This is done from the File > Set Projection > Menu. 

Kenai and Homer Field Offices should select  NAD_1983_UTM_Zone_5N

Delta, Fairbanks, Mat-Su, Anchorage, and Glennallen should choose NAD_1983_Zone_6N

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 3) Connect your Garmin and Download your waypoints from the Waypoints Menu
Graphic of Garmin/ArcMap Waypoints menu

          4) Select the Records you wish to use to create the shapefile Graphic of Garmin/Arcmap Waypoint menu

5) Start ArcMap if it is not already running.  ArcMap log  

 This step is not necessary – however if ArcMap is running, the shapefile will be added Auto-magically to your project.

 

Graphic of Garmin File Save To ArcMap Shapefile Layer screens

 

6) In DNR Garmin, Save the shapefile.  File >Save to> ArcMap> Shapefile Layer

You will need to specify a name for the shapefile and a location where to save it. You cannot save the shape file directly into your Customer Service folder. You must first save the shape file to your "C:/" drive and then copy it to the Resource Folder for your Customer.       

 

 

 

 

 

Image of ArcMap ArcEditor screen

7) Once you have named the shapefile, it will be saved to the location specified and added directly into your ArcMap project.  You can then label the waypoints using the IDENT field from the shapefile table.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image of Garmin/ArcMap Waypoint tracks screen

 

 

 


8) You can also have DNR Garmin connect your waypoints to form either a line or polygon feature – Let’s go back to DNR Garmin. Once you have uploaded the points. 

Select either the Track or Route option. Either one works.

 

 


 Then when you save the shapefile: Image of screen show how to safe a shapefile

9) You will be prompted to save the waypoints as either a point, line or polygon feature type. Image of Output Shape screen

 Image of ArcMap screen showing tracks of waypoints

 


10) If you walked a crooked path in the field – it may look like this.  

The line is drawn in the order in which the waypoints were collected using the GPS timestamp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11) If you want a polygon feature made from your waypoints, then check the corresponding box Graphic of Output Shape screen\

12) Again, the resulting polygon may not be what you expected, depending on the order in which you collected the points.

Image of ArcMap screen showing polygons

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