How to Calculate Polygon Area in ArcMap

Beginner level tutorial the demonstrates the steps for calculating the area of polygons in a shapefile. The software used is ArcMap 9.3.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• GIS
• tutorial
• ArcMap
• polygon
• shapefile
• area
• calculate
• screencast

[GISTutorials]

The reason I had to project the data is because Arc won't calculate the area of a shapefile that is in a Geographic Coordinate System. You must use a Projected Coordinate System (which you used @yujudith). I believe this is because Geographic Coordinate Systems are 3D datums and Area is a 2D calculation which is the purpose of Projected Coordinate Systems.

[ManuelHung]

Please please please help me figure out what the deal is with my area units!!

When calculate geometry for census tracts in km^2, I am given back some absurd, meaningless number such as 0.000696186.

What on earth is this?? There's no way this is km^2, and I have spent the last four hours going down dead end after dead end trying to get an answer...

[yujudith]

Thanks :) ... but, did you use ArcTools only to change the coordinate system? or what else do I have to do? ... I calculated with the PCS: North America Lambert Conformal Conic and it was not necessary to open the projections and transformations properties from the box ... the area appears inmediatly

[susy0007]

The video won't load..