White Papers

The following documents are detailed step-by-step guides and technical papers related to the surveying and GIS professions. You will find a variety of software functionalities, comparisons, concepts, etc. included in these documents.

• ArcGIS Survey Analyst Concepts [PDF-1.17 MB, 33 pages]
  This technical paper explains the survey data model, describes the computation network, and presents the concept for associating GIS features with survey data.
• Using CAD in ArcGIS [PDF-326 KB, 12 pages]
  This document explores computer-aided design (CAD) technology in ESRI ArcGIS and compares how it can be used for editing and bidirectional interchange of CAD and GIS data. Included is an overview of CAD-related technology in ArcGIS and a section describing the functionality needed for various users and their common tasks.
• ArcPad: Mobile GIS [PDF-754 KB, 17 pages]
  This white paper introduces ArcPad software, a handheld mobile mapping and GIS application. ArcPad is a low-cost solution for data capture projects and enhances handheld, portable touch screen computers with vector and raster image display, custom form-filling capabilities, and real-time positioning using an optional GPS receiver.
• ArcView 3D Analyst Features [PDF-75.5 KB, 14 pages]
  A comprehensive description of the capabilities of ArcView 3D Analyst including definitions of terms and a discussion of methods.