Hi folks,
I just recently started taking classes in GIS, and as soon as my colleagues found out they of course asked my to put my new skills to use. So, here I am creating a geodatabase for the first time on my own, and (suprise!) I need a hand.
The goal is to create a database containing two kinds of data on sightings of wild whales, dolphins and sea turtels. 1) they want to be able to visualize locations where an animal has stranded/washed-up/died. 2) they want to be able to track individual dolphins over time. I'm envisioning a file geodatabase with two feature datasets. First one will be for strandings, with a feature class for each species. Second one will be for tracking individual animals over time, with a new feature class for each individual. I think this is the best option; does this sound appropriate? Any suggestions?
Where I've hit my first wall is the entering of data. I'd like to be able to enter GPS coordinates several different ways into these existing FCs. First, from an uploaded table created in excel. Second, manually entering the gps coords of new records into the attribute table. And third, dropping a point on the map using the create feature tool.
Can I enter data all three ways into the same FC (preferably without intermediate tables), or am I asking for the impossible?
Thanks for the input,
Emily