Adding X-Y Data to ArcMap

(Converting tabular coordinates to point data)

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See also How to get data from Excel to ArcGIS

See also Getting WGS84 GPS data into ArcGIS  

    (especially recommend if your data is in WGS84 and you need to convert it to NAD83 or NAD27)

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ArcGIS allows you to use a table of information to display points on the map. To do this each record (or row) of the table must contain information for a specific location (e.g. an X and Y coordinate). This type of data table can come from a GPS receiver or other sources. These X-Y points can be further exported to a shapefile or geodatabase to convert them into an actual GIS data layer.

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The first requirement is to have a table in the proper format. ArcMap will read a .dbf, a .txt file (tab delimited) or a .csv file (comma delimited) but not an Excel .xls (as of ArcGIS 9.2 this should change). One of the fields (columns) of the table must contain the X (or longitude or easting) coordinates and another field must contain the Y (or latitude or northing) coordinates. Both of these fields must be numeric. If your data is in Excel, see additional information on How to get from Excel to ArcGIS.

In ArcMap: 

          Select Add XY Data� from the Tools menu

          In the Add XY Data window:

                   Choose a table� Browse to your X-Y data file

                   X Field = <Longitude field> (whatever your E-W field is named)

                   Y Field = <Latitude field> (whatever your N-S field is named)

          For the Spatial Reference of Input Coordinates | Description:

                   (by default this will say �Unknown Coordinate System�)                               

                   Click on Edit (below the Description box)

                   In the Spatial Reference Properties window, press Select

                   In the Browse for Coordinate System window browse to the appropriate coordinate system

                        Common coordinates systems used in Washington:

                               Geographic Coordinate Systems | World | WGS 1984

                               Projected Coordinate Systems | Utm | Nad 1927 | NAD 1927 UTM Zone 10N

                               Projected Coordinate Systems | Utm | Nad 1983 | NAD 1983 UTM Zone 10N

                               Projected Coordinate Systems | State Plane | Nad 1927 | NAD 1927 StatePlane

                                            Washington North FIPS 4601

                               Projected Coordinate Systems | State Plane | Nad 1927 | NAD 1927 StatePlane

                                            Washington South FIPS 4602

                               Projected Coordinate Systems | State Plane | Nad 1983| NAD 1983 StatePlane

                                            Washington North FIPS 4601

                               Projected Coordinate Systems | State Plane | Nad 1983| NAD 1983 StatePlane

                                            Washington South FIPS 4602

                   Press Add

          Back in the Spatial Reference Properties window, press OK

          Back in the Add XY Data window, press OK

Optional: Export data to a shapefile (right-click on the X-Y data layer in

                   the Table of Contents and choose Data | Export Data�

          In Export Data window:

                   Check Use the same Coordinate System as this layer's source data

                   Rename and/or change the storage location of the new shapefile

                           as desired in the Output shapefile box

                   Click OK

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