Contents
What are the coordinates of a shapefile in ArcGIS?
In your question, you state that you have a shapefile that is currently in a Geographic coordinate system or Latitude/Longtude which has units of Decimal Degrees. This means that you have coordinates in the range of Y/Lat = 0 to 90 and X/Lon = -180 – +180.
Why does ArcGIS not use the same coordinate system?
This could be due to recognizing that the coordinates of the features were not appropriate for the currently defined projection, or some other clue. This operation simply overwrites the existing projection with a different one that you specify.
How to create a shapefile with units in feet?
This gives you a shapefile with units in feet. The features in the shapefile did not have their internal coordinates converted, however, so they are still in the range of X = -180 to +180 and Y = 0 to 90.
Can you overlay ArcGIS on any other layers?
It should also overlay correctly on any other layers, provided they have a projection defined and that your Data Frame in ArcMap has a projection defined. Although you have set the projection of your 3 other layers by the properties menu in ArcCatalog, you have failed to re-project the data to the proper coordinate system.
How to export a coordinate system in ArcGIS?
On Coordinate System of Input Coordinates field, select current CRS from data. Here the CRS is defined. One can export the layer to a shapefile by right clicking in the layer and then, Data –> Export Data. Or continue (from item 3.2) to reproject:
What happens when data is added to ArcMap?
When adding data to ArcMap, the application reads the coordinate system (projection) information stored with the dataset. When displaying multiple datasets with different coordinate systems, ArcMap will project the data ‘on-the-fly’ to the coordinate system that is set for the Data Frame:
How to rename a new coordinate system in ArcMap?
Rename the new Map Layer so that you will recognize it and be able to distinguish it from the Map Layer you are changing. Under Output Coordinate System, click on the Properties button (looks like a sheet of paper with a pointing finger hovering over it). The Spatial References Properties dialog box will appear.