Basic GIS Tools - Labeling

Labels are a simple way to add text descriptions to a map.  They can provide clarity for the end-user and emphasize certain features.  This section presents two simple ways to label features.

Text tools
These tools allow you to put text directly into a map.  They are located on the 'Draw' toolbar:


Note above the buttons to toggle the data view and layout view.  This concept will be discussed more in an upcoming section.  Labels will behave differently depending on which view is active when they are added.  Those added in the data view will always have geographic reference - as you zoom in and out they will change size, and they will always be in the same geographic location.  Labels added in the layout view are referenced to the layout - a piece of paper.  They will not change size or location in reference to the page, but they have no link to any geographic location.  Which one you use depends on what you need to label in your map.  Typically labels of geographic features should go in the data view, and text discussing how a map was made should go in the layout view.  This is important to remember, because if you add labels which describe features in the layout view, then change the extent (i.e. zoom, pan, etc.), the labels will not "stay" with the features.  They will sit in the same position on the page while the features move underneath them.

The 'Text' tool   is used to type text directly into a map.
The 'Splined Text' tool    is used to label curved features.  You click on a section of a curved line, and double-click to end the spline.  Then type in your text and it will be bent to follow that line.
  Here is the result:

The 'Callout' tool    creates a cartoon-like balloon.  The balloon and the anchor point are moved separately.  Here is an example:


Automated labeling
The above tools are great for placing a few labels on your map, but you would not want to use them to label all the towns or all the ozone monitors.  ArcMap will automatically label a layer based on a field in its attribute table.  To enable this, right-click the layer name to bring up its context menu, and choose 'Properties' at the bottom.  Then in the layer properties, click on the 'Labels' tab.  The settings there allow you to turn labels on and off, to set the label field, change the font and size of labels, and you can even have ArcMap remove duplicate labels (like all the islands on the coast with the same town name - only the largest polygon is labeled).  Here is an example:


Automated labels look like this:

Note that unlike the text tools above, you have very little control over the labels ArcMap places.  You cannot move them once they are placed, and ArcMap will not place overlapping labels (they are just skipped).