Changing the size and position of the compass rose

The symbology that results from an automated process is a starting point for chart creation. Cartographers usually need to edit the resulting symbols and annotation to remove overprinting and improve the clarity and legibility of the chart. Edits made to representations do not affect the underlying geometry when using the Nautical symbology configured for paper chart products that are provided with ArcGIS for Maritime: Charting.

The default rose size may not be appropriate for the chart being produced. The following steps outline how to change or load a new representation rule and apply it to the feature so the new rule will reflect the rose size appropriate for the chart.

The compass rose is a very important element on a nautical chart, which depicts both true north and magnetic north. True North is where all the longitude lines meet at the North Pole on the earth, whereas Magnetic North varies based on location, altitude, and time. The magnetic field is constantly shifting over time, and the angular difference between True North and Magnetic North is the declination we see depicted on nautical charts with the compass rose.

1. Determine the size of the roses that will be plotted on the chart.

   If there is an older paper chart edition available with which to compare, measure the inner diameter of the outer ring (the true north ring). Measure the inner distance between the 90° and 270° tick marks; this will most likely be between 2 and 5 inches (representation rules included in the style are 2", 2.5", 3", 3.5", 4", and 5").

2. Start ArcMap.
3. Open the product map document.
4. On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Production Editing.
5. Click the Production Start Editing button on the Production Editing toolbar.

   Note:

   The Manage Features and Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes windows automatically appear when you start an edit session using the Production Start Editing tool.

   Tip:

   If the Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes window does not appear when you start an edit session, click the Show/Hide Attributes button on the Manage Features window.

6. Select the MAGVAR (compass rose) feature you want to change the size of using the Select tool .
7. Open the Representation properties dialog box.
8. From the menu, choose the size compass rose you want to use.

   If the rose measures five inches, identify the representation rule number for ROSE5.

9. Click the Refresh button , or press the F5 key if the representation of the rose does not automatically update in the Data View.
10. Click the Save Edits button .
If the location of the compass rose is not where you want it, you can move it, but remember to calculate its magnetic declination for the new location.