Chapter 3
In this chapter, I learned about the different aspects of ArcGIS Experience Builder. Experience Builder is an app that uses widgets to combine different apps such as mapping, table views, querying, charting, and reporting. The app layout is based on the components pages and windows. Pages provide the different sections of Experience Builder, while windows provide the content in those sections. Within the pages and windows, there are widgets. The two types of widgets include basic and layout. Basic widgets perform foundational aspects of the app such as maps, legends, layers, filters, and charts, while layout widgets help organize these basic widgets. In this chapter’s tutorial, I created a web experience using Experience Builder. I learned skills such as how to integrate 2D and 3D maps into the app, organize and animate widgets, configure map actions, configure dynamic content, and many other basic functions of the app. While I was able to complete the tutorial successfully, I did run into a few minor issues. For example, some of the book steps did not exactly line up with the app, leaving me to explore the app to find the point of reference. I also could not add the link to the “Alerts” page. To fix this, I went to the site and copied the new URL that was compatible with the app.
Application Idea: I would create a web experience based on my application idea from chapter 2 (percent change in annual rainfall throughout the United States). One half of the experience would be a 2D map displaying the percent annual change in rainfall throughout the United States in the form of graduated colors. The other would be a 3D map with height representing the quantity of change and color representing a positive or negative change. I would add map actions to mirror the location of selection on both maps. Other pages would include one detailing a variety of statistical analyses and one linked to a flood relief website.
Chapter 4
This chapter explored all there is to know about Mobile GIS. This chapter was particularly interesting to me because although I knew that GIS was involved in many things, it really put into perspective just how widely it is used. While the chapter initially detailed some navigational information, it mainly focused on the different apps of Mobile GIS. By explaining what the apps were for and how they are directly applied into society, I was able to identify the apps that were and will be the most useful to me. Something that I appreciated in the tutorials of this chapter was that it was split into four different exercises. By doing this, I was able to more thoroughly understand the apps better since I was able to individually work with each one. The first exercise was focused on ArcGIS Survey123. This app reminded me of Google Forms and was easy to navigate and use. During the second exercise, I had some trouble completing the final part because I could not find the steps the chapter was referring to in the app. Exercise three was simple and worked with the QuickCapture app. I enjoyed the premise behind the app because the project that we made in the tutorial seemed like it could be extremely useful. Lastly, the fourth exercise taught me how to prepare data with AuGeo.
Application Idea: The application that I would create would be based on one of the projects that I learned about in one of my classes. I would choose to have people from Delaware County report populations of flowering and native plants they have present on their properties. The survey would consist of them specifying their location, submitting a photo, and describing what the plant looks like and what time it blooms. From this, I would create a map of the possible places for pollinators in Delaware County. The data would represent the pollinator habitats and areas of possible habitat growth.