Chapter 1:
This chapter provides insight into what Web GIS, what it is used for, and how to use it to portray visual information. GIS has gone from a file-based single computer system to a globally accessible server. It has a large number of advantages including global reach, large number of users, low cost, better cross-platform capabilities, easy use, and easy maintenance. The term GIS has two meanings, the first one being intrinsically science-based, and the second one being a scientific tool. Many organizations use GIS in both contexts. The government uses it to share public information services, businesses use it for advertisement, scientists use it to create research areas, and the general population uses it to plan their daily activities( restaurants, stores, navigation, etc…).
The chapter 1 tutorial for this book guides users through how to make a Web GIS app that shows major points of interest in Redlands, CA. This tutorial starts with publishing a hosted feature layer from a CSV file and adding attachments to it. The tutorial then shows how to add a field to the layer and edit the attributes. You then create a web map before creating an instant web app using this information.
Application: Creating a map of the Marion county school districts, centering on the main administrative offices of each district. Data points would include attributes like the district name, student enrolment numbers, state report card ratings, and the address of each building. Using this application, users could view each district while obtaining important information.
Chapter 2:
This chapter focuses on web layers and web apps. It shows how smart mapping, custom pop-ups, ready-to-use geospatial data, and narrative storytelling work together to present the data in an easy to understand way. Web layers are the foundation for web applications, and web apps are what users interact with to examine the data. Story maps have become a very popular web application format for sharing spatial findings and geographic information to the public. I have used storymaps in the past for the Animal Behavior class provided here at OWU, and it was very user-friendly. I was able to use it without having any prior experience with it prior. Web layers can be hosted or nonhosted layers. Hosted feature layers are stored directly in ArcGIS online, while nonhosted feature layers are connected to databases.
Smart mapping analyzes dataset attributes automatically and recommends intelligent default styles, color ramps, and symbols. This uses styling methods which include point density, color and size representation for multiple variables, percentage comparison of multiple factors, relationship mapping using bivariate choropleth styles, and Predominant category mapping. Pop-ups are used to make it easier to interact with the map. Pop-ups display text, charts, pictures, and other media. Arcade expressions are used when layers lack specific fields. The end of the chapter talks about storytelling using ArcGIS StoryMaps, which takes maps, media, and text, and inputs it into modular blocks to make the interactive story.
The second tutorial in this book talks the reader through how to geocode a CSV file of U.S. city populations into a hosted feature layer, apply above and below smart mapping styles, configure arcade pop-up expressions and charts, and publish a story app that features 3D web scenes, sidecar maps, and express maps.
Application: Creating a map that shows house prices in Delaware county since the year 2000. This map would show the change in home price values have changed over the years and across different townships and neighborhoods. The points on the map would show median sale prices, average days that a house is listed on the market, price per square foot, and income levels in the area. The app would include a swipe tool to compare home prices from 2000 through.