Author: anbahrey

Getting to Know Web GIS (2022, 5th edition)

Chapter 1

Web GIS is accessible and versatile with many ways for information to be shared and utilized by various organizations. The five main content types of web GIS: data, layers, tools, web maps and scenes, and apps (basemaps, operational layers, and tools are basic components). 

Depending on where the underlying data is stored, feature layers can either be hosted or nonhosted.
Hosted: A web service is based on ArcGIS- managed data (data is stored in ArcGIS Online cloud database or ArcGIS Data Store)
Nonhosted: A web service connects directly to user-managed data (data is stored and managed by an organization)

Workflow for Building Web GIS Apps = Data sources, desktop tools, ArcGIS Online/ArcGIS Enterprise, client apps

Attachment Viewer is an instant app template that allows the user to quickly build an app that presents spatial data with a feature-by-feature browsing experience and image-based display.

Chapter 1 – App

 

Chapter 2

Feature layers are the most common type of operational layers and hosted feature layers are the most widely used operational layer. Hosted feature layers, hosted Web Feature Service (WFS) layers, hosted tile layers, hosted vector tile layers, hosted Web Map Title Service (WMTS) layers, hosted scene layers, hosted image layers, and hosted map image layers are all all types of hosted layers that can be published to the Esri geospatial cloud. To publish a hosted feature layer, a user could create a feature layer from their own data, create a feature layer from an existing template, or create an empty feature layer and define their own fields interactively. 

Smart mapping uses intelligent defaults, data-driven visualizations, and innovative workflows to allow the user to share professional-quality maps easily and with minimal cartographic or software skills. 

ArcGIS Arcade allows the user to build custom expressions based on existing fields and geometries the way that Microsoft Excel allows the user to write formulas to work with their spreadsheet. 

ArcGIS Living Atlas provides basemap, imagery, boundaries, people, infrastructure, and environment content categories.

The types of blocks (components used to build a story) include sidecars, slideshow blocks, map tours, swipe blocks, and timeline blocks.

Chapter 2 – Story Map

 

Application based on ideas from Chapters 1 & 2

I could create a Flood Resilience Planning App to help Delaware County officials and residents see how new infrastructure projects might be affected by flooding. Delaware data layers like floodplain boundaries, road networks, parcel data, and elevation contours would visualize areas prone to flooding and how developments might be impacted. Users could explore “what-if” scenarios, like whether a proposed road expansion could become a flood hazard or if a new neighborhood is at risk. Interactive tools could allow users to click on specific locations to see flood risk levels, past flood events, and property ownership details.

Hello! My name is Ashley Bahrey and I am a junior Zoology, Environmental Science, and Geography major. I am from Bristolville, Ohio and I like to make jewelry and crochet in my spare time. I also have three cats that I love and adore!!!

Upon poking my OWU ArcGIS Online account, I was able to discover a lot about Esri and the resources that I can interact with. I did not expect the available training courses to have estimated completion times ranging from hours to weeks. I also found the Field Operations training curriculum category surprising, but it certainly makes sense that enhancing field data collection accuracy would improve the overall efficiency of GIS projects. I have stumbled upon the Esri Community page while troubleshooting for desktop GIS and I think it’s really cool that there is a public place where users can come together to solve problems and the records of these exchanges can be used to craft a solution to a similar issue. 

Reading through “Get Started: What Is ArcGIS Online” exposed me to loads of awesome tools I will be able to use to visualize 2D and 3D data with ArcGIS Online. I learned that the ArcGIS Notebook Editor includes a Tasks feature that allows you to schedule notebooks to run automatically, meaning ArcGIS can process data or generate reports on a set schedule without you having to run them manually. I was also introduced to Instant Apps for quickly building web apps, Web AppBuilder for more customizable apps, and Field Apps for data collection in the field, which are selected based on what you want the app to do (viewing, analyzing, or collecting geographic data).

ArcGIS Online Basics Training Course:
The ArcGIS Online Basics training course showcases the general capabilities of ArcGIS Online and provides a good summary of web layer types and functions. The scenarios for choosing the appropriate sharing level (private, group, organization, or public) at the end of section 3 demonstrated why it is important to consider who can access your organization’s content in certain scenarios. Section 4 taught me about how ArcGIS app builders allow you to create interactive web apps without coding, offering tools like Instant Apps, Dashboards, StoryMaps, and Experience Builder to enhance your content and engage your audience.

Two Esri online training courses that look interesting to me are “Getting Started with Data Management” and “Using GIS to Solve Problems”. I believe that learning how GIS data is structured, stored, and accessed as well as a five-step process to solve a problem using GIS would better equip me with the skills to utilize GIS efficiently in the future.

Search 1: “ArcOnline atrazine”

This map is found in a StoryMap made in ArcGIS Online which recaps a 2021 study led by Atreyi Guin, graduate student at the University of Michigan, that identified the stream networks vulnerable to pesticide (atrazine) contamination within the North Raccoon River Watershed in northern Iowa using the weighted overlay method in ArcGIS Pro. 55% of streams fall under the risk of being contaminated with pesticides from the adjacent corn fields and of those “at risk” streams, nearly 19% are in close proximity to highly populated areas with a population of more than 10,000 people.

Search 2: “ArcOnline superfund sites Ohio”

This is a map of Superfund reuse sites, or formerly contaminated Superfund sites that have since been remediated and are being repurposed for new, safe, and productive uses (green space, commercial, residential, public service, industrial, military/federal use, or mixed use projects) in Ohio. Data points were obtained from the Superfund Enterprise Management Systems (SEMS) database and the map is updated as more sites are placed into reuse (last updated on October 8th, 2024).