Author: jeinderhees

Chapter 5:

Chapter five focuses on building and managing a private or hybrid Web GIS and explores how caching makes web maps run efficiently. While ArcGIS Online operates in the public cloud, organizations often need private for security, data sensitivity, or limited internet connectivity. ArcGIS Enterprise provides this capability, allowing organizations to host and manage their own GIS infrastructure. It consists of four key components, Portal for ArcGIS, ArcGIS Server, ArcGIS Web Adapter, and ArcGIS Data Store which work together to store, publish, and share geographic content. Portal collaboration is a major feature, allowing multiple organizations or divisions to share curated maps, layers, and applications while maintaining independent systems. This collaboration is especially valuable for large organizations that need to coordinate content across internal and external Web GIS deployments. The chapter also explains deployment options for ArcGIS Enterprise, ranging from single-machine setups to multi-tiered and available systems. This gives users flexibility in balancing performance, maintenance, and scalability. Hybrid Web GIS uses both ArcGIS Enterprise and ArcGIS Online, combining the security of private hosting with the convenience and resources of Esri’s cloud. Caching is another key concept, improving performance by pre-storing map tiles so users can quickly load maps without redoing them each time. Raster tiles are static image-based maps that support detailed cartography but require more storage and processing time. Vector tiles, on the other hand, are lightweight, resolution-adaptive, and easily restyled, making them ideal for modern web apps. Map image layers and feature tiles provide additional flexibility depending on whether real-time data or large datasets are involved. Overall, the chapter highlights how caching, deployment design, and collaboration tools come together to create efficient, secure, and interconnected Web GIS systems for a wide range of organizational needs.

Chapter 6:

Chapter six explores spatiotemporal and real-time GIS, moving from static mapping to systems that display and analyze data changing. Real-time GIS handles data that moves, appears, or changes continuously, such as traffic, weather, or emergency events. These systems rely on streaming data from sensors and devices that are processed instantly on a server and visualized through web maps, dashboards, or apps. The chapter emphasizes how this technology supports real-world decision-making, improving situational awareness, emergency response, and operational management by providing instant information. Spatiotemporal data can be classified into four main categories, moving, discrete, stationary, and change. Each event can have either a single time stamp or a duration, depending on if it marks an instantaneous or ongoing event. Core concepts like time reference systems, temporal resolution, and time representation are introduced to explain how temporal accuracy affects GIS analysis. The rise of mobile technology and the Internet of Things has significantly increased the amount of volunteered geographic information and real-time sensor data. IoT applications range from consumer uses, such as smart homes and vehicles, to enterprise-scale systems like environmental monitoring and smart cities.To manage this data amount, Esri’s ArcGIS Velocity and ArcGIS GeoEvent Server are key tools that intake, process, and output real-time data. They perform constant analysis, filter data based on factors or conditions, and issue alerts or trigger actions in response to detected events. ArcGIS Velocity, a cloud-based SaaS platform, integrates seamlessly with ArcGIS Online, supporting real-time analytics, big data processing, and visualization. The chapter concludes with applications such as ArcGIS Dashboards and ArcGIS Mission, which visualize live updates and support real-time collaboration, communication, and analysis. All vital capabilities in today’s data-driven, connected world.

Chapter 3

This chapter focused on how to create web apps to make maps interactive and easy for people to use. One of the main things I learned is that web apps can show how data changes over time, which is especially helpful for topics like land use change, climate patterns, or population growth. The book explained different tools called widgets that you can add to web apps. Widgets make it easy to add useful features like sliders, search bars, filters, charts, and more. I liked learning about the 3D and 2D feature because I think maps with prominent data make data feel more alive. Another important part of this chapter was learning how chart widgets can make data clearer by showing graphs and not just locations on a map. This is helpful when you want people to understand patterns or trends quickly. Filter and query widgets also stood out to me because they help you focus only on the information you need instead of looking at everything at once. I think these tools make maps much more user friendly and help for communicating scientific information to the public.

Application Idea:

I will use this chapter to show the tornadoes that have occurred throughout Indiana in the past years and how they have affected the land.

Chapter 4

This chapter explained mobile GIS and why it is useful. Mobile GIS lets people collect and use spatial data in the field instead of having to wait until they return to a computer. This is very helpful for fieldwork, which I am excited about because I hope to do field research in the future. Mobile GIS is great for tracking data in places that computers cannot reach, and mobile devices have GPS, which makes data collection accurate and fast. The chapter also explained some challenges, like needing good battery life and sometimes having weak cell service. Still, the benefits seem very strong. It also covered VGI (volunteered geographic information), which means regular people share geographic information, like reporting wildlife sightings or road issues. Another exciting topic was augmented reality (AR), which lets you see digital map information on top of the real world through your phone camera. There is also VR (virtual reality), this is a computer-generated simulation. There are other concepts as well. I also learned how feature layers in mobile GIS can be editable, so users can add new points, update information, and even delete things if needed. Surveys can also be added to mobile maps so users can submit information directly from their phone.

Application Idea:

I can use this chapter to help in my volunteer work at the Ohio Wildlife Center to help track where animals are found with what injuries. This can help for us to locate where problem areas might be that put different species at risk.

Chapter One: 

Web GIS is a modern way of creating, storing, and sharing maps by using the internet instead of keeping everything on a single computer. This allows users in different locations to access the exact same data, tools, and maps at the same time. In the past, only one person could use the information at once, and if data needed to be shared, it had to be downloaded and sent out manually. Any changes required resending the updated version. Now, information is stored in the cloud, so everyone sees the most current version in real time. Web GIS includes many helpful features like layers, map tiles, images, and real-time data that can be added directly to maps. There are many options within these features depending on what is needed for the project. People can open and use these tools on computers, tablets, and even phones, making access much easier and more flexible. Web GIS also allows data to be accessed without distance being a limitation, giving it a global reach. It supports a large number of users, has a lower cost per user, is easier to maintain, and works across many different platforms. Because of these advantages, more businesses, organizations, scientists, and even everyday individuals are using Web GIS to collect and understand data. Cloud computing plays a big role, and its usage grew a lot during COVID-19 when data needed to be updated quickly and viewed by many people. The system also focuses on strong user security. Technology for Web GIS continues to advance, improving from early closed websites to open systems that support two-way communication. Many available apps allow spatial analysis while still sharing similarities like basemaps and layers. Users can also attach extra information to points or locations, helping them better interpret and understand the data they are working with.

Chapter Two:

GIS is about smart mapping and storytelling. This makes the GIS software easier for everyone to use. This chapter focuses on how smart mapping helps people to create clear maps and how things are automatically suggested such as color, symbols, and styles based on the map one is creating. This helps the user to create the map quicker and shows the patterns such as amounts, categories, and the relationships shown without someone having expert skill level in them. This chapter also talks about the different hosted layers which are web feature service, vector tile, tile, tile service, scene, layers, and map image. They also have features such as from existing templets, your own data, or empty. these can be used in many different ways and even at the same time. Once a hosted layer is updated every connected map also updates at the same time. This helps to keep everyone’s data current. Storytelling is also a huge component it allows for combining maps with text, images, and videos which can help to explain a pattern or place and why it matters. This then turns the maps into stories that help people to understand the data and to resonate with the information.  WebGIS makes it very easy to share these maps and the stories that go along with it very easily through the internet and can be viewed through many devices.

Hi! I am Jocelyn Inderhees a sophomore zoology, envs, and pre-med major. I took the syllabus quiz and took Geog 291 therefore did most of the required stuff then!

ArcGIS Online Basics_Certificate_10162025

I learned a lot of new basic info about the esri software.