Author: kfcooper

Chapter 1

I was surprised by all of the different web hosts and other internet usages for GIS that were discussed in this chapter.  The section on technology also provided a lot of insights on what all of this data can actually be used for as well. The overview of contents was very useful (data, layers, web maps, scenes, tools, and apps). The section on different types of layers was also very helpful in understanding how they can be applied to projects in the future.

 

Chapter 2

At it again with more information on layers in this very helpful section. The table on smart-mapping styles was also useful, and the description will be helpful when determining what type of map to use for a project. The pop-up function seems very similar to the desktop version. I also recognized the story maps from desktop, I think this is very useful for when you are trying to convey information to an audience that might not be very familiar with your topic.

 

Applications

I looked to the table on page 41 to guide some of my ideas for different types of maps. An application for a dot density map would be locations of pet stores where I can buy my cat toys in the area. Another application would be a heat map, which could indicate the number of cat owners in the area.

Hi! My name is Kelsea Cooper and I am a junior double majoring in Public Health and Genetics! I am from Kent, Ohio. I have a cat named Marlin (he is very mischievous). In my free time I like to read, craft, and watch TV!

I used the ArcGIS website a little bit in 291 but poking around the ArcGIS site was very useful. It was interesting to look through the gallery at some older projects just within the homepage. I also navigated to the training section which seems like it will be very useful to be able to go back to use in the future. I also checked out the Community and Forums tab which seems like it would be useful if you were having some sort of issue that you needed help finding a solution to! 

When reading through the “Introduction to ArcGIS Online” a section that really caught my eye was being able to use data in the field mobily by using the companion app and also making maps offline. I am sure that in some fields this is a very useful tool that makes data collection much easier and also saves them so much time! The explore content section that focused on maps also seemed to be very useful and would be helpful to look back on in the future. 

The overview course was very useful. I appreciated the knowledge check questions to make sure that I had an understanding of the terms being reviewed. I also appreciated the step by step guide to the tutorials. 

Applications:

In 291, I talked a lot about Public Health applications specifically related to tobacco. Public Health applications are my main interest, so for another application, I thought about alcohol consumption maps. This map from the CDC highlights the prevalence of adults who binge drink in the last 30 days (binge drinking is typically 4ish drinks in a two hour period depending on gender).

Another application is cat ownership in the US. This map shows the percentage of US Households with at least one cat. This data could be useful when having traditional conversations about cats vs. dogs.

 

Sources

CDC. (2025, February 25). Data on Excessive Alcohol Use. Alcohol Use. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/excessive-drinking-data/index.html

Cat Ownership by State – Maptitude Infographic. (2024). Caliper.com. https://www.caliper.com/featured-maps/maptitude-national-cat-day-map-october-29-map.html#:~:text=For%20National%20Cat%20Day%20(October%2029)%20we,(16.7%)%2C%20Maryland%20(18.6%)%2C%20and%20New%20Jersey%20(18.9%).

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