Hello, my name is Reghan Gist! I am a first year majoring in Environmental Science, and am planning to add Zoology as well. I run both cross country and track here at Ohio Wesleyan. This is my second GIS course, I took the Desktop class earlier this semester.
I completed the quiz, and took Geog 291, so I did not schedule an appointment for weeks 2 and 3. I also already have access to my OWU ArcGIS online account from earlier this semester!
After looking around at my profile once I logged in there were a few notable findings. The first one is that in My Esri you are able to add the organizations you work with and both store payments and purchases. The second thing I found was located in Resources and Support and had training and videos that allow you to sign up for different types of courses that teach you how GIS works. This would be helpful for if you were not learning GIS through a class, and instead were expected to figure it out on your own.
The next activity of this week was reading through Get Started: What Is ArcGIS Online. The first thing I noticed was how it is different from WebGIS. The first difference I noticed was that you can add collaborators and share content with people outside your organization. Another difference that I noticed was that WebGIS allows you to collect data and monitor projects, supporting field activities. Through synchronization you can be offline and still see the latest update to the project which is a very convenient feature!
Next, I completed the ArcGIS Online Basics course. The first comment I have after this course was that the app section was confusing but a really interesting tool. The second comment I have was this is much easier to navigate and use than the desktop version earlier this semester. Pictured below is my certificate of completion alongside my example map that the course had you create.
The final activity of this week was to use both Google and Google Scholar to find two examples of ArcOnline for projects.
1. Mapping Arcadia
https://www.proquest.com/docview/3105916469/abstract/B4E12BF5984E4987PQ/1?accountid=40547&sourcetype=Dissertations%20&%20Theses
This first article explained the benefit that community gardens have on certain communities. They explained how it is important to have clear ways to find suitable sites for the gardens to be grown. This study continues to explain by using public parcels you can find potential community garden sites. This idea is super interesting and could be relevant to many communities looking to improve their local biodiversity.
2. Sea Turtle Tracking App
https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/arcnews/tourists-become-citizen-scientists-with-sea-turtle-tracking-app
This second example I found on Google and was located through Esri. This example was a researcher who built an app that tracks sea turtles called TURT. This app allows tourists, scuba divers, and snorkelers to upload different photos and information on sea turtle sightings. This allows them to add information including the area, weather, date and time to the sighting. The information is then used by conservationists to analyze trends to observe the lives of multiple sea turtle species. What interested me about this project was how it was aimed for the public to have fun to use, and then can be analyzed by scientists later. I love sea turtles and would be super interested to download the app next time I go on a trip! Included below is the image provided of what the app looks like.
