Geography 292: Geospatial Analysis with Web GIS

The first chapter of this book starts by explaining some of the benefits of having GIS on a web-based platform- such as increased interactions, wider access, and easy use. I also learned what HTTPS, HTML, and URL stand for (abbreviations we all use every day but probably don’t know what they actually mean). The first chapter also goes into a lot of technical explanations about the geospatial cloud capabilities- which didn’t make a ton of sense to me, but it was still interesting to see how widely available Web GIS is. It was interesting to learn about the history behind web GIS websites and how they used to be all separate before the 1990s, which made it incredibly difficult to share information with others. Once the internet and web became more sophisticated in the late 1990s, GIS applications became much easier to view, use, and share. It was also interesting to read about how Web GIS uses AI and machine learning currently. These chapters also go over some of the content involved in ArcGIS Online- most of which are similar to ArcGIS Pro, but the apps and web maps are a new concept (though we partially looked at some of these in 291). One very nice part about the GIS apps is that they don’t require any coding or programming- which makes them much more accessible to a wider range of people. The tutorials were all fairly easy- there was a bit of a learning curve finding where all of the things are located in the different toolbars since it is slightly different than what I had become so familiar with on ArcGIS Pro. I enjoyed creating the apps, and I also thought it was a good feature to have a preview of how the app would look on a phone, computer, etc. It was also fun getting to style some of the points in ways that ArcGIS Pro couldn’t. 

One idea for an app based on the techniques used in chapters 1 and 2 would be an interactive app/ web map that would be directed toward road trippers or people traveling through the US. Routes could be drawn on the map, with stops in cities or landmarks that have interactive points with information on each location. Another application of these techniques would be to show the pollution data of various cities and even show how it has changed over time by comparing current pollution data to previous recordings (using the above and below feature). This would give us an idea of what cities have strived towards decreasing their pollutants and which have increased their pollution.

My name is McKenna. I am a junior exercise science major environmental science minor. I took the first module earlier this semester. I am looking forward to learning more about the online version. My computer is simply too old to handle the online version, so I get the luxury of using desktop computers throughout campus.

I noticed that there is a place where I can add a profile picture and a bio. I feel like that would be overdoing it a bit as I introduced myself moments ago. The Esri Academy is really interesting. It looked like I needed an invitation. Maybe after the course I can look into getting connected and building more knowledge about GIS

It appears that ArcGIS Online is meant to work with a wider variety of people than the ArcGIS Pro that we worked on in the first module. I also noticed that there is an app. It would be cool to use the app later in the semester and connect it to our ArcGIS account. That being said, there was a whole bullet point in the article that talks about connecting the online version to Pro. I had a really hard time connecting to the online version in the first module. 

I enjoyed taking the class. It didn’t quite take me the whole two hours that I allotted for which is a relief. I thought it was really cool how we could create instant apps that make it a lot easier to share with someone. It’s a smart tool that someone created to make sure that they could pass information quickly. I thought the course itself was intuitive and easy to follow along with. I haven’t carefully read the entire syllabus, but I hope we do another training module or two before the semester is over.

I looked at nursing home evacuations versus shelter in place during hurricanes. I looked at this specifically by looking for a connection between ArcOnline and physical therapy. The researchers found that this was really the first study of its kind. They proposed continued use of GIS to establish a protocol to ensure that the most vulnerable are safe

Sakib, N., Hyer, K., Dobbs, D. et al. A GIS enhanced data analytics approach for predicting nursing home hurricane evacuation response. Health Inf Sci Syst 10, 28 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13755-022-00190-y

This second map depicts clustered sport delivery points in the five City of London Ontario planning districts. It is mapping the different hot spots of organized sports. Organized sports are a clear indication of an active individual. I looked specifically for youth sports but I think the online version might not have the layers. This paper did organized sporting events overall.

I am Ethan Shaw, a senior from Woodland Park, New Jersey. I took the GIS 291 class last
semester so I am a bit familiar with GIS and how to operate it. I enjoyed the course's last module
and am excited to see what this one has in store.

Poking around comments:
I looked around at my profile and my esri. I am not sure what to add to my profile, I
already used it for the last class.
When accessing my ESRI I am not sure what I am looking for, it says I need to put a
code in so I will have to email the professor to navigate that.
Reading:
The reading was very easy to follow and was quite interesting when explaining how the
application is used. ArcGis online is very adamant about sharing work and collaborating as a big
part of the application. The application can also present data and maps to any group of people
and make it easy for them to understand.
Training:
The training was very easy to follow and was fun to do. The quizzes were not hard and helped
me learn a lot.

Hi, I’m Maddy Howard, and I’m from outside of Cleveland, OH. I’m a sophomore majoring in Environmental Studies and Geography, and I just took GEOG 291 so I’m interested to see what GEOG 292 is like.

Poking Around:

I’m not sure if it was the website or my laptop in general but it took me a while to load any of the options below “my profile”, especially the training portion, which is super annoying. I will see if this continues soon or if it’s truly just my laptop. (Note from a later date- OWU wifi was terrible and made it impossible to load any of the training resources)

Get Started: What is ArcGIS Online Read Through

I spent a good amount of time re-reading the explore content-view and use items section of the Get Started reading. There’s a lot of complicated parts to just looking at what you see on the website. Also, the notebook on the website seems like it would be useful but the interface, especially the edit menu, has a lot of information. Plus, I know nothing about coding so the thought of python scares me. I have a feeling that I will be referring back to this get started section a good amount of times.

Web Course: ArcGIS Online Basics

I thought this training was really helpful. It provided good insight into what this all is and what it can be used for. I found the exploring ArcGIS online content the most helpful, as I think it went into detail about the types of things included in the maps and apps. 

2 training courses that seem of interest:

Field Data Collection and Management Using ArcGIS- I didn’t think of this as a use for ArcGIS. It seems like it makes field activities more accessible to wider audiences which is really cool!

Create Smart Surveys and Forms Using ArcGIS Survey123- This is an interesting addition to all the things ArcGIS does. If you had a presentation or something this allows you to get feedback on the same website. 

GIS Application Areas Based on Keywords:

Florida Panther Telemetry- It’s really interesting seeing each panther’s activities. I looked up more about them through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and had no idea that they are endangered and some sort of unknown disorder affecting them. That makes maps like these really important so you can monitor the species. 

Hurricane Harvey Damage Assessment- Natural Disasters are interesting to me, and I know ArcGIS has some resources about it, so I tried to find a map relating to it. I came across this one which shows a lot of information about building damage in Houston after the hurricane. There is actually a complete tutorial on how to get to this final result that can be replicated for other circumstances, which is a great resource.

Hi, my name is Evan Miller. I am a senior, and I just finished taking GEOG 291, and am eager to learn more about GEOG 292. Below is some information on what I did and what I learned:

I first started by looking into the basics of the website. I have briefly used the GIS online website before in GEOG 291, so it is a good way to refresh what I have already learned.  One thing that I learned is that you can link GIS online accounts. Another thing that I learned is that there are specific training courses on GIS Online, which I found quite interesting.

The next step that I took for this week’s assignment was to read over what the overall purpose of the GIS Online website is about. One thing that was new information was that you can create maps on the website. Since I took GEOG 291, I thought the main purpose of GIS Pro was to make maps. However, it seems as if you can also do similar things on GIS Online compared to GIS Pro. Another thing that I learned was that GIS Online promotes work in the field, as that can be one of the many ways to collect data for potential projects on the website.

The final part of this week’s content that I worked on was completing the GIS Online basics tutorial. One of the many things that I learned was that there are different ways to sign in. The three ways one can sign in is through an organization, as a public user, or as a social user. In order to gain the most access to what GIS online has to offer, then the organizational login would be the most ideal. A public user can still create content, while a social viewer can only view content. Another thing that I learned is that there are three ways to upload layers, which are through the website directly, with local files, and through sketch layers.

Introduction:

I imagine that since this is the follow up to 291 that most of us are already acquainted but just to recap my name is Chris. I’m a senior and a ENVS major/Zoo minor. While 291 wasn’t my favorite class, I still found parts of it interesting. Also just as in 291, I completely missed the email which would give me access to post on the site at first and spent around 30 minutes trying to figure out what I did wrong until I found the email with the invite link…

Poking Around:

I had already poked around a bit previously in 291 so I’m slightly familiar.

• Not sure what counted as ‘basic info’ so I just reiterated what I said in the introduction in the bio
• Going to ‘My Esri’ it seems that I need to obtain permission from an ‘administrator’, that I imagine being Dr. Krygier. Not sure if that’ll pose an issue down the line but I don’t think so as it seems to only be connected to viewing information regarding the ‘organization’.
• It is interesting to see how there is an entire dedicated forum and community revolving around the software. I shouldn’t be surprised that there is but still.

Reading:

• It seems as if the website has a lot in common with the ArcGIS software in regards to functionality and features
• Much of the website seems to be dedicated to the sharing of information with others, both inside and outside the ‘organization’.

Online Training

• Training is helpful and provides more context on new info
• Did not feel like it took two hours to complete despite what the average time said
• Quizzes were not terribly difficult
• 

Applications:

One application I found for the use of the ArcOnline software was that being utilized by the US Department of Transportation for the analysis and mapping of vehicle noise emissions, such as those created by commercial aircraft.

https://hub.arcgis.com/documents/usdot::2018-noise-data/about

Another application I found was the mapping of protected marine zones for use by anglers in California

https://cdfw.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=c00c82e1f32a49e99c747e2411e3439e

My name is Carsyn Hagans, and I’m a sophomore biology and environmental science major! I just got done with GIS 291, so I’m excited to see how this course goes.

When I was poking around ArcGIS, I noticed that it has links to a lot of different apps, and I remember from last semester that ArcGIS Online can be used for a variety of things. Also, there appears to be a pretty big online community that uses ArcGIS Online, and when I opened up the Blog and the Forum, there were a lot of posts and information about GIS, which would be helpful to anyone using the website that had questions. 

When I looked through the Getting Started section, I noticed that while ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online seem to have similar features, ArcGIS Online looks a little more modern and user-friendly, in my opinion. Because the online version can be done on a laptop, it is also nice to know I can use the Macbook keyboard shortcuts that I am used to. Another thing that I found interesting in the Getting Started section was the How to Visualize Weather section. This section talks about the different ways you can manipulate your scenes to show different weather effects, which seems like a very cool feature. Throughout this entire section, I mainly learned that there are so many ways to use ArcGIS Online to reach a diverse audience. 

When I completed the intro course, a lot of it was either similar to how we created maps in 291, so I remembered it well, or I remembered it slightly from when we actually used ArcGIS Online. It was interesting to learn about some of the more specific ways that you can share web maps with specific people or groups, and it is nice that the Sharing tool is easy to manipulate. Also, it was interesting to see how ArcGIS Online is a little more limited in its capabilities than Pro, but it is still a very useful tool. Here’s my certificate 🙂

One interesting way I found (on Google) that people have used ArcGIS Online is to map the distributions of reefs. Because reefs are so sensitive to temperature changes, lots of organizations are keeping a close eye on their health. People have used ArcGIS Online to map how reefs have become bleached and what their current conditions are. This is very useful for scientists or conservationists because it allows them to target their conservation efforts to one location that is at the most risk. Interestingly, I found a live feed of coral reef bleaching incidences that an organization keeps up to date with NOAA data! 

https://hub.arcgis.com/maps/26e71d14067c4b3f8dd31d1a4e008cfb/about

Additionally, I found that ArcGIS Online can be used to share maps of animal distributions and populations. Specifically, I looked up the distribution and population density of sea otters, but I’m sure there are many different maps that show how other species are distributed as well. I think this kind of information could be useful for a wide variety of people, from undergraduate students to researchers. These kinds of interactive maps can even be used in schools or museums when giving lessons on certain organisms! 

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?layers=f631c975b1e348d89961eddc13b498a5

• I am Annabel Benes, a senior from Denver, Colorado. I just completed the GIS 291 therefore I am excited to see what comes next with GIS 292. I enjoyed the first course and look forward to learning new information for the rest of the semester. 
• Under my esri it said I didn’t have access, not sure what I missed in the login but I will set-up an appointment to figure it out. It was really cool to see all the different courses that could be taken. I also think it’s cool that we have access to looking at the blog and forums so we can have a further understanding of everyday applications. 
• I think ArcGIS online is really interesting. especially since you can access it anywhere from your personal computer and not be tied to a specific space. The notebook feature seems really cool and a good place to write down ideas and more in a consistent area. the wide range of data that can be shared and accessed is really cool./ being able to see various maps and content is really helpful. overall I already feel like this is more user friendly and will be easier to work with. 
• This was a very informative tutorial. I thought it was good to get a refresher about topics stated in GIS 291. I feel that this might be easier to work with but we will see.  

• The two courses that seem cool to learn about are Create smart surveys and forms and creating an underground scene. 
• Two applications that I wanted to look into were Urbanization in Africa and Bears of the World. I thought these maps were really interesting and provided a lot of information and detail.

• • https://m.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=0263c93beb6a471e97497f1fca05d8e6 
  • https://blueraster.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=563ff8a23bd4429ea3d40d03f3f95b27
• 

Hi! My name is Pacey Schtucka and I am a first year at OWU. I am an Environmental Science major with a Geography minor. I took GEOG 291 last semester, so I already had access.

Poking around comments: 

• I went and added basic info to my profile while poking around the website. 
• It would not let me access anything on My ESRI, I’m not sure if I am supposed to be able to see anything here. It said that I needed an invitation from an organization. I was logged in using my OWU credentials, and I also have accepted every invitation sent to me.
• The ESRI community is really cool. I like that it is set up in a really digestible way. I also like that I am able to see what other people are using web GIS for. It acts almost as a discussion board. Here, people are able to share ideas, problems, and solutions.  

Get started comments: 

• From this reading, I am starting to understand the differences between web GIS and desktop GIS. I sort of feel like ArcGIS Online is a more universally friendly version of pro. It is able to be done from any online device, and it also seems more digestible. I also feel like ArcGIS Online is able to have a more collaborative feel than ArcGIS Pro. It is able to be shared with others more easily, and one of its marketing tools is that it is great for workspaces.
• I think that ArcGIS Online having a notebook app is particularly interesting. In particular, I find it interesting that a mapping tool has a specific feature where users can brainstorm and perform analysis inside of the software itself. I also liked that this section gave me the option to view a sample notebook because I had no idea what it would look like, and see one helped me to better understand its uses. 

ArcGIS Online Basics: 

• I feel like webgis is very similar to arcgis, but it also looks like it will be easier. 
• I really like that files can be stored in the software itself, and that the files are able to be shared over the software. 

Taking advantage of ESRI online training:

• Training that looks interesting:
  • Creating an Underground Scene in ArcGIS Online 
  • Creating Stories with ArcGIS
• One use for ArcOnline is to track deforestation. I searched “ArcOnline deforestation” and I was able to find articles about deforestation in specific areas or the globe as a whole. From searching around, I was able to see that ESRI has a particular interest in using this feature as an education tool to teach users about why they should care about deforestation. One source that I found stated that “WWF has compiled and analyzed global data on deforestation and degradation trends, identifying 24 deforestation fronts” and the source also states “we use an emerging hotspots analysis to assess major trends and hotspots in tropical forests between 2004-2017.” From this source I was also able to find a world view on deforestation, a part of this map is show below
  • Source: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=85e28181546241dba988050b8966ba15 
• Another use for ArcOnline is to keep track of data in a story map. I chose to search “ArcOnline student debt” as an example of a specific type of data that someone might want to track. I was able to find an interactive map that will show average student loan debt by US State and then percent of people with student loan debt. This sources talks about how they collected their data, and then how they were able to make the maps animate back and forth. From this, I was able to understand how I might be able to take data and make a representation of the data in ArcOnline that is easily to understand.

Source: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9c57e887cfd945b79a707fe293dbd4af