Geography 292: Geospatial Analysis with Web GIS

Chapter 1- I learned that Web GIS is easily more accommodating than desktop GIS since it has global reach, low cost for users, large number of users, and better cross platform capabilities. Meaning that data transfer is easy to do among the users of web GIS. When it comes to web GIS “The Science of Where” is what it is all about, whether that be places on a map or data points within a summary GIS is able to do that. For example GIS is used in all sorts of fields; remote sensing, crowdsourcing, weather, 3-D visualization to name a few. Additionally this chapter explains how you can import data into the application rather than having to to through and type all of your data points one by one. Additionally much like with desktop GIS you are able to make legends and charts and other graphics that explain the dataset being represented. Symbology is another concept within this application that is the same as desktop GIS, which is always fun to be able to customize the symbols and really make the map feel like you have had your own spin on the data set.

Chapter 2- Chapter 2 is very quick to explain the use of feature layering and smart mapping, listing a whole list of different smart-mapping styles such as heat mapping, mapping based off of color and size, dot density maps, etc…, and it explains the differences and practical uses of these mapping styles. Pop-ups are another feature that existed in desktop GIS as well, but they show geographic information and insight just by clicking on the corresponding location Chapter 2 also gives the blueprint of GIS applications those blueprints consist of the base map, the information layers that qualify what the map is trying to show to the readers, and the tools in which you need to use in order to actually assemble the map itself.

Potential Application- A potential application that could be used with this information is a map showing how the polar ice caps have melted from year to year.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 focused on ArcGIS Experience builder which allows us all to create a highly customizable web app using the data on GIS. Unlike Web AppBuilder, experience builder allows us to have full control over layout, interactivity and design which lets us combine widgets, maps and text in multiple ways. The chapter talked about responsive design so that apps look good on desktop, mobile and other electronic devices. Some widgets include maps, lists, search tools and charts. You can also connect data sources, create interactive dashboards and apply filters. The chapter also talks us through building simple experiences and also highlights the importance of user experience which is also called UX design and helps with creating effective GIS apps. One useful piece of advice is that experience builder allows us to design conditional visibility for actions and widgets which is similar to how field maps control what fields are being displayed.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 explores mobile data collection tools in ArcGIS. Survey123 allows us to create smart forms that guide users through surveys with photo attachments, location capture and conditional logic. Field maps is a helpful app for collecting lines, polygons and points in the field including related records and offline collection. QuickCapture helps simplify rapid data collection with large buttons, photo capture and automated location which is ideal for surveys and field inspections. AuGeo is a reality app that visualizes points of interest in real space and offers a unique way to explore data. The chapter mainly talks about conditional visibility, attachments and user input configuration across all these apps. 

Application idea

An application idea I have which was inspired by both of the chapters I read was to create a campus trails and parks map showing all the parks and trails near/around Ohio Wesleyan’s campus. This would allow people to explore nearby parks, walking trails and the campus buildings.

Chapter 5: This chapter was very useful in learning how ArcOnline and Enterprise can interact. However, I was a little bit confused by the fact that we imported the maps from Enterprise but didn’t use them. Instead, we used maps that were created by someone else. I thought it was cool to see the difference between the vector and raster tiles. The chapter explained caching, but I still think the concept is a little confusing. I understand that caching can upload tiles faster than traditional methods, but I still don’t quite understand how to use them and apply them to my own mapping. Something else that was a little confusing was the difference between caching locally and choosing one of the other options. The text sort of explained it, but not it a way that was easy to understand. After I did the work on the enterprise, I was able to display my data using a story. This is a part of the process that I really enjoy because it’s interactive and a great way to display your finished data.

Since I found this chapter a little confusing, I’m not sure exactly how to apply this data correctly using my own data. However, an idea would be to create a map of the different food banks in Ohio. The point of the food banks could vary depending on how many people they serve. And the vector and raster data could show different numbers of tiles and the names of the food banks.

Chapter 6: This chapter started off by discussing IoT and the integration of smart technology in our daily lives. Learning about this was super cool because it talked about how the use of IoT can be sustainable, especially in terms of smart homes, heating, cooling, and electricity. Something else that the chapter went over was creating a web layer that refreshes very often. This is super cool, and I can see why it would be useful, especially to police and first responders. When I was working with a web layer that was changing, it was cool to see it change as I was inputting data into the map. Something that took me a little bit to figure out was the coding aspect of this web layer. While it wasn’t entirely confusing, it was still very tedious, especially when I made a small mistake. Overall, I loved how interactive this map was, and that I could see it constantly changing. While I think that adding the data displays, like the table and chart, can be quite useful, I wonder if there is another way to display the data without it being so cluttered. In the second part of this chapter, I created a web layer that displayed population growth over time in cities in the US. 

An idea for applying the data I learned from this chapter would be to create a map displaying all of the major roads in Delaware. The map could be frequently updated. It would display car crashes or road stops. Similar to a GPS. Additionally, I could create a map of Delaware that displays its population growth over time.

Chapter 3: 

This chapter primarily revolves around the creation of web-based apps and using them to show how data has changed over time within an area. The chapter focuses on how to set this up with the picking of source data sets and how to configure and add widgets to meet your objectives. Widgets are components within JavaScript and HTMLthat execute a list of given and focused functions. This chapter details two main types of widgets: basic and layout. Basic widgets are very functional and can perform as app tools . These include map, legend, layers, queys, filter, chart, elevation profile, and many more. Layout widgets are containers that hold and organize widgets on pages and windows. This type of widget includes section, column, row, fixed panel, sidebar, and more. Overall, widgets are exceptionally helpful and vital to getting the most out of your maps. The book then went on to say that customizable widgets are only available to use on WebGIS. I went through the tutorial for this given chapter and learned firsthand many of the other concepts that were presented to me. This was a great experience for me and was very rewarding. 

Chapter 4:

This chapter was all about mobile GIS and its many applications and uses. I thought that this was a really interesting adaptation of WebGIS as it allows for people not only to connect from anywhere and share information and ideas, but to directly look and interact with their maps as they are on the site of said maps. This also opens up WebGIS to many more people to have access to this type of information. Mobile GIS also allows for more applications to be used including VGI and AR/VR. Overall this is a really cool adaptation to an already very useful tool. Being able to access GIS data on the phone makes perfect sense as they already have state of the art gps technology. The tutorial for this chapter was also very helpful and interesting. 

            Chapters 5 and 6 of Getting to Know Web GIS dive deeper into how to share and organize maps online in an orderly fashion for GIS work. Chapter 5 explains ArcGIS dashboards. ArcGIS dashboards let you pull together live maps, charts, and indicators to tell a real-time story with your data. ArcGIS dashboards are like mindmaps or hw sites that let you pull all info into one spot to get the full picture. Dashboards can be used to monitor activity, like tracking wildfires, traffic, or even your own data feeds. The cool part is how everything is connected. Clicking something in one panel updates the rest instantly. Chapter 6 then shifts gears to ArcGIS StoryMaps, which turns GIS data into a kind of interactive narrative. You can mix maps with text, images, and videos to guide people through your data like a story instead of just showing them raw info. It feels more creative and expressive than the dashboards in my opinion. Together, these chapters show how GIS isn’t just for data management it’s also for communication and presentation. Reading them gave me ideas for how I could use my own data, like turning my walking route maps into a live dashboard that tracks my total distance and then wrapping that into a StoryMap showing how my routes change over the seasons.

Chapter 5:

In chapter 5 I learned about  map imaging layering which is how map layers can be drown dynamically by the server or by using tiles from a cache.  Even when the map layers use tiles, the vector data behind them is still available, and because of that map image layers support both the visualization and spatial or attribute questions.

Next is the vector tile layer which these type of layers deliver map data as many grouped vector files, usually in Protocol buffer Binary format. Vector files have some advantages like map style can be customized, labels in vector tile layers can remain upward while the map rotates, and the size of vector data usually  smaller than raster data.

Lastly is publishing strategy when choosing layer types, like if the layer will used for editing workflows you use feature layers or If your data has rasters and will be used for visualization, choose raster title layers or map image layers.

An application idea could be to show  different thunderstorms in Ohio throughout a range of years and all the damage they have done to land, building, and the enviornment.

Chapter 6:

In chapter 6 I learned about IoT which is the network of physical objects, or things, embedded with sensors and network connectivity that allows these objects to collect and exchange data.

Next thing I learned about is how arc gis delivers real time data from servers to clients. Arc gis both poll and push methods to give real time data. Poll is the traditional approach in which a client periodically  polls server to retrieve the latest data. Also how Push is a new way to serve data in near real time using the HTML5 WebSocker protocol.

Lastly I learned about animating time series data, which is the temporal nature of real time data allows you to establish a time series which is a sequence of data points captured over intervals of time.

Chapter 3:

This chapter focusses on how to create web apps to make maps interactive and easy for people to use. One thing that interest me a lot was how land usage over time changes and this can be shown through GIS. Widgets can be added to your web apps to make it wiser to use features like search bars, sliders, and charts. Another important part of the chapter was learning how chart widgets can make data more practical by chowing graphs instead of just points on a map. This is helpful when it’s provided for the more general public and you want them to understand. I think these tools make apps much easier to use for the greater, but also for the general public to be able to use. it helps scientists to communicate their research and findings to the general public.

An application idea could be to show the hurricanes in Florida throughout a range of years and all the damage that they have done, to the land and the buildings.

Chapter 4:

This chapter mostly focused on mobile GIS and why it is useful. Mobile GIS lets people to collect, record, and use data in the field, instead of retiring to a desktop computer to use the data. Mobile GIS is great for tracking data that computers are not able to be taken, these mobile devices also have a GPS, so tracking data is fast, accurate, and efficient. The chapter also explained some challenges of battery life and having weak cell service. Volunteer Geographic Information (VIS) is another thing that the chapter covered, this is information reported by people, like road issues or wildlife sitings. Augmented Reality (AR) was anything interesting topic that the chapter talked about, this allows you to bring something to life in the real world through your phone or devices camera. I also learned that the feature layers are easily editable so people can add new information, update information, or delete information very easily if needed.

An application idea for this would be to make a web app where people can edit a feature layer to allow for animal sitings and report them with a more accurate location than the current way.

Chapter 1:

I learned that you can import a new feature layer into ArcGIS Online instead of creating one from scratch. In your map you have options to add tables and layer, change the base map used, and create charts and legends that go along with your map. You can also use the ArcGIS database to search for other layers as well as searching from an atlas. Within this function, you can have the option of making them transparent, as well as changing the style of and symbols of the map. These maps you can then share with others within your organization, or publish to the Map so that anyone can access it publicly. You can create story maps (kind of like slide shows) that can include images, videos, and other media throughout your map.

Chapter 2:

ArcGIS Online has a very large selection of templates available, each are for different data, such as collecting and categorizing data of for things such as 3D scenes. Each WebGIS app is formed from 3 components, the baseman, the operational layers and th additional tools for that project. A living Atlas is an ESRI hosted collection of maps, apps and databases available to add in and use with your own applications and maps. Arcade allows you to use expressions to manipulate the data that you already have collected instead of needing to change the underlying data.

One potential application that this could be used with is to map all of the roads in the area and also map all of the major businesses in the area, this could give you a good idea of if the road ways are in the most effective layout.

CHAPTER 5: ArcGIS Enterprise

• Used for more private (but still shareable) instances of WebGIS
• Uses User-managed infrastructure, such as user-managed hosting
• Allows for geoprocessing, which is not offered in public GIS.
• Combines the ArcGIS portal and server to work.
• To run an ArcGIS enterprise server:
  • Server must either be licensed as GIS server standard
  • ArcGIS portal must be connected to the GIS server
  • Data Store should be configured as a relational database and a tile cache
  • Web Adaptor must be installed in one instance of ArcGIS enterprise
• There are various tile layers which are pretty self explanatory from the title, Raster Tile, Vector Tile, Feature Tile
• ArcGIS data will either be referenced or copied.

APPLICATION: This is obviously very useful for enterprises, but I remember Krygier mentioning that ArcGIS can be used for fictional cartography, so my immediate thought was to use something like this for a DnD game, weirdly?

CHAPTER 6: Real Time GIS

• Real Time GIS is used to handle that which moves change or appear continuously and would need constant updating
• ArcGIS Velocity, ArcGIS mission
• Space-time data can be separated into several categories
  • Moving data (things that are actively moving as data is projected)
  • Discrete (events that happen and need to be reported instantly)
  • Stationary (stays still, value changes)
  • Change (i assume you know what change is)
• Time is usually measured in start point and duration time
• IOT: network of objects used to survey data
• Smart City: A city which can monitor in real time resources and data and help manage the city effectively
• Real time GIS (Geoevent and Velocity) digests data, processes it, and presents the data in real time, unlike other systems which require manual input
• Two ways to do real time: Poll and Push
  • Poll asks the server for new data once in a certain amount of time, usually 30 seconds
  • Push pushes data from stream services to a web client (automating the manual input?)
• Dashboards can be used to quickly present real time data to people who need it
• Mission is like a Real-Time GIS mixed with what I think is a task manager and messageboard?

APPLICATION: Something like mission, but for students? Make a university map (internal and external if possible??) and allow them to input assignments they have to do and the rooms they have to turn it into. Would be most helpful for freshmen in the labyrinth that is SCSC in my opinion.

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 introduced me to the fundamentals of ArcGIS Online and how Web GIS allows data, maps and applications to be shared and accessed by anyone around the world. I was able to learn how to create a feature layer from a CSV file, add attachments and even build a web app using the Attachment Viewer template. Web GIS is powerful because it makes mapping both interactive and collaborative with advantages like easy access, cross-platform compatibility and low maintenance. I also learned about the key components of a web map that are basemaps, operational layers and tools which work together and makes information functional, clear and visually appealing.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 was all about smart mapping and storytelling. I learned how to publish feature layers using geocoding, style them using smart mapping and enhance pop-ups with arcade expressions, charts, and images. This chapter also talked about ArcGIS StoryMaps which can combine maps, text and multimedia for telling spatial stories. The use of sidecar and swipe blocks allows users to explore relationships and change over time making data easier to understand. I liked how smart mapping can reveal patterns like population changes or housing trends without needing to analyze each data point manually.

Application Idea

One potential application I could do is a StoryMap that would showcase how Hilliard, Ohio, which is where I am from has grown over the years by showing new housing areas, schools and parks. This would include photos of local parks and pop-ups with graphs showing population growth. I could also do a section on Ohio Wesleyan University where I can map out key campus buildings and green spaces while using a swipe block to compare how the layout of campus has changed over time. This would help in visualizing community development and environmental balance here in Central and Delaware Ohio.