Geography 292: Geospatial Analysis with Web GIS

In Chapter 5 I learned how to add a portal connection from ArcGIS Pro to web GIS. I also learned how to publish different layers and how to use them side by side.

In Chapter 6 I learned all about dashboards and how to create layers.

Chapter 5: This chapter digs into how web maps actually run smoothly online and why caching is such a big deal. The basic idea is that instead of making the map redraw every time someone opens it, you “prebuild” all the little map tiles (either as raster or vector tiles) and store them. That way, when users pan or zoom, they’re just loading those premade tiles which is super fast and easy on the server. This chapter also talks a lot about on-premises Web GIS, which basically means setting up your own servers to host your GIS instead of using Esri’s cloud. It’s great for organizations that need extra security, have sensitive data, or just want full control over performance. You trade convenience for control; you have to maintain the hardware and software yourself, but you don’t depend on outside servers. The chapter walks through how tile caching works and when to use different types of layers. Raster tiles are the “old-school” method, simply just images of the map. Vector tiles are lighter and let users restyle maps on the fly, so they’re great for modern web apps. There’s also some hands-on stuff about publishing tiles from ArcGIS Pro to your portal or server. 

Chapter 6: Chapter 6 shifts from static maps to live data; maps that move, update, and change over time. The focus is on spatiotemporal data, which means data that changes in both space and time (like vehicles moving around a city or sensors sending updates every few seconds). The chapter explains how real-time GIS works: data gets streamed in from devices or sensors, processed on a server, and then instantly visualized on a web map or dashboard. You can show things like traffic, weather, or emergencies as they happen. These live maps can allow users to make time enabled layers and use time sliders in web maps, therefore letting users “play back” how events unfolded. There’s also a big focus on designing web apps that can handle lots of changing data without slowing down. This chapter also talks about how to filter data, use time windows, and make animations that are actually useful instead of overwhelming.

For a real project, it would be cool to make a Campus Emergency Response Map using ideas from both chapters. I could get some data on campus buildings, defibrillator locations, and safety camera spots. I could also add real-time layers showing live campus security alerts and patrol vehicle locations. The web map would update automatically when something happens like an alarm or an emergency call. A dashboard could show current incidents, response times, and even a playback of how things unfolded over the last 24 hours.

Walz – Week 4

 

Chapter 5:

Chapter 5 went a lot over how ArcGIS enterprise works, how this hybrid model is ideal for security but also functionality and how one can use ArcGIS pro to compare tiles on ArcGIS online/enterprise

• Sometimes you may need to build a private WebGIS due to security or functionality reasons
• You can build this private WebGIS through ArcGIS enterprise
• In places with restricted internet like government buildings, will need to use on-premise WebGIS
• ArcGIS enterprise is an on-premise, user managed part of the Esri Cloud. Basically ArcGIS enterprise is just a variation of ArcGIS online
• The specifics on how ArcGIS enterprise is connected to GIS servers are a little bit confusing but it seems to be highly secured
• ArcGIS enterprise like ArcGIS online can create and host multiple web layers with various features
• Many of the GIS products conform to a specific standard in order to keep things uniform
• Can use weblayers from ArcGIS pro for ArcGIS online and enterprise
• I tried doing tutorial 5 but for ArcGIS pro wasn’t working so I plan on reinstalling the application and deleting some old projects as my laptop is running a bit slow from all the downloads, so I will attempt this later
• Though from what it looks like, you can use ArcGIS pro to basically compare with other tiles like vector and raster tiles on ArcGIS online / enterprise

 

Chapter 6:

• In this chapter, it seems the data file type is csv. Which I believe is what we used for ArcGIS story maps as well. Then from that data  you can create a feature layer and then use instant app templates and the ArcGIS dashboard
• Time is an important dimension of ArcGIS; spatiotemporal data can be categorized into these categories; moving, discrete, stationary, and change. Most of these are pretty self explanatory
• On GIS a time value can be either a point of time or a duration of time
• loT collect sensor data that can be shared and presumably update maps in real time
• Lots of smart devices have this sensor feature to get real time data to you
• ArcGIS velocity allows user to capitalize on sensor data for Esri projects
• Dashboards can be updated with real time data, can display things like wind speed, or measles cases
• Tutorial 6 had me explore various ArcGIS applications focusing on real time and temporal GIS. I built a web map with live data layers that showcased things like traffic, and incidents, and then I customized it but I didn’t want to share it. I then created an operations dashboard that visualized real time emergency information, but it was kind of wonky. Afterward I made a time enabled feature layer from historical US pop. data and made it into an animated map and then I did a time aware map that animated 200 years of US population growth, which showed trends over time.

 

One application idea is creating a time aware map over really any data I could realistically collect or get a hold of that a time aware would make sense. Like for example; looking at urban growth within a city or how wildlife have decreased over time in an urban area.

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.