Geography 292: Geospatial Analysis with Web GIS

Chapter 1:
This chapter gave me a great introduction to the functions and scope of GIS. Learning how GIS connects people and information globally, I found that being able to layer and visualize data really changes how we can understand spaces without even being there. The exercise on building the app was a useful hands-on example. Overall, it was a straightforward start.

Chapter 2:
Chapter Two was definitely more involved, moving into structuring a full map project. The breakdown of tools helped make it clear how each part of a project builds on another. There was a small mismatch between the tutorial’s layout and what I saw on my screen, which added some extra steps, but I managed to work through it. By the end, I felt like I had a much stronger grasp of how a GIS project can be organized.

Application Idea:
For an application idea, I’d like to create a map of local trails and paths around campus and the surrounding area, gathering both route details and any unique features (like places to sit, views, etc.). This could be used by people in the community or tourists interested in exploring the area. Alternatively, I could make a map of campus trees, including details on species or age, as a guide for anyone interested in the green spaces nearby.

WebGIS has global reach, a large community of active users. Its often cheaper to build a program with WebGIS than to build and install a standalone program, it has better cross-platform capabilities, and it is easier to use and maintain. Being stored on the cloud offers ArcGIS online a lot more scalability, agility, and cost efficiency compared to on-premises data storage. Variable web GIS sites all being stored within ArcGIS instead of independently hosted allows for easier communication between them, and the platform has also allowed for a two-way flow of information allowing users to volunteer geographic information. It also prioritizes function for mobile devices as those are the primary way the majority of people are accessing online information. The platform also allows the conversion of 2D maps into 3D web scenes that can also be interacted with through virtual reality. Web GIS content is broken down primarily into data, layers, tools, web maps, scenes, and apps. An app is comprised of a basemap that provides geographical context, the operational layers that you interact with, and the tools that perform tasks beyond mapping like analysis. There is not a community map option on the main page Basemap button of 1.3, I did find one though by using living atlas. Working from the assignment ideas from chapter 1 I could create a map of the different locations I’ve traveled to as a part of cross country and track, we’ve gone pretty far.

Feature layers are the most common operational layers, they’re basically web services that can be reused across many different programs. Hosted layers are stored in the Esri geospatial cloud while unhosted layers are stored independently. Hosted layers are granted a lot more features and flexibility through Esri. One feature available through Esri is Smart Mapping, which allows you to change the style of a feature layer into a heat map, a comparison map, density maps, and much much more. Pop-ups allow you to provide additional information and insight. The Arcade feature is similar to Microsoft Excel’s formulas which allows you to add values to pop-ups for information that’s not in the attribute field of the layer. The living atlas is an incredibly large database of layers, maps, tools, and apps produced both by Esri themselves and by contributors, a wealth of resources available for use. WebGIS wants you to prioritize an app being fast, easy, and fun. Through a use of maps, narrative, and multimedia you can create a story that engages your users. The most populated cities in the chapter 2 tutorial are New York City and Los Angeles. The drop shadow settings seem pretty extreme and are very unaligned with a lot of the smaller arrows.

 

Hello! My name is Haley Roberts and I’m a second year Environmental Science major and Biology minor. I took the 291 class last semester, which went well considering that I’m not very great with technology. I figured it would make sense to take the 292 course this semester since it seems like being familiar with the ArcGIS programs could be useful in a future career.

One of the items that stood out to me while looking through my account was the Community and Forums section, which took me to a page labeled ESRI Community. I didn’t remember seeing this before, but it seems like a really good way to learn more about ArcGIS. It looks like people also troubleshoot in the online chats to solve issues with the program, so this might be helpful if I run into any issues in the future.

A second section that caught my attention was under the settings category and on the credits page. It currently lists 1,000 credits under my profile, which was not what I expected. The link under the credits took me to an informational page that explained that credits can be used for premium features. This seems like something that could be nice to keep in mind for use in a project.

I thought the tutorial for the Online Basics was helpful. The Instant Apps feature was especially neat because it seems like it could be included in a project and save a lot of time rather than if you tried to make the app yourself. I also like that the tutorial tells you exactly how to preview and use the apps, which made the information easier to understand. The tutorial also spent a lot of time emphasizing the difference between public and organizational accounts as well as the different sharing options. I could see this being extremely important in a workplace setting or if someone is working on a group project for a class.

Since the tutorial mentioned emergency response, I wanted to look at ArcGIS uses in mapping/presenting information on natural disasters. The first map I found was of tornado paths in the United States, which I found very interesting. I could see maps such as this one being used to track long-term weather patterns or to group natural disasters by year or severity to compare with other factors such as average temperature or annual rainfall. I also found a second map on ArcOnline that used to be updated every half hour to display the current weather reports from stations across the United States. While it no longer works, I think the map was a cool example of what all can be accomplished using ArcOnline.

(2023). Arcgis.com. https://www.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=01672085b139432e8fe1296a743f67d7

Hello! My name is Aiden Veerjee, I am a Junior and I come from Johnstown Ohio. My major is in Quantitative Economics and I have a minor in Geography. I am in Alpha Sigma Phi, I am in the Economics & Business student board, and I am the Comptroller for WCSA (Student Government), I am also the President for our school’s Investment Club.

My account:

1. After looking around, I forgot that I made a StoryMap for Geog291, I thought it was cool to revisit it after a while.
2. I also think it’s cool that the website itself had courses to make people more proficient at using it.

What Is ArcGIS Online?

1. I do think it is very useful to be able to access ArcGIS Online both through computers and phones. I would like to see some of the applications of being able to utilize ArcGIS via a mobile device.
2. And it seems like that the principles and fundamentals that we have learned in 291 are going to be at a much greater use when bringing stuff we can make more easily into a fully fledged webpage.

ArcGIS Online Basics:

1. Creating apps seems like an important & useful function that I will be learning a lot more about during this course.
2. Keeping things visible and easier to understand seems like a key concept that I should keep in mind for this course as well.
3. There are plenty of online resources that I am able to use.

GIS Applications:

1. I had looked up ‘ArcOnline crowdsourcing’ in google scholar and found an article about how someone used ArcGIS Online to compare crowdsourcing to natural resource management. I found this application pretty interesting, especially with one of the points they had brought up with giving people to report an invasive aquatic fern via GIS applications.
2. And as the election is drawing near, I wanted to take a look and see if there were a lot of electoral uses of ArcOnline, and sure enough there were quite a few.

Hello! My name is Ava and I am currently a junior with senior status! My major is East Asian Studies and I just returned from Studying abroad in Japan last semester! I took a course with previous professor Katsutoshi and was on the TPG to study soil in Japan, but I decided it was best to come home early to see my family and dog, Biggie Smalls! This is my first GIS course that I am taking, so I am very excited to be shown the ropes and discover everything that it has to offer. After taking the ESRI ArcGIS Online Basics, I did some digging on the site and found a lot of interesting articles and maps that did not pertain to more scientific studies. I figured that since it was more of a geographic mapping system, that everything there would be more likely than not about mountains or trenches, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case in so many instances. 

 

 

Race and Ethnicity in the US by Dot Density (2020 Census)

I thought that this map with population density categorized by race was extremely interesting as like I previously mentioned, this was definitely not a map that I thought would be listed, nor did I fully comprehend would be made using this programing either.

Get Started: What is ArcGIS Online 

Public accounts are available for use, but have limitations in terms of what can be used and viewed. While there are limitations, there are still many things to access and functions to use. Public accounts are not associated with any organization. 

Something else I had found that will be extremely useful for the future assignments as well as I had found it interesting was the “Get Started with Map Viewer”. Not only was it a basic breakdown/introduction to the Maps’ feature, but it also had uses for functionality, detailed explanations, and pictures as well for clear instructions.

 

Chapter 1.Introducing GIS-

 GIS gives just about unlimited access to the information of a place without having to physically go there. For example, identification of land features, climate, boundaries, population, resources and other things can be accessed just from the web using a geographic information system. Different analyses can be formed as well based on information gained from using GIS, like evolution, anticipation of future conditions based on current ones, finding locations for different needs, tracking diseases and starting points of spread, and many other examples. GIS allows room for exponential growth in terms of tracking, discovering and examining data. Usage of layers on GIS on maps also lays down the foundation for unique and hyper detailed viewing of certain characteristics that would otherwise be difficult to map, such as transmission lines, coal basins, shapes of geometrical forms, and other geographic features. With this, zooming, shrinking are at the fingertips of all users of GIS. 

Chapter 2. Introducing ArcGIS-

On GIS, there are feature layers, raster layers, scene layers, service layers, query layers, selection layers, subtype layers, voxel layers and graphics layers. Layers can be overlaid with one another and the result differs based on interaction with other layers. ArcMap- GIS application for analyzing and creating maps. ArcCatalog- application for management of data, deals with organization and documentation of spatial data. There are also different uses of ArcGIS for different people, such as ArcGIS for developers, professional usage of ArcGIS, and ArcGIS apps. Along with this, ESRI data is also available for use, things such as Smart Mapping, which is ESRI’s interactive program that enables users to quickly and efficiently navigate and spread data that has been inserted into maps. And Tapestry, which is ESRI’s segmentation data and divides different areas of towns, such as neighborhoods, into divisions based on socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and factors. 

Application-
My application based idea would be to include more detailed areas of surface elevation, higher and lower around Ohio, but specifically Delaware Ohio. I think that doing this would not only be beneficial for construction agencies, but also the people that live and interact with these areas frequently. For example, roads such as Elizabeth Street, South Liberty Street, South Washington Street, and South Sandusky street are all on higher elevations of hills that people in wheelchairs or physically handicapped may be unable to venture due to said elevation. Along with that, construction would be increasingly expensive as proper tools, infrastructures and supports need to be included for safe projects to be completed. 

 

Hi! I’m Ethan McNichols, I’m a senior Environmental Studies major and a double minor in Data & Society and Social Justice. I play Dungeons & Dragons, I’ve operated a discord server to centralize folks who play on campus so they can find games and other players. Its been in various conditions of activity and functionality over my four years here, currently working on cleaning that up so it can be handed off to an underclassman when I graduate because I think having that infrastructure is important. I also play Magic: the Gathering,  which just recently got an official club! I’m the treasurer for that now. I’m learning HTML on my own time to potentially end up making my own website/blog since I’m getting pretty fed up with the direction large social media sites are moving. I’ve also been listening to Ginger Root’s new album Shinbangumi a lot, I highly recommend it!

I’m going to try and stay ahead of my work in 292, it wasn’t awful to get caught up in 291 but it’ll be better to not have to deal with that at all on the latter half of the semester. (Written 10/16 lol. Didn’t finish this post before I was on a 3 day trip for Cross Country. *now* I’m going to try and stay ahead of my work).

I confirmed my new GIS account. With a budget of 1000 credits that I found in my settings I’m curious what all we’re gonna do. Just from reading the “getting started” section the notably different features seem to include a favorite system and a comments/rating system, as well as integration with social media sites to be able to share things. Floor-aware maps seem like an interesting function but I don’t know how much we’re going to be working with interior spacial details.

The training button seems to be broken. Everything below that seems to as well. They all open a new tab which fails to load. I ran into this last week and it seems to still be an issue a week later, on a different computer. I’ll send an email to Krygier about it.

For the google scholar stuff I looked up “Ohio climate” because I’m interested in how this is being used for local climate change. Turns out there’s a 2022 senior thesis from Wooster about how up to that point there was not a centralized place for this data, so they’ve been working to update some of Wooster’s server infrastructure to serve as the beginnings of a centralized ArcGIS dashboard for managing and visualizing local climate data.

Edit:

It loaded, I did the training. This page is also stalling out on me. Its late so I’m not waiting for the certificate to load.