Geography 292: Geospatial Analysis with Web GIS

In the tutorial for chapter 3, I was able to create a 2D and 3D web experience using the Experience Builder in ArcGIS. The screenshot below shows the final webpage I created. The tutorial guided me through how to add many different widgets that all carried out different functions, it also showed me how to style these and edit actions and animations. I think it would be good to utilize the web experience builder tool from the chapter in my final project, I like how interactive it is.

In the tutorial for chapter 4, I used ArcOnline to design a survey and collected and viewed data using this survey. In another section of this tutorial, I learned how to create an editable feature layer with attributes and domains with attachments and templates, using this layer I was able to configure a web map. I also created an ArcGIS quick capture project using the layer I created previously and collected data.  This was not my favorite chapter but I can see how useful the survey might be if I decided I wanted to gather data myself for my final project. 

This tutorial was very short and interesting. I was able to get most of the steps completed, but a few of my scenes turned out a little different than the ones in the book. I enjoyed learning how to symbolize the 3D objects in the park scene, and I liked how much variety of symbols ArcGIS provides. It was also interesting to learn how to display population density on a 3D map, although I think we did this a little in GEOG 291. A few of the buttons are labeled differently from what the book says to look for, so some of the tutorials took a little longer just to search for the right buttons. I also am beginning to realize how easy it is to manipulate and symbolize a scene to show very specific things. This chapter also went over ways to make 3D scenes realistic by adjusting the size or height at which the 3D symbols are placed in the scene. I think some of the scenes they have us practicing on may be a little crowded with cars and helicopters! Using techniques from this chapter, I think it would be a cool idea to use either the Delaware GIS data or another set of data I could find to symbolize a certain area in a 3D scene. For example, I could symbolize trees, benches, and other features of downtown Delaware, or another area with that available data.

 

One of my favorite aspects of ArcGIS was the ability to make 3D map renditions, and so I am able to complete those from WebGIS as well! 3D maps in WebGIS, however, are referred to as either web scenes or 3D scenes. The book states some of its own examples of 3D scenes as giving a wider ability for story telling, helping with architectural ideas, urban planning, stimulations for defense, and creating films. I would also like to add to that list that 3D scenes allow for views to get a greater understanding. Sometimes, normal maps and scenes are hard to understand from their 2D view. What’s even more interesting about 3D scenes is that they are able to add an “X-ray” feature to a scene, allowing the viewer to move in and out of the objects to see what is inside. Furthermore, 3D scenes also allow those looking at them to see how sunlight or other implements might impact an area that a 2D scene wouldn’t be able to do. This allows for a further analysis of the scene and its contents. 3D scenes are able to be broken down into two different types. The first type is a photorealistic scene. A photorealistic scene is supposed to look as close to real life as possible. They utilize photos and texture features to recreate it to the best of their abilities. Typically, they are best used to show visible objects (like a city). The second type is cartographic. These use a 2D mapping technique and transitions them into a 3D scene. A lot of the time, these use attribute-driven symbols: height, size, color, etc. They do this to display physical, abstract, or invisible features.

 

I am not exactly sure what I would make from this chapter. I think I would pick an already created map and turn it into a 3D scene or take a feature in the map and turn it 3D. This would create a cartographic scene as opposed to a photorealistic scene. I think it would be interesting to take a 2D map of campus and have a pop up window for one of the buildings that would be a 3D rendition of it and allow it to be x-rayed. 

 

Chapter 7 was quite extensive in the intro but it did reintroduce 3D aspects, something which I found highly interesting during GEOG291 and is also one of my favorite aspects of GIS. There’s something about looking at it that sort of… tickles your brain? I’m not sure how else to say it. Anyways, Chapter 7 discusses the different types of 3D viewing such as extended reality (xr), virtual reality (vr), augmented reality (ar), and mixed reality (mr). I have had experience with AR and VR outside of class but that’s a different story. Chapter 7 also discusses different types of scene layers and how to create them, how to create web scenes in the scene viewer (which the tutorial goes into detail on) how to change 3D symbols in the scene viewer.

The tutorials themselves were a bit of a mixed bag. The chapter was a bit shorter than normal and went by quicker than others but it had its issues. Half the items were not where they were supposed to be and it took a significant amount of time to locate the items it wanted me to find. I’m not sure half of it was even correct as I had to guess what  half of the selected items were. I also don’t think some of the 3D web scene icons worked correctly. For starters I don’t think Tesla’s are able to drive on water and I’m also fairly certain though I could be wrong that there is a bush reaching into the stratosphere in the mountains of California. I’m also fairly certain for 7.4 that there are no helicopters flying around which are bigger than the alien ships from ‘Independence Day’. My computer was also running extremely slow during this section which hasn’t happened before. 4.5 and 4.6 both went by relatively quickly albeit with the same problems of things being severely out of proportion. The slice feature was pretty interesting to play around with though.

As for an application idea, luckily this time I have a few more ideas. Given that I am an avid angler, I could theoretically create an app which shows a 3D layout of one of my favorite areas on the water back home in Cleveland.

Chapter 7

The tutorial for this chapter allows you to learn how to create web scenes and 3D web apps. I did not have many issues doing this tutorial as it was very easy to follow and it was not as long as the ones in the past. In ArcGIS, 3D web maps are referred to as web scenes also known as 3D scenes. By using 3D it allows you to bring an extra dimension to 2D maps which often brings advantages in data visualization, analysis, and communication. In today’s world 3D GIS is a crucial component for research frontiers and hot spots which include digital cities. A web scene can also have multiple layers which include feature layers, map image layers, raster tile layers. Scenes have four main types of elements: Surface, features, textures, and atmospheric effects. Finding other applications of 3D maps would definitely be useful and interesting to learn.  An idea I have is to use a 3D model of Delaware and tie it to multi unit houses in the city and see how that affects the population density of certain parts of town.

I really liked this tutorial because it expanded the possibilities of the 3D maps. Overall, I didn’t have many problems following this one. The only thing that came up was that some objects in my scene looked out of proportion (like the huge cars). I wasn’t able to troubleshoot that part. I would like to know the other applications for 3D maps like this. I am still thinking about how I want to apply this to my final. One question I thought of during this week was whether we should use the data in the Delaware Data folder for the final.

I don’t really have many thoughts from this week. I noticed that I am picking up on a lot each week and each tutorial is easier than the last. I also move through them quicker now. As I mentioned before, I am still thinking about the possibilities of the final but I did think of one idea.  If I end up going with the grocery store idea, I can use the 3D features to make the buildings I want to showcase. 

 

notes para chapter 6:

• Looking at the highway cams and reading the various incident reports is pretty fun

• Struggled a bit with 6.4, doing anything in the expressions area was a bit difficult to follow
• Couldnt find the list tab on page 215 number 2 so i just skipped it, it seemed to not affect anything major, still was able to do the following steps

 

https://owugis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/4742e5f075534fb080fea8d78b3ec1f8

https://owugis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/slider/index.html?appid=4971fb47adbf4f3383ecf69c098d16db

 

a cool application that i did a bit in geog 112 was by choosing a state and looking at different counties and plotting the population change in the specific counties over time, using the instant apps to make the animation process a lot easier than it was by just taking a bunch of pictures and cycling them to show population change by color

a cool zoology application could be done at the state level like mentioned above but with conservation of counted species, for example using ebird data of sighted specific species in the counties around central ohio over the past 20 years to monitor which species population levels are staying the same, increasing, or falling

Week 3

Notes para chapter 3:

• 3.1 number 25 you do not click enter on your keyboard, instead click the url button again after inputting the correct url and then click x on the panel
• 3.3 number 5 filter is named framework
• 3.4 number 7 make sure to click customize to find the clear selection button
• 3.5 number 21 there is no “year” value in the sort by tab, only category and value

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/8b1fa5ec705b4d4cbf49ec6851c674ab/

 

Week 4

notes:

• 4.1 number 8 there is no option for “imagery hybrid”, i chose imagery with labels instead
• 4.1 number 9 single choice is called single option
• Same with multiple choice and multiple select
• 4.1 number 14 no set rule window, thus skipped

• 4.3 number 4 keep selected define your own layer
• 4.4 number 13 conditional variability is the settings button next the the required checkbox

a cool application could be to use the AuGeo to make a mini-tour guide aid using the first person pov function on the app using your camera. this could be done by inputting points on a map layer with a detailed description of the site, with a picture for people to eventually walk to and see in person. it would be pretty simple to make too, especially since location data and information can be manually inputted and clicked on the map layer without any additional inputs.

for the final project, i am definitely going to use a story map to explain a study or specific study organism and the various components of their life, most likely going to be a bird species due to the cool mapping ideas that can be done via migration data across a large area

Chapter 7

• Chapter seven was really interesting to go through. I liked how we got a new perspective with the scene viewer and how it was more complex with the data. I did have some trouble with some of the tutorials but for the most part I got the concepts.
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Ch. 6

Chapter 6 began with how to create a dashboard to display GIS information. It shows you updated info since it updates the changes for you. The book also guides you on how to use different tools for data collection. 

 

“Stream layers” are introduced here, which are basically features layers with live/real time data updates. It gives an example with traffic cameras to show how the real time updates work. 

 

Just as an idea for an application with real time footage, trail cams or other wildlife recording devices could be set up in a similar way to collect data on animal population, frequency, migration, etc.