Geography 292: Geospatial Analysis with Web GIS

Chapter 7: 

The 7th Chapter is about 3D Web mapping, which is explained to be helpful for communicating data in an efficient and easy to understand manner. They also have the upper hand in providing application to a larger array of uses, such as storytelling, urban planning, film making, defense simulations, and much more. I actually find it quite shocking to see that there are creative applications that can come from ArcGIS, as I had previously thought of it as primarily for data visualization, analysis of said data, and urban planning. The 3D makeup can present in one of two ways, photorealistic, and cartographic, which is more abstract. The maps themselves are made up of 4 separate aspects: The surfaces, features, textures, and atmospheric effects. Knowing the extent of what can go into the creation of the maps, it makes it easier to understand the ways in which it can be used in the context of film creation. The chapter goes on to explain the additional options a user has when creating a 3D map, as they can create an overview, which allows them to view buildings as a single layer. They can also create disciplines which combine multiple layers into different categories of buildings. There is also a filter which allows the user to view different features included with each building. The 3D feature can be used across various different GIS platforms such as ArcGIS pro, ArcGIS city engine, ArcGIS online, and ArcGIS enterprise, so there is a wide variety of accessibility to this tool. 

Future applications:

I could create a 3D map that displays an urban landscape of an urban area with high rates of house fires and visualize how many houses contain gas stoves versus electric stovetops, using the filter layer to accompany other data such as what type of furnace is being used, and what type of ventilation system is in place. Then I could do the same to another urban area with similar qualities that has lower rates of fires, to see if there is a correlation between the two. 

Chapter 7 

The 3D world and its advanced forms are making GIS more intuitive, immersive, and useful. In ArcGIS, 3D web maps are referred to as web scenes. This chapter introduces the basic terminology of web scenes and the types of scene layers. Using 3D brings advantages to data visualization, analysis, and communication. Users typically find 3D scenes more interesting and intuitive to interpret which gives 3D GIS a wider applicability in storytelling, urban planning, and many other industries. Based on the visual effects, scenes can be grouped into two main types: photorealistic- which aims to re-create reality using photos to texture features, and cartographic – which takes 2D thematic mapping techniques and moves them into 3D. There are two view modes for scenes, local mode which displays features on a planar surface, and global mode which displays features on a sphere. Scenes have four main types of elements: surfaces which are continuous measurements, typically elevation with one value for a given x,y location; features which live on, above, or below the surfaces; textures which provide exterior or interior covers of your 3D features; and atmospheric effects like lighting and fog. 

Chapter 7 covers the 3D uses and types used in ArcGIS. 3D maps allow for a better understanding of presented data, improving communication, visualization, and analysis. There are two types of 3D map types in ArcGIS: cartographic and photorealistic. Each of these types have their own uses in different cases. Photorealistic provides a direct, real-world view of the presented area and would be more useful in areas such as architecture or infrastructure, while cartographic is better at portraying abstract ideas or values, being more useful in cases covering a larger area, such as showing populations of counties or states. 3D mapping has a multitude of uses with both visualization types (photorealistic and cartographic) and can be utilized in a wide variety of cases. From interior design, interactive digital situations, plumbing, game design, artistic interpretation, environmental protection, and many, many other situations. There are endless possibilities and utilizations of not only the basic 2D mapping in ArcGIS but also the more immersive and complex 3D mapping and visualizations.

The ideas introduced in Chapter 7 can be applied by combining a cartographic map of an apartment complex’s resident population and a photorealistic map of the lots. This can help provide a landowner with an idea of why certain locations are more sought after than others. Things like the apartment’s view, closeness to highways/major roads, ease of entry, and other factors can play into this and be seen from the photorealistic map. The cartographic map will help with seeing trends of desired locations around the complex.

Chapter 7

This chapter was all about 3D web scenes! Following the theme of previous chapters, it started out explaining the basic terminology of web scenes. I learned that web scenes are just another name for a 3D web map, which we already have plenty of experience with in this class. Web scenes are especially useful for better visualization of many different applications. The textbook mentions that web scenes can be good for urban planning, architectural designs, and even filmmaking. The latter was an application that I hadn’t previously thought of using Web GIS for…but what I’ve learned taking this course is that this type of software can be used for pretty much anything! Similar to web maps, scenes are also capable of having multiple layers. These layers can have completely different visual styles, like photorealistic layers or cartographic layers. For designing urban planning or architecture, I can see the photorealistic effect coming in handy. This is what I’m envisioning for my second web app design for this course. Later in the chapter, before the tutorials, there are general step-by-step guidelines to get you started on creating a web scene. I found this especially useful and will also be revisiting this when I need help designing my scene. VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) also find a place in this chapter. The differences between the two are described along with some visual examples. I’ve seen some pretty cool applications for VR, specifically for video games where completely new worlds are constructed. Crazy cool technology!

Future applications

Before I even finished the chapter, I decided I wanted my second web app to be a web scene displaying some form of nature conservancy/park/garden design. In order to accomplish this, I plan on following one of the tutorials supplied at the end of the chapter (likely the park design one). Included in this design will be a native species layout with pop-ups giving some basic information about the species. The exactness of the layout will depend on what public data/symbols I can use for the feature layers. 

Chapter 5 of the book continues by introducing and going into ArcGIS Enterprise, which is a more private version than its ArcGIS Online counterpart. ArcGIS Enterprise allows its users to manage their own infrastructure or choose which cloud providers manage it, unlike ArcGIS Online, where all cloud and data is managed by Esri, which allows users more flexibility and privacy with the ArcGIS programs. ArcGIS Enterprise is a program that contains multiple different ArcGIS components that, in turn, allow for its flexibility and use in more private cases. With ArcGIS Enterprise, as shown in one of the figures in the chapter, organizations that are separate but closely related can hold their own private ArcGIS programs while also sharing necessary information and mapping, increasing communication ease and flow. Overall, Chapter 5 goes into the more technical and realistic properties of ArcGIS and ArcGIS Enterprise beyond mapping and app creation. Looks like the tutorials of this chapter utilize ArcGIS Pro, which was covered in GEOG 291 if you have taken that course. ArcGIS Pro, I find, has many more options for mapping utilities and is a more in-depth version of ArcGIS Online, with ArcGIS Online being more accessible for publishing projects.

Chapter 6 of the book covers spatiotemporal and real-time data uses and implications within ArcGIS Online. This chapter covers the four types of spatiotemporal data that can be utilized by GIS systems: moving (transportation or other actively moving objects/beings), discrete (events that just happen), stationary (not moving but changes in value, like wind speeds), and change (the area covered by something, such as building parameters or flood covered land). Time duration of mapped events can be a point in time (short, direct) or a duration (length of time).

A real-world application of the ideas covered in chapters 5 and 6 is a real-time updating map system for tracking fire spread, area, and severity, or for tracking crime locations and types within a community. These maps can then be used by the relevant department (fire or police) to implement the appropriate protocols for such situations and shared with government officials or environmentalists (in the case of wildfires) to address potential problems in the area for recurring instances.

Chapter 7: 

This chapter really continues to dive deeper into some of the topics we’d previously covered in previous chapters about 3D web mapping and the very beneficial aspects of it. Some of the 3D modeling examples or pictures they use to show the capabilities remind me a lot of some different building systems I have used to create designs in the past. With this being the case, the chapter continues to talk a lot about the variety and availability of layers, such as Building scene layers that have quite a few features that allow you to visualize very complex models and also separate a majority of the features to be able to look at individual things as well, like plumbing systems or literally just looking at specifically windows. There is also a number of other scene layers, including integrated mesh, point cloud, voxel, and 3D object scene layers. Another big part of the chapter is explaining VR, XR, and the metaverse. Which the concept of virtual reality is pretty easy to understand, considering I have used VR headsets before. XR is much more interesting, and I have never heard of it before reading this chapter, but it is essentially a combination of different reality technologies. I think the uses for this (i.e., design or entertainment) are also really cool; it can be used for such a large variety of things and to create new imagery. From what I understood, the metaverse is essentially the possible social interaction within these examples of reality technologies, that being interacting with others through these systems. 

Tutorials: 

It was really interesting implementing the individual features like the bushes, trees, etc., to see how to implement 3D objects. I especially liked adding in the cherry trees just because it made the map really pretty and kind of reminded me of how parts of campus look right now.  

Application: 

I was thinking of an application I could use the 3D mapping to create, basically a 3D model of a national park, since sometimes they aren’t the most accessible thing, but it would allow people to see one of the parks. Now that I think about it, I also wouldn’t be surprised if this has already been done, especially because I feel like virtual tours and such are really common now.

Chapter 7: 3D Web Scenes

A web scene is just another name for a 3D map. They can be used in fields from construction, to engineering, to urban planning, in which I am particularly interested. (ArcGIS Urban is the service that combines GIS with urban planning. It can cover any development from short, year-long projects, to decades-long plans.) Some of the features of web scenes are pretty remarkable, such as x-ray vision and shadow analysis. Shadow analysis could be useful for reducing heating or cooling costs in a building by planning the best spots for windows to let sunlight in in the winter, but potentially find more shade in the summer.

Because of the added dimension, scenes are more elaborate than 2D maps. They are composed of four elements: surfaces (topographic basemaps that can include plants and buildings, or just the bare ground), features (just like a 2D map), textures (using imagery or symbols), and atmospheric effects like light or weather. Also, 3D object scene layers are simpler ways to visualize an object in 3D, kind of like a generated sketch. The photo in the chapter definitely reminds me of a comic book! Speaking of comic books and art in general, I think the use of GIS in filmmaking and CGI, like for generating city buildings, is fascinating. It seems to add a very realistic touch. On another note, the scope of indoor views is also really impressive. Using GIS to map pipes in a building would not be my first thought for an application, but it seems like it would certainly be useful.

Figure 5.1: Population density in the United States. This is a really cool perspective for how dense Washington, DC is (because it is a city) compared to any other state. Also, some portions of Alaska have higher elevations than average population density, which is why the whole state is not covered.

Figure 5.2: a Ford Fiesta fiesta!

Potential Application:

I thought the map of US population density from this chapter was one of the most interesting yet simple applications from this course. To combine my interests in urban planning and public health with GIS, I could measure a different feature and its density by state or by county within a state. For example, I could create a map in the Appalachian region (including states like Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia) displaying grocery store density. Areas with low grocery store density might be considered “food deserts,” giving insight into which areas might require the most help and attention from the government or other aid organizations.

Chapter 7 goes into the basics of how to use 3D GIS and the different applications for this technology. It is mostly used in order to display data in a way that is more easy for people to understand due to it being closer to how things look in the real world. Something that surprised me is that 3D GIS doesn’t appear to be much more difficult to use and make maps with than 2D GIS technology. A common way that 3D GIS is used is to display cities and manmade structures. This is because urban areas can be densely packed with points of interest of differing sizer and shape, and using a 3D map can make it easier to discern these points.

In the tutorials for this chapter, I mostly had a smooth experience with little in the way of setbacks or difficulties. I found it fun to build the park and to see how a space in GIS can really come together with the addition of details provided by the software. I only had one small issue in these tutorials – I ran into a really strange (and kind of funny) bug that added a bunch of different vehicles of different sizes and orientations to the park, including a massive helicopter the size of a small town, a picture of which I have included. I experienced this bug in tutorials 4-6, and I’m not sure if someone edited the websites linked in the book, or if it is some kind of display error. Other than that, I had not trouble in these tutorials and was able to learn a lot about what can be done in creating a 3D scene.

I will have to admit, I did not expect chapter 7 to be that long. I probably should have.

Chapter 7 was actually my favorite. I found many of the 3D maps on the software GIS to be purely data focused and as a result, kind of boring. I do think that the web GIS maps offer significantly more as far as a geographic experience goes and I realized through reading this that I had experience with this in high school where my German teacher built a 3D map of Berlin foe us to explore in VR with data points and historical markers pretty much everywhere. (Though I don’t plan on using VR for the final project in this course however.)

The most interesting part of this entire chapter in my opinion was the ability to add feature layers with benches, mailboxes and other street junk. I tried to boot up one of the 3D maps to play around with this but I found it to be very lagging. I don’t know if it was just my computer or if it was just too much information for a web browser to handle but I hope to give it another shot soon as the 3D maps look very interesting.

App 1: Delaware’s Native Gardens

URL: https://experience.arcgis.com/builder/?id=d0205f5e5afe47c19cc651576aefcddf&views=page

Description:

This project focuses on the information from weeks 1-4 of class. The project contains real-time information and is available to all mobile users with the URL. The focus of this project is to promote local biodiversity and sustainable planting. The app works by including a map for users to view, with red dots that represent logged plants. On the left side is a survey, which utilizes the WebGIS feature, to fill out if you planted a local garden and want to show others what types of plants and the location. This also includes a few questions: where the plant was located, if it was native, where it was planted, and the species. This information is available to all users after clicking one of the specific red dots.

App 2: Park Locations Within Delaware

URL: https://experience.arcgis.com/builder/?id=2fbe28e0b5ec4820a783af842787599b&views=insert

This project focuses on the information learned in weeks 5-7 in class. This project includes the data collection from Chapter 5, WebGIS sharing from Chapter 6, and the integration we learned about this week in Chapter 7. The focus of this project is to allow both runners and walkers to view where trails are in Delaware. This project includes two types of trail: pavement and gravel, based off whichever surface the user prefers. Users can select a trail (marked in purple) and see the attribute data of what the name is and the specific trail type. This information is public and available to anyone interested.