Introduction to ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS Online is a web-based GIS platform that allows for collaborative creation and sharing of GIS data, maps, and web mapping applications. Many geospatial analytical capabilities of GIS are integrated in ArcGIS Online, with the difference that the only software needed is a web browser (and Internet connection!).

In this lecture, we will learn how to navigate arcgis.com, create and share exciting mash-up maps and use your crowd-sourcing efforts with out-of-the-box templates.

Login in ArcGIS Online

Students, faculty, and staff at Clemson University can create their own ArcGIS Online account under our Clemson University Organization by following the instructions below.

- Go to arcgis.com and click Sign in. You will see the window on the right, click on Sign with ENTERPRISE ACCOUNT.

- You will be asked to Enter your ArcGIS organization's URL. Enter clemson as shown below and click Continue. 

- In the window that appears, select Using your Clemson University Account

- If you see the window below that means you have successfully created your ArcGIS Online account.​

Navigation in map in ArcGIS Online

To view data and create maps, click on Map on the top menu. This will take you to the environment where you can bring your data, create interactive maps and share it with others.

In the top right corner, type Daufuskie Island on the Find address or place search box. Hit Enter. Notice the map zooms into Daufuskie Island, your study area. Pan around by simply clicking anywhere on your map and moving your mouse on any direction. You can also zoom in our out by clicking the + or - button on the top left corner of the map area (or by using the wheel in your mouse).

Basemaps

Basemaps are images with basic information (such as roads, rivers or county boundaries) that are used as a base source for building up maps. The default basemap is called Topographic and it has basic topographic features including contour lines and green space areas.

You can change the basemap by clicking on the Basemap button on the top left menu of your screen. Try switching to the following basemaps and zoom in at the street level to see the detail of information:

- Imagery

- USA Topo Maps

- OpenStreetMap

- Oceans

- Light Gray Canvas

Choose Oceans and zoom out to the extent of the island.

Adding Data

With ArcGIS Online you can upload your own data, bring data from other sources (whether it is your teammates or authoritative sources) and create annotations on the fly (called map notes). Our team has done extensive research to find GIS data for Daufuskie and we have uploaded for you to ArcGIS Online.

Adding data from users at Clemson: Baselayers

To add the data compiled by our team, simply click on the Add button on the top left menu, and select Search for Layers. follow the details below:

- Find: Daufuskie

- In: My Organization

Click the Add button next to the Daufuski_Baselayers item.

At the bottom of the menu, click DONE ADDING LAYERS.

Notice all the new layers added to your map. You can check the box to the left of them to make them visible or invisible on the map on the right. Let's focus on schools. Click on any school symbol in your map. Notice the pop-up window with attributes such as school name, FIPS code, and elevation in meters. You can view all of the attributes by simply clicking on the table icon under the layer name (Daufuski Baselayers - Schools).

To rename your layer, click on the ... under the layer name and select Rename. Change it to simply Schools. Do the same for Business and Churches. You can see the legend for each dataset by clicking the legend symbol immediately to the left of the attribute table symbol. To contract the legend view, click on the legend symbol again (notice the arrow pointing down now).

Adding data from other sources: Intact Habitat Cores

Let's add a dataset created by an external source. In the Add menu, select Search for Layers and change the settings to:

- Find: habitat

- In: Living Atlas Layers

Scroll down until you find the layer Intact Habitat Cores by Esri_GI. To find the metadata for this layer, click on ... and select Show Item Details. Who created this dataset? When? How was it created?

Practice adding other layers using the same search as: Percent of Coral Reefs at Risk, USA NLCD Land Cover GAP, USA Wetlands, USA Surface Water and USA Development Risk. Check out the legend for the Land Cover data. How would you find out what the classification means?

Notice there are no coral reefs in Daufuskie. To remove this layer, click on ... and select Remove.

Changing the Symbology

Let's take a look at the Business layer. Expand its content by clicking on the legend. Notice the different types of business. Each type corresponds to a classification described in a column on this dataset. Can you identify the name of this column? (Hint: Scroll all the way to the right of the table so you can see the last columns).

Let's say we want to change the symbology of restaurants. To do this, click on the Change Style button under the name of the layer. Notice the attribute that is used for symbolizing the features in that layer. Under section 2 (Select a drawing style), click the OPTIONS button. Scroll down until you find the Restaurant symbol and click to change symbol. Under Shape, change the drop-down menu to People Places. Select the symbol shown below (notice you can also add your own images as symbols). Click OK and DONE to finish your changes.

Notice the USA Households by Census Block layer. Follow similar steps to change its symbology from using a color ramp to using size based on number of households.

Configuring the Pop-up window

On the map, click on any census block by household bubble. Notice the pop-up window that appears. It is reading the attributes for each census block and displaying it base on the name of the attribute (column name) and the value of each block. We are going to change the title of the window and display the population, number of households and house units.

Go to the contents pane, under the Households layer, click on More Options (...), Configure Pop-up.

Pop-up Title: change the text to say US Census Block: {FIPS}. FIPS is the unique identifier for each census block. To add that field, click on the + button next to the pop-up title box.

Pop-up Contents: click on Configure Attributes. Uncheck all of the display fields except for POP2010, HOUSEHOLDS, HSE_UNITS. Change the Field aliases to Population in 2010, # Households, # House Units.

Pop-up Media: click on the ADD button and select Column Chart. For title write: Population Vs. House Units.

Click OK. Your new pop-up window should look similar to the one displayed here.

Adding your own observations on the fly with Map Notes

Imagine you are thinking about some potential locations to visit when you are out on the island and want to add them as observations to your map. You can add on-the-fly data by adding Map Notes. 

Click on the Add button -> Add Map Notes.

Name: Location Candidates

Template: Map Notes

You will see the Add Features panel. Click on the Stickpin to add a new point. Call it Possible New Dock. Select a photo on the Internet from Daufuskie Island such as this one http://www.daufuskieisland.com/wp-content/themes/theme1260/images/slider_img/slide04.jpg to add as an image link.

Let's add a new recreation area. Click the Freehand Area and trace a polygon around the new dock. For title: Possible Recreation Area. Description: Based on proximity to new dock, land use and distance to historic places.

Lastly, add a line that connects the dock to somewhere on the coast of Hilton Head using the Freehand Line. Call it: New Ferry Line.

Click the Edit button again to leave the edit mode. Click on the dock and see the pop-up window as shown in this page.

Basic Analysis