ArcGIS Online includes everything you need to create your own maps by accessing a gallery of basemaps, Â adding your own layers, and configuring mashups that you can share with others, embed in your own website, or incorporate into useful applications and story maps. Â Â In this section we will create a basic web map showing geospatial data of Clemson's campus. We will explore and use the different parts of this GIS interface, add data to the map, customize the symbology of layers, and use a few basic mapping tools. By the end of the session, you will have created an interactive, customized map that can be accessed from anywhere on the web. 1. Navigating ArcGIS OnlineOne of the main components of ArcGIS Online is the Map section, where you can explore content, add your own data, perform analysis and save your own interactive web maps.
2. Creating a new mapWhen this new map opens, you will notice it is not empty. A basemap is shown, which is a foundational layer which can be displayed with a variety of other data. These have different styles, such as political maps, streets maps, aerial and satellite imagery, or thematic maps.
Practice zooming in and out using the roller button in your mouse. Zoom in to a particular location to examine the level of detail available in each basemap.
3. Adding layers to the mapArcGIS Online has a wealth of data, many from many trusted sources such as NOAA, USGS, and Esri, as well as content from other ArcGIS users. We will first search for some of the rich data available through the Esri Living Atlas. Then we will work with data created by the Center for Geospatial Technologies for Clemson's campus.Â
You can browse through all of the available categories of data, such as:   - Imagery   - Demographic Information   - Landscape   - Urban Systems   - Transportation Notice the wealth of data ready to be added to your map and analysis! Let's take a closer look at a particular dataset:
We could propably spend an entire class section exploring all the data available through the Living Atlas. Let's continue by adding data for Clemson's campus.
Take a look at this data layer in the Contents section and notice there are two layers that were added. What did the Item Details say about these two layers?
What type of data layers are these -- vector or raster? How do you know? What type of geometry do they have? Let's also add an example of raster data to the map.
This aerial photo was processed from a series of pictures taken with a drone in July 2017. The image is a grid of pixels, therefore it is a raster layer.
The layers in a map can be turned on and off individually as well as reorganized so that all the data are visible. A GIS generally draws things at the bottom of the list first. Layers above one another in the Contents panel may cover each other completely. A basemap is usually at the bottom of the list, as this is the foundation layer, with your other datasets drawn on top.
5. Learn more about layer attributesSo far you have seen the geographic component of a few data sets. Remember that the data also have attributes, or information about what they represent stored as a table of values. Let's explore the attribute data for the layers we have added. First, we will examine the pop-up window of the data, which provides a snapshot of information about each item.
What attributes does the buildings layer have? What attributes do the parking lots have? The pop-up window is very useful for learning more about a particular feature. You can also view the attribute table for a dataset, which shows all the attribute information. It can also be queried to identify features which meet certain criteria.
                                                               How many parking lots are in this data set? What types are represented? e field is equal to Commuter. (Find in Parking Lots where Field == Commuter).
Notice the result in the attribute table and in the map -- the other parking lots are no longer shown in either.
6. Customize a layer's symbology and labels When you added the layers to the map, most already had the symbology set by the creator. Most of the time, data you add to a map will take on a default symbology. Your map begins to tell a story when you apply different symbols to your data based on their attribute data -- this is the world of cartography! It is both a science and an art to create effective, intuitive, and visually appealing maps and symbology that communicate the message you intend. We will change the plain symbology of the campus parking lots to one where each type (Resident, Commuter, Employee, etc) has a unique color.Â
As you can see, setting up the symbology is quite easy to do but can be totally customized as you desire. Let's help identify particular parking lots by labeling them with their names, such as E-11, C-2, etc.
7. Adding your own Map NotesMap Notes are an easy feature to make annotations. You may want to highlight a feature, note a place for observing in the field, or to compare against another map layer. You can add on-the-fly data by adding Map Notes. Imagine, in our case, that we want to find potential locations to build a small dog park on campus that is open to students and the community alike. We will propose a site by dropping a pin on the map as a Map Note. Click on the Add button -> Add Map Notes. Name: Dog Park Candidate Template: Map Notes You will see the Add Features panel.
8. Perform a GIS analysis: Calculate Drive-time AreasThere are many potential analyses that can be performed in ArcGIS Online. Let's try an example which demonstrate the capabilities of GIS to solve spatial problems. We will do a drive-time analysis to show the area which can be accessed within a particular driving time of a location. This uses a special network dataset which includes roads and travel times, then solves to find areas which can reach our destination within a specified time. For our drive-time analysis, let's continue with our dog park we just created. We know students and employees will propbably use it, but many community members may travel to campus to use it as well. We want to know what area would be served with both a 10 and 20 minute drive from campus to estimate what areas are most likely to reach it.
What towns/cities are contained by a 10 minute drive time? What cities are served within a 20 minute drive time? What area (sq. mi.) is served within a 20 minute drive time? (Hint: look at the attributes!) 9. Save the map
Title: Clemson Dog Park Proposal by **YOUR NAME** Tags: Clemson, GIS Summary: A web map displaying a proposed dog park for Clemson University. 10. Sharing your map
Notice that you can share the short link to the map. Anyone visiting the URL will be able to view the data in your map. Your map that you created is saved and is part of your content section in ArcGIS Online, where you manage all your data, maps, and apps. In the upper left corner, click the Home menu and select  Content. Notice the Web Map that you created in the list. This map is saved and you can come back to open and edit the map at any time. Congratulations, you are now a successful GIS user! |
Creating a Map and Performing GIS Analysis
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