Geo- Visualization Series: Introduction to Cloud Mapping with ArcGIS Online and Story Maps
This tutorial will guide you through the process of creating interactive maps and story maps using ArcGIS Online, a cloud-based platform that allows you to share your GIS data and maps on the web.
Adding Tabular Data
In your first exercise, you will be visualizing a table that contains descriptive geographic data (state names) and create interactive maps and graphics that you can embed on your website or blog.
Download the Data
Download the following table from the link below. Although the source of table is from DHS, table has been edited for the purposes of training in this session. For the original table, please visit: http://www.dhs.gov/yearbook-immigration-statistics
- Immigrant-orphans adopted by U.S Citizens by sex, age, and state or territory of residence during 2013 and lawful permanent resident status by state years 2004 to 2013. Source: US Department of Homeland Security, Yearbook of Immigration Statistics.
Getting Started with ArcGIS Online
Log into ArcGIS Online: Go to arcgis.com and sign in with your free trial account.
Click on My Content. Here is where you will upload all your geospatial datasets and keep track of your interactive web maps and applications.
Adding your table of immigrant orphans adopted by US Citizens
Navigating in ArcGIS Online
- Click on Add Item. This will not only upload the csv file, but will create a
Feature Service. A Feature Service allows you to serve your tabular data as a geographic service over the Internet as well as the symbology and query capabilities that you normally would set up in ArcGIS Desktop.
Notice that a new window opens up saying that all of the "addresses" were matched. Click Yes to review the matched addresses.
- Review your settings so they match the image on the left.
- Choose Address to locate features
- For Country: select United States
- Review the field types to make sure they match their functionality. Most of the fields should be integer or double instead of string types. Make sure that State is selected as Location Fields.
Click on Add Item - From my computer and browse to the location in your computer where you saved the csv file by clicking the Choose File button.
- Add a Tags: orphans, immigrant.
- Make sure the checkbox next to Publish this file as a hosted layer is selected. This will make any tabular content in your table available as interactive content.
In our next steps we will be changing the symbology and the display window for this feature.
Changing the symbology
To change the symbology of your feature service, make sure the panel at the left of your screen is showing the Content of your map. Browse over your Immigrant layer and click the Change Style button below it.
- Choose an attribute to show: select the field Im_Or_ad_2013_Total (represents the "Number of immigrant orphans adopted in 2013 ")
- Select a drawing style: select Counts and Amounts (Size). Click on Options.
Let's explore your new feature service. In your content panel, click the ... to the right of your feature service layer as displayed in the image on the left. Select Zoom to. This action will display the extent of your features in the map.
For each record in our original table there is a corresponding location (orange dots) in your map. Click on any dot on your map. Notice that each point as a pop-up window displaying the attributes in the original table for each country.
- You can change your Basemap to one that offers more contrast with your data. On the left hand-side of your screen, click on Basemap and select the one you think it fits better, for example, Light Gray Canvas.
Changing the pop-up window
Click on one of the symbols in your map and notice the default pop-up window. By default, Arcgis Online displays every field from your attribute table.
When designing your interactive online map, you want to think about the functionality of your pop-up window for each feature layer. Think of the attributes that you would like to display and how you would like to display them. With ArcGIS Online, you can display numeric attributes as charts. You can also display photos, videos or website urls.
To change the pop-up window, click on the ... below your, and select Configure Pop-up. A new panel appears on the left of your screen: the Pop-up Properties panel.
- Size: set the Minimum to 7 and the Maximum to 54.
- Transparency: Set the value between 10-15% .
Click OK. Press the Done button to go back to your map.
- Classify data: Using Equal Interval, set up 5 classes, and round them to 1,000.
- Click on Symbols. Here you can change the shape of your symbol and color. Select the Fill option and choose a purple color.
- On the Title box, make sure to add your initials at the end of the file name left of your screen: the Pop-up Properties panel.
- Change the Pop-up Title to: "Immigrant Orphans Adopted by Permanent Residents by State"
- Pop-up Contents:
Display: A list of field attributes
Click on Configure Attributes. Uncheck everything except for State and Immigrant Orphans Adopted by US Citizens in 2013. Change the title for Im_Or_ad_2013_Total to say Total Immigrant Orphans Adopted by US Citizens by State Total in 2013 by clicking the Field Alias. Make sure the Use 1000 Separator box is checked for this field. Click OK.
- Pop-up Media:
Let's add a chart that displays graphically the number of females adopted in comparison to number of males adopted in 2013. To do this, click the Add button, and select Bar Chart.
Title: Immigrant Orphans adopted in 2013
Caption: Data provided by Department of Homeland Security for the year of 2013
Chart Fields: select Im_Or_ad_2013_Male and Im_Or_ad_2013_Female. Change the alias to: Immigrants Orphans Adopted in 2013 Male, and Immigrants Orphans Adopted in 2013 Female, respectively. Click OK.
- Click on SAVE POP-UP to save all your changes to your configuration window. Check your results. It should look something similar to the image below.
Try adding other layers to your map. Click on Add, Search for Layers, In: ArcGIS Online.
Search words: refugees, world population.
- World bank - Age and Population
- ESRI_Population_world
- World Bank - Gross Domestic Product
Saving your map
Once you configure your symbology and your pop-up window, you are ready to save your map. In this case, we only have one feature layer, but we will be adding vector and raster files to this map as we continue working through this workshop.
To save your map, go to the Save button and select Save As.
- Title: Immigrants Orphans Adopted by US Citizens by State in 2013 by PM
- Tags: orphans, immigrants
- Summary: write a brief description of the purpose of your map
- Save in folder: leave the default.
Click on SAVE MAP. This will save the map in your ArcGIS Online account.
To review the items in your ArcGIS Online account, click on Home, and select My content. Notice you have three elements in your content:
- The CSV file that you originally uploaded.
- The Feature Service layer created from the CSV file
- The Web Map that is using that feature service with customized symbology and display properties. A Web map is made of services. Like in ArcMap, you can use the same dataset or feature service in different web maps.
You can decide to share each one of these three elements with a group of collaborators or with the public. Keep in mind that if you share a Web Map with the public, you have to share its feature services as well.
Embedding your web map into your website or blog
You can embed your web map into any website or blog as an interactive feature. To do this, go to My Content and click on the inverted triangle next to your feature service and select View item details.
Click the Share button and check Everyone (public) so you can make your layer public on the web. Click OK.
Go back to your content and open your web map, as displayed on the image on the right.
Select Open in ArcGIS.com map viewer.
Click on Share. A new window opens with the options to share this map. If you want to embed this map in a public website, you need to share the web map and the feature service that it is calling with the public.
Check the box next to Everyone (public) and click the Embed in website button.
In the new window that appears, check the size of your map that you would like to have in your website (large) and additional elements that you consider useful for the public (zoom control, scale bar, and legend).
Copy and paste the link into your website making sure you are editing your site in HTML mode. Your map should look something like this:
