GIS for History
Creating your Story Map in ArcGIS Online
ArcGIS Online is a cloud-based GIS platform that allows you to upload and share all your data on the web. You get access to external sources of data that allow you to create your own mash-ups to publish as interactive maps or web apps.
You will first need to publish your data from your desktop to the cloud following the steps below.
1. Getting Started with ArcGIS Online
Log into ArcGIS Online: Go to arcgis.com, click the sign in button on the top right corner. In the new window that appears, sign in with the username and password given to you by Patricia.
Click on Map. Here is where you will create your own mash-ups that will build your interactive web maps and applications.
2. Publishing vector data
Create a feature class within the Historic_Clemson geodatabase. Call this feature class Clemson_historic_buildings. Make it a polygon layer. Add a field name: Historic_Name and make it a string. Change its length to 150 characters (just in case!).
Digitize the main college building, the barracks,chemistry building and the Calhoun mansion.
From ArcMap, you can publish a feature layer to be hosted on ArcGIS Online. The hosted feature layer will expose all vector datasets included in the map document.
By default, editing is not enabled on hosted feature layers. You can enable editing from ArcMap when you initially publish or overwrite an existing feature layer.
Click File > Sign In. Make sure you ONLY have the feature class Clemson_historic_buildings in your map document!
Type your name and password for ArcGIS Online and click Sign In.
Click File > Share As > Service.
Choose Publish a service and click Next.
In the drop-down list of connection types, choose My Hosted Services (Clemson University). Type a name for your feature layer (Clemson_hist_buildg_yourinitials) and click Continue.
In the left pane of the Service Editor, click Capabilities and check Feature Access to expose your map as a feature layer. UNCHECK tiled mapping (we will only use this for raster datasets).
You can click the subitem Feature Access in the left pane of the Service Editor to set advanced properties. Check create, delete, sync, and update.
In the left pane of the Service Editor, click Item Description and enter a summary and tags for your layer. You'll need to enter this information before you can publish.
In the left pane of the Service Editor, click ArcGIS Online and choose with whom the feature layer should be shared. By default, your hosted feature layer is private, meaning it is only accessible to you. Your hosted feature layer will always be visible in My Content, but you can also choose to share it with everyone or just members of certain ArcGIS Online groups.
In the Service Editor, click Analyze.
This examines your map to see if it can be published. You must fix the Errors in the Prepare window before you can publish. Optionally, you can fix the warnings and informational messages to further improve the performance and appearance of your hosted feature layer. For more information about resolving these issues, see Analyzing your GIS resource.
Once you've fixed the errors and optionally any warnings and messages, click Publish.
Once your feature layer is published and hosted on ArcGIS Online, you'll see it when you expand the My Hosted Services node in the Catalog window and in your ArcGIS online account.
3. Publishing Raster Data: Build and publish a tile package
ArcGIS for Desktop allows you to build tiles for a raster file and store them in an easily transferrable tile package (.tpk) file. You can share a tile package on ArcGIS Online and choose to publish it as a hosted tile layer. This workflow allows you to build the tiles using your own computing power, rather than your ArcGIS Online credits.
3.1 Create the tile cache
A cached map service is a regular map service that has been enhanced to serve maps very quickly using a cache of static images. The map cache is a directory that contains image tiles of a map extent at specific scale levels. Returning a tile from the cache takes the server much less time than drawing the map image on demand.
• In ArcGIS Toolbox, navigate to Data Management Tools > Tile Cache > Manage Tile Cache.
• Set the Output Cache Location to a location in your computer.
• Set the optional Cache Name to clemson1896tilecache
• Set the Input Data Source as the raster in your map document: Clemson_map_1896.
• Set Manage mode to RECREATE_ALL_TILES.
• Set the Input Tiling Scheme to ARCGISONLINE_SCHEME.
• Set the Minimum Cache Scale and the Maximum Cache Scale to its defaults.
Note: the output to this tool is a new folder containing the tiles and a corresponding layer in the map with the same name.
3.2 Create the tile cache package
• In ArcToolbox, navigate to Data Management Tools > Tile Cache > Export Tile Cache
• Add the new layer you created from the Manage Tile Cache step: clemson1896tilecache.
• Set the output location (outputtile) and Output Tile Cache Name: clemson1896tiles.
• Set Export Cache As TILE_PACKAGE.
• Storage Formats should default to COMPACT.
• Leave all scales checked unless you want to reduce the scales for the final tiles. Click OK.
3.3 Loading up your raster package to ArcGIS Online
• Navigate to Data Management Tools > Package > Share Package.
• You will be asked to sign in to your ArcGIS Online account (if not already signed in).
• Select the tile cache package you created from the previous step for the Input Package: outputtile\clemson1896tiles.tpk
• Add a Summary (Historic map of Clemson College Grounds in 1896) and Tags (Clemson, historical).
• Optionally, set the level of sharing (can also be done in ArcGIS Online) to everybody or your group if you don't want to have it public.
• Select OK to upload tiles to ArcGIS Online.
• To publish the new tiles online as a map service, sign into ArcGIS Online (arcgis.com) in a web browser.
• Go to My Content and find the newly uploaded tile package: clemson1896tiles.
• Open the details page by clicking on the line item and select Publish.
- Type clemson1896byYourInitials as the title and add Clemson and historical as your tags.
Congratulations, you just uploaded your first raster!
4. Creating a Web Application
Open your web map again, and click on Share. Always make sure you map is shared with the public, and that all the sharing properties for the layers are updated.
Click on the Make a Web Application button. Choose the template you want based on your functionality (for example, Basic Viewer) and preview it by clicking the inverted triangle and choosing preview.
You can also choose to download the template if you choose to make custom edits to the template (for those of you brave to fiddle with the basic code).
Once you have chosen a template, click Publish. Fill in the fields and click Save & Publish. Click Go to the item now to view the web application.
The link on that page is the link to your application URL. Here is an example:
Configuring your Web Application
Go back to My Content and click on your web application. Click Edit to add a description, access and use constraints, and other metadata.
To change the format and appearance of your app, click on Configure app, which takes you to a view of the web application with a sidebar on the right that allows you to change some basic settings. Change the color scheme to orange, for example.
Click save to make changes and return to the web application.
Check out a final web map application here:
3.3 ESRI Story Maps
Story Maps are web applications that allow you to combine the functionality of interactive maps with multimedia content (photos, videos, audio, timelines) into one unique app.Check out the possibilities here: http://storymaps.arcgis.com/en/app-list/
For this workshop, we will be using the Story Map Journal. Click on Build a Map Journal to get started.
In the welcoming window, select Floating Panel. Click Start.
Give your Map Journal a name. For example: Clemson Historic Journey by YourInitials.