Creating a Map and Adding Map Notes
ArcGIS Online includes everything you need to create your own maps by accessing a gallery of basemaps, 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.
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. You will then take the map into the field to make your own notes, highlight specific features, or draw in regions.
Logging In
Go to arcgis.com and click Sign in. You will see the window on the right, click on "Enterprise Login"
You will be asked to Enter your ArcGIS organization's URL. Type clemson in the box and click Continue.
Click on the blue box that says "Clemson University"
Log in using your standard Clemson username and password.
Once you are signed in, go to Map at the top of the page. The page will open to a default map showing North America.
2. Creating a new map
When 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.
In the upper left section, click the Basemap button and select a new basemap. Try a few different styles, such as Imagery with Labels, Dark Gray Canvas, and Streets.
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.
Notice the wealth of data ready to be added to your map and analysis! Let's take a closer look at a particular dataset:
From the Landscape > Elevation section, click on Add to Map > As Layer under the World Hillshade dataset. Click Close.
Try zooming in and out through the map to look at the dataset, which shows terrain features using shading.
Let's make the data see-thru by adjusting the transparency. Hover your mouse over the layer in the Contents, then click on ... and select Transparency. Drag the slider to 50%.
Try adding a few other datasets to your map.
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.
On the top left section, click the dropdown menu to the Add button. Click Search for Layers.
In the Search for Layers window, type buildings.
Make sure the box next to In: is set to My Organization.
Scroll down in the results until you find Buildings_CU_2016_2D by GIS_Specialist_Clemson. In the Search results, click on the title and select Item Details. A new window appears that has extensive metadata about this layer.
Go back to Arcgis Online. Click the Add button next to the layer name, then click Done Adding Layers.
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?
Click on the Legend button to understand what they represent. Zoom in closer to campus to get a better look at the data layer.
As you did in the last step, add the following datasets (all owned by GIS_Specialist_Clemson):
ParkingLots_CU_2016_example
Trees_CU_2016. Make sure to add the one with this exact symbol:
You have a search box to quickly find places and zoom to particular regions. In the search box on the top right, type Clemson. Click on the first suggestion and it will zoom to the Clemson region.
Change the basemap to Light Gray Canvas.
3. Adding layers to the map
ArcGIS 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.
On the top left section, click the dropdown menu to the Add button. Click Browse Living Atlas Layers.
You can browse through all of the available categories of data, such as:
- Imagery
- Demographic Information
- Landscape
- Urban Systems
- Transportation
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.
In the Contents panel, hover your mouse over the ParkingLots_CU_2016_example layer and click the Show Table button.
How many parking lots are in this data set? What types are represented?
Bus_Stops_CU_2016
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.
In the Add dialog, search for and add the Clemson_University_aerial_imagery_March_2019 to the map. Click Done Adding Layers to close the panel. Zoom in and explore the data.
This aerial photo was processed from a series of pictures taken with a drone in March 2019. The image is a grid of pixels, therefore it is a raster layer.
Turn off the imagery layer by unchecking the box in the Contents panel.
4. Rearrange layers in the map
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.
Click the box next to the each of the data layers to uncheck it. This will turn them all off.
Click to check the boxes and turn all the layers back on.
Hover your mouse over the ParkingLots CU 2016 example layer and notice it becomes light blue-gray. Click on the layer and drag it below both the Buildings CU 2016 2D layers.
5. Learn more about layer attributes
So 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.
Try clicking on different features in the map, such as buildings and parking lots, and examine the pop-up for different features.
What attributes does the buildings layer have?
What attributes do the parking lots have?
Let's leverage the query functionality of a GIS and apply a filter to the data which will only show features which meet our specific criteria. In this example, we want to show parking lots that are commuter lots only in the map. That is, we want to find Parking Lots where the Type field is equal to Commuter. (Find in Parking Lots where Field == Commuter).
Click on the Options button (three horizontal lines) in the upper right corner of the table. Click Filter.
In the Filter dialog, set the first dropdown to Type, the second dropdown to is.
Click the radio button to Unique.
Set the third dropdown to Commuter. Click Apply Filter and Close.
Notice the result in the attribute table and in the map -- the other parking lots are no longer shown in either.
Re-open the Filter dialog. Click Remove Filter.
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.
In the Contents section, hover your mouse over the ParkingLots_CU_2016_example layer. click the Change Style symbol below the layer's name.
The default is to show only the location and use the same symbol. In this case, it's a gray polygon.
Under Select a drawing style, click Options.
Click the gray box next to the word Symbols.
Click a new color for the parking lots, then click OK. Notice the change in the map. Click OK again.
Under Choose an attribute to show, click Type. Then click Options under Types (Unique Symbols).
Click the word Symbols and select the second color ramp from the top left corner and click OK.
Adjust the Transparency slider to your desired level.
Click OK and Done to close the window.
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.
Hover your mouse over the ParkingLots_CU_2016_example layer and click the three dots for More Options.
Click on Create Labels. You can adjust the font size and text color, such as dark gray text with 11 point size. Click OK when finished.
Your map has come a long way in a short time!
7. Adding your own Map Notes
Map 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.
Click on the Stickpin to add a new point. Call it Dog Park Location.
Click on Freehand Area and draw in a boundary for your dog park. Make it as large or small as you like. Type a title, such as Dog Park Boundary
When finished, click the Edit button to leave the edit mode.
8. Perform a GIS analysis: Calculate Drive-time Areas
There 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.
On the top of the screen, click the Analysis button. Click Use Proximity and click Create Drive-Time Areas.
Fill in the following information:
1. Make sure the point layer is set to the Dog Park Candidate (Points).
2. In the box for times, type 10 20. Make sure the options are set to Driving Time and Minutes.
Click on the Show credits. Notice that this analysis will take 1 credit from your account (you have 1,000 credits to begin with!)
Click Run Analysis and after a minute or so the new layers will be added to the map. Zoom out to see the result.
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!)
The resulting 10 minute drive-time area (light purple) and 15 minute area (dark purple).
9. Save the map
Above the center of the map, click Save. Select Save. Follow these settings:
Title: Clemson Area Map by **YOUR NAME**
Tags: Clemson, GIS
Summary: A web map displaying several layers for Clemson University.
10. Sharing your map
Next to the Save button, click Share.
In the new window that appears, check the box to share with Everyone (public).
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.
11. Managing your content in ArcGIS Online
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.
12. Taking Your Map in to the Field
Now that you're familiar with the mapping interface, you will modify your map especially for going into the field to make annotations.
