Web Maps and GIS Services
A GIS service is an automated GIS published and accessed over the web using standard technology and procedure to enable end users access the map or web without having the ArcMap software. GIS services are used in creating web maps which can be used in ArcMap, which can also be shared through web connections.
In this exercise, map documents were created using GIS services. Appropriate tools; such as the layer and map package tools; were used to share and distribute the data used in the creating the map documents.
Procedure
The potential data showing land conservation areas in NC; (lcmos.nc) was originally a zip file which was extracted and launched in the ArcMap interface. Extracting the file was useful in retrieving the shapefiles.
Additional data was added to the potential data in order to start creating a new map document using web maps and GIS services. These additional data were gotten from Bing Maps and ESRI. The Bing map was used as a basemap while the ESRI map, gotten from ArcGIS online, was used to show the privately managed conservation lands in NC
Workflow of exercise procedure (click to enlarge)
Base maps from BING Maps (click to enlarge)
private conservation lands from ESRI.com (click to enlarge)
Map showing NC lands Managed for Conservation and Open Space (click to enlarge)
Data from the NCSU Libraries Web Mapping Services were also added to be used in the creation of the map document. The Buncombe county .ims file was stored in the ArcCatalog GIS Servers. This file contained several other feature classes. A connection was established with the County’s Web Mapping Server and I was able to retrieve the County’s map from the ArcIMS file. Buncombe County’s border was also retrieved from ESRI Online and the data was added to the map as well.
Workflow for procedure 2 (click to enlarge)
Buncombe County's ims file in ArCatalog(Click to enlarge)
Lands Managed for conservation and Open space in Buncombe County(click to enlarge)
Layer and map packages were also created in the data view. This helps in distribution and sharing of part or the whole map document. This was done using the ‘package toolset’. Creating these packages also help save layers/maps with their data.
Application and Reflection;
This exercise has helped me learn how to create map documents using web maps and GIS services. This helps in retrieving data from other sources, integrating these data and creating a map document. With the creation of map and layer packages, it is possible to share map documents or different data layers with different end users.