Arcgis - Blog Posts

There is a moment where base maps just couldn't or wouldn't cut it. And DEMs are not helping. The beautiful hillshade raster generated from the hillshade tool can't help it if the DEM isn't as crisp as you would want it to be. And to think that I've been hiding into hermitage to learn how to 'soften' and cook visual 'occlusion' to make maps look seamlessly smooth. Cartographers are the MUAs of the satellite image community. 

I have always loved monochromatic maps where the visual is clean, the colors not harsh and easy for me to read. There was not much gig lately at work where map-making is concerned. The last one was back in April for some of our new strategy plans. So, when my pal wanted me to just 'edit' some maps she wanted to use, I can't stop myself with just changing the base map. 

The result isn't as much as I'd like it to be but then, we are catering the population that actually uses this map. Inspired by the beautiful map produced by John M Nelson that he graciously presented at 2019 NACIS; An Absurdly Tall Hiking Map of the Appalachian Trail. What I found is absurd is how little views this presentation have. The simplicity of the map is personally spot-on for me. Similar to Daniel P. Huffman as he confessed in his NACIS 2018 talk; Mapping in Monochrome, I am in favor of monochromatic color scheme. I absolutely loathe chaotic map that looked like my niece's unicorn just barf the 70s color deco all across the screen. Maybe for practical purposes of differentiating values of an attribute is deemed justifiable but surely...we can do better than clashing orange, purple and green together, no? 

So...a request to change some labels turn into a full-on make over. There are some things that I realized while making this map using ArcGIS Pro that I believe any ArcGIS Pro noob should know:

Sizing your symbols in Symbology should ideally be done in the Layout view. Trust me. It'll save you alot of time. 

When making outlines of anything at all, consider using a tone or two lighter than the darkest of colors and make the line thinner than 1 pt. 

Halo do matter for your labels or any textual elements of your map.

Sometimes, making borders for your map is justifiable goose chase. You don't particularly need it. Especially if the map is something you are going to compact together with articles or to be apart of a book etc. 

Using blue all the way might have been something I preferred but they have the different zonations for the rivers, so that plan went out the window. 

And speaking of window...the window for improvement in this map is as big as US and Europe combined. 

diy geo app

Esri has been releasing more and more MOOC over the span of 2 years to accommodate its increasingly large expanse of products within the ArcGIS ecosystem. 

But of all the MOOCs that I've participated in, 'Do-It-Yourself Geo App MOOC' must be the most underrated ones produced by Esri Training. The functionalities highlighted within the MOOC took the anthem right off their recent Esri UC 2020 that went virtual. The curriculum includes:

The creation of hosted feature layer (without utilizing any GIS software medium like ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro).

The basics of the ArcGIS Online platform ecosystem:

hosted feature layer >  web map > web app 

Basically, to view a hosted feature layer, you will need to drag it onto a 'Map' and save it as a web map.

Conventionally, web map suffices for the visualization and analytical work for the likes of any geospatialist who are familiar with Web GIS. 

But this time, Esri is highlighting a brand new web map product called 'Map Viewer Beta'. Why beta? Cause it is still in beta version but so sleeky cool that they just had to let every have a shot at using it. Truth be told, Map Viewer Beta did not disappoint.

Even so, Map Viewer Beta still has some functionalities that have yet to be implemented. 

Using web map to visualize data, configure pop-up, execute simple analysis and extending it to Map Viewer Beta interface 

Utilizing Survey123 for crowdsourcing data; the first level of citizen science and creating a webmap out of it.

Creating native apps using AppStudio for ArcGIS; no coding required. 

Some tidbits on accessing the ArcGIS API for JavaScript

I love how cool it is that this MOOC actually shows you step-by-step on how to use the new Map Viewer Beta and explain the hierarchy of formats for the published content in the ArcGIS Online platform

I have established my understanding of ArcGIS Online ecosystem 3 years back but I do find it awkward that such powerful information is not actually summarized in a way that is comprehensible for users that have every intention of delving into Web GIS. And Web GIS is the future with all the parallel servers that could handle the processing/analysis of large amount of data. ArcGIS Online is a simplified platform that provides interfaces for the fresh-eyed new geospatial professionals. 

It is quite well-know for the fact that there has been some criticism as to the domination of Esri within the GIS tools/resources within the geospatial science industry, but I believe it is something we could take as a pinch of salt. Not everything in Esri's massive line of commercial products are superior to other platforms but it is a starting point for any new geospatialists who wants to explore technologies there are not familiar with. 

All in all, this MOOC is heaven-sent. For me, I have been playing with the web apps and web maps for close to 4 years and I can attest to the fact that it covers all the basics. For the developer's bit, maybe not so much as going through it in a distinct step-by-step but it does stoke the curiosity as to how it works. The question is, how do we make it work. Now that's a mystery I am eager to solve. 

I'm going to put this on my ever-expanding to-do list and think JavaScript for another few more months of testing out this ArcGIS API for JavaScript implementation. Tell me if you wanna know how this actually works and I'll share what I find out when I do.

For those who had missed out on this cohort, fear not. This MOOC runs twice a year and the next cohort is going to be from Feb 17 to March 17 2021. The registration is already open, so don’t hold back and click the link below:

Do-It-Yourself Geo Apps

Do register for a public account before signing up or just click 'Register' at the MOOC's page and it's open the open to either sign in or 'Create a public account'. It was a blast and I'm sure, if you've never used any of the feature I've mentioned above, you'll be as wide-eyed as I was 3 years ago. :D

Till then, stay spatially mappy comrades!

P/S: If you complete all the assignments and quizzes, you'll get a certificate of completion from Esri. Which is pretty rad!