Latest Contributions by ClintLoveman

ArcGIS Maps for Adobe CC 1.5.2 update is now available here.    This update addresses the following issues:   - Extension errors with “Requires ArcGIS Online or Plus” when already signed in as an ArcGIS Online user (BUG-000128927). - Error “Operation not available” keeps reoccurring when complimentary users try to change the dpi. - Some complimentary users get an invalid authorization code error when emailed code is used for activation.   For more information about the product, please visit help   Thank you.  Maps for Adobe CC team ... View more

The map data hosted in Esri’s geospatial cloud is one of the most valuable parts of the ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud extension. It is the data that fuels your designs. In this blog we’ll highlight a number of unique maps and layers that have been configured specifically for use within Adobe. We’ll also mention other generic datasets you might find useful for your mapping projects.   Maps for Adobe has two unique vector basemaps; Vector Street Map and Natural Earth. Both have been designed and configured specifically for use within the extension.   Vector Street Map – This is the most popular map used within the extension. It is great to use if you want editable vector artwork in Illustrator over any part of the world! There is great detail all the way down to the city block level, and even higher levels of detail in most large urban centers around the world. While the focus of this map is on urban locations and features (eg. POIs and roads), it can also be used as a great reference map at smaller scales when you need a map of states, provinces, countries or even the globe. The data used in this map has also been recently updated to the most current versions available:      Natural Earth – This is the 2 nd most popular map used in the extension, and is another map specifically designed for use within Maps for Adobe. It is based on the free public domain Natural Earth data built through a collaboration of volunteers and supported by the North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS). It is a great general purpose vector map, but we’d suggest you use the Vector Street Map if you need city or street level detail. The data is best suited for larger county, regional, or ideally country level maps. Natural Earth has also been updated to the latest version, 4.0 which was released in 2017.   Sometimes having the whole basemap is too much. Adding too many layers to Illustrator can affect file size, performance and introduce unnecessary layer management overhead. To help, we’ve introduced a number of Natural Earth layers grouped by theme. These are Populated Places, Transportation, Boundaries, Hydrography, Bathymetry and Grids and Graticules. You can find these layers in the ‘Add Layers’ dialog under ‘Browse from ArcGIS Location > Maps for Creative Cloud > Natural Earth’.      USGS – We have added a number of valuable layers from The National Map (TNM) provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The data is current up to 2016 at the national level, and includes such layers as trails, physical, structural and cultural points in addition to Federal and Native American lands, plus a woodland layer representing tree coverage for the country.  We have also made all the USGS contours (elevation lines) for the entire country available. Cartographers and designers alike love contours for the aesthetic they can bring to a map! The USGS uses digital methods and sources to construct this data, however much of the national coverage is derived from paper topographic maps that may be decades old. This is usually not an issue though, as contours typically do not change much over time. It is also important to note that the contour density and interval may change at historic map sheet extents.  The contour layer is best used at larger scales (1:24,000 to 1:100,000, like the old paper topographic maps) as they can be pretty detailed. Due to the density of this data, larger maps with small scales can add thousands of lines to your map, possibly resulting in degraded performance when drawing and downloading. So remember, with great (data) power comes great (map) responsibility You can find the USGS layers in the ‘Add Layers’ dialog under ‘Browse from ArcGIS Location > Maps for Creative Cloud > USGS’.  OSM – OpenStreetMap is a collaborative project intended to create a free editable map of the world. It is wildly popular because of its high level of detail, global coverage and the fact that it can be edited by anybody in near real time. Esri has released 3 of the most used OSM layers as dynamic vector layers into ArcGIS Online. You can find building footprints, roads and points of interest layers from the ‘Add Layers’ dialog under ‘Browse from ArcGIS Location > Maps for Creative Cloud > OpenStreetMap’.   These layers are highly detailed and best suited for larger scale maps, from city level down to individual buildings (approximately from 1:72,000 to 1:1,000). In many areas it is the most detailed urban data available, but since it is crowd-sourced content there are inconsistence in coverage and attributes. Despite this, OSM is typically the best source of data for many developing parts of the world. Due to the complexity of the OSM data, doing things like changing the layer style or setting up labels can take some time. You will also get cleaner, more accurate vectors in Illustrator if you increase the DPI above the 96 DPI default. This may result in longer sync times so you will need to have a little patience, but it will be well worth it. Expect to see more OSM layers and options coming in the future.    You can find the OSM layers in the ‘Add Layers’ dialog under ‘Browse from ArcGIS Location > Maps for Creative Cloud > OpenStreetMap’.   Business Locations – This layer of business locations is extracted from a comprehensive list of businesses licensed from InfoGroup. The layer contains data for more than 13 million U.S. businesses, and it can be styled based on business name (CONAME) or by North American Industry Classification (NAICS) code.   Tapestry – This is Esri's geodemographic market segmentation system which classifies U.S. neighborhoods into 67 segments based on their socioeconomic and demographic composition. For a broader view of markets, segments are grouped into 14 LifeMode Summary Groups that reflect lifestyles/life stages and 6 Urbanization Summary Groups that show levels of affluence and population density. The 2017 version of this layer was the 3 rd most popular layer used in Maps for Adobe. There is a new layer out for 2018, and you can access it by entering it’s URL into the ‘Add Layers’ dialog:   https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=2de5ed56740947759e0f53d6330e0a84     Political Map – This is a simple world political map showing global country and US state boundaries, and it is also one of the most popular maps used within the Maps for Adobe extension. Because the data is less detailed than other layers, it is great for making overview maps. The default style shows each country with a unique color, however that can be easily changed to a single symbol if you are looking for something a little more muted.   There is a great collection of content available within ArcGIS Online and it is constantly growing with contributions from Esri, our business partners, and our users. If you are looking for something but cannot find it, please let us know. ... View more

We recently hosted our "Ask Anything Q&A" Webcast in which we answered some much desired questions from our users. The video is now up on YouTube but can be found on all social accounts just by searching @ mapsforadobe! http://p.ctx.ly/r/989n  Data: How do I access third-party data to incorporate into my maps ? http://doc.arcgis.com/en/maps-for-adobecc/compile-maps/adding-content.htm   How do I load in-house project data generated by our GIS team ? http://doc.arcgis.com/en/maps-for-adobecc/install/configure-online-organization.htm https://youtu.be/oGgEq8m2xKU?list=PLGZUzt4E4O2K7MQjlQkM8D6z3E6DKkiOx   or    if only a small number of maps/layers you can add/reference them by ArcGIS Online item URL in the Add             Map/Layer dialog:   I'd like to see more vector based maps There are 2 vector base maps today (Vector Street Map and Natural Earth), we plan to support more in upcoming releases.   How to create maps with higher detail level similar to using open street map (OSM) ?             We plan on supporting (more) OSM content in the future. Right now, there are 3 OSM layers (in beta mode for             testing) you can try: https://www.arcgis.com/home/group.html?id=d8d1d3d7143b4404b5666303873d70c2     Install, Performance & UX: It's powerful and has been very useful, but can be complicated and intimidating for new users             We are making updates to UI/UX for the next release which we hope will make the extension easier to use   Provide more stability, seems to runs slow on PC             There is should not be any difference between running on different OSs (demo was on a PC), however if you are             seeing issues, please reach out to us we’d like to help troubleshoot the issue.   I have problems installing and registering extension             There sometimes can be install issues if you are using an Adobe Team or Enterprise account login. We are             working with Adobe to resolve this issue. In the meantime, if you do run into any issues please reach out to us to             help to troubleshoot and get it working for you.   Esri’s ArcGIS Platform: My corporation is moving our GIS/Esri services to on premise (vs. cloud-based/ArcGIS Online), when will this be supported ? With the current release we only support ArcGIS Online, we do plan to support on-premise deployments in a future release.   Are there plans to build Adobe tools into Esri's platform? Like an Adobe plugin for ArcMap/ArcGIS Pro ? No, however we plan on supporting reading map exports from ArcGIS Pro in a future release.   Layers, styling & 3D: Is there any way we can apply styles in one single click ? http://doc.arcgis.com/en/maps-for-adobecc/sync-content/processes.htm#ESRI_SECTION1_DD5B974999224314896E69D8715660C1 https://youtu.be/dDJumDtUkNg?list=PLGZUzt4E4O2K7MQjlQkM8D6z3E6DKkiOx https://youtu.be/CwSj1ajy8SE?list=PLGZUzt4E4O2K7MQjlQkM8D6z3E6DKkiOx     Contiguous lines for roads and rivers as opposed to short segments. eg…different levels of roads and rivers             This varies on the source data layer/contributor. However most can be improved in Illustrator using the Path >             Join based on layer/sub-layer (symbols) Can we control the fonts (and other styling) on the maps before sync ? You have limited control over some the styling options in the extension, as most design/aesthetic workflows are best done in Illustrator after the map has been downloaded (sync’ed). You should use the extension to set layers, sub-layers and unique symbols based on data information and attributes - “data visualization” workflows should be the focus inside the extension before sync. How to you create 3D visualizations with this tool or other Adobe or Esri products ?             Not specifically with the extension. There are other, more focused 3D applications and tools within Adobe and             Esri for 3D design. https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/help/mapping/layer-properties/what-is-a-scene-layer-.htm             https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/esri-cityengine/overview   Other: Are there detailed instructions on how to use the extension ? YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGZUzt4E4O2K7MQjlQkM8D6z3E6DKkiOx Online Doc:  http://doc.arcgis.com/en/maps-for-adobecc/   What can you do with the extension in Photoshop ?             https://doc.arcgis.com/en/maps-for-adobecc/sync-content/differences-sync-illustrator-photoshop.htm   Is there a student option ?             No, but there is the “free”/complimentary access that can be used by students https://doc.arcgis.com/en/maps-for-adobecc/install/sign-in.htm https://doc.arcgis.com/en/maps-for-adobecc/install/functionality-matrix.htm   How do I credit Esri/ArcGIS Maps ? https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/reference/static-maps.htm When you sync a map, the data credits (as text) are provided on an artwork layer with the suffix “copyright”   What features are planned for next release ? When will it be available ? Improved UI/ UX Tabbed mapboards Improved icons and layout Updates to vector street map & Natural Earth maps New Natural Earth and USGS layers Open Street Map (beta) layers Add demographic attributes to exiting data * Legend (map key) builder Control layers that sync Add more than 50 Places Travel times Geographic offsets (buffers)               Next release is planned for the summer of 2019.             Is there a way to merge multiple maps into one ? You can sync data into Illustrator more than once. If you have complimentary access, you can only do this for the current session of Illustrator. With an ArcGIS Online account, you can “Save the map as part of an Illustrator or Photoshop document for future session modifications.” and sync those changes http://doc.arcgis.com/en/maps-for-adobecc/sync-content/sync.htm http://doc.arcgis.com/en/maps-for-adobecc/install/functionality-matrix.htm ... View more

The new 1.3.1 release of ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud is now up on the Adobe Exchange. If you have a previous version of the extension installed, it should automatically update to 1.3.1 the next time you login to any of the Adobe Creative Cloud apps or your account. If you've not installed the extension before, go to the ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud listing, and click the blue "Free" button in the upper right. A list of the new features can be found in our doc here: What's New—ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud Help YouTube video demoing some of the new features: What's New in ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud 1.3 - YouTube  NOTE: 1.3.1 Fixes the blank panels issues: https://community.esri.com/groups/arcgis-maps-for-adobe-creative-cloud/blog/2018/10/01/panels-blank-after-upgrade-to-v130  Maps for Adobe Team ... View more

New update for Maps for Adobe, version 1.2.1 is up on the  Adobe Exchange. Make sure you have the Creative Cloud Desktop App installed and file syncing is turned on, to ensure you stay up with the latest version of the add-on. This minor release has an updated login screen and some additional maintenance improvements. ... View more