topic Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML in ArcGIS Online Questions

Newbie needs help exporting to KML

kdjacob — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 14:12:38 GMT

Hello.

First time poster, just getting started with ArcGIS online.

I found a support page for exporting a layer I made using Map Notes as a KML file. [LINK]

I get as far as the page for my layer, but I can find no "Export Data button on the Overview tab" so I'm stuck.

(tried to upload ascreen shot of where I get stuck attached but only see a way to upload a video in this forum?)

I would appreciate any help you can provide.

Thanks,

Ken

Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML

jcarlson — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 15:17:54 GMT

Hello there!

When you initially add your map notes layer, it's actually a Feature Collection, which does not have the same export options as a regular Feature Class.

In order to export the map notes in another format, you'll need to first publish the notes as a hosted feature layer, then export it from there.

Here's a support article for reference.

Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML

kdjacob — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 22:42:26 GMT

Thank you very much jCarlson.

Still stuck.

I had already followed the steps in the support article you reference. On the Content page, I can see my layer "Map Notes test layer" and it is called a "Feature Layer" in the second column.

When I click on the layer to get the "Item Details" page, I see information sort of like what's in the support article.

The problem is that THERE IS NO PUBLISH button, just "Open in Map Viewer" "Open in ArcGIS Pro", and "Share" buttons, but nothing about Publishing (or exporting, as I've seen in other support articles).

See attached screen shot.

So I see no way to go from "Feature Layer" to "Feature Layer (published)".

UGH. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG???

Thanks for your help,

Ken

Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML

kdjacob — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 23:07:30 GMT

Hmm...poking around ArcGIS support articles, like this one , I'm wondering if my Role is insufficient to create a Hosted Feature Layer???

Thanks for any help here folks.

Ken

Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML

Anonymous User — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 01:42:05 GMT

I think you may be on the right path here Ken.

Increase your portal role to ensure you have permissions to create Hosted Feature Layers, and then once you have the created feature layer in your contents you will see additional settings you can control within the portal item.

However in my current version of ArcGIS Portal i do not get an option to export to KML

This may be linked to the version of ArcGIS enterprise I am running and/or AGOL may have slightly different options. If, after you increase your role privileges, you are still unable to export to KML. other options are available:

in web app builder you can use the 'Analysis' widget, tick the checkbox for 'extract data' and you can get the option to export to kml
in ArcGIS Pro/ArcMap you have the standard geoprocessing tools for conversion to KML

Let me know how you go 🙂

Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML

Anonymous User — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 02:09:37 GMT

Hi @kdjacob

Angela has shown the way to convert the layer to allow exporting of the created feature layer in ArcGIS Online, though the software does not export to KML, there are ways to convert CSV to KLM (for Goole).

you can use a converter tool online (CSV to KML Converter Online - MyGeodata Cloud) or once you have imported the file, simply right click on the layer in the table of contents, choose Save As and save as ".kml" on your computer.

Hope this helps

Keiren

Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML

kdjacob — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 12:05:31 GMT

Hello @Anonymous User,

Thanks very much for your reply, and it does sound like we're on the right path now.

However (and forgive the newbie-ness) but when you say "Increase your portal role", I don't know how to do that. I did a Google search for "Increase your portal role in ArcGIS" and saw this article but it's pretty bewildering.

If it's any help I'm a lone wolf engineer that signed up with ArcGIS online and ESRI, doing private research only (Native American stone structures lost in the northwest Connecticut forests). I am not part of an ArcGIS "organization" (a term a see a lot in ArcGIS literature) so far as I can tell. I don't use the desktop version of the software (I'm Mac-based so not really an option) -- just the online version.

Can you please point me in the right direction?

Sincerely,

Ken

Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML

kdjacob — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 12:07:37 GMT

Hello @Anonymous User,

Thanks very much for your reply. In another reply to @Anonymous User I've asked for more help because I don't know how to change my portal role to allow me to export. Hopefully, when I get that solved, I can move on to getting the information in the form I need it. I think your directions will come in handy then.

Sincerely,

Ken

Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML

Anonymous User — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 23:19:48 GMT

Hi @kdjacob ,

You will need to find the person that is the admin of your ArcGIS Online account unless you are the admin.

the best place to look at your AGOL permissions: Open your portal> Choose Organisation> Members> search for your username. (This will show you what role you have.)

If you have the right permissions you should be able to click on the three dots to the right-hand side and look at the roles, this will let you know what permissions your role has. If you are able to add data then you are defiantly above a viewer license.

Here is a document that might help User types, roles, and privileges—ArcGIS Online Help | Documentation

If you are still lost you can share an Image with Angela and me

Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML

Anonymous User — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 04:45:48 GMT

Hi Ken,

you can read some more here: https://enterprise.arcgis.com/en/portal/latest/administer/windows/roles.htm

Roles in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Portal have different privileges assigned to them. Lowest role is a 'viewer' who cant create anything, and can only view content, highest role is Administrator which gives you ALL privileges to create and manage content, groups, create custom roles etc. You would need a role assigned to your profile that will allow you to publish hosted web layers.

To see your role/privilege's, you can access this through your profile - see screenshots below.

Go to 'My Profile', and click on the i. next to Role to see what privilege's you have

As you are working as a 'lone wolf' engineer, do you have an esri contact who set you up with your user role and account? you should probably have ArcGIS Online 'credits' which would allow you to publish a hosted feature layer, if you have a role that allows you to do so.

Let me know!

Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML

kdjacob — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 16:19:05 GMT

Thank you very much @Anonymous User and @Anonymous User,

Putting "Newbie" in the title of my post is going to become more and more evident as I explain to you what I've learned over the past 24 hours.

Before I do that, I want to give you the Reader's Digest version of what I'm working on because it's pretty cool.

I'm a retired engineer working with a few other volunteers on identifying and mapping pre-colonial Native American stone structures long lost in the forests of northwest Connecticut. I've been using LIDAR and other layers available on ArcGIS online, together with findings and GPS coordinates from on-the-ground work, all in an effort to catalog these discoveries. We've been working with several experts from U-Conn, from our local Native American Center, and other institutions. It's super fun and interesting. I've attached one such stone structure -- what's called a "prayer seat" -- which like other structures is aligned perfectly with various celestial features (e.g. summer solstice sunrise.)

What I'm trying to do in ArcGIS is export points and lines I draw on LIDAR layers in an ArcGIS online map I've created into a format I can use with the GPS apps we use on the ground. It looks like KML is the closest format that you can export from ArcGIS. (A big more arduous is exporting to CSV, then to KML, then to GPX). I have other software for converting KML to GPX, which is what the GPS apps use for import and export.

You can take a look at one area we're working on, and the Map Notes layer I'd like to be able to export as KML at this [LINK] .

Now, back to what I've learned over the past 24 hours about my ArcGIS account. By sharing this it might help others in the future.

It appears that in my newbie-ness I signed up for a "free public account", and that my privileges are highly restricted as a result. (This took multiple phone calls to ESRI and multiple emails to the Learn ArcGIS team).

I've asked the Learn ArcGIS team if creating a 60-day account with them will give me the needed privileges. Once I hear back, I'll update the group here.

Again, many thanks for the help I've gotten here. I feel much closer to the goal line if not yet in the endzone.

Ken

Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML

Anonymous User — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 22:49:35 GMT

Hi @kdjacob ,

That is fascinating and well done in a great map for your first go.

What would be a good thing to try and do is open the Lidar in the Scene view, you can do that by clicking on the scene at the top of your portal and choose a local scene, If you have created a custom feature later you can save that into your contents and open it in the scene.

Note: if is your own Lidar data, you will need to add it to your contents, as you cant add it directly in the scene.

Have you had a play in ArcGIS Pro, to create your maps and 3D scenes? the maps you can create there can be shared to ArcGIS Online.

Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML

Anonymous User — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 00:18:14 GMT

Thanks so much for sharing Ken!!

I appreciate the time taken to share this with us, this is the kind of stuff that makes me excited about being in the world of GIS 🙂

Good luck!

Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML

Anonymous User — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 15:04:42 GMT

Hi Everyone:

It's Ken, and I'm back under a new Learn ArcGIS account with an update.

I am now able to export my lines and points made in the Map Notes layer of my ArcGIS online map.

(applause)

(applause dies down)

BUT, the exported data does not include elevations, just the (spherical) coordinates of the points.

When I import the KML files (actually, ArcGIS says it's exporting a KML but it's actually a KMZ file, which can create additional steps in getting the data into GPS apps) into the GAIA app, points are automatically assigned an elevation by the app. Lines have to be told in the app to assume elevation data.

In any case, the good news is that there's a reasonably straightforward approach now for getting annotations (points, lines) from an ArcGIS online map into one of the main GPS apps we use for our field work.

In another post here later today, I'll give the exact steps. This final post should be designated at the "solution" to this thread, not the one marked as such now, but I don't know how to undo that. Maybe one of you does.

Sincerely,

Ken

Re: Newbie needs help exporting to KML

Anonymous User — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 16:00:40 GMT

(First of all, many thanks to the support and assistance provided by this community).

Here is the solution to the original question:

- If you have a "free public account" for ArcGIS Online, you're out of luck. You can't export. I'm using a Learn ArcGIS account, which works. You may need to request a higher "role" from your organization's administrator to get access to the Publish and Export functions needed here.

- In your ArcGIS online map, create a layer called Map Notes from the drop-down menu.

- Add points and lines to your map as you wish. (Personally, no luck exporting Text or Areas.)

- Save your map.

- Save the Map Notes layer by clicking on the three dots for the layer (last item).

- Under the home arrow (top left of map screen) select "Content".

- Click on the Map Notes item in the Content window

- Click on the Publish button

- In the resulting window, click on the Export button, and choose the format you wish. I'm using KML (warning: ArcGIS actually exports KMZ rather than KML.)

- Download the file. If you chose KML or CSV, you'll get a .zip file which when unzipped gives you four files for each type of data: points, lines, areas, text.

- Import the files into whatever program you're using. Warning: the lines and points have no elevation data in them so you'll need to apply that in the program you're using.

I think that's it.

If someone more knowledgable about the workings of this forum than I can change this post to the "accepted solution" I think that would help others find this info in the future. @Anonymous User you might be able to do this as the author of the current "accepted solution".

Sincerely,

Ken