Share Bookmarks Between Maps in ArcGIS Online

3847
8
10-29-2013 06:10 PM
Status: Open
GregBonynge
Occasional Contributor
I'd like to see a new feature introduced to ArcGIS Online that allows users to easily share AND update bookmarks between the web mapping apps created using this website.  For instance, if I make a map (let's call this "Map A") with a number of bookmarks, I know I can duplicate these bookmarks by just creating a copy of the map (let's call this "Map B").  Easy enough.

BUT if I want to add new bookmarks or make corrections to the bookmarks in Map A, I'm out of luck if I want to have these automatically updated in Map B.  It looks like the current process is to go in and manually tweak the bookmarks in Map B instead.

As a solution, perhaps introduce a true map template ability to ArcGIS Online for Organizations.  All maps associated with the template will be automatically updated if the bookmarks in the template change, or other features such as the initial extent, base layers, etc.  Give users the option to toggle on & off which settings spill down from the template whenever the template is changed.  Anyone who has used templates in Macromedia/Adobe Dreamweaver software will know what I'm talking about here...
8 Comments
TimOrmsby
The requested functionality seems similar to what you can get in ArcGIS for Desktop using My Places--basically a list of named map extents which is independent of any particular map but can be loaded into any map. I wonder if it would be possible to create a unique Bookmark item type for ArcGIS Online. New entries could be saved to this item from any web map and this item could be added to any web map to populate a list of bookmarks. The item could be edited directly by its owner (for example, to remove, rename, or reorder entries).
ScottBateman
Another option that would allow maps to have different bookmarks as necessary would be to provide a simple means to share/export/import bookmarks.  If the stored bookmars could be exported from one map into a text file they could be used as the "template" set of bookmarks.  This could then be imported into other maps to create bookmarks in them.

If the format was some basic human-readable JSON or a .csv, this would make it easy to update the list of standard bookmarks and re-import them into maps as desired.
MartinSirkovsky
I completely agree with Yewtaah, export, import, bookmarks would be great. And same goes for reordering, I am missing it so much.
NeillJobe
Admin Tools for ArcGIS Online does this now. Drag, Drop, Reoder, Copy, etc.

https://marketplace.arcgis.com/listing.html?id=c34019b0623041608df4d06970a7a96a

The Basic (Free) version will do all of this.

Neill

 
GregBonynge
@GISGPSMan Fabulous!  Thank you very much for letting me know about this solution.  (Wish I'd known about this earlier... but alas this website still doesn't drop you an email in case if anyone comments on one of your submitted ideas.)  Cheers!
NaomiBegg2

I'd love this for ArcGIS Portal!  We are rebuilding a collection of our maps into Portal and it would be great to be able to import to each map our standard organisation bookmarks.

amyw
by

I'd love to be able to manage bookmarks in ArcGIS Pro and port them to web maps + use them to create offline areas or vice versa!

Pointing_Polly

@NeillJobe I looked at this recently, and can't find any mention of it in the Admin Tools documentation.  It looks like some aspects of the free product have been replaced with a separate, paid for product.

We need the ability to share or copy bookmarks between multiple AGOL maps/apps for 2 reasons:

1) To add bookmarks to multiple maps at the same time or copy a set of bookmarks created in one map/app to another.  OK, there are ways of getting the bookmarks set up by doing in the MXD/Pro project, but if you've already created and modified the map/app in AGOL, you've missed the boat on that one.

2) To add additional bookmarks after the map/app has been created e.g. for a new site that has been added to the data.  Again the "do it via the MXD/Pro project solution" doesn't work for this scenario.