How do get different users to edit the same data in ArcGIS Online

[AdrianWelsh]

Hi Everyone, I hope that I am just missing something simple here but there does not seem to be an easy/secure way to have certain users edit data in AGOL.

Here is the scenario.

• I have a public map with one feature service (that has three layers).
• This feature service was published from ArcMap straight to the cloud (not through a server).
• I want to be able to have users in my organization, in a certain group, to be able to edit this feature service on my public web map.

When I enable editing for the feature service, then it seems like anyone and everyone can edit the data (without even needing an ArcGIS Online login). I can’t seem to restrict it to just certain users.

From doing a fair amount of research on this and looking into different roles, it seems that the best solution is to have a user in the “Data Curator” role (the one with full edit rights) and have that user open up the feature service into a new map and edit the data that way. This site led me to that thought:

https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/use-maps/edit-features.htm

…and look at the bottom section of “Add layer to new map with full editing control”

My question is, is there not a way to have a named user in my organization edit my public web map without allowing the whole world to also edit my data? I hope this question is clear enough and that others have come across this issue… I want this to be simple for my non-GIS people in my organization and not have to have them go through many extra steps.

[RussRoberts]

Hey Adrian

If you want named users in your org to edit this feature service you will have to create a group with update item capabilities.

Share items—ArcGIS Online Help | ArcGIS

Then your users can go to the feature layer item and on the drop down menu to open the item choose:

Open > Add layer to new map with full editing control

This will bring the feature layer into an editable state for just that user and not anyone else that will be that feature layer in the public map.

Hope this helps

Russ

[AdrianWelsh]

Hi Russ,

I appreciate the reply. That was what I was afraid of. I was hoping for a simpler step than that.

Ideally, this is how I see it... There is a group meeting in which this map is being discussed. One of the polygons needs to be updated. One of my users logs in then and there, makes the update, and then the map reflects it.

I suppose it cannot be this easy without the user having to:

• log in
• navigate to the feature service
• load this feature service into a new map with full editing capabilities
• make the edit
• then return to the web map for the meeting

Is this really the only or best way to handle this?

Thanks,

Adrian

[RussRoberts]

Currently this is the only way you can get editing enabled on a feature layer that does not have the capabilities set to support editing by default.

Russ

[City_of_Edgewater__Fl_GIS_Div_]

Adrian the simplest solution is to have two maps with the same feature service, one that your organization can edit and a public facing one that editing is not enabled. We have found this to work well especially serving the maps out using the Web App Buiilder

[AdrianWelsh]

Ooooohhh, I like this suggestion. I will play around with some scenarios and see how that works. This may be the best bet. Thanks!

[RussRoberts]

The one thing that this will still exposes is the feature service with editing capabilities enabled. The web map is the only thing hiding the editing tools with editing disabled at the map level. Someone could still take the feature service and bring it into a new map and start editing features.

[City_of_Edgewater__Fl_GIS_Div_]

Good point, though if it's in a feature service as separate layers i'm not sure they could do this, that is a good reason to put it all in a web application for at least the public map

[AdrianWelsh]

Russ, that is an excellent point. And it is unfortunate just the same.  ....back to the drawing board...