Too Many Layers

[BrianO_keefe]

In the past few years as I have made more and more web-maps for various City Government departments and individuals, based on focused geospatial data as well as generalized data, one of the most common threads requested is the 'Kitchen Sink' map... or "Can you add every layer we develop here at the City to this map?"

I've just been informed that I'll be tasked with a similar map soon... The project management will be asking for 50-100 feature classes / layers to be added to this map.

Other than using the Advanced Search Widget (so that Rest Services can be queried without being included in the map as a layer in the TOC) by rscheitlin‌ I am curious if anyone has any experience with similar web mapping conundrums and how they were handled?

[XanderBakker]

It is not best practices to create a general web application with all the layer an organization has. It is better to try and understand what the specific needs of the different areas are and configure (or develop if you must) specific applications for specific needs. 

[RobertScheitlin__GISP]

Brian,

  I can not give advice on this because I have never allowed non-GIS personnel to make bad decisions like that for my organization.  As the GIS Professional you have to make clear the bad results of this type of decision and steer them clear of an app that has everything, but because of this is not user friendly and very slow. If you are just unable to change your managements mind then just throw all the layer in there and let the app flounder and display poor performance and then point out to those decision makers that this is what happen when you don't heed the advice of GIS staff.

[RebeccaStrauch__GISP]

I would suggest making a landing page (with links to apps)  that looks like it has "...the kitchen sink", but behind the scenes have specific apps/projects.  Other than doing as Robert mentions and having them show how slow and un-usable, sometimes you need to think ahead of those asking.  If you get ta few of the specific task apps done and frame it out, and have one with everything, hopefully you can show that smaller targeted apps are better.

Of course, that all might be easier said than done.  I can't say that I have had time to do that myself....and it is needed here too.

[JenniferBorlick]

I agree with rastrauch on the landing page. It would be much easier for everyone, including the end user, to click to an app that has what they need. Even having a drop down menu for "I need to..." and have apps specific for each use. Kitchen sink maps are very 2000. Convince your users that you want to move forward and not backwards. Good luck.

[AndyWells]

For layers that aren't going to see much querying, I like to combine a bunch of things on a background layer. In my case, I use a vector tile layer and it shows roads, buildings, driveways, addresses, recreation areas, parks, campgrounds, water, dumpsters, etc, along with all the labeling for those items. For most of my users, they don't click on many items for information anyway, so the visual aspect of it works well for them, and it's fast and you can reduce some of the layers you need. The downside is that updating it is a more complex issue, particularly since you can't overwrite the tile layers like you can with feature services.