Threat Analysis Web Tool

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When coordinating training and exercises, planning events, and responding to emergencies, public safety personnel and first responders are tasked with identifying safe distances and zones for both potential and real threats. Should a threat be reported, personnel want to be prepared to act, knowing what perimeters to set up, and what areas to evacuate. The Threat Analysis web tool supports event planning and response by following standoff distance guidance provided by the Joint Counterterrorism Assessment Team.

The Threat Analysis web tool can be accessed from Map Viewer or through the Analysis widget in ArcGIS Experience Builder, making it easily deployable across modern ArcGIS platforms. This tool delivers the functionality previously provided by the Threat Analysis widget in ArcGIS Web AppBuilder. As ArcGIS Web AppBuilder is soon scheduled for retirement in ArcGIS Online, organizations are encouraged to migrate to this new tool.

Requirements for the Threat Analysis web tool

The initial release of the Threat Analysis web tool is available for ArcGIS Online only. To fully leverage the capabilities of the Threat Analysis web tool, there are specific requirements and permissions that must be met.

User roles and privileges

To create and edit the notebook and publish the web tool, users must have at least a Creator user type with a custom role. This custom role should be based on the Publisher role, and must include the following added privileges:

• Publish web tools: A user needs this privilege to publish custom web tools, such as the Threat Analysis web tool, to ArcGIS Online.
  
  
• Create and edit notebooks: This privilege allows the user to modify and create ArcGIS Notebooks, which are essential for managing the logic and parameters within the Threat Analysis web tool.

To run the Threat Analysis web tool, users must have at least a Creator user type with a custom role. This custom role should be based on the Publisher role, and must include the following added privilege:

• Run web tools: This privilege allows a user to execute the published web tool and perform the necessary analyses.

Tip: To enable use of web tools across your organization, consider changing all users with the Publisher role to this new custom role.

Credit usage

The Threat Analysis web tool in ArcGIS Online is a custom tool developed using ArcGIS Notebooks, and like other custom web tools, it consumes credits when run. Credits are consumed based on the time to run the web tool and the runtime level. The Generate Threat Zones notebook uses the Standard runtime. For more information, visit Understand credits for spatial analysis -- the custom web tool section explains credit usage.

Supported environments

The Threat Analysis web tool is supported in the following environments:

• ArcGIS Online

Set up the Threat Analysis web tool in ArcGIS Online

To set up the Threat Analysis web tool in your ArcGIS Online organization, complete the following steps:

Create the Threat Zones feature layer

The output zones created by the web tool are displayed in a feature layer named Threat Zones. This layer will need to be created in your portal before the tool can be used.

1. Sign in to your ArcGIS Online organizational account
   
   
2. At the top of the site, click Content, and then click New Item.
   
   
3. Click Feature layer.
   
   
4. Choose Provide an ArcGIS Server layer URL and click Next.
   
   
5. Paste the following URL into the URL parameter: https://services7.arcgis.com/piPfTFmrV9d1DIvN/arcgis/rest/services/Threat_Zones/FeatureServer 
   
   
6. Click Next three times to accept default settings.
   
   
7. Fill out the item details and click Save.
   
   Tip: The feature service comes preconfigured with a symbology style, pop-up style, and refresh interval. In Map Viewer, the refresh interval, symbology style, and pop-up style can be modified as needed.
   
   Tip: The pop-up style Arcade expression is configurable with minimal modifications to the expression. Review the comments in the Arcade expression for guidance on how to customize the feature service.
   
   The pop-up style’s arcade with configurable variable highlighted

8. Create a new web map with the feature layer or add the feature layer to an existing web map used in an existing Experience Builder application.

Publish the Generate Threat Zones notebook

To host and run the Threat Analysis Web Tool notebook in ArcGIS Online, complete the following steps:

Warning: Adding a notebook by clicking the New Item button will not preserve the required parameters. To ensure proper setup, use the following workflow.

1. Browse to the Generate Threat Zones notebook item page.
   
   
2. Sign in with your ArcGIS Online credentials, and then click Open notebook.
   
   
3. Click Save as.
   
   
4. Type a title and check the Copy parameters to the new notebook option.
   
   
5. Click Save Notebook.
   
   
6. Click Parameters to verify that there are 4 parameters saved in the notebook.
   
   
7. On line 15 of the first cell of the code block, replace the item ID placeholder text (e.g. “YOUR_THREAT_ZONES_LAYER_ITEM_ID” ) with the item ID of the Threat Zones feature layer in your organization. Make sure the item ID value in the code is contained in quotes
   
   Tip: If the spatial reference for the underlying basemap is not Web Mercator Auxiliary Sphere or the organization is configured to use a different default spatial reference, replace the default well known ID (3857) in line 20 of the first cell with your desired WKID. Make sure the WKID value in the code is contained in quotes.
   
   The item ID of your feature layer can be found in the URL of the item's page
   The Generate Threat Zones notebook with configurable variables highlighted
8. Click Save to apply the changes.
   
   
9. Click Publish.
   
   
10. Type Threat Analysis in the title box and provide a description, and then click Publish to publish the notebook as a web tool.
    
    

Create an ArcGIS Experience Builder app

1. In My content, click Create app then click Experience Builder. Click Create new to create a new app.
   
   
2. Choose a template and click Create.
   
   
3. Add a Map widget to the app.
   
   Note: Learn more about widgets
   
   Tip: When setting up the Experience Builder application with the expectation that the threat zones will be appended to the feature layer, it’s recommended that the map widget use a web map that includes the Threat Zones feature layer. Learn more about making content in ArcGIS Online.
   
   
4. Add an Analysis widget to the app.
   
   
5. Click Custom web tool in the Analysis widget configuration panel.
   
   
6. In the Select utility panel, click + Add utility → Items and select the published web tool.
   
   
7. Click Done.
   
   
8. Select the web tool in the Select utility pane.
   
   Note: The tool appears in the Analysis widget.
   
   
9. At the top right, click Save, then click Publish.
   
   
10. Click the vertical dots and click View published item to view the app.

Run the Threat Analysis web tool

1. The threat location can be added in several ways:
   
   
   • Add a layer: Click Layer to add a layer from the organization.
     
     
   • Draw on the map: Use the Sketch tool to draw it directly on the map.
     
     
   • Use an existing feature: Click the point feature on the web map to open its pop-up. Select Actions > Set as Analysis Input, then complete the dialog to choose the tool and set parameters.
     
     Note: The tool can process multiple locations in a single tool run. When using a selection of locations from an existing layer as inputs, there is a known issue affecting the ability to limit the input features to a selection made in the map widget. Consider using the pencil to mark the desired locations instead of using a selection from a layer.
     
     
2. For threat type, choose the appropriate threat classification by selecting it from the drop-down list.
   
   
3. (Optional) Enable the Append Zones to Feature Layer parameter to append the results to the Threat Analysis feature layer.
   
   Note: The predefined symbology and pop-ups are only applied when zones are appended to your copy of the Threat Zones feature layer. When appending to the feature layer, the feature may not appear until the layer’s refresh interval lapses. If the features are appended to the feature layer, data actions like “Zoom to” will not apply to the new features, and the map extent will not automatically focus on the newly created feature.
   
   
4. Provide a description in the Description parameter to help identify this run of the analysis. This description will be written to the output Threat Analysis layer for reference.
   
   
5. Click Run.
   
   The Threat Analysis web tool’s interface in Experience BuilderThe Threat Analysis web tool’s appended output in Experience Builder. The inner circle (red) shows the fireball zone while the outer circle (orange) shows the mandatory evacuation zone for a liquefied petroleum gas threatThe Threat Analysis web tool’s appended output in Map Viewer with additional contextual layers. The inner circle (orange) shows the mandatory evacuation zone while the outer circle (yellow) shows the shelter in place zone for an explosive threatThe Threat Analysis web tool’s temporary output in Map Viewer

Review results

1. The tool will generate two buffers as a part of the analysis. Click each feature to view the pop-up details.
   
   
2. (Optional) Click the History tab in the Analysis widget to view the recently executed results.
   
   Note: To keep a copy of a temporary output, click the ellipsis (...) next to the result to access additional details and information. Under Result, click the Actions button, and then in the Export to item dialog box, click Export. To enable users to use the export features of the Analysis widget and save non-appended outputs to the ArcGIS Online organization, users will need a Publisher role, or a custom role that allows users to publish hosted feature layers.

Review Generate Threat Zones Notebook Release Notes

To stay informed about updates, enhancements, and fixes made to the Threat Analysis notebook or geoprocessing tool, review the release notes available on the item page.

1. Browse to the Generate Threat Zones notebook item page for ArcGIS Online.
   
   
2. Review the Release Notes section in the item description.