Don't Worry, No One Bulldozed the 'Entire' Great Wall of China: Using the Atlas app to build map and data exploration applications
Over the weekend – I saw this crazy headline that went something along the lines of ‘Workers Smash Hole Through Great Wall of China’ – let’s just say I was a bit skeptical. I’m also sure that anyone’s mental image of what transpired looked similar to mine.
Credit: Brian Baldwin
I don’t know the truth behind what happened, but I do know that the ‘click bait’ headlines for this story were incredibly deceptive… but also offered a great ‘teachable moment’… where we could easily insert some geospatial tools.
Oh… and here’s what the hole really looked like:
Credit: Youyu County Public Security Bureau
If I wanted students to go and explore this issue on their own… they could… but the results might be a bit mixed. When you search across ArcGIS Online for layers, we all know what can turn up. There are also a lot of great datasets in the Living Atlas… but which ones are the most relevant? Do they have the right symbology for the task at hand?
You have probably already seen the National Geographic MapMaker application, but what if you want to create a guided experience with your own maps, layers, and data? This is where the Atlas template in Instant Apps comes in.
In my case, some of the things that I was curious about exploring was ‘where’ the hole was. How long is the Great Wall? What is the relationship of the Great Wall to the physical geography or Northern China? What is the relationship of the Great Wall to China’s historical growth? There are so many different questions that one could start to explore, and the Atlas give you the ability to cue any of these up.
While not perfect by any means (there is a lot I will probably update/edit), here is my Great Wall of China Atlas. (Please note... some of these layers are from the Living Atlas, so you will need to sign in to load the maps. I'll work on updating this to make it easier to access.) I just put an update into the application - so there is a lot more that you can explore. I even went a little crazy and cleaned up an amazing dataset (source KMZ) of the Great Wall that was built by Tom Hammond at Lehigh University.
The following video shows you how to set up your own Atlas using data from the Living Atlas, ArcGIS Online, or your own data. It’s a really nice way to build a guided mapping and data exploration lesson.
Setting up your own Atlas
The steps are outlined in the video, but the process is pretty simple:
- Create a group in ArcGIS Online
- Add content to the group. This can be in the form of maps or layers. Content can be sourced from the Living Atlas or ArcGIS Online, or your own data.
- Go to My Content, Create App, Instant Apps, then choose Atlas. Now – you just need to point the application at your new group.
Tips & Tricks
- You can share your Atlas app with Everyone – so that students can use it without logging in to ArcGIS Online. The caveat with this – is that you need to ensure that all of the maps and layers will be accessible as well. If your map has subscriber or premium content, then users will get a ‘sign-in’ prompt.
- If you enrich content or layers from the Living Atlas... they become yours! So - if you want census tracts with population, or boundaries, etc. - you can start with the Living Atlas, use the analysis tools, and then have your own layer to share (with your own symbology).
- There is a lot of great data in ArcGIS Online… but the thumbnail, symbology, descriptions, etc. might leave a lot to be desired. To create a really captivating application, you need to go the extra length and create your own layers and maps.