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Linking to Photographs from ArcGIS Online

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08-28-2020 01:23 PM
JosephKerski
Esri Notable Contributor
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There are many ways to store photographs so that you can link to them and use them in ArcGIS Online.  The most popular method is probably using Flickr, Google Plus, and other photo sharing services, as I document in the attached set of guidelines. However, either because their institution prohibits the use of photo sharing sites or for technical reasons, some educators prefer to store their photographs in ArcGIS Online. 

Let's say you have uploaded some photographs to ArcGIS Online by navigating to "My Content" and then using the "Add Item" function.  How, then, do you link to the photograph once it is there in ArcGIS Online?  You cannot link to the URL that is at the top of the metadata page for that photograph.  Rather, you need to navigate to the bottom of this page to get to the actual URL where the photograph is located, as shown for a photograph I uploaded from a field trip I was on with educators in New Zealand, highlighted in yellow, below:

Rangitata Valley metadata for a photograph I took there.... Ah!

Once you have the URL, you can create a Map Note that links to that photo (shown below and in the map linked here), you can use the photo and other similarly-linked photos in a story map or other web mapping applications, and you can use them in other ways.

Rangitata Valley web map

Hmm.. working with these images and map makes me want to take another field trip back to this spectacular landscape!  Give this photo technique a try! 

5 Comments
DavidHedges1
New Contributor

Hi - I notice that your picture url has the http prefix; how do you change it to https? Currently, I'm working on a story map and I'm getting an image issue notification stating that I have to change my image to https, however I can't seem to figure out how.

Any ideas jkerski-esristaff‌?

Alyson

JosephKerski
Esri Notable Contributor

What story map app are you using? The advice depends on the app type. Thanks. --Joseph 

JosephKerski
Esri Notable Contributor

David (and others):

The easiest and most efficient way to work with images is to upload them directly into the Story Map Builder for the app you are using.   What I described above is just in response to some inquiries I have received about how to use this method, but I wouldn't use it as standard practice... it is just a way of getting those ArcGIS Online photos to work. 

One of the advantages of uploading your images directly into the Story Map Builder is that it optimizes your images for fast display. In addition, another advantage is that the images get stored in your story map, so there's nothing extra to manage (in the case of the Map Tour, the images are stored in a feature service that the Map Tour builder automatically creates for you).

--Joseph Kerski 

AndreaMcIntosh1
Occasional Contributor

when you copy paste you just type the letter s  after the p

JamieLambert
Frequent Contributor

Hi Joseph Kerski‌,

What is the option for using photos that cannot be shared publicly? How can I access the URL in this case? Thanks.

Jamie.

About the Author
I believe that spatial thinking can transform education and society through the application of Geographic Information Systems for instruction, research, administration, and policy. I hold 3 degrees in Geography, have served at NOAA, the US Census Bureau, and USGS as a cartographer and geographer, and teach a variety of F2F (Face to Face) (including T3G) and online courses. I have authored a variety of books and textbooks about the environment, STEM, GIS, and education. These include "Interpreting Our World", "Essentials of the Environment", "Tribal GIS", "The GIS Guide to Public Domain Data", "International Perspectives on Teaching and Learning with GIS In Secondary Education", "Spatial Mathematics" and others. I write for 2 blogs, 2 monthly podcasts, and a variety of journals, and have created over 6,500 videos on my Our Earth YouTube channel. Yet, as time passes, the more I realize my own limitations and that this is a lifelong learning endeavor: Thus I actively seek mentors and collaborators.