DIY Geo Apps MOOC "Ask Me Anything" Event

[CandaceLoya]

Thank you for joining us!

Wednesday, September 19, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (PDT)

Join our DIY Geo Apps MOOC guests here on the GeoNet Community for a LIVE AMA (Ask Me Anything) event. The AMA will take place in this discussion thread on Wednesday, September 19, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (PDT). Click HERE to convert exact time for different countries.

10:00 a.m. You can now ask your question!

10:25 a.m. - If you are just joining us, feel free to ask any question.

10:30 a.m. - We're halfway through, Great questions! Keep them coming!

10:50 a.m. - Ten minutes to go! Got any fun questions for guests?

11:00 a.m. - That's a wrap! See you at the next Ask Me Anything event.

AMA Guests  John Shramek‌ Derek Law‌ John Gravois‌ Rupert Essinger‌ Ian Wittenmyer‌

Sample Questions: What are careers in GIS? What is the DIY Geo Apps MOOC? Do you have any pets, etc.? How long have you worked in GIS? What made you choose GIS as a career?

How does the AMA work?
During the AMA, you can post your questions by clicking  the "Add Reply" button below and our guests will reply to your questions in comments. You are welcome to post questions ahead of the AMA and they will answer them during the AMA.

 Please note: You must be logged in to post questions and see responses. See instructions 
on How to Log into GeoNet for the AMA. 

AMA Tips and GeoNet Community Guidelines
When asking questions and comments during the AMA, remember to follow the GeoNet Community Guiding Principles‌ Be Helpful, Be Human, Be Smart.
This discussion page will not auto-refresh, so please remember to refresh this page to see new questions, comments and replies.
 
 
 

[Anonymous User]

Hello,

I have a Master's Degree in GIS, but I only got an introduction to web app development in my program. I'm very comfortable building apps using Esri's pre-configured templates, but I would like to get better at building desktop apps from scratch using the ArcGIS API for Javascript.  Do you think it's easy enough to self-teach myself how to do this, or would you recommend taking a course or courses on app development? 

[JohnGravois]

Olivia,

You're asking about building 'web apps from scratch' using the ArcGIS API for JavaScript, correct?

If so, i think there's a path you could navigate that doesn't involve formal coursework. i wouldn't call it 'easy' but its the path i took and i've never regretted it. the key is to identify some clear and attainable early goals because starting anything new is frustrating and its important to maintain enthusiasm.

i always had a lot more fun trying to answer other people's questions about the JSAPI when i worked in tech support and on GeoNet and Stack Overflow than i did creating elaborate projects of my own just for the sake of it, but that just may be a personal preference.

either way the key to learning any 'big' new topic on your own is to break things up into enough discrete steps that your research and testing will be fruitful. this improves your own troubleshooting ability and makes it more likely that that the questions you inevitably start googling are small enough that other folks have asked them too.

[Anonymous User]

Hi Olivia, nice job on finishing a master's degree! I think our configurable apps are not very close to knowing how to program; they're designed to allow non-programmer GIS people to quickly release apps for sharing their map content.

Definitely see Section 6 in the DIY Geo Apps MOOC, if you haven't gotten in there already. It's a nice intro on JavaScript and seeing how apps are constructed. Whether it's "easy" to teach yourself programming, that depends on you, how you learn, and how much time and motivation you have. It's definitely possible, but like becoming proficient in any new language, I wouldn't call it easy. There are lots of free and paid resources on the web on learning to program, or, a class or two could help get you started too. Good luck!

[DerekLaw]

Hi Olivia,

FYI, some resources to help get you started on learning about creating custom web apps with the ArcGIS API for JavaScript,

• Basics of JavaScript Web Apps
• ArcGIS API for JavaScript: An Introduction - YouTube 

There are also many courses on the Esri Training site, https://www.esri.com/training/ 

Hope this helps,

[ChrisCatania]

HI Olivia - I would also suggest checking out our ArcGIS API for JavaScript‌ and Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS‌ GeoNet spaces; there you can find helpful questions/answers and other GIS pros you can connect with and follow. 

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I learned the fundamentals of javascript and html programming in school, so I'm hoping I'll be able to become proficient at app development by practicing/studying when I have time.

[ChrisCatania]

Ian Wittenmyer‌ John Gravois‌ Rupert Essinger‌  John Shramek - What is your favorite movie that features maps or has a DIY theme to the plot? 

[JohnGravois]

there's no better DIY cautionary tale than Money Pit.

[IanWittenmyer]

Chris, I'm glad this isn't 'what are your top ten favorite movies?' because like most film lovers there are probably 30 movies in my top ten.  But to answer your question directly, my favorite movies with a map are Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Muppets, for a further explanation, watch this clip as Fozzy explains it.  

I would also like to know what is everyone favorite book with maps?  For a DIY option to make a classic book style map, check out this blog.

[VaibhavGupta4]

I really liked How to Lie with Maps by Mark Monmonier