Modern GIS: Sharing & Presenting Information

BrianBaldwin

This is the 5th blog in a 6-part series highlighting the core concepts of a Modern GIS. To view the other blog posts – please visit this page: Modern GIS Core Concepts

Over the past few years, Esri’s Education team have been discussing the technology shift and the need for GIS coursework to move from desktop-centric patterns to those that include the web. Desktop GIS is still an integral part of the story – but it is no longer the focus of the story. Desktop GIS is vital for data management, advanced analysis, and cartographic production – but many of those workflows are now part of a web-based context. Desktop tools can now seamlessly consume web-based services published by authoritative geospatial agencies and individuals across the globe. Desktop GIS can publish map services and layers to the cloud – to be consumed by web-based applications and tools, and desktop GIS can edit and manage web-based data and layers.

Through this series, we are asking: So, what does a course look like that focuses on the fundamentals of GIS but adjusts to a more web-centric paradigm?

In this blog, we will be looking at sharing and presenting information.

We can do better than PDFs and JPGs embedded into StoryMaps…

My son and daughter are digital natives. They were born and raised in a world where technology pervades their every minute and it’s simply the norm. My wife and I describing the process of ‘going to a video store’ and ‘renting VHS tapes’ and ‘the store not having a copy of Jurassic Park so you just had to wait and hope that they would next time’… was completely foreign to them. They could not comprehend what we were talking about.

On family movie nights today, we scroll through an endless selection of titles that are available via voice command. Things have changed a bit.

In GIS… the technology changes have been just as dramatic with the shift to web-based GIS. Maps are now interactive, with detailed information that can be presented within pop-ups. They can be used on mobile devices across the world. They can present real-time information and they reflect changes as soon as an author hits ‘update’. This technological shift is a true transformation, but in many cases, the ways that we are still teaching about presenting spatial information, is almost as if all we had were print maps.

While map layouts (exported as PDFs, JPEGs, etc.) are fantastic – they are really just updated paper maps. They are ‘static’ representations of a specific time and place. When we have students place static maps into a StoryMap… they are just creating ‘new’ PPT presentations. Are they digital? Of course! But we can do a lot better when it comes to teaching about and guiding students on HOW presenting spatial information has changed.

It’s all about interactivity

When users build maps in a desktop GIS, they work with project files (MXD, APRX) that store layers, and each layer references a dataset that stores symbology information. When it comes time to share their work, users start constructing a map layout that is ‘set’ for a specific size/resolution for either screen or print. The size of the map necessitates that the user makes certain decisions regarding labels, symbology, layers, etc. All of these decisions are based on the map’s purpose and audience (hopefully!). When we consider a web-based map vs. print, the skills and requirements have some similarities… but there is a lot of new content to cover.

Looking at the diagram below, the biggest differentiator are the dynamic tools/options and HOW these options can be configured. Does a user need search functionality? Should the labels for the cities be removed as we zoom in closer? What additional features should appear on the map as we zoom in? What attribute data should be visible in the pop-ups?

Unlike a map layout, there are multiple ‘tiers’ of a web application to consider and each of these can have dramatic consequences for the final application. Decisions made at the ‘layer’ tier can impact the speed and performance of the application. Those made at the map level can improve the clarity of data presented, etc.

The diagram below provides a basic breakdown of the 3 basic ‘tiers’ of a web-based mapping application. It’s incredibly valuable for students to know the capabilities and purpose of each tier, as well as the relationships between them. The rest of the blog will focus on the specific skills and knowledge that students should grasp in each of these sections/tiers: Apps, Maps, and Layers.

Apps: making the right choice

In the ‘before times’, students just had to consider how big the sheet of paper was going to be. But one of the most basic questions of map/app design remains unchanged: who is this for and what is it for?

What is the NEED for the web application? Who is going to be using it?

The most important questions for students to ask when they are starting to make an application is: why does this need to exist? Who is going to be using it? The answers to those questions should drive all of the choices that are made when it comes to the choice of application. If this is for the general public, it probably needs a splash screen to introduce the application and an easy to use ‘search’ tool and legend. If this is for a scientific audience, you might need to include a table and the ability to download the source data.

One of the most important aspects of this question that does not get asked enough is ‘HOW’ the application is intended to be used. Specifically, will end users be pulling this up on a mobile device?

A few of the themes that can also be explored in the ‘Apps Tier’ include accessibility and UI/UX. Is the application screen-reader friendly? Is it navigable via a keyboard? How will users be interacting with the application and what does that experience ‘feel’ like?

Understand what application choices there are, what they do well, and what they ARE NOT well suited for.

Not all application builders are created equal. The graphic below illustrates just a few of the ArcGIS web application frameworks. This graphic does not include everything, but it provides a good starting point for understanding where to start.

First and foremost, users should understand what each of these tools were designed for and what options they include. While it might be important for students to start understanding how to build and design their own custom interfaces that interact with 3rd party visualization libraries (JavaScript API), other students will just need to quickly configure a map that provides pop-ups and search capability.

All of the configurable application frameworks from Esri have pros and cons. Students should know the capabilities (included tools, widgets, etc.) of each framework, to ensure they make the right choice when designing an application. As was stated earlier… let the need drive the form.

Maps: make your web map shine

Within the ArcGIS Online MapViewer or ArcGIS Pro, students can spend hours (or seconds) building out their maps. The biggest issue is when students build out maps for the web… as they would have for a print layout! As we will dive into, there are a lot of configuration options that students need to understand to ensure their map and data is presented well.

Ensure that users don’t see the default pop-ups!

If pop-ups aren’t disabled (which is sometimes the desired outcome), they will include all of the visible attributes. This includes OBJECTID, H09204, TEST_JOIN_SUM, and others.

Here is my pop-up after just adding the layer and not modifying anything (notice the scroll bar… there are dozens of attributes):

After editing the display names for the fields and modifying what fields are visible in the pop-up (removing fields with no data or that not pertinent for this use case) it presents a much cleaner/clearer set of information.

Control what users see as they zoom in and out

Unlike a paper map, web mapping applications let you control specifically what layers and symbology users can see and interact with, depending on the zoom level.

Users have the ability to create vastly different visualizations and experiences at each zoom level… and this can take a lot of time and consideration! In the example below, I was using a dataset for Philadelphia that shows permits issued, but the feature layer was duplicated 4X. After duplicating the layer, I modified the scale visibility and the symbology of each layer. While using any of these layers could have been the right choice for a print map, the web interface gives me the ability to provide a richer experience.

layers - zoom.gif

The same example is pertinent for labels. I can recall manually adjusting and rotating labels for a print layout for hours… which makes sense in that context! While the auto-placement tools work well for labels in a web map, there are still circumstances where users might want to see additional detail at different zoom levels. In the case of a wildfire map, rather than just labelling the ‘name’ of the fire, as users zoom in closer we could include the ‘% Contained’, ‘Acres Burned’, etc.

Taking Complete Control: Arcade

Arcade is Esri’s scripting language for pop-ups, rules, symbology, and a whole host of other use cases. The power of the language has grown significantly over the past few years. It allows users to build ‘on-the-fly’ joins and relates, to datasets that are not even in the map! The example below, illustrates a case where the application needed to present different information in different locales. Clinics in the US needed buttons/links, the international locations did not. As well, if information like a ‘phone number’ or ‘website’ was missing… these values were not meant to be included and shouldn’t take up space. All of this was accomplished with Arcade. This just scratches the surface of some of the capabilities of the language, but this is one place where students NEED exposure and experience. Arcade can also even serve as a basic introduction to ‘coding/scripting’ for students.

Layers

Last but not least, are the layers. These are the ‘core’ items that are added to a web map and they reference the underlying data. The feature layer, as an item in ArcGIS Online is NOT… the data. It simply stores configuration information related to the symbology, filters, pop-ups, etc. that will be applied to the data. For students that might go into enterprise GIS, where they will need to manage servers and publish data, understanding the distinction between these different ‘tiers’ of features is critical. The graphic below illustrates the different roles and capabilities of the Feature Layer, Feature Service, and Data Store.

There can also be a great deal of overlap here with the web map. While a feature layer can contain the symbology and layer definitions, those can be over-ridden with the settings in a web map. For our purposes, some of the key items that students should focus on and ensure they understand, are filers applied at the layer level, as well as views.

In Summary

It has been fantastic to see the ‘boom’ in web-based maps and applications. K-12 students are able to build maps related to climate change, history majors can quickly build maps of cities at specific eras, but to be honest, a lot of these maps suffer from poor design choices. While the labels or symbols for a map might have been great for print (or at 1 zoom level), as soon as a user starts interacting with the map, it underwhelms. Web-based applications are an entirely new domain and concept for GIS. Rather than thinking about basic map elements, students need to think through user interactions and user experiences (UI/UX). Thinking of the design and construction of a web mapping application as a more iterative process is also beneficial. Students can create an application, test it, and then make refinements at any of the various tiers (app, map, layers) to ensure their map meets its goals.

While there will always be a place for print, we need to ensure that students are exposed to and familiar with the additional needs of web-based mapping applications. So, while it’s always fun to regale students about the ‘ways things were’, please don’t send them off to Blockbuster Video to look for copies of Jurassic Park.

Lastly, please take a look through the following resources, which align with the skills and knowledge that were discussed throughout the blog.

Resources

ScottAndreasen

So, where can I read the other blog posts in this series? I'm sure there is a link somewhere but I am not seeing it. Thanks.

BrianBaldwin

Whoops! Sorry about that @ScottAndreasen - I just updated the blog with the link... or it's right here: https://community.esri.com/t5/education-blog/core-concepts-of-a-modern-gis-it-s-all-about-the/ba-p/1...