ArcWatch: GIS News, Views, and Insights
December 2012
Create Storytelling Shortlists
By Carla Wheeler
Esri Writer
Web maps can be wonderful storytelling vehicles. If there are places of interest you want to present in an attractive online map, try using the Storytelling Shortlist template combined with the mapmaking capabilities in ArcGIS Online.
The first Storytelling Shortlist application was developed by Esri product engineer Rupert Essinger, who wanted to showcase a selection of restaurants, attractions, and architecture in his hometown of San Diego, California. His San Diego Shortlist was a hit with those who attended the Esri International User Conference in July 2012. "I love the city, and I like sharing information about some of the places to go," Essinger said.
Read this article to learn more about the storytelling shortlist concept and how to get started using the template to highlight places of interest for your organization or yourself.
You can create your own web map that showcases points of interest by using Esri's new Storytelling Shortlist template.
Tip of the Month
Learn to Use Hidden Layers for Web Map Pop-Up Windows
Read this tip to find out how to make a layer invisible in an ArcGIS Online web map, except to appear as information in a pop-up window.
Connect with ArcWatch
ArcWatch is published monthly by Esri and contains GIS news, practical advice, and updates about the company's software and events. To submit article ideas, e-mail editor Carla Wheeler at arcwatch_editor@esri.com.
Join the Conversation
SeaSketch Is on Board
Marine spatial planning just got easier with the launch of the SeaSketch application, which gives environmentalists, shipping companies, and other stakeholders the tools to collaborate and create ocean use plans. ArcGIS Online plays a major role in SeaSketch by providing an enormous amount of geospatial data that can be used for these projects. Read the article.
Making Maps of Mercury
Researchers at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution of Washington use ArcGIS to turn data about Mercury, which is being collected by the MESSENGER orbiter, into a comprehensive cartographic record of the planet closest to the sun. Read the article.
Business Analysis Takes the Next Big Step
There's a growing realization that adding geographic location to business data and mapping it make good business sense. Location analytics focuses on thematic mapping and spatial analysis. Read the article.
Moving to the Parcel Fabric Data Model
Mono County, California, and the County and City of Denver, Colorado, have all migrated to Esri's parcel fabric. It's a new method for managing land parcels and replaces manual editing of cadastral information with a geospatially integrated data model. Read the article. Follow these best practices when converting to the parcel fabric.
Cloud GIS to the Rescue
Cloud-based GIS from Esri helped the staff at Wall Street Network (WSN) keep producing online maps even after flooding from superstorm Sandy cut the power at the company's offices at 110 Wall Street in New York City. Read the article.
See the Wetlands Mapper in Action
People can use the Wetlands Mapper, built with ArcGIS API for Flex, to view and query wetlands data in the United States and its territories. Read this blog to learn more about the application and the data, imagery, and maps that it uses.
Place-Based Knowledge in the Digital Age
GIS will eventually become a major way—perhaps the dominant way—in which people will access information in the future, says Thomas Fisher, professor of architecture and dean of the College of Design at the University of Minnesota. Read his article.
Get Ready, Get Set, Go
Be an early bird and register for the 2013 Esri International User Conference and book your hotel today! Save with discounted rates or use your complimentary pass for the conference.
World Topographic Map Undergoing a Design Change
Read this blog to learn how to update your Community Maps contributions using the new map design.
Author Web Maps Using ArcGIS Online
This free, 30-minute seminar will walk you through how to quickly create, configure, and publish a web mapping application.
Esri Offers a 2013 Summer Internship Program
Do you know a university student who wants to continue learning next summer, but on the Esri campus? Applications are currently being accepted for Esri internships, 12-week paid positions in a number of areas throughout the company. Learn more.
Plunging into Ocean GIS
Oceans matter. They feed people, regulate weather patterns, and provide more than half the oxygen that humans breathe. Yet most of the ocean floor has never been mapped. That's where GIS technology comes in. Read the article by Esri chief scientist Dawn Wright, who outlines the Esri Ocean GIS Initiative. Learn more in this blog, which reports on the recent Esri Oceans Summit.
Having Longer Heat Waves
The European Environment Agency posted this heat wave risk map, which was created and shared using ArcGIS Online. The map shows projections of the combined number of tropical nights and hot days in different parts of Europe through 2100. Read the article.
Geodesign Case Studies
Geodesign: Case Studies in Regional and Urban Planning is a great resource for professionals in fields such as design, engineering, and urban planning who want to use geodesign to create more sustainable designs or meet compliance goals. Case studies exemplify the key steps, processes, and technologies crucial to solving the complex issues that face our world. Buy the book. Learn more by attending the Geodesign Summit.
Newsroom
Mapping the Mission to Mars
Esri ArcGIS and remote-sensing data helped planners of the Mars Science Laboratory mission determine the best landing site for Curiosity, the rover that touched down on the Red Planet last summer. Read the article.
Create and Share Maps with ArcGIS Online for Organizations
Take this tutorial to learn the basic workflows for generating web maps. You will learn how to analyze a web layer in ArcGIS for Desktop, publish the analysis as a hosted service, and create new web maps that you can share in web map applications and with ArcGIS mobile applications.
Take the New ArcGIS for Server REST API Web Course
Learn the basics of how the REST API works in the new Introduction to the ArcGIS for Server REST API web course.
Unlock Data Trapped in Paper
This tutorial will walk you through how to take old datasets that are in non-spatially aware formats and make them available for use in a GIS.
Browse the GIS Bookshelf
This selection of books will sharpen your GIS knowledge and skills.
Esri Insider
A Bright Future for Spatial Thinkers
Geospatial technology professionals will be in demand in the twenty-first-century workspace, writes Esri president Jack Dangermond in this blog post.Podcast: The Value of ArcGIS for Local Government
Download the Military Aspects of Weather Template for ArcGIS 10.1
Free Training: Getting Started with Esri CityEngine
Free Trial: ArcGIS 10.1 for Desktop
GIS: An Antidote for Zombie Stores
How can so-called "zombie stores" be turned into useful business sites again? By using GIS to help determine the best use for the building or land. Read the article.
Schooling Students in GIS
In a small village in Costa Rica, at the end of a dirt road, in a building where insects and geckos carry on an ancient battle, students are learning how to use geospatial technology, including ArcGIS. Read the article by Esri education manager Charlie Fitzpatrick.
New Web Course: Finding Geographic Data in ArcGIS 10.1
Learn how to get started finding the data sources and maps you need to jump-start your GIS project. Take the course.
Solving Spatial Problems Using ArcGIS 10.1
New to GIS? This web course introduces a five-step approach to spatial analysis that will help you uncover patterns, trends, and relationships in your data that you might otherwise miss.
Do You Have a People Strategy?
Watch this video and read this Esri Training Matters blog post to learn how creating a staff development plan can help ensure that your GIS team is viewed as a strategic asset.
Tour the Oceans North Campaigns with ArcGIS
The Pew Environment Group promotes conservation in the Arctic. View the maps and photos.
Learn How to Contribute to the Community Maps Program
Tune in to the free live training seminar Put Your Community on the Map on January 24, 2013. Learn more and subscribe to receive reminders.
Hardware Offers
Technical Talk
Web Resources and More
Esri offers US customers the GeoCollector for ArcGIS for Windows Mobile for high-accuracy Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) mobile GIS data collection. You can use this new GeoCollector with ArcGIS for Windows 3.1. It comes with the new Trimble Positions field collection software. This is the first complete, high accuracy field data collection solution for ArcGIS for Windows Mobile. Learn more about all Esri and Trimble offers.
Visit the Esri Store to find more software and extensions, upgrades, data, books, and hardware bundles.
