ArcGIS Online Tutorial

For this class/assignment, we will be producing GeoJSON file using XSLT. This tutorial will walk you through the steps for making a map from that GeoJSON file using ArcGIS. Note, however, that there are many other applications that can read GeoJSON files as an input: QGIS (an open-source, free GUI), R, and Leaflet, to name a few. We are starting with ArgGIS because Pitt has a subsription to an online version that requires no installation.

Creating a Map!

First, grab some sample GeoJSON input data, such as this file detailing the geographic origins of Central Asian scholars in the late nineteenth century.

Then log in to your ArcGIS Online account. Pitt pays for the licensing, so you must login through Pitt. This can be done by going to ArcGIS Online, clicking "Sign In" in the upper right hand corner, and choosing to sign in through an organization and finding Pitt.

Creating a Feature Layer from GeoJSON

Once you are logged in, follow the next steps to add data to your content.

1. Click on Content on the navigation bar.
2. Click on "New item" in the upper left hand corner.
3. From this prompt you can open from th Github URL directly; or drag or uplaod a file from your harddrive
4. Choose the first (default) item - "Add [file name] and create a hosted feature layer or table." We want to create a layer. We add layers to create maps! Click next.
5. Check to make sure that the types are correct and then click next.
6. Give the item a title (or accept the default title based on the file name).
7. Add a couple tags. This would allow someone else to search for your data.
8. Add a summary, giving credit where it is due.
9. Click Save; ArcGIS will automatically open the overview of the layer you just created.

Opening the Feature Layer in a Map

Click on "Open in Map Viewer" to see the layer you just created. Here, you will see that ArcGIS automatically placed all of the items from your CSV on the map. It used points as default. You can click around here to get a feel for the online software. One thing to note is that you can click on a point and a "pop-up" will show up. This will show all of the information you imported about that point from your GeoJSON.

Styling Your Map

There are so many cool things you can do to style a map in ArcGIS online. Just like all of the other things you have used in this course, this is super google-able. If you want to try something else from this tutorial, google it! In this tutorial, I am going to show a couple of important ways to stylize a map:

Adding More Layers

You can continue to upload data to ArcGIS Online, following the steps above.Then, in a map, you can click the "Add" button under the "Layers" Pane and search through your content (or public content in the Living Atlas) to add to your map. You can toggle these layers on and off by clicking on the eye-shaped button.

Styling Point Data

Let's say I am making a map of all of the buildings on campus that I have had class. I don't like the default colors chosen (or, more realistically, I have multiple layers and want to style them with different colors). This can be done by:

1. Clicking the three dots on the layer you want to style (in the Layer Pane on the left)
2. Choose "Show Properties", and a new pane should pop up on the right.
3. Click "edit layer style."
4. Choose "style options."
5. Click the little pencil icon to choose a new style.
6. I am going to choose the circle under "Basic Shapes" and then click the back arrow (next to "Change Symbol").
7. Staying in this pop-up, you can edit the color, size, outline, etc.
8. I am going to make, for example, my circles a light purple, 18 px, 0% transparency, with a black 1.5px outline.

NOTE: Maps don't automatically save! You must save them manually. This can be done on the left-most pane.

Here is what my map looks like with this point data:

Aggregation Data

The provided GeoJSON file has an "Origin" property associated with each coordinate: these are the number of scholars in nineteenth century Central Asia who originated from the location in question. Let's size the points on the map based on that number to visualize the geographic origins of Central Asian elites:

1. Clicking the three dots on the layer you want to style (in the Layer Pane on the left): select "Show properties.
2. Select "Edit layer style.
3. Select "+ Field"
4. Select "Origins" and then "Add"

That will get you to some basic circles proportionately sized to a Property of your GeoJSON: which is exactly what you need to do for this assignment (but using your own data derived from Digital Mitford).

recommendations here - internship, ArcGIS Pro through library, further courses (online and at Pitt)