News and blogs related to GIS

This is an up-to-date table of the latest 10 posts from the GIS & You blog. It is the dataset behind the latest posts displayed on the State of GIS hub page and is only intended for use with that application.

High impact GIS projects in 45 seconds or less (ArcGIS Blog)._Communities around the world are taking strides in mitigating the threat that COVID-19 (coronavirus) poses. Geography and location analysis have a crucial role in better understanding this evolving pandemic.When you need help quickly, Esri can provide data, software, configurable applications, and technical support for your emergency GIS operations. Use GIS to rapidly access and visualize mission-critical information. Get the information you need quickly, in a way that’s easy to understand, to make better decisions during a crisis.Esri’s Disaster Response Program (DRP) assists with disasters worldwide as part of our corporate citizenship. We support response and relief efforts with GIS technology and expertise.More information...

Mapping coronavirus coxcombs (ArcGIS Blog)._Communities around the world are taking strides in mitigating the threat that COVID-19 (coronavirus) poses. Geography and location analysis have a crucial role in better understanding this evolving pandemic.When you need help quickly, Esri can provide data, software, configurable applications, and technical support for your emergency GIS operations. Use GIS to rapidly access and visualize mission-critical information. Get the information you need quickly, in a way that’s easy to understand, to make better decisions during a crisis.Esri’s Disaster Response Program (DRP) assists with disasters worldwide as part of our corporate citizenship. We support response and relief efforts with GIS technology and expertise.More information...

How your GIS department can respond to COVID-19 (ArcGIS Blog).Your organization likely has most of the tools and data necessary for an effective COVID-19 response. Learn how to bring it all together._Communities around the world are taking strides in mitigating the threat that COVID-19 (coronavirus) poses. Geography and location analysis have a crucial role in better understanding this evolving pandemic.When you need help quickly, Esri can provide data, software, configurable applications, and technical support for your emergency GIS operations. Use GIS to rapidly access and visualize mission-critical information. Get the information you need quickly, in a way that’s easy to understand, to make better decisions during a crisis.Esri’s Disaster Response Program (DRP) assists with disasters worldwide as part of our corporate citizenship. We support response and relief efforts with GIS technology and expertise.More information...

This crash dataset does include crashes from 2023 up until near the middle of July that have been reviewed and loaded into the Maine DOT Asset Warehouse. This crash dataset is static and was put together as an example showing the clustering functionality in ArcGIS Online. In addition the dataset was designed with columns that include data items at the Unit and Persons levels of a crash. The feature layer visualization by default will show the crashes aggregated by the predominant crash type along the corridor. The aggregation settings can be toggled off if desired and crashes can be viewed by the type of crash. Both the aggregation and standard Feature Layer configurations do include popup settings that have been configured.As mentioned above, the Feature Layer itself has been configured to include a standard unique value renderer based on Crash Type and the layer also includes clustering aggregation configurations that could be toggled on or off if the user were to add this layer to a new ArcGIS Online Map. Clustering and aggregation options in ArcGIS Online provide functionality that is not yet available in the latest version of ArcGIS Pro (<=3.1). This additional configuration includes how to show the popup content for the cluster of crashes. Users interested in learning more about clustering and aggregation in ArcGIS Online and some more advanced options should see the following ESRI article (https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-online/mapping/summarize-and-explore-point-clusters-with-arcade-in-popups/).Popups have been configured for both the clusters and the individual crashes. The individual crashes themselves do include multiple tables within a single text element. The bottom table does include data items that pertain to at a maximum of three units for a crash. If a crash includes just one unit then this bottom table will include only 2 columns. For each additional unit involved in a crash an additional column will appear listing out those data items that pertain to that unit up to a maximum of 3 units. There are crashes that do include more than 3 units and information for these additional units is not currently included in the dataset at the moment. The crash data items available in this Feature Layer representation includes many of the same data items from the Crash Layer (10 Years) that are available for use in Maine DOT's Public Map Viewer Application that can be accessed from the following link(https://www.maine.gov/mdot/mapviewer/?added=Crashes%20-%2010%20Years). However this crash data includes data items that are not yet available in other GIS Crash Departments used in visualizations by the department currently. These additional data items can be aggregated using other presentation types such as a Chart, but could also be filtered in the map. Users should refer to the unit count associated to each crash and be aware when a units information may not be visible in those situations where there are four or more units involved in a crash.

Using the coronavirus infographic template in Business/Community Analyst Web (ArcGIS Blog).Business Analyst (BA) Web infographics are a powerful way to understand demographics and other information in context. This blog article explains how your organization can use the Coronavirus infographic template that was added to the infographics gallery on March 1, 2020._Communities around the world are taking strides in mitigating the threat that COVID-19 (coronavirus) poses. Geography and location analysis have a crucial role in better understanding this evolving pandemic.When you need help quickly, Esri can provide data, software, configurable applications, and technical support for your emergency GIS operations. Use GIS to rapidly access and visualize mission-critical information. Get the information you need quickly, in a way that’s easy to understand, to make better decisions during a crisis.Esri’s Disaster Response Program (DRP) assists with disasters worldwide as part of our corporate citizenship. We support response and relief efforts with GIS technology and expertise.More information...

An ArcGIS Online vector basemap in the Equal Earth projection, for global or regional thematic mapping in an equal area projection (which is important).To customize the style of this basemap, here is a direct link to open it in the Vector Basemap Tile Style Editor.Here is a link to a web map that uses this Equal Earth vector basemap, ready for your data.Find more insights and resources about making basemaps in non-Mercator projections in this blog post from Andy Skinner: https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-living-atlas/mapping/beyond-web-mercator-building-basemaps-in-different-projections/Here are similar maps, for different coverage areas.Albers Equal Area Continental United StatesAlbers Equal Area EuropeAlbers Equal Area AsiaBest, John Nelson

Blog about Open Data and Open Source

Tracker for ArcGIS released (ArcGIS Blog)._Communities around the world are taking strides in mitigating the threat that COVID-19 (coronavirus) poses. Geography and location analysis have a crucial role in better understanding this evolving pandemic.When you need help quickly, Esri can provide data, software, configurable applications, and technical support for your emergency GIS operations. Use GIS to rapidly access and visualize mission-critical information. Get the information you need quickly, in a way that’s easy to understand, to make better decisions during a crisis.Esri’s Disaster Response Program (DRP) assists with disasters worldwide as part of our corporate citizenship. We support response and relief efforts with GIS technology and expertise.More information...

This map was designed with the Vizzuality team for use in the Half-Earth Project globe. The saturated palette and rich landcover tones are meant to engage an audience and to provide the sense that the earth is a charming and beautiful place worthy of thoughtful stewardship. As you zoom in, the saturated basemap is slowly replaced by Esri's World Imagery basemap tiles for a seamless transition from small to large scale.Find more information about this basemap, and its contributing data, here: https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-pro/mapping/creating-the-half-earth-vibrant-basemap/ Learn more about the Half-Earth Project here and explore highlighted areas of biodiversity. Happy Mapping! John

This dashboard defaults to a presentation of the crash points that will cluster the crash types and determine a predominant crash type. In the case two crash types have the same number of crashes for that type the predominant type will not be colored to either of the crash types. Clicking on the clusters will include a basic analysis of the cluster. These clusters are dynamic and will change as the user zooms in an out of the map. The clustering of crashes is functionality availalble in ArcGIS Online and the popups for the clusters is based on items that include elements configured with the Arcade language. Users interested in learning more about point clustering and the configuration of popups should read through some of the examples of the following ESRI Article (https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-online/mapping/summarize-and-explore-point-clusters-with-arcade-in-popups/) . The dashboard itself does include a map widget that does allow the user to toggle the visibility of layers and/or click on the crashes within the map. The popups for single crashes can be difficult to see unless the map is expanded (click in upper right of map widget). There is a Review Crashes tab that allows for another display of details of a crash that may be easier for users.This dashboard includes selectors in both the header and sidebar. By default the sidebar is collapsed and would need to be expanded. The crash dataset used in the presentation includes columns with a prefix of the unit. The persons information associated to each unit would be based on the Person that was considered the driver. Crash data can be filtered by clicking on items in chart widgets. All chart widgets have been configured to allow multiple selections and these selections will then filter the crash data accordingly. Allowing for data to be filtered by clicking on widgets is an alternative approach to setting up individual selectors. Selectors can take up a lot of space in the header and sidebar and clicking on the widget items can allow you to explore different scenarios which may ultimately be setup as selectors in the future. The Dashboard has many widgets that are stacked atop each other and underneath these stacked widgets are controls or tabs that allow the user to toggle between different visualizations. The downside to allowing a user to filter based on the output of a widget is the need for the end user to keep track of what has been clicked and the need to go back through and unclick.Many of the Crash Data Elements are based on lookups that have a fairly large range of values to select. This can be difficult sometimes with charts and the fact that a user may be overwhelmed by the number of items be plotted. Some of these values could potentially benefit by grouping similar values. The crash data being used in this dashboard hasn't been post processed to simplify some of the groupings of data and represent the value as it would appear in the Crash System. This dashboard was put together to continue the discussion on what data elements should be included in the GIS Crash Dataset. At the moment there is currently one primary dataset that is used to present crash data in Map Services. There is lots of potential to extend this dataset to include additional elements or it might be beneficial to create different versions of the crash data. Having an examples like this one will hopefully help with the discussion. Workable examples of what works and doesn't work. There are lots of data elements in the Crash System that could allow for an even more detailed safety analysis. Some of the unit items included in the example for Minot Ave in Auburn are the following. This information is included for the first three units associated to any crash.Most Damaged AreaExtent of DamageUnit TypeDirection of Travel (Northbound, Southbound, Eastbound, Westbound)Pre-Crash ActionsSequence of Events 1-4Most Harmful Event Some of the persons items included in the example for Minot Ave in Auburn are the following. This information is included for the first three units associated to any crash and the person would be based on the driver.Condition at Time of CrashDriver Action 1Driver Action 2Driver DistractedAgeSexPerson Type (Driver/Owner(6), Driver(1))In addition to the Units and Persons information included above each crash includes the standard crash data elements which includesDate, Time, Day of Week, Year, Month, HourInjury Level (K,A,B,C,PD)Type of CrashTownname, County, MDOT RegionWeather ConditionsLight ConditionsRoad Surface ConditionsRoad GradeSchool Bus RelatedTraffic Control DeviceType of LocationWork Zone ItemsLocation Type (NODE, ELEMENT) used for LRS# of K, # of A, # of B, # of C, # of PD InjuriesTotal # of UnitsTotal # of PersonsFactored AADT (Only currently applicable for crashes along the roadway (ELEMENT)).Location of First Harmful EventTotal Injury Count for the CrashBoolean Y/N if Pedestrian or Bicycles are InvolvedContributing EnvironmentsContributing RoadRoute Number, Milepoint, Element ID, Node ID

https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-living-atlas/mapping/unemployment-pulse/UnemploymentPulse is a collaboration of architect Jinnan Zhang, demographer Diana Lavery, and cartographer John Nelson, and other members of the Esri Living Atlas team. Data automation was created by Lisa Berry. ArcGIS Living Atlas is a repository of curated geographic data from all sectors of the mapping community.

Created in the method described here: https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-online/mapping/vintage-shaded-relief-basemap/. Scintillating backstory here: https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-pro/mapping/how-to-smash-vintage-hillshade-into-modern-imagery/This basemap extends from zoom levels 0 - 9, though levels 8 and 9 are pixelated and primarily intended to be a transitional hand-off to a small scale tile set, like World Imagery. See this transition in the example web map here: https://nation.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=ccbfec91e19d4f9fb0769af361c31516The hillshade is an extract of the darkest and lightest tones in this vintage mid-century shaded relief plate hand painted by Kenneth Townsend. Mid-tones are transparent to permit a visual pass-through of an underlying satellite imagery layer. Another, unaltered, instance of this shaded relief plate is shown at 80% transparency to provide painterly hues and texture. Mr. Townsend's source plate is available as a georeferenced TIFF file at https://www.shadedreliefarchive.com/world_townsend1.htmlLearn more about this, and other, shaded relief via the archive, maintained by Tom Patterson and Bernhard Jenny, here: https://www.shadedreliefarchive.com/about.htmlThe underlying satellite imagery is derived from the NASA blue marble project's Visible Earth mosaics of cloud-free imagery, available here: https://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=73826Cartographic layers, such as the oceans overlay, graticule, and lakes and rivers, are a combination of custom layers and content sourced from Natural Earth. Their pencil strokes and paper texture backgrounds can be found in the ArcGIS Pro Watercolor style, available here: https://esri-styles.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=936edb7f57334763a8247d1019a9de51Happy Vintage Basemapping! John Nelson

This vector tile layer presents the Human Geography Dark Label style (World Edition) and provides a detailed vector basemap for the world with a dark monochromatic style and content adjusted to support Human Geography information. The map includes labels for highways, major roads, minor roads, railways, water features, building footprints, and administrative boundaries. It is designed to be used with the Human Geography Dark Detail and Human Geography Dark Base layers. Learn more about this basemap's design from the cartographic designer in this blog. This vector tile layer provides unique capabilities for customization, high-resolution display, and use in mobile devices.This vector tile layer is built using the same data sources used for other Esri Vector Basemaps. For details on data sources contributed by the GIS community, view the map of Community Maps Basemap Contributors. Esri Vector Basemaps are updated monthly.This layer is used in the Human Geography Dark Map web map included in ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.See the Vector Basemaps group for other vector tile layers. Customize this StyleLearn more about customizing this vector basemap style using the Vector Tile Style Editor. Additional details are available in ArcGIS Online Blogs and the Esri Vector Basemaps Reference Document.

This basemap was designed with the Vizzuality team for use in the Half-Earth Project globe. The saturated palette and rich landcover tones are meant to engage an audience and to provide the sense that the earth is a charming and beautiful place worthy of thoughtful stewardship. As you zoom in, the saturated basemap is slowly replaced by imagery.This basemap is the major component of the Vibrant Map. The Vibrant Map is configured to use these basemap tiles from global to regional extents, then transition to Esri's World Imagery basemap tiles for a seamless transition from small to large scale.Find more information about this basemap, and its contributing data, here: https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-pro/mapping/creating-the-half-earth-vibrant-basemap/Learn more about the Half-Earth Project here and explore highlighted areas of biodiversity here. Happy Mapping! John

Essential configurations for highly scalable ArcGIS Online web apps (ArcGIS Blog).Learn best practices for configuring web applications that receive a high amount of web traffic, use a quick checklist focus on critical settings._Communities around the world are taking strides in mitigating the threat that COVID-19 (coronavirus) poses. Geography and location analysis have a crucial role in better understanding this evolving pandemic.When you need help quickly, Esri can provide data, software, configurable applications, and technical support for your emergency GIS operations. Use GIS to rapidly access and visualize mission-critical information. Get the information you need quickly, in a way that’s easy to understand, to make better decisions during a crisis.Esri’s Disaster Response Program (DRP) assists with disasters worldwide as part of our corporate citizenship. We support response and relief efforts with GIS technology and expertise.More information...

Parking citations with latitude / longitude in Mercator map projection which is a variant of Web Mercator, Google Web Mercator, Spherical Mercator, WGS 84 Web Mercator or WGS 84/Pseudo-Mercator and is the de facto standard for Web mapping applications. Additional information about Meractor projections - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercator_projection The official EPSG identifier for Web Mercator is EPSG:3857. Additional information on projections can be read here: https://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisdesktop/9.3/index.cfm?TopicName=Projection_basics_the_GIS_professional_needs_to_know For more information on Geographic vs Projected coordinate systems, read here: https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-pro/mapping/gcs_vs_pcs/ For information on how to change map projections, read here: https://learn.arcgis.com/en/projects/make-a-web-map-without-web-mercator/

This web map contains the Bing Maps aerial imagery with labels web mapping service, which provides worldwide orthographic aerial and satellite imagery with roads and labels overlaid. Coverage varies by region, with the most detailed coverage in the USA and United Kingdom. Coverage in different areas within a country also varies in detail based on the availability of imagery for that region. Bing Maps is continuously adding imagery in new areas and updating coverage in areas of existing coverage. This map does not include bird's eye imagery. Information regarding monthly updates of imagery coverage are available on the Bing Community blog. Post a comment to the Bing Community blog to request imagery vintage information for a specific area.Tip: The Bing Maps Hybrid service is one of the basemaps used in the ArcGIS.com map viewer and ArcGIS Explorer Online. Simply click one of those links to launch the interactive application of your choice, and then choose Bing Maps Hybrid from the Basemap control to start browsing! You'll also find this service in the Basemap gallery in ArcGIS Explorer Desktop and ArcGIS Desktop 10.If you need information on how to access Bing Maps, information is available in the ArcGIS Online Content Resource Center.See Bing Maps (http://www.bing.com/maps) for more information about the Bing Maps mapping system, terms of use, and a complete list of data suppliers.

COVID-19 data available by county from Johns Hopkins University (ArcGIS Blog).Johns Hopkins University is now providing data in a map layer by county for COVID-19 cases and deaths. This layer is created and maintained by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at the Johns Hopkins University. This feature layer is supported by Esri Living Atlas team and JHU Data Services. See the FAQ or contact Johns Hopkins for more information._Communities around the world are taking strides in mitigating the threat that COVID-19 (coronavirus) poses. Geography and location analysis have a crucial role in better understanding this evolving pandemic.When you need help quickly, Esri can provide data, software, configurable applications, and technical support for your emergency GIS operations. Use GIS to rapidly access and visualize mission-critical information. Get the information you need quickly, in a way that’s easy to understand, to make better decisions during a crisis.Esri’s Disaster Response Program (DRP) assists with disasters worldwide as part of our corporate citizenship. We support response and relief efforts with GIS technology and expertise.More information...