Geospatial Web Services

Goal and Background:

The goal of this lab is to introduce the concept of creating geospatial web services through ArcGIS online, ArcMap, and ArcGIS Pro.  These services are hosted through the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Geography web server.  During this lab vector, raster and Excel/CSV data will be published.  This lab is designed to teach a basic understanding of one of the most important concepts in WebGIS, services.


Methods:

After the data provided by Professor Wilson was downloaded, the first step was to publish a service using ArcGIS online.  This is done by choosing the file to be uploaded in the "My Content" tab of ArcGIS online.  The .zip folder is selected and once appropriate tags are added the file is ready to be published.  "Add Item" is clicked and the item is published.  This layer was then added to a web map.  The following image is a web map of Wisconsin transportation created from the data uploaded using the online method.

Figure 1

This same method can be done using tabular data.  The next part of the lab was to save an Excel table as a CSV and then publish it as a service using ArcGIS Online.  This was very simple, the file was saved as a CSV file then the same exact process was used as above to import the X,Y data.  Latitude and longitude were selected and points were created as a service.  In this case, the XY data was representing wildfire in the United States.

Publishing a service through ArcMap is one of the most common ways to do it.  To do this, a map must be created and the data must have proper labels, field names, and symbology. Once the map is ready, the user needs to sign into ArcGIS online in ArcMap and the service is ready to be published. The user then shares the map as a service to the appropriate place in ArcGIS online and selects a few settings to optimize the map to what it will be used for.  The map is then published and shows up in the user's content in ArcGIS online.

The next method is publishing data using ArcGIS Server through ArcMap.  This is done in a similar way as previously but requires storing the data in a different place and connecting to the server.  Once the map is created the user must connect to the enterprise geodatabase.  This is where the data is stored that is pushed to the server. In this situation, each user is connected to their own enterprise geodatabase.  The data in the map should then be moved into this geodatabase.  The data in the map should then be mapped to this file and not the one in the local drive.  The next step is to publish the service.  This is the same process as publishing it to ArcGIS Online except it is being published to the server.  The place it is being published to is changed to the server address and the user is prompted to give the proper credentials.  Once this is completed the service can be published the same as before.  The service is now published to the UWEC Enterprise Server.

GIS is a relatively young field and is changing everyday.  ArcGIS Pro is the next big thing that will eventually phase out desktop.  The last part of this lab went through publishing a service to portal using ArcGIS Pro.  Once a map was created in pro with the proper data.  The map was shared as a web layer.  The appropriate summary and metadata information was provided and the map was then shared to the portal.  In this case it was actually shared to the server because the Universities portal was not up and running.


The last step of this lab was to create a map document, create a feature service, and add it to a web map.  This was done using ArcMap and published to the server.  Once the map and data was on the server it was brought into a webmap using the server address. Any service can be brought into a webmap as long as the user has access to it. Below is the resulting map. This is a map of earthquakes and hurricanes in the United States and shows them with a timer over a period of nine years.

Figure 2

Results:

Publishing data through ArcGIS Online is quick and easy way to publish a service but it does come with a few limitations.  The data published will not be normalized, symbolized, or cleaned up like it can be done in ArcMap.  This method of publishing only allows for 5gb of data to be published.  This method of publishing a service would not be the most recommended way to do it.

Publishing data to ArcGIS Online through ArcMap is one of the most popular and efficient ways to do it. ArcMap gives the user more control over the data before it is published.  The data can be manipulated and changed to fit the users needs before it is published.  Once it is published it is harder to change things such as field names and certain symbology.

Publishing data to ArcGIS Server is slightly more involved but results in more security around data.  ArcGIS Server is data that is hosted on a GIS server rather than online.  GIS servers are normally internally to companies but can be hosted though a 3rd party.  Having an internal GIS Server results in more security and control of the data.  This method is the way to go if using ArcGIS Enterprise. 

ArcGIS Pro is the next big thing in GIS.  ESRI claims it will eventually phase out ArcMap Desktop all together.  It is slightly easier to use but more confusing to use when the user does not have a lot of experience. Publishing was not harder or easier it was just different.

Using services in a webmap is very valuable.  There are many free services of valuable information published and hosted by private and public entities.  These can be brought into any webmap and shared.  This can be very useful in many real world situations.


Sources:
ESRI, Cyril Wilson, NASA, USGS