Time once again for us to share 5 more very cool things in Geo technology with our readers (aka 5things on Friday), we hope you enjoy and find something here that may help you to be even more awesome in your role as a GeoGeek, ArcGIS Administrator, or Geo professional. This week we share a tip on creating web maps; a useful Commuter planning tool; a workbook; a data-rich environmental portal; and a park index tool powered by GIS.
How to… Creating a Webmap
Creating a map with ArcGIS Online really doesn’t have to be hard, actually, it really isn’t that tough! To help the new users and first time map makers, Esri has a handy help resource to keep on hand. Follow the steps, consult twitter @arcgisonline or seek out advice from users on GeoNet discussion forum and you should have no trouble. This “cheat sheet” should prove to be valuable and help get you well on your way – view the how to create a web map help sheet here (PDF)
Something from the City of Seattle, WA and a fine example of a regional planning resource and information tool for the community. From the resource, the mission is to help commuters, residents and visitors live more and drive less by improving access and mobility Downtown. Through education, advocacy, training and consulting, we are helping create a transit-supportive business culture to ensure that commuters enjoy world-class commuter benefits and amenities. The portal provides maps, trip planning tools, news alerts, access to traffic cameras, bike parking information and much more – well done Seattle! There’s ever perks and rewards for people taking a challenge to reduce driving trips.
Understanding GIS – A Learning Resource for All
Understanding GIS: An ArcGIS Project Workbook explains the methods, tools, and processes needed to apply full-scale GIS analysis to a spatially-based problem. This book lets you assume the role of a GIS analyst challenged with finding the best location for a new park along the Los Angeles River in Southern California. This handy educational tool provides users with access to a clever map tour, videos, data lessons and more. Well done here! See more help resource on the ArcGIS Learning Resources Page
Global Forest Watch Open Data Portal (ODP) is a fabulous resource, driven by spatial data, where you can easily explore and download environmental theme data sets in a variety of formats. There’s a number of data themes available including, forest change data, forest cover, wildfire, conservation data, weather data layers, and much more. Be sure to click on the featured datasets link and also on the “Resources” tab!
A fabulous, information-rich resource from the Trust for Public Land. The Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore index is the most comprehensive rating system ever developed to measure how well the 100 largest U.S. cities are meeting the need for parks. Cities are given a score from 1-100 making it possible to compare various regions and parks. Of interest, GIS technology identifies which neighborhoods and demographics are underserved by parks and how many people are able to reach a park within a ten-minute walk. you can follow the developers of the PArksore on Twitter @TPL_org. Kudos also to the TPL for providing detailed methodology
We hope you found something of interest here. If you have a cool GIS, GeTech, Geo EDU, UAV or other story/tip of interest, please share with us via email (hit the Contact Us link to the right) or drop us a tweet @GEOjobeGIS
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