Cormac Caughey

The 2023 PA GIS Conference: Recap & Review

April 25, 2023 by Cormac Caughey Leave a Comment

Introduction

Picture of a conference pass and name tag from the PA GIS Conference

The PA GIS Conference recently took place from April 10th to April 12th at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, and I was lucky enough to attend! In all my roles as a geography student, a soon-to-be graduate in the GIS field, and a Maps and Geospatial Assistant at the Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial Information, I knew that this conference was a great opportunity to expand my knowledge in the field of GIS.

The PA GIS Conference is run by Keystone GIS, a non-profit GIS professional association that provides leadership and guidance in the geospatial industry throughout the state of Pennsylvania. This event brings GIS professionals together from every different sector: private, non-profit, academia, government, consulting; the list goes on. The conference featured several keynote speakers from nationwide GIS leaders as well as a variety of presentations from GIS experts across the state. This post highlights my experience at the conference from the unique perspective as a student in my very early days of what is hopefully a long career with GIS.

Keynote Speakers

The first of the four keynote speakers was Tim Haynes, Geographic Information Officer and Chief Data Officer for the City of Philadelphia. Haynes’ presentation focused on the power that GIS professionals have in the overall realm of data science, emphasizing all the different skills that someone in the field of GIS possesses. Haynes provided a breakdown of the city of Philadelphia’s GIS network and the different problems and projects they have been tackling; being from the Philadelphia area, this was an incredibly interesting and informative topic to get to hear more about.

The second keynote speaker at the conference was Keith Searles, GISP. Searles is the CEO and founder of Urban GIS, a GIS consulting firm based in Chicago, as well as founder of EDGE: Ethnically Diverse Geospatial Engagement. Searles’ presentation was extremely informative and engaging; one of the main emphases of the talk focused on enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the GIS field by promoting the geospatial industry to diverse communities. More on the EDGE program can be found here.

The second day of the conference featured Dr. Joseph J. Kerski, PhD GISP. As an Education Manager and Geographer at Esri, Kerski’s presentation focused on the several forces, trends, and skills critical to GIS in recent and future years. It was extremely interesting to hear how the world of GIS is changing and where the job market is trending. Hearing Kerski’s excitement for the industry, as well as his history with geography, reminded me of why I gravitated towards this field in the first place and why I am excited to continue my journey in GIS. A link to Kerski’s presentation can be found here.

Closing out the conference during its final hour were Thomas McKeon and Winnie Okello, P.E. with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. This presentation was one of my most anticipated, as Mckeon and Okello unveiled and previewed PennEnviroScreen, Pennsylvania’s own Environmental Justice screening tool. As a geography student, I have had the opportunity to study the history of environmental justice and the current screening tools we have available to map it: it is a huge step in the right direction for Pennsylvania to have its own EJ screening tool that can hopefully aid in education and policy measures to reduce environmental racism and promote just environmental programs.

Breakout Sessions

The first batch of breakout sessions I attended revolved around community service, citizens science, and public engagement. Working at the map’s library, I spend a lot of time looking at historic maps, so one of my favorite presentations was by Mark Connelly, whose talk was titled Understanding Civic Boundary Changes: An Introduction to the Local Geohistory Project. Mark Connelly is the creator behind the Local Geohistory Project, a website that collects and digitizes the history of civic boundary changes across the state. Mark discussed the methods of how legal boundaries have undergone changes in the past, as well as the intensive process of locating the records of these changes across local, state, and federal repositories.

Another round of breakout sessions I attended was focused on GIS applications in Public Safety and 911. This was a topic that I was heading into completely blind; while I knew that GIS is used heavily in the realm of public safety, being able to see first-hand the advancements that GIS has made in this category was extremely enlightening. Included in this session was a presentation from Melissa Leibert on how GIS Data is being used in the Next Generation 911 call flow. This presentation covered how GIS systems are being integrated into the state-wide transition to from the analog 911 system to the NextGen 911 System. Liebert emphasized how important GIS is in playing the role of routing a mobile GIS call to the correct Public Safety Answering Point to ensure location accuracy.

Another presentation from this session on 911 and public safety was from Courtney Malott, titled Getting RapidSOS ready with Fugro. This was an extremely interesting presentation on how Fugro, a Geo-data specialist firm, is working on assigning a vertical z-axis to 911 calls that will help first responders pinpoint a location on emergency callers. Using 3D Mapping technology, this system would allow call centers to receive a visual, for example, on where exactly a call might be coming from if the caller is on the 10th floor of a multi-story building. This talk, in coherence with the previous talk on NextGen 911, helped solidify how important GIS has always been, and how much more important it will become, in the realm of public safety.

Career Panel

For me, the highlight of any of the individual sessions I attended was an early career panel led by several GIS Professionals, including Evo Andreatti, Drew Fioranelli, Bobak Karimi, and Scottie Wall. As a GIS student and upcoming graduate, a panel focused on navigating the field of GIS during your early career days was the most helpful session I could have asked for. Below is a summarized list of some of the talking points and advice that I know I will carry with me while traversing the field of GIS- hopefully these tips will also be helpful to any other students in GIS:

Don’t just focus on your technical skills! Employers need great communicators now more than ever; learn common communication skills, and especially how to communicate within the field of GIS
When going into an interview, know basic knowledge on the employer beforehand; it should be evident that you are knowledgeable about what the company does and what they stand for
Project management skills will get you far! Learn how to emphasize these skills on a resume with buzzwords like time management, organization, collaborative, etc.
Along the same lines as communication: learn how to write for different purposes. Writing is an extremely important toolset, and different projects will require different writing styles (i.e. technical writing, grant proposal writing, work documentation, emails, abstracts, policy briefs, etc.)
It is very unlikely that you will find a job that satisfies 100% of your passion: be sure to find a career that you enjoy working in, but don’t forget to leave time for your passions on the side
Finally, don’t be afraid to take risks, especially early on in your career. There are a lot of different career routes one could take with a GIS background, so try and test the waters on what you are interested in before it feels too late.

Final thoughts

The PA GIS conference is an impressive conglomeration of people, knowledge, and passion. My goal heading into the conference as a student and upcoming graduate was to expose myself to all of the different applications GIS has in so many different fields. Despite being a relatively niche career field, GIS is an extremely broad-encompassing sector, impacting domains such as environmental protection, public safety, urban planning, historic preservation, and so much more.

Whether you are a first-year student entering geography or a graduating senior entering the field of GIS, I would encourage any student at Penn State to attend the PA GIS Conference next year. The conference is taking place April 10th- April 12th 2024 once again at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center here at Penn State’s Innovation Park. Not only does this conference expose you to an expansion of knowledge on GIS, but it may introduce you to a career field, organization, or company that you never knew existed and could maybe even end up working in one day.

Mac Caughey is an upcoming graduate at Penn State majoring in Geography and minoring in Environmental and Renewable Resource Economics. He is pursuing certificates in Geographic Information Science, Landscape Ecology, and Global Environmental Systems. Mac’s interests include environmental sustainability, conservation, and food science. Mac has been working at the Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial information since November 2021.

Upgrade a StoryMap with ArcGIS Image for ArcGIS Online

March 14, 2023 by Cormac Caughey Leave a Comment

This new StoryMap tutorial displays how to turn a digital image into a fully navigable Web Map within a StoryMap. This can be done thanks to Esri’s ArcGIS Image for ArcGIS Online extension.

Screenshot of the ArcGIS Image storymap tutorial

With this feature, any image can be turned into a Web Map to allow for more thorough storytelling and interactivity within a StoryMap. As illustrated in the tutorial, this is especially useful for creating more accessible digital maps without having to go through any large-scale georeferencing.

The below examples provide snippets of how online maps can be digitized and edited to be displayed within a StoryMap:

Screenshot of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from June 1922, State College, PA Screenshot of Map of Harris County taken from the 1874 Centre County Atlas

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from June 1922, State College, PA – from the Penn State Digital Map Drawer

Map of Harris County taken from the 1874 Centre County Atlas – from the Penn State Digital Map Drawer

An Introduction to ArcGIS Field Maps

March 14, 2022 by Cormac Caughey Leave a Comment

ArcGIS Field Maps is a mobile app created by Esri that allows users to collect data, view maps, and track their location. Field Maps was created to merge the previous Esri field collection apps (ArcGIS Collector, Explorer, and Tracker) to create a more user-friendly and all-inclusive app. Field Maps is especially useful for individuals that perform field work and collect field data. Field Maps allows individuals to collect data directly from the field and automatically sync that data to maps in ArcGIS Online. ArcGIS Field Maps is able to be used with access through the Penn State ArcGIS Online account.

Screenshot of the ArcGIS Field Maps login page

There are several different resources provided by Esri that can help users familiarize themselves with Field Maps. A compiled list of several of these resources is listed below:

ArcGIS Field Maps : ArcGIS Field Maps is a mobile field mapping tool that allows for data collection, map viewing, and location tracking. Field Maps is especially useful for field collection, data editing, locating assets and information, and reporting on field work.

Field Maps Quick Reference: This is a summarized reference guide that breakdowns what Field Maps is and all of the components within the app, including layout and functionality. The reference guide goes through the entirety of the Field Maps process from creating a map to analyzing field data.

Try Field Maps: This site provides useful information and resources for getting started with Field Maps, including getting to know Field Maps, 5 things to trying Field Maps, and how to migrate from ArcGIS Collector, the previous ArcGIS mobile app.

Field Maps Resources: Link to the several discovery paths for Field Maps, including what to try in field maps, how to collect data, and how to analyze data.

Field Maps Migration Guide: This is an intensive summary of how to migrate from the previous ArcGIS mobile apps (Collector, Explorer, and Tracker) to Field Maps.

Get to Know ArcGIS Field Maps (video): This video from ArcGIS introduces the basics to Field Maps.

Introduction to ArcGIS Field Maps (video): This is a recording of the Esri Event introducing and explaining Field Maps.

In addition to these resources, I have created a summarized tutorial on the basics of collecting data with Field Maps. This tutorial goes through the three main steps in using Field Maps: creating the map and feature layer, collecting the field data, and viewing the collected data in ArcGIS Online. In this example, I demonstrate how to create an editable feature layer that is used to collect field points that are then viewable in ArcGIS Online. This example only touches the surface of the capabilities of Field Maps, but is a great place to start to get to know the basics of the app.

Mac Caughey is a third-year student at Penn State majoring in Geography and minoring in Environmental and Renewable Resource Economics. He is pursuing certificates in Geographic Information Science, Landscape Ecology, and Global Environmental Systems. Mac’s interests include environmental sustainability, conservation, and food science. Mac has been working at the Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial information since November 2021.

ArcGIS Instant Apps: Everything you Need to Know

February 15, 2022 by Cormac Caughey Leave a Comment

ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online are two extremely effective tools for mapmaking and analyzing spatial data. Creating a useful and distributable map includes many decisions by the designer and stakeholders beyond the initial map design and analysis. One of the most important steps in mapmaking is ensuring that the end product is understandable, accessible, and applicable. This is where ArcGIS Instant Apps comes into play: a tool that allows audiences to easily view and interact with a map and its data.

Instant Apps provides templates for publishing web maps from ArcGIS Online. Users have 18 templates to choose from (displayed at bottom), and each template includes specific properties that allow the user to customize the app based on their goals. Each template contains the same mission: to create a useful and interactive map for the viewer based on the data that the map is displaying.

Instant Apps experienced it’s most recent update in December of 2021, which makes its usefulness all the more relevant. This update included the finalization of three important templates (Chart Viewer, Countdown, and Slider) as well as the rollout of the newest template, Exhibit. Exhibit is the biggest release to come out of the recent update. This template is especially interesting, as it allows the user to create a presentation across the map using slides and images, essentially mimicking a museum exhibit. Since this template is still in its first stages, a personalized example is not included in this post, however an interesting example from the ArcGIS Instant Apps Gallery can be explored here. Examples of the other 17 templates, in addition to what is included within this post, can be explored in the rest of the Instant Apps Gallery.

To demonstrate the different functionality of Instant Apps, I have created an interactive web map in ArcGIS Online using a dataset of plant-based restaurants across the neighborhoods in Denver, Colorado. Included in this dataset is the attribute information of each restaurant’s vegan-friendly rating. With this data as my basis, I applied the map to 4 different Instant App templates to illustrate the versatility of the tool. These four templates- Basic, Zone Lookup, Nearby, and Interactive Legend- only touch the surface of what Instant Apps has to offer.

Basic

The Basic template is one of the most applicable Instant Apps, as it can be applied to any online map regardless of the data type and layout. This Instant App allows the viewer to engage with the map at a basic level, with the ability to explore the map and select the data points to view the attribute information attached to them.

When configuring an Instant App, there are several parameters that the user can adjust to create the final product. While this template is relatively straightforward, some of the highlights the user can customize include the viewer interactivity- search capabilities, screenshot options, and scroll limits- as well as general layout. Adjusting the general layout means that the user can change the location of features like the zoom buttons, home button, and legend. One last notable feature that I utilized on this template is the basemap toggle option. While this is not exclusive to the basic template, it is an important feature that allows the viewer to change the basemap of the map, which can be useful for a variety of reasons.

Zone Lookup

For any map that includes geographic boundaries- whether they be political, social, or environmental- the Zone Lookup template is an incredibly useful tool. This template requires that the data on the map is incorporated within a “zone”- in this case, I utilized the neighborhoods of Denver, Colorado. Zone Lookup allows the viewer to either search for a location or pin a location on the map to discover more about the zone that the location is in. In the example I created, the viewer can select a specific neighborhood, which reveals the plant-based restaurants that are located within that neighborhood. Once a zone is selected, the attribute information for the restaurants are displayed in the search box to the left.

This template requires close attention to the configuration in order to present a useful result. The user must choose which zone to use as the look up tool (I.e. the neighborhood) as well as which data to use as the return result (I.e. the restaurants). The user can also choose how to emphasize the returned results, such as creating a halo or emphasis around the selected neighborhood. The Instant App I created utilized the previously mentioned basemap toggle, as well as the “dark theme.” The theme for each template can either be light or dark, and the user can choose this based on what they believe is most user friendly for their map’s intended use.

Nearby

The Nearby template functions in a similar fashion to zone lookup, however this template does not require predetermined “zones”, just data with a feature layer. The purpose of this map is to allow viewers to discover what data points are “nearby” a location that they choose. This instant app allows the viewer to pin a location on the map and view the return results that appear within a specified radius around the center point. The distance threshold is set by the creator (i.e. 0.25 miles-2 miles), however the user can choose which distance to select as the radius using the sliding scale.

In the example below, I used this Instant App to demonstrate how many plant-based restaurants there are within a mile radius of the Denver Botanical Gardens. The Nearby template functions in a similar fashion to zone lookup, where the attribute information for the return results are displayed in the search box to the left. The Nearby template can be an incredibly useful tool for a variety of categories; not just for finding restaurants near you, but also for public health purposes, as demonstrated here.

Interactive Legend

The final Instant App I created utilizes the Interactive Legend template. This is an incredibly useful tool when the user creates data that is meant to be explored based on the attribute data on the map. This template allows the viewer to choose what components from the legend they want to view and focus on. In the example below, I have selected that the map only displays plant-based restaurants that have the highest vegan-friendly ratings (5). While this is just one way this template can be used, this would also be an extremely beneficial tool when the map contains a feature layer with distinct attributes that the viewer may want to view individually. This is also a useful template when the map may display several different categories of information, and the viewer only wants to see the data that is important to them.

When configuring this app, the user has to be mindful of how to display the results when the viewer interacts with the legend. I decided to completely remove any data points that did not match with the components selected on the legend, however it is also possible to simply blur the background results or emphasize the selected features with a halo.

Instant App Fundamentals

When using Instant Apps to configure a publishable map, there are several parameters that the user can set and/or change to ensure the template fits the map’s purpose. While each template has its own specific data requirements and capabilities, there are several parameters that are either identical or similar between all 18 templates. These are the basic steps to look our for when creating an Instant App.

Interactivity: Deciding how viewers can interact with the web app is the first step in configuring a template and is based off of the creator’s intended purpose of the map. Instant Apps allows the user to choose if they want to display the following features: bookmarks, a home button, a scale bar, zoom controls, a search feature, screenshot capabilities, a legend, a basemap toggle button, a current location finder, a navigation boundary, and scroll limitations. If the user chooses to include an option for basemap toggling, they are given the Esri Basemap collection library to choose from.

Theme and Layout: After choosing which interactive elements will be a part of the app, the user can then choose the theme and layout of the map. This includes setting the theme to either light or dark, as well as positioning each previously mentioned feature on each corner of the map. Instant Apps provides an easy-to-use tool for moving these features around, allowing the creator to test out multiple options to choose what is best for the final app. The theme choice of either light or dark can be decided by the user to help best emphasize the overall aesthetic of the app. While creating the web app, there is also an option to view how the app would function on different screens, including desktop view, portrait view, and landscape view. This is especially important to consider when thinking about how the audience will be more likely to view the map, whether it be on a desktop, tablet, or smart phone.

Final Thoughts

Even as someone who has used ArcGIS Online to create Web Maps for years, Instant Apps was a tool that I had never experienced or worked with. Despite this, working with Instant Apps and each of the different templates was a seamless process. Configuring the app was an easy process guided by built-in steps in the configuration process. When creating the app, the user can choose to either view all of the settings at once to individually set each parameter, or to follow along with the “express” configuration process. The express mode makes Instant Apps an even more accessible feature for map makers of any skill level, as it eases the configuration process while still including all of the necessary steps to finalize a useful map. More information on Instant Apps can be found here.

Instant App Templates

Template Name	Data Requirements	App Capabilities
3D Viewer	Web Scene (layers, basemap, ground)	Allows for easy interaction in 3D web scenes, accompany with images and slides
Attachment Viewer	Web Map with a Feature layer with attachments	Allows users to flip through a layer’s features to view the image and/or video attachments
Basic	Web Map	Creates a basic explorable layout with features like a legend, scale bar, and basemap toggle
Category Gallery	Web Map with a group (collection of items)	Creates an interactive gallery of maps, apps, and layers
Chart Viewer	Web Map with at least one configured chart	Include up to 10 charts, histograms, or scatterplots across the map
Countdown	Web Map with ranked features	Locations on a map are ranked by a specified field, users can compare ranked features
Exhibit (New)	Web Map	Creates an interactive presentation of slides, which are composed of different layers or attributes of the map
Imagery Viewer	Web Map with at least one imagery layer	Displays layers with imagery across time and space
Interactive Legend	Web Map with a feature layer	Allows for focused view of a specified feature on the legend
Media Map	Web Map	Creates a basic map with a navigation boundary and basic tools- great for smaller maps used in a StoryMap or other media
Minimalist	Web Map	Similar to the basic template, but utilizes a sliding scale for the zoom feature
Nearby	Web Map with a feature layer	Helps to locate features in a specific radius around an area of interest.
Portfolio	Web Map	Allows user to view several different maps, images, and other apps within the same display
Sidebar	Web Map	Assigns the map a sidebar that gives users options to interacts with and filter the data
Slider	Web Map with a feature layer with at least one numeric field	Allows users to interact with data that contains time intervals- useful for historical or live data to display a change in time
Zone Lookup	Web Map with a feature layer	Identifies features of a specified zone or area based on the users choosing

Table adapted from Esri

Mac Caughey is a third-year student at Penn State majoring in Geography and minoring in Environmental and Renewable Resource Economics. He is pursuing certificates in Geographic Information Science, Landscape ecology, and Global Environmental Systems. Mac’s interests include environmental sustainability, conservation, and food science. Mac has been working at the Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial information since November 2021.