Data and content preparation

In order to create effective web apps with , you first need to prepare data. In most cases you will use your own data, but you can also use existing data hosted in ArcGIS, such as in ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.

There are a number of ways you can prepare data for analysis, but the easiest way is to use ArcGIS software and tools such as ArcGIS Online, Map Viewer, and ArcGIS Pro. This page explains the high-level steps to prepare data by hosting it in your ArcGIS organization and styling it with the Map Viewer.

Steps

The general steps for preparing your data:

1. Import your data

You can import existing data into your . This will allow you to use the imported data in your web apps and share it with other users.

Hosted feature layer

You can use the tools in your to create a . A feature layer is used to store that contain a and . After a feature layer is created, applications can access it by ID or URL and in order to query, edit, and display features.

2. Create a web map

A is a created with the that can be used in your .

The Map Viewer allows you to interactively style and configure by setting the layer, data layers, layer styles, pop-up settings, and layer visibility ranges. The resulting map settings are stored as JSON in an . A number of ArcGIS apps can access web map items, read the JSON, and then re-create the original scene.

Map Viewer

The allows you to create interactive a you can share in your ArcGIS organization. It also allows you to:

  • Navigate the map to view selected areas.
  • Click on the map to view information in .
  • Rotate the map to display a new vantage point.

3. Style your layers in a web map

allow you to visualize data in a variety of ways. For example, you can visualize population data for countries as a sequence of colors, such as from light to dark, or as proportional circles, such as from small to large. This flexibility allows you to tell different stories and discover hidden patterns depending on how the data is presented. However, because the process of creating a map is so flexible, you must make decisions when there is not always the best answer.

Tutorials

Use tools to create different types of and build low-code/no-code applications.

Tools

Use tools to access the ArcGIS organization and create and manage content for low-code/no-code applications.

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You can no longer sign into this site. Go to your ArcGIS portal or the ArcGIS Location Platform dashboard to perform management tasks.

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Create, manage, and access API keys and OAuth 2.0 developer credentials, hosted layers, and data services.

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Learn more about these changes in the What's new in Esri Developers June 2024 blog post.

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