Data and content preparation

In order to create effective web apps with app buildersApp builder is an ArcGIS product that is used to create, configure, and deploy web applications using user interfaces, templates, and predefined software components.Learn more, 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 portalArcGIS portal, also known as a portal, is a website with applications and tools that can be used to create, manage, access, and share geospatial content and data. It supports security and authentication, developer credentials, content and data service management, user and group management, and site administration. A portal can be hosted in Esri's infrastructure or your own infrastructure.Learn more. 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 portalArcGIS portal, also known as a portal, is a website with applications and tools that can be used to create, manage, access, and share geospatial content and data. It supports security and authentication, developer credentials, content and data service management, user and group management, and site administration. A portal can be hosted in Esri's infrastructure or your own infrastructure.Learn more to create a hosted feature layerA hosted feature layer is a hosted layer (item) in a portal that is used to manage the properties and settings of a spatially-enabled feature layer in a feature service.Learn more. A feature layer is used to store featuresA feature is a single record, also known as a row, that represents a real-world entity. It typically contains a geometry (point, multipoint, polyline, or polygon) and attributes but it can also contain just attributes.Learn more that contain a geometryA geometry is a geometric shape, such as a point, polyline, or polygon, that contains one or more coordinates and a spatial reference.Learn more and attributesAttributes are fields and values for a single feature or non-spatial record. They are typically stored in a database or service such as a feature service.Learn more. 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 web mapA web map is a map stored as a JSON object that defines properties such as the basemap layer, data layers, layer styles, and pop-up styles. Its JSON structure is defined by the web map specification.Learn more is a mapA map is a collection of layers that are displayed in 2D. It is typically composed of a basemap layer and data layers.Learn more created with the Map ViewerMap Viewer is a browser-based mapping tool that can view, create, and save web maps. It can also perform mapping, visualization, and spatial analysis operations.Learn more that can be used in your web appsA web app is a mapping, analysis, or data-driven application that runs in a web browser. In most cases they are configurable and are hosted in ArcGIS.Learn more.

The Map Viewer allows you to interactively style and configure mapsA map is a collection of layers that are displayed in 2D. It is typically composed of a basemap layer and data layers.Learn more by setting the basemapA basemap is the foundational layer and data that provides the overall visual and geographic context for a map or scene. It typically includes geographic features and labels for land, water, roads, buildings, cities, places, and administrative boundaries, but can also include raster data such as satellite and areal images.Learn more layer, data layers, layer styles, pop-up settings, and layer visibility ranges. The resulting map settings are stored as JSON in an itemAn item, also known as a content item, is a resource stored in a portal such as a web map, hosted layer, style, script tool, file, or notebook.Learn more. A number of ArcGIS apps can access web map items, read the JSON, and then re-create the original scene.

Map Viewer

The Map ViewerMap Viewer is a browser-based mapping tool that can view, create, and save web maps. It can also perform mapping, visualization, and spatial analysis operations.Learn more allows you to create interactive a web mapA web map is a map stored as a JSON object that defines properties such as the basemap layer, data layers, layer styles, and pop-up styles. Its JSON structure is defined by the web map specification.Learn more you can share in your ArcGIS organization. It also allows you to:

• Navigate the map to view selected areas.
• Click featuresA feature is a single record, also known as a row, that represents a real-world entity. It typically contains a geometry (point, multipoint, polyline, or polygon) and attributes but it can also contain just attributes.Learn more on the map to view information in pop-upsA pop-up is a visual element used to display data for features or graphics in a map.Learn more.
• Rotate the map to display a new vantage point.

3. Style your layers in a web map

MapsA map is a collection of layers that are displayed in 2D. It is typically composed of a basemap layer and data layers.Learn more 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 contentContent is a collection of items in a portal that belong to a user, group, or organization.Learn more and build low-code/no-code applications.

Import data as a feature layer

Use data management tools to import and create hosted feature layers.

ArcGIS Online Location Platform dashboard

Create a web map

Use Map Viewer to create a web map for your application.

Map Viewer

Style layers in a web map

Use Map Viewer to style layers in a web map.

ArcGIS Online Map Viewer

Tools

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