Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS

Goal and Background:

This exercise was designed to build familiarity with the Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS. In order become acquainted with the software, I created an application with services I had authored, customized widgets, and deployed the finished application to the development Server. We used both the Integrated and Developer Editions of Web AppBuilder to create apps.

Methods:

In order to create the first web app, I used the Integrated Edition of Web AppBuilder through ArcGIS Online. The first step of creating the app was for me to select a web map on which to base the app. After adding the web map and setting the extent, I choose to base my app off of the foldable theme. I added the Basemap Gallery and the measurement widgets without any customization. Next, I added the bookmark widget, and added customized bookmarks for each of the following regions: Western States, Eastern States, Southeastern States, Northeastern States, and Alaska.

The first web app had now reached a rudimentary level, but further customization was necessary to truly enhance its capabilities. The first step of this customization was to add and configure the chart widget to create charts of either magnitude or depth. The chart widget was further configured so it only created charts of earthquake occurrences within user-defined areas. I next added and configured the query widget, so earthquake occurrence points can be selected by magnitude, year, and location. I also added the draw widget.

To further customize the app, I imported the app into the Developer Edition of Web AppBuilder. I added a custom widget "Batch Attribute Editor" to Web AppBuilder by pasting it in the program's "widgets" folder in the C: drive. Next, I added the Batch Attribute Editor widget and customized it to only allow edits of the "Earthquakes" layer.

Deploying the app to the development server was a simple process requiring me to download the completed app from the Web AppBuilder as a zipped folder, unzipping the folder, and pasting the unzipped app folder to my folder in the development server.

Results:

The First Map, features several widgets. The Basemap Gallery widget grants the end-user the ability to choose from a selection of basemaps hosted by Esri (Figure 1). The measurement widget allows for the end-user to measure Euclidean distances and areas on the map (Figure 2). My customized bookmark widget allows the user to center the extent on a certain region of interest at the click of a button, without needing to try and pan and zoom using the built-in controls (Figure 3). The chart widget enables the end-user to select an area of interest and charts either the earthquake's magnitude or depth (km), per the user's choice (Figure 4). The query widget allows the end-user to investigate earthquake occurrences within specific states, excluding those below a user-defined magnitude and outside of a user-defined span of time (Figure 5). The draw widget allows the end-user to draw on the map viewer, and works as an expanded version of the measure tool (Figure 6).

The Second Map features the "Batch Attribute Editor", a tool that allows the end-user to edit the names of features within a user specified area (Figure 7). This tool will allow for crowd-sourcing of more specific names than the general area names the have features currently.

Figure 1: Basemap Gallery Widget

Figure 2: Measurement Widget

Figure 3: Bookmark Widget

Figure 4: Chart Widget

Figure 5: Query Widget

Figure 6: Draw Widget

Figure 7: Batch Attribute Editor Widget

Sources:
Fu, Pinde (2015). HERE, Census at:
\\EsriPress\GTKWebGIS\Chapter3\Data.gdb\Earthquakes, courtesy of USGS National Atlas.
\\EsriPress\GTKWebGIS\Chapter3\Data.gdb\Hurricanes, courtesy of NOAA National Climatic
Data Center.