1. Best Practices for Designing Effective Map Services: Case Studies
July 26, 2012
Best Practices for Designing Effective Map Services: Case Studies
Charlie Frye, Esri, Redlands
Richard Nauman, Esri, Redlands
Michael Dangermond, Esri, Redlands
Deniz Karagulle, Esri, Redlands

2. Session Overview Essential Vocabulary
Our goal is to show how to make map services that are easy to use and re-use
Essential Vocabulary
Finding and going with the grain of the ArcGIS system
To Make a useful map service ready to use in a web map:
Prepare data
Create the MXD
Documentation for Layers and Map
Publish the map service
ArcGIS Online (AGO) Items for the service
Configure and save the pop-up and title
Keys to understanding the role of map services within the ArcGIS System

3. Demo: our goals for re-use of content

4. Vocabulary Map Document or .MXD: no change
It’s new… well some of it is…
Map Document or .MXD: no change
Map Service: aka “Layers” in the online part of the ArcGIS system
Service Definition
Feature Service
Image Service
Map Service (Cached )
Item: AGO content description
Map Service Item
Web Map & Item
Web Map App & Item

5. Demo: types of content

6. Go with the grain of ArcGIS to publish online content
Low
Web Map
with HTML
template
Custom
API-Base
APPS
Re-Use
Leverage/
Ability
Web
Maps
Map
Service Items
High
Desktop
Authoring
Easy
Effort/Expertise
Complex
The majority of ArcGIS users can make a map service, even if they’ve never used ArcGIS Desktop

7. Data Preparation
Your organization’s reputation depends on what you do behind the scenes

8. Geodatabase Performance Tips
Don’t come up empty
Field Aliases in the database
Complete data, no <null> or ‘’ or “ “s
Remove excess or legacy fields
Pre-format text for labels and pop-ups

9. Demo: Geodatabase Properties

10. Dealing with incomplete data
From <null> to -99 and everything in between
Pop-ups should work for every feature
Null values and missing data break this experience
For example:

11. Spatial Performance Tips
The web is an impatient culture
Avoid Complex multi-part shapes
Create indexes for fields used in queries, symbology, and labeling (as a last step)
Test spatial indexes
Make generalized editions of the data for use at smaller map scales
Reusability starts with getting the details right in the database

12. Practical and Necessary
Your GDB and your MXD are schema for your map services
Schema changes break services
Delete the service…
but not before you copy the pop-up code to Notepad.
Schema changes for your database include:
New or removed fields
Changes to Aliases
Save As, if you want to experiment with an MXD that is being served
Schema changes for your map include:
Changes to symbology and legend
New or removed layers
Layer order
Once a service is created, changing the “schema” means you need to recreate the service

13. Create the MXD Table of Contents
Organize by theme, not scale
Use only HTTP compliant characters in layer names and legend class names
Make everything reader-friendly
Data Frame Properties: Extent Used by Full Extent
Coordinate System
Avoid Projection on the fly if caching
Do not project on the fly if using feature services
Learn which of the properties of your MXD automatically become part of your Map Service Item

14. Demo: Data Frame Properties

15. Document the Map and Layers
The documentation in your MXD is re-used in several places
Map Properties
(fill them all out)
Create a thumbnail image
Use relative paths
Layer Properties: Descriptions and Credits

16. ArcGIS Online (AGO) Items for the service
The “homepage” for your map service
Make it nice and approachable
Title, summary, tags, credits and thumbnail need to look good as they will appear in search results
For map services document the following as the last paragraph:
The purpose of the service
The lineage of the content
Credit for contributors

17. Demo: Gallery of Homepages

18. Publish the Map Service (Cached vs. Feature Services)
Comparison (Advantages Disadvantages)
Cached
Usually the fastest performance
Up front time cost to cache
No limit to the greatness of your cartography
Annotation is possible.
Any supported desktop symbology is possible.
At 10.1 multilayer caches are possible.
Feature
Fastest to publish
Easier to maintain
Basis for editable data via a web map
Basis for users being able to change symbology
Detailed vector features can be slow.

19. More Considerations for Services
Multiscale: May require generalization to make data draw fast or best at multiple scales
We (GIS People) tend to overestimate the idea that others want to turn layers on and off. They don’t. Make the right map for them and don’t make them work.
Your CFO is not your customer
Answer your customer’s needs based on them telling you what they need

20. Demo: Pop-ups possibilities and to do useful & popular options

21. Demo: putting all of this into practices

22. Wrap up
Plan and design for reuse and ease of production and management
Everything presented to users needs to be well formatted
GIS is the means, not the ends.

23. Thank you Session Survey: Questions URL: Esri.com/ucsessionsurveys
Offering ID: 953
Questions