The Challenge:

This client required an interactive web mapping application that depicts the critical infrastructure within the community as well as relevant information pertaining to the features. Requirements of the application were to be a user friendly, centralized tool in order to assist in the planning and preparation for emergency situations.  As this web app contains confidential and sensitive information, it was not to be publicly accessible.

Data Preparation

The client provided a dataset listing the critical assets to which we made additional recommendations, cleaned for inconsistencies, and then geocoded in ArcGIS Pro. This process converts a text list of locations into spatial features correctly located on the earth’s surface. 'Attribute joins' were used to link additional textual attribute information to multiple spatial features.  To accommodate additional information that would not be practical in a pop up, we attached pdf documents to spatial features.

Using ArcGIS Online,  Acorn was able to produce web maps displaying the data layers generated and collected. This included uploading data, finalizing the symbology of the features, grouping the layers by category, and configuring pop-ups. For ease of visual interpretation and accuracy, multiple maps were created displaying subsets of the data. 

Building the Web App

The interactive web app was built using ArcGIS Experience Builder and consists of multiple pages with widgets and pop-ups. This platform allowed for a user-friendly interface on desktop or mobile devices, both for the designer and the client.  Each page in the web app references an individual web map built in ArcGIS Online and follows a standardized layout with helpful widgets such as search, near me, measure, and a legend. This design allowed us to streamline the interaction between the user and the large volume of spatial data present on the maps. This web app harnesses the spatial location of critical infrastructure in the community, overlaid with contextual population/socio-economic information and provides a platform to access tools that help the client make informed decisions regarding emergency planning, preparedness, and implementation all stored in one location.