ArcGIS Online Beta Screenshot

In order to make use of the new service, you either create a new account, or register your esri.com account with ArcGIS.com as well (which is what I did). You are presented with a few options when you log in, including a Gallery (viewing), Map (creation), Groups (collaboration) and My Content (management). All functionality seems to be working find from my end at least, and I encountered no errors through my limited testing of their website (way to go ESRI).

Gallery (viewing)

The Gallery allow

ArcGIS.com Gallery

s you to view maps, tools and applications provided by other users. There are some nice examples of maps out there, notably the Gulf Oil Spill Forecast map provided by ESRI and the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill map provided by the user community (nice ones to compare and contrast). Some cool tools include the Decision Tree election application that lets people create priority maps by moving around sliders and the Recovery.gov mapping application. There is also a number of Mobile Apps available, which I have not had the pleasure of testing (if anyone wants to sponsor me for an iPhone or Windows Mobile phone.. ).

Map (creation)

Map Creation on ArcGIS.com Online

Creating your own maps is part of the offered functionality, in which you choose from a number of base maps (including Bing Maps basemaps, OpenStreetMap or the usual ESRI offerings), and then adding your own layers from online services (meaning you need someone to serve data for you). This opens up quite a few possibilities, and may (hopefully) mean that ESRI does plan on releasing a cheap (or better yet, free) way for people to serve their data (which is My Content). For now, you will have to trust ESRI in hosting your data if you wish, by visiting the “My Content” tab. Maps can be created fast and saved with permission options (including saving for personal use, share with group(s) or publicly available.

Groups (collaboration)

ArcGIS Online - My Groups

The My Groups section allows you to collaborate with other users. There are already 899 groups as of this post. Some interesting ones to note are the “ESRI Featured Content” which provides a lot of maps, applications and tools, the “National Maps for USA” by the aptly named  Federal_User_Community user, and many more. Unfortunately, the search method for groups implies you are already familiar with a group name or keywords from their description, if any. I would love to see a Groups browser, which allows you to browse groups on these different parameters: spatial extent, content theme, tools available or in development, applications available or in development, whether they seek help or simply offer services. This is perhaps the next move by ESRI, to create a community of developers rather than simply users of the technology.

My Content (data management)

ArcGIS.com My Content

My Content is where one can upload their own content, as well as manage content. Note this is an extension of simply data management, as tools, applications and maps can be managed through this page. The supported items are as follows:

1. Maps
   1. Web map
   2. ArcGIS Server Map, Image or Feature Service
   3. Map Package (mpk)
   4. Layer Package (lpk)
   5. ArcGIS Explorer Document (nmf) or Application Configuration (ncfg)
   6. ArcGIS Windows Mobile Package (wmpk)
   7. ArcMap Document (mxd and msd) – not recommended
   8. Layer File – not recommended
   9. ArcGIS Explorer Layet (nmc) – not recommended
   10. ArcGlobe Document (3dd) – not recommended
   11. ArcScene Document (sxd) – not recommended
   12. ArcReader Document (pmf) – not recommended
2. Web mapping applications
   1. ArcGIS API for Javascript, Flex or Silverlight
   2. Java Web Application Development Framework
   3. .Net Web Application Development Framework
3. Mobile applications
   1. ArcGIS Apple iPhone
   2. ArcGIS Windows Mobile
4. Tools
   1. ArcGIS Server – Geocoding, Network Analyst, Geoprocessing or Geodata Service

All in all, this looks tremendously useful and a great resource for developers and students alike. Jack Dangermond seems to be leading ESRI to the new world of GIS wonderfully, creating something closer to a web GIS than anyone else has thus far.

Related posts:

1. ArcGIS.com now online

Related posts:

1. Cartographic Typefaces: Some examples

Cisalpin™: The ideal typeface for cartography
by Felix Arnold, 2004

This typeface looks beautiful in small sizes and is narrow, making it easy to fit in the tight spaces of maps. The image below can attest to that clearly.

Sample usage of Cisalpin fonts

Optima Font Family®
by Hermann Zapf

A Roman type typeface lacking serifs, Optima is inspired by traditional typefaces from 1530 that the author witnessed in Florence. Very clear and elegant in multiple sizes. Sample below:

Optima Typeface Sample

Fedra Sans
by Peter Bil’ak

A modern design attempting to work equally well on a computer screen and in print. Features excellent international character sets and multiple symbols. Sample coming soon.

Related posts:

1. Readability vs. Legibility

Legibility can be defined as the ability a human reader to read something without effort. It can depend on many things. Often, the size of font chosen restricts legibility. For our purposes though, legibility is discussed in light of typeface choice.

Readability can be defined not on a letter by letter basis, but how he combination of letter are read within a larger body of text. In other words, readability is defined by the amount of effort one needs to make to read text, not single characters.

This may seem confusing at first, but looking an example of text below may help:

The above text is exactly the same in both cases, yet if one tries to read it, one finds some differences.The one on the left is a serif font (Times New Roman), while the one on the right is sans-serif (Helvetica). When reaching the end of each line, from my experience at least, it is easier to identify the correct next line in the text on the left. The one on the right creates some problems to read the line, even though letters are easier to understand. On the left we have what is called readable type, while on the right we have a legible type.

The use of lettering (and hence typography, legibility and readability) appears in many parts of a map: title, legend, labels and any other explanatory text (credits, projections, etc). Below are 4 examples from the major web mapping applications out there: Google Maps, MapQuest, Microsoft Live Search Maps and Yahoo! Maps. All four zoom in on a location on the University of Washington campus, showcasing labels for street features.

Which one is the best typographically is left to the reader. What is of note here though is that all labels, no matter what web mapping application you may use, come in only sans-serif fonts, encouraging legibility over readability. Labels not only need to provide a quick and easy way for us to identify specific features, but they also do not always follow traditional text in being horizontal. What is of note as well is the fact that the lettering is always pushed to fit within the width of the road features (not always successfully it seems). What most people note though is that labels of features tend to use non-serif fonts that allow readers to easily recognize names (as the purpose of labels is to quickly identify features by their name).

This can also be seen in the following two examples, even though they are much older and I focused on the title mostly. Here, the two maps are of Seattle, Washington, circa 1970 (USGS map) an 1917 (Automobile Blue Book, Volume 8 Section 2), both from the excellent Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas.

The above map is the USGS map for Seattle, Washington. The extracted version is of the southwestern most part of the map, to show the title and scale. Notice the map title is using a sans-serif font, as well as the scale and place names, like cities or airports. Serif fonts are used only in the names of islands and water features, like the Puget Sound or Fox Island. There is a mix of both types of typefaces that make distinctions that help the reader identify information.

The map above is the 1918 map of Seattle, WA cropped again to the southwestern most portion of the map to include the title and scale. Note that the title this time is serif along with other place names, while the street name and scale are using a sans-serif font. Again, a combination of the two that provides a visual hierarchy to the map reader that helps discern information faster and easier.

What sort of advice can I therefore give to a cartography student in regard to typography? Not much really. If we remember that cartography is an attempt to convey certain messages through visual hierarchies, then one needs to remember that sans-serif typefaces are more legible and therefore easier for spot reading, while serif typefaces are more readable and easier to read when one has long texts. As any cartographer knows though, a 72 points serif font on the map will be more legible than a 12 points sans-serif font, so when you choose your font, choose wisely: what typeface should you use, at which size and what weight, not independently from the rest of the lettering of your map. All lettering is related, and all together provide your visual hierarchy.

Online Resources

Cisalpin Typeface: Designed for Cartographic Usages
An often-used typeface in Cartography: Optima
Fedra Sans: A modern typeface with multiple variations
A Typophile Discussion Thread about Cartographic Typefaces

Related posts:

1. Cartographic Typefaces: Some examples