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

The discussion ranged from skills to succeed in an organization using GIS to support business decisions (City of Seattle), ESRI, the leading GIS software producers and freelance development using GIS technologies. There is significant overlap for the required and desirable skills, but also some slight differences. I will list the skills in no significant order and provide a brief explanation. If a skill is something I personally added, it will start with an asterisk.

GIS Skills

• 
• Spatial Data and Algorithms understanding: Understand the special case of spatial data, how they work and their internals. Also, be familiar with how certain operations are carried out and when they are applicable. Many operations will run in the software, but not necessarily produce valid results. (Contributed by reader Duane Marble)
• Data entry: Be able to enter data into a database successfully with minimal errors. This includes editing said data as needs arise.
• Data conversion: The ability to convert data from either older sources (digitization) or from multiple sources to either a common format or common schema. It is extremely useful to be able to work with data coming from GPS and performing data corrections as needed. (With contribution by Jimmy Xu)
• Data maintenance: Be able to maintain data, correctly archive and ensure quality control.
• *Metadata creation and editing: Maintain logs of data processing and relevant information to include in metadata and ensure accurate creation and maintenance of said metadata.
• GIS Analysis: Be able to perform GIS Analysis as it is often used to solve common problems. An ability to extend and alter the standard analysis to meet requirements is a plus. Remember, data analysis can be performed on vector or raster data, therefore some remote sensing skills are required. (With contribution by Jimmy Xu)
• GIS Workflow: Understand the workflow to perform some procedure and be able to follow it and enhance it as needed.
• Model Building: Be able to create models of processes to allow for a workflow to be built. Also, model building in the ArcGIS sense is very helpful in this regard.
• Cartography and Graphic Design: Familiarize yourself with cartographic principles and graphic design principles. Maps are used in a variety of ways and presented in a multitude of media. You need to be able to work with that. Think of color, symbology, fonts, etc. Bad cartographic design will often make your analysis hard to decipher and interpret. (With contribution by DavidM)

Programming Skills

• Basic understanding of programming: Be able to understand what programming is and what it can do to solve certain problems. Know the strengths and limitations of programming custom solutions to problems, as well as time requirements. (More about programming)
• Programming language: Familiarize yourself with a programming or scripting language, as it is often used to build workflows or custom solutions to problems. For scripting language, both ESRI and the open source community tend to gravitate toward Python. For programming languages, C++ will give you an opportunity to work in multiple environments, while C# and the .Net languages offer you good development tools and interaction with Windows based software. (More about programming languages)
• Object Oriented programming: Learn the concepts of object oriented programming and be able to apply them in conjunction with your programming language of choice. Most GIS development is leaning toward this paradigm, and you should too. (More about object oriented programming)
• Basic GIS architecture (desktop and web): Understand the architecture of GIS and the method of communication between the different parts of GIS. Be able to distinguish when one can introduce internet-based communication in the mix and how it would work. (More about GIS architecture)
• Web Services knowledge and experience: Web services are everywhere these days, and GIS is not escaping. Learn about them, how they work, and try to implement some of your own. HTML, CSS, JavaScript, XML and related AJAX technologies are a valuable tool. (More about web services) (With contribution by Andy Anderson)

Database Skills

• Able to understand data models and structure: When given a database, you should be able to explore the data models within it and understand the structure of the database. Often times, structure will be represented in diagrams (UML), discussed below. (More about data models and structure)
• Ability to design data models: Given specific requirements for data, you should be able to design data models to fit your data.
• Database Design tools knowledge: You should familiarize yourself with database design tools, like Microsoft Visio. Most design work for data models uses it. (Check out Visio here)
• Structured Query Language (SQL) knowledge: Almost all modern Database Management Systems (DBMS) understand SQL for data queries, inputs, deletions, etc. One should be familiar with SQL and be able to perform SELECT, INSERT, MODIFY and DELETE statements. JOINS, RELATES and further SQL knowledge is greatly valued and useful on the field. (Contributed by Andy Anderson)

Project Management and Design

• Ability to translate user needs to solutions: More often than not, you will be supporting some client (or boss) that is not familiar with the details of GIS. You need to be able to translate their needs into solutions that can work in your domain. If it is not possible, you also need to be able to say so and offer alternatives. This is similar to requirements analysis used in software development.
• Good communication skills: You need to be able to communicate effectively and with confidence with your team and clients. There is no substitution for this skill.
• Good writing skills: Communicating is not restricted to verbal communication. You need to be able to clearly communicate in writing not only for communicating with your clients, but also to be able to produce metadata and reports of your work.
• Project management skills: Often overlooked in the GIS world, formal data management training is desired and required to run successful projects on time and within budget.

Other Skills

• Ability to apply expertise in multiple domains: GIS skills, while important, are not useful if they can not be applied to different domains. Your knowledge of other domains (like biology, forestry, etc) will allow you to think of creative ways to apply your GIS skills in a multi-disciplinary functions, which is greatly needed. Think outside the box (Yawer S. Ansari commented to reiterate this)
• Portability of skills on multi-platforms and online/offline world: Your skills need to be applicable to different platforms. Not only should you learn how to do GIS Analysis, but you should be able with limited help to achieve similar results using other platforms (be it moving from an ESRI training to Idrisi, or from a Windows machine to a Linux machine, or a desktop application to a server based one). An ability to traverse between online and offline worlds is a valuable asset to have.
• Detail oriented: This needs no explanation, but in the GIS world, detail oriented can get you very far. The quality of your work will show (especially when you think of metadata or workflows).
• Customer Support skills:  In most cases, GIS is used as a support tool within large organizations. As such, GIS Analysts oftentimes need to interact with clients, either internal or external. Having good customer support skills ensures you establish strong relations and opportunities.
• Don’t be afraid to explore

Now that you’ve read all the skills mentioned at the panel discussion, please provide your own or your feedback below.

UPDATE: Fixed spelling. Thank you skobola for the corrections.
UPDATE: Incorporated user comments into the body of the text by Yawer S. Ansari, Duane Marble, Andy Anderson, DavidM and Jimmy Xu.

Related posts:

1. The Essential Python Modules for GIS

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