ArcGis Earth and Online GIS data introduction

 

Figure 1: ArcGIS Earth Homepage

ArcGIS Earth

Introduction:

Having access to a variety of data is becoming crucial in our digitally expansive world. Understanding this data is just as crucial, as anyone can send a files but not everyone can understand them. Thankfully there are multitudes of tools and software out there available to supply and simplify large amount of data. One such software is ArcGIS Earth, which I thankfully am able to use for free since I am attending Purdue University. ArcGIS Earth is similar to software like google earth, but with a much broader library of data to work with, be it from ArcGIS itself or published on the community. In the following post I will be outlining some of the basic functions of ArcGIS Earth, and what I accomplished with it for a lab in AT 30900 at Purdue University.

Basic Software Use:

Looking at figure 1 you will notice a bar in the top left corner that has a variety of options. From left to right they are:

  1. Table of Contents
  2. Add Data
  3. Draw
  4. Measure
  5. Interactive Analysis
  6. Bookmarks
  7. Share
  8. Settings
  9. Basemap and Terrain
These tools are used directly on the globe displayed to display, gather, and utilize data.

Looking again to figure 1 in the top right corner are some navigational tools: 

  1. Search (allows you to find a specific location on the glove)
  2. A navigational compass
  3. Return to home
  4. Atmosphere Display
These navigational tools work very similar to google maps/google earth, but with an added layer of functionality


Basemap Options:

Figure 2: Options Tab

Looking into the basemap options tab there are a variety of starter basemaps for you to use, with more available on the software that can be added. The starter basemaps are as follows:

  1. Imagery
  2. US Topo Maps
  3. Imagery with Labels
  4. Topographic
  5. Openstreet Map
  6. Light Gray Canvas
  7. Streets
  8. Dark Gray Canvas
  9. National Geographic
  10. Terrain with Labels
  11. Oceans
  12. USGS National Map

Using different base maps allow you to display different data to suite your needs. This is especially helpful with UAS operations as you can view areas that you are planning to operate in and plan out your mission. You also can gather useful values, such as the areas sea level or highest nearby point, informing you on how high you can fly in the area and your vehicles expected flight characteristics.

Interactive Analysis:

Looking into the options tab (figure 2) the 5th option from the left is interactive analysis. There are three options available on this tab: Elevation Profile, Line of Sight, and View-shed. These tools can be used on the map to display values for the user, in different ways for each option. Elevation profile lets you draw a line between two points and view the elevation along that point (figure 3). Line of sight lets a user display if they will be able to maintain line of sight between two points (figure 4). Lastly, view-shed works similar two line of sight, but in a circular area surrounding a selected point (figure 5).

figure 3: Elevation Profile

figure 4: Line of Sight

figure 5: View-Shed

These tools are helpful in mission planning with UAS, as they allow the mission planner to see where they can fly, and if they will be able to maintain vision.

Data Sets and Displays:

This next section will be me showing many of the available data sets available through ArcGIS Online, after an image I will give a brief description of what it is displaying.

Figure 6: Add Data Tab


Figure 7: ArcGIS Online My Content Tab
This Is the tab that shows your the display settings that you have downloaded to your account

Figure 8: ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Online Tab

This tab is what allows you to gain additional data sets and displays to use on the software. This is where I obtained the following sets that I used in my assignment.

Figure 9: Farmland in DeMotte Indiana with NDVI

Figure 9 is a picture of my hometown with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) Displayed. This is useful because it can help you view the health of vegetation in the area.

Figure 10: US wildfire set shown over California

Figure 10 shows California, USA with a data set showing active wild fires. This is useful for first responders and others to view areas of high fire activity.

Figure 11: Lafayette Area with NAIP Imagery: Color Infrared.

Figure 11 shows the greater Lafayette Area with the USA NAIP Imagery: Color Infrared set on. The areas of darker red show healthier vegetation, with the teal color being areas with bare ground or urban development.

Figure 12: Hotspot Information

Figure 12 shows the MODIS Fire set, which displays hot spots for fire across the globe. This is similarly useful for users to see what areas have an increased amount of fire activity.

Summary:

ArcGIS Earth is a useful software for many reasons. It is simple to use, easy to access, and visually easy to process. The wide variety of data sets applied lets the user gather a host of information not easily available through other sources, and can be used for a host of purposes. For the UAS community it s especially helpful as it allows a user to plot out missions, and view data sets similar to what they can gather with their vehicles in order to be better prepared for their work

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