Create a layer package in ArcMap
1 Start ArcMap and open Tutorial1-5.mxd. The map document includes three layers: the percentage of female-headed households (single moms) by census tract in California, and major cities and counties for the state. All three layers are contained in one group layer called California Female-Headed Household Population Study.
2 In the table of contents, right-click California Female-Headed Household Population Study and click Create Layer Package.
3 In the Layer Package dialog box, select the “Save package to file” option.
4 Click the Browse button , browse through MyExercises to your Chapter1 folder, and then click Save. The layers in this group layer are saved to this folder as the California Female-Headed Household Population Study.lpk file, each symbolized according to the symbols in ArcMap.
5 Click Item Description. Provide a Summary and Tags for your layer package. For Summary, type “California Population Demographic Study.” For Tags, type “demographics, obesity, poverty, population, California.”
6 Click the Analyze and Share buttons. Creating the layer package takes time. Be patient while the layers are exported to the .lpk file.
7 Click OK. A message appears once the layer package is complete.
8 Close ArcMap.
Create an ArcGIS Online account
You are going to post the layer package you just made to ArcGIS Online. To access this capability, you will need an ArcGIS Online account.
1 In your browser, go to https://www.arcgis.com/.
2 Click the Sign In link in the upper right corner of the window.
3 Click “Create A Public Account”. Fill out the form and choose Create My Account.
Upload a layer package
1 Click ArcGIS, and on the ArcGIS Online home page, click the My Content link and then the Add Item button .
2 In the Add Item dialog box, click the Browse button, browse through MyExercises to your Chapter1 folder, and then click California Female-Headed Household Population Study.lpk. Click Open. The title automatically fills in, but you must add at least one tag for the layer.
3 In the Add Item dialog box, type obesity, population, poverty for tags. These layers could be used in these or other similar demographic studies.
4 Click Add Item. Be patient while your layer package is uploaded. Your layers will appear in your content area.
Share a layer package
1 Click the Share button .
2 In the Share dialog box, click “Everyone (public)” and then OK. Instead of sharing your uploaded content with everyone, you can limit it to members of a group that you create and ask members to join.
3 Click the My Content link. You will see that your layer package is now available.
4 Exit the website.
Tutorial 1-6
Creating health maps using ArcGIS Online content
ArcGIS Online is a website that not only allows you to share maps you create using desktop GIS, but it is also the Esri repository for maps, data, applications, and tools. ArcGIS Online includes content from Esri, its partners, and the GIS community at large. Anyone can share maps and data on ArcGIS Online. In this tutorial, you will create maps showing areas in California where there is a high percentage of overweight children and limited access to supermarkets and farmers’ markets.
Add the California Health Indicators layer
1 In your browser, go to https://www.arcgis.com/.
2 Click the Sign In link in the upper-right corner of the window and sign in using your ArcGIS Online Account.
3 Click the Map link.
4 Click the Basemap button and then Terrain with Labels for the basemap. Notice the other basemap options, including imagery or topographic maps.
5 In the “Find an address or place” box, type California, and press ENTER. Close the Location pop-up window. The map zooms to the state of California.
6 Click the Add Content to Map button and then Search for Layers.
7 In the Find box, type health California. In the box, select ArcGIS Online. Press GO.
8 Scroll through the results list, click California Health Indicators and then “Add to map”. The resulting map shows the percentage of overweight children for grades 5, 7, and 9, reported at the district and school levels. The darker red areas have higher percentages of overweight children. (See facing page.)
9 Click the Zoom In (+) button and pan the map until you see the bright red area near San Diego, California. The area of focus is southern California near the Mexican border. Be careful not to zoom in too close. Otherwise, your color coded map will appear as point symbols. If this happens, simply zoom out more.
10 Click Done Adding Layers.
Change layer transparency
1 In the Contents area, click the arrow to the right of the California Health Indicators layer, click Transparency, and drag the transparency bar to 50%. The shaded relief under the health indicator polygons is now visible.
Explore layer content and legends
1 Select the check box next to the California Health Indicators layer. This turns the layer off.
2 Select the check box again to turn the layer on.
3 Zoom and pan to San Diego Naval Air Station near San Diego Bay. The resulting map displays graduated point markers symbolizing the number of overweight children per school.