Programmable Automation Technologies

Top 20 Essential Skills for ArcGIS® Pro introduces the most important skills you need to get up and running with geographic information systems (GIS).

With its location data advantage, geographic information system (GIS) software is a tool to help with key projects, decisions, and problems. But how do you start using GIS in your projects? If you need a fast track to using this valuable tool, learn and get experience with Top 20 Essential Skills for ArcGIS Pro.

With this book, you can start using ArcGIS Pro quickly and successfully.

• Easy-to-understand, step-by-step exercises
• Conversational, upbeat language with lots of illustrations and tips
• Interesting user stories covering how GIS is applied in many situations
• Exercises for working with spatial data, creating maps, and doing basic analysis

This handy resource with easy to follow, how-to steps will help you build your skill set to become adept at understanding and using ArcGIS Pro.

The Power of Where presents the visionary concepts of Jack Dangermond, cofounder of Esri®, the world’s leading mapping software company. With a foreword by bestselling author and writer for The Atlantic, James Fallows, it’s filled with the latest web maps, illustrations, and real-life stories from a vibrant global community of geographic information systems (GIS) users. If you’ve never heard of GIS, this is the book for you, and if you think you know what GIS is, you’ll discover much more.

From the Ring of Fire to the Fertile Crescent, The Power of Where takes us on a visual and narrative journey into the world of modern GIS and reveals its growing potential to address humanity’s big challenges. The technology is already ubiquitous, from running city governments and performing civic science to conserving open spaces and managing logistics—virtually every human endeavor.

Central to the book is the geographic approach—a way of solving problems that uses spatial location to perceive and understand patterns—from wildlife migration and rising seas to urban planning and food production. Drawing from 60 years of research and experience, the author writes from a fervent conviction that through this approach, we can confront climate change, hunger, water scarcity, inequity, and issues large and small in our everyday lives.

The book describes the methods of the geographic approach—visualization, communication, analysis, collaboration, accounting, and design—and shows how vast amounts of integrated data are propelling spatial applications into the mainstream. A companion website brings interactive maps and stories to life and serves as a starting point for students and educators—and anyone considering joining the GIS user community.

The Power of Where reveals how technologies such as web services, mobile devices, artificial intelligence, extended reality, and 3D visualization intersect with GIS and outlines the new opportunities they are creating. Its maps and stories arise from a passion for the power of place and from the mutually reinforcing revolutions in Earth observation, analysis, and collaboration that GIS and the human spirit make possible.

Explore live examples from the book and learn more about interactive mapping and the tools of modern GIS at powerofwhere.com.

Create useful and usable map apps that your users will love.

Turn your next map app project into a success with Designing Map Interfaces: Patterns for Building Effective Map Apps. Whether you're configuring an out-of-the-box solution, building an app using one of the readily available app builder tools, or working on a custom app project, this book will guide you toward developing more useful and usable apps. Current courses for application development focus on technology and architecture rather than the tenets of interface design. This book teaches GIS professionals, developers, and designers the principles and best practices that will help them create stunning consumer-grade apps.

Designing Map Interfaces provides a language for planning and building map apps. The elements of this language are made up of user interface (UI) patterns. Each pattern describes a solution to an observed and recurring problem in UI design. This book explains when to use the pattern, why it is important, and what to consider—and in turn will help readers make educated decisions on what, why, when, and how to solve problems to make their apps work. Throughout the book, patterns are illustrated through real-world examples.

Key topics include: 

• getting started with design, 
• selecting the right layout, 
• interacting with the map,   
• dealing with complex data, 
• designing for mobile devices,
• building single-purpose apps, and 
• common mistakes and how to avoid them.

This book is aimed at anyone who configures (solution engineers, GIS professionals) or builds (developer community, designers) map apps, especially the fast-growing group of users who employ application builders and tools that create apps to publish their own data and maps on the web. Designing Map Interfaces fills the gap that documentation lacks—practical tips on how to assemble a meaningful UI.

This book is the essential guide to designing map interfaces that are usable and efficient, and that look good in the process.

Spatial statistics empowers you to go beyond visual analysis to answer questions confidently and make data-driven decisions.

Thanks to the data and computational power now at our fingertips, data science is in every aspect of our lives. But with so many algorithms and buzzwords floating around, where do you start to solve complex problems or figure out where to go next?

There has never been a more exciting time to learn about spatial statistics. Spatial statistics uses an aspect of geography that helps you quantify patterns and relationships so that you can feel confident in your analysis.

Spatial Statistics Illustrated is an introductory book for learning the concepts behind the powerful spatial statistics tools in ArcGIS.

With approachable explanations and uncomplicated drawings, Spatial Statistics Illustrated gives readers an accessible understanding of some of the most widely used spatial statistics methods, including how they work and when to use them. In a friendly, conversational tone, the authors share techniques that can help you explore your data in meaningful ways; quantify patterns and relationships; understand trends, and make informed, impactful decisions.

This book has something for everyone analyzing data, including:

• seasoned data scientists looking to explore the value that spatial analysis offers
• GIS analysts looking to expand their spatial statistics skill set
• new GIS users discovering the value of spatial statistics

Spatial Statistics Illustrated is a perfect complement to more traditional, technical statistics and spatial statistics texts and is also ideal as supplemental reading for academic courses.

Based on the popular series of Spatial Statistics workshops presented by the authors at the annual Esri User Conference, Spatial Statistics Illustrated welcomes readers into the unparalleled world of spatial statistics.

Making interactive web maps has never been easier. 

Top 20 Essential Skills for ArcGIS Online guides readers, step by step, through the process of creating maps that simplify location data and unlock spatial insights. In just a few clicks, you’ll publish professional web maps that use smart, data-driven mapping styles and powerful analysis tools.

These bite-sized chapters demonstrate how to create layers, build web maps, and showcase your location data in professional visualizations. Each chapter takes about 45 minutes to complete.

Top 20 Essential Skills for ArcGIS Online includes:

• Easy-to-understand, step-by-step tutorials

• Simple instructions with plenty of screenshots showing what to do

• Resources that provide readers with self-paced learning opportunities

By the end of this book, you’ll know:

• Smart mapping, blend modes, effects, setting visibility ranges, and other basic cartography techniques

• ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World, ArcGIS Notebooks, charts, forms, and data pipelines

• How to share your maps to the world

Top 20 Essential Skills for ArcGIS Online is perfect for students looking for a comprehensive guide to follow from beginning to end, professionals looking to learn specific skills, or those who want a single, reliable, comprehensive resource for learning how to create web maps.

Make your own interactive web maps using the first book from Esri Press exclusively for ArcGIS Online.