ArcGIS Explorer team member Bern Szukalski previews the ArcGIS Explorer sessions that will be available during the upcoming 2009 ESRI User Conference.

More ESRI videos can be found on esritv where you can also view the ArcGIS Explorer playlist.

The new ArcGIS Online site went public beta earlier today, and the latest post on the ArcGIS Online blog provides a great introduction to using and leveraging the site, including some specific examples using the soon-to-be released new version of ArcGIS Explorer.

Shown below is ArcGIS Explorer with a layer package that was published by ESRI and discovered and accessed from ArcGIS Online.

Note that shared resources you will find on ArcGIS Online, such as layer packages, layer files, add-ins, Explorer layers, and more will open in ArcGIS Explorer 900 only and are not intended to be used with ArcGIS Explorer 500.

ArcWatch is ESRI's e-magazine for GIS news, views, and insights. The latest ArcWatch includes a couple of articles of specific interest to Explorer users.

The first is a preview of what's coming in the next release of ArcGIS Explorer.

The second covers new sharing capabilities of ArcGIS Online, which will be available as a public beta prior to the upcoming ESRI User Conference.

We covered some basics in an earlier tutorial post on creating layer packages. Here we'll build on that and take a look at how group layers can be used to create a multi-layer package.

We visited the NPS Data Store and downloaded geologic data for the Old Faithful quadrangle in Yellowstone National Park. The data included multiple layers used to create a map of surficial geology, and when we opened the provided ArcMap document here's what we saw:

Because we opened the ArcMap document (.mxd file) the layers were already symbolized as the author intended with scale dependencies applied. We tweaked some of the properties for each layer as described in our earlier tutorial, and made sure we enabled the HTML popup property for each.

The map organized the content as separate layers, and we could have created unique layer packages for each one of them. But the layers were cartographically designed to work together, with scale dependencies applied to show various geologic details. To preserve the cartography the approach we used was to create a group layer, collecting all the individual layers in the group and preserving all the intended cartography. We then used the group layer to create the layer package containing all the layers. Here's how we did it.

First, using ArcMap we created a new group layer:

We named the group layer, selected all the individual layers, then dragged them into the group layer:

Next we right-clicked the group layer and chose Create Layer Package... This put all the sublayers into a single, easily portable package.

Below is the layer package shown in ArcGIS Explorer 900. We've opened the group layer to show all the original sublayers. Cartography, including scale-dependencies, has been preserved in the layer package. We can now view the data in ArcGIS Explorer the same way we viewed it using ArcGIS Desktop, including the popup window contents.

With the release of ArcGIS Desktop 9.3.1 the ability to create layer packages was introduced. Layer packages encapsulate the data, cartography, and other properties of the layer as it's authored in ArcMap (or ArcGlobe) into one easily shareable package.

Layer packages can be shared with other ArcGIS Desktop users, shared on ArcGIS Online (public beta soon), and are also supported in ArcGIS Explorer 900 along with layer files. What's significant for Explorer users is that now the cartographic capabilities of ArcGIS Desktop can be seen using Explorer. In the past only simple rendering options were available in Explorer for local data sources, now these are expanded to include ArcGIS Desktop cartography via layer files and layer packages.

ArcGIS 9.3.1 was released not long ago, and ArcGIS Explorer 900 is currently in Beta. But since you may want to begin to create layer packages now for use in Explorer 900 when it becomes available we thought we'd cover a few basic pointers on how to create good layer packages.

We began by downloading some data and an ArcMap document (.mxd file) from the USGS. The data we downloaded was from an open file report with data from the Engineering aspects of karst map.

We downloaded the data, started ArcMap, opened the provided map document, and this is where we started. Our goal for this post was to take the karst_polys_polygon layer in the map and share it as a layer package with ArcGIS Explorer 900 users.

You can see the data (from a personal geodatabase) is already symbolized so we have a good start. But there's a few things we want to do during the process of authoring the layer package that will ensure those we share the layer package with have the best possible experience and that we present the data in the best possible way. We think authoring is a good way to think about this process, and we'll step you through the basics of what to consider.

Step 1: We opened the layer properties and began with the General tab.

The default name for a layer is the same as the layer source. In this case the layer was named karst_polys_polygon which isn't particularly user friendly. So we changed the name and added a brief description and credits. We gave the layer the same name as the title of the map, and added the description from information we found on the USGS Web site.

Step 2: Symbology tab

In this tab we checked off the all other values option since it's not needed and will appear in the final legend. We also changed the label for the heading of the field that was used for the unique value rendering. The original label was the same as the field name - K_TYPE - and doesn't provide a lot of meaning. So we changed that to Karst Type to make it more user friendly and understandable.

We also noticed in the original map document that some polygons were outlined and some were not. So we changed the symbol properties so that all polygons were represented in a similar way (not outlined).

Step 3: Fields tab

All of the fields were checked on for display, the default for a layer. But most of these fields offered little valuable information. We didn't want the recipient of our layer package to see irrelevant fields like OJBECTID, SHAPE, and others. So here we checked them off except for the two that provided the essential information.

We also changed the not-so-friendly K_TYPE and DESCRIPT to the more user friendly Karst Type and Description by entering aliases for the field names.

Step 4: HTML Popup tab

The HTML popup tool is new at ArcGIS 9.3.1, and this tab controls its properties. For Explorer users this is important because it also controls how the popup looks when the feature is clicked. By default the HTML popup tool is disabled, so first we check it on. We leave the default option on for displaying a table of the visible fields. The Verify... button allows us to preview how the popup looks in ArcMap, and how it will look in Explorer.

Here you can see the two remaining fields we've left checked on (remember we turned off all the ones that didn't make sense in Step 3 and also created field aliases). This is a preview of what the popup will look like, and it has all the essential information we want. At this point we make sure we save all of our changes.

Taking a look at this in ArcMap we see the new HTML Popup tool on our toolbar, highlighted with the red arrow below. The green arrow points to the Identify tool.

And we can compare Identify and the HTML Popup tools below. First we use Identify:

And below is what things look like using the HTML Popup tool:

Note the leader tail to the clicked location, the shadow effect around the popup, and the styled view of our attributes - a much nicer way to view the information.

Step 5: Create the layer package

Now that we've finished making changes we can create the layer package. This will encapsulate the data and capture our cartography and other changes we've made to our layer in one easily shareable package. To create the layer package we right-click the layer and choose Create Layer Package....

It takes just a few seconds, and when finished we see the following message. Note that the layer package has an extension of .lpk.

Now we'll open the layer package in Explorer 900. You can drag and drop the LPK file directly onto Explorer, or use the Add Content and choose ArcGIS Layers...

Below we see the layer package added to ArcGIS Explorer 900.

Things to note are:

• the original data source was a personal geodatabase, which has been encapsulated in the LPK file and is now being used by Explorer 900
• the layer name is the same as we saved from ArcMap
• the data is displayed using the same cartography as authored in ArcMap
• the legend is exactly the same as in ArcMap
• the popup window is styled as we've defined in Step 4 and is the same style as we saw using ArcMap's HTML Popup tool
• the layer packages looks exactly the same in 2D mode and 3D mode

If we shared this on ArcGIS Online (beta to be announced soon) the description we entered would automatically appear with our shared content. Here's a snapshot of the current development site after we shared our layer package. We've searched using the keywords USGS and Karst and can see the description we entered in the layer properties in ArcMap that have been read directly from the layer package when we shared it on ArcGIS Online.

You can now understand how layer packages open up a whole new world for sharing data not only with other ArcGIS users, but also with a much broader audience using ArcGIS Explorer. Using these basic steps you can confidently create layer packages now for use in ArcGIS Explorer 900 soon... And we'll cover this in more detail as we get closer to Explorer 900's public release.

A recent post by Tom Baker on the GIS Education Community blog highlights layer packages. We'll be covering this in more detail here in an upcoming post.

We've mentioned layer packages in the context of Explorer 900 in several past posts. To find them just enter "layer packages" in the search.

In an earlier post we reviewed how to use Go To Location and other tools to take a look at large holes in the ground. So continuing with that theme we'll take a look at a few more...

Meteor Crater is located in northern Arizona and is over 4000 feet across and 550 feet deep. The impact is estimated to have occurred about 50,000 years ago. The meteor's size was over 150 feet across, creating an enormous impact and heaving 175 million tons of rock out of the earth's surface.

Here we've used Go To Location (Tools > Go To Location) and entered the coordinates of the crater:

And added the topographic map layer from ArcGIS Online so we can compare the aerial and topo of the crater.

Enter these coordinates: 38.513335, -122.104272

in Go To Location and you'll find the Monticello Dam in California. It has a large hole that serves as the the overflow spillway that's easily visible near the dam. It's 87 feet in diameter. Though it's technically not a hole in the ground we still think it's worthy of mention.

Another large hole in the ground, though most of it is not readily visible, is Mammoth Cave. The Historic Entrance is located here: 37.188521, -86.105478

Mammoth Cave is the world's longest cave system with more than 365 mapped miles of passage.

The other week I was flying into Salt Lake City on a regional jet. As we approached the airport our flight path took us over an impressive and very large hole in the ground. Looking in a Salt Lake area guide it become apparent that what I'd seen from the jet window was the Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation's Bingham Canyon Mine. Whether you consider it a scar on the earth's surface, a curiosity, or a triumph of resource harvesting, it's also a popular tourist destination and listed as a National Historic Landmark. 

Visiting Wikipedia I learned that it's the world's largest man-made excavation and also the first and largest open-pit copper mine. Wikipedia also provided the coordinates for its location: 40° 31′ 20.5″ N, 112° 8′ 58.1″ W

In ArcGIS Explorer I used Tools > Go To Location

And copied and pasted the coordinates (in this case in degrees, minutes, and seconds) from Wikipedia into Go To Location.

I also could have entered the coordinates in decimal degrees (also provided via Wikipedia).

Clicking Go To I was able to zoom to the location and could see the large pit I'd noticed from the plane window. I then clicked Create Result to add a result to my map.

I refined my result by changing some of its properties; I right-clicked the result and changed the default red pushpin to a different symbol, changed the popup window title, and edited the popup window content to open with the Wikipedia entry for the mine.

Here's what my newly modified result looks like:

Since I used readily available Web content in my popup I could share this easily with others. In the bottom right corner of the popup window you'll see a link to E-mail the result.

I clicked that to E-mail it to one of my colleagues - Jim Barry - who I often collaborate with. The result was automatically added as an attachment to the E-mail.

Here's Jim on the other end of the E-mail after opening the result from the attachment.

What's interesting is that I didn't know that Jim had installed the latest Beta 2 version of the soon-to-be-released ArcGIS Explorer 900, and the attachment I created using Explorer 500 worked perfectly in Explorer 900.

So the Lakers beat the Nuggets to advance to the finals, and we decided to take a look at both sports venues in 3D to show how you can use Sketchup to add 3D buildings to your maps.

First we went to the Google 3D Sketchup Warehouse where we can find lots of Sketchup models, many published as KML/Z files which can be used directly in Explorer. Sketchup models have long been supported in ArcGIS Desktop in ArcGlobe, part of the 3D Analyst extension. Google acquired the company on March 14, 2006.

We went to the NBA Arenas collection at the 3D Warehouse

and located the Staples Center and Pepsi Center models, home of the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets respectively. Note that there's a link to "View in Google Earth" (highlighted in yellow below with a red arrow) but obviously we can view these in Explorer too.

If you've let the file association for KML and KMZ be registered to ArcGIS Explorer all you have to do is click the link and the KML/Z will open in Explorer. If the KML/Z file association is registered to Google Earth instead of Explorer you'll see the following dialog when Explorer first starts which lets you choose which application should open the files.

A similar dialog will display from Google Earth if you've set the KML and KMZ file association to Explorer.

You can also right-click the link and save the KML/Z file locally using Save Target As...

And then choose File > Open and click KML to browse for the file.

 Here's the Pepsi Center in Explorer:

And here's the Staples Center. Note that the model author has added additional information about the arena which can be viewed by clicking the model.

Here's a couple of recent posts on the ESRI Education Community site that may be of interest to Explorer users.

Fun with GIS using AGX: prepping for hurricanes is a post by Charlie Fitzpatrick, ESRI education manager, that covers using NOAA's nowCoast services. Those are published using ArcIMS, and are among the many kinds of mapping services that Explorer can use.

Joseph Kerski takes a look at the regional spatial distribution of two businesses in Explorer using business data imported from a spreadsheet.

In past blog posts we covered adding geotagged photos using the Add Photo task available under tasks at the ArcGIS Explorer Resource Center. This task reads the coordinate information that is embedded into the header of the image, and uses that to place it at the appropriate location.

But if you don't have a camera that geotags photos, but you do have a regular camera and a GPS device, here are a couple of ways for you to accomplish the same thing.

We found a USGS dust collector while out hiking the other weekend. It's an odd-looking device made from an angel-food cake mold, wire mesh, and marbles. We're not kidding - you can check out the USGS link which describes the device in more detail.

We took a photo of it, and recorded the following GPS location (not the actual location):

Longitude: 115°16'43"W
Latitude: 35°3'14"N

We used Go to Location, found under Tools:

And entered the coordinates

And then chose Create Result. Here's the result on our map, and note the coordinates displayed in the hover text and the popup window and title.

We can place the photo at this location by editing the popup window properties and adding the path to the photo. To edit the popup properties right click the pushpin (or right click the result) and choose properties top make the edits. Here we've added the full path to the photo.

Now when we click the pushpin we see the photo displayed in the popup window.

So that's an easy way to add a couple of photos at a precise location. But if we wanted to add many photos at once we can create a file with the information and import it, and here's how...

In this example we've created a text file using Notepad, but could also have created the file by exporting data from a spreadsheet or database. ArcGIS Explorer supports both text and .csv files for import, as well as GPX - a standard that most GPS devices support. Here's what our text file looks like:

In our text file we're using the first line for field names and using commas to separate all information. In this example we're only adding a single line with GPS coordinates and photo information, but obviously we could add (or export from a spreadsheet) as many lines as we want.

Now we can import the text file using Tools > Import File

Navigate to the file to select it

and from here the Import Text File Wizard guides us. In the first wizard dialog (shown below) the defaults are exactly what we want - comma delimited, and first line contains field names. Note the preview window at the bottom which provides a visual as to how the file is being parsed. If things don't look as expected there we can try other options or double-check the file for formatting.

Clicking Next above, we reach this second dialog shown below:

In the circled area at the top we see that because we used "latitude" and "longitude" for our field names they've automatically been picked up by Explorer.

In the lower circled area we've made some selections. We chose the Name field as the title (which displays in the hover text and the popup window title) and the field named Photo for the description. The description is what is displayed inside the popup window, so since we used the pathname to the photograph it will automatically show when clicked.

(submitted by Carla Wheeler, ESRI ArcWatch editor)

As a professional editor and writer covering a wide variety of GIS topics I still sometimes feel like a GIS novice when it comes to using software. But even a GIS novice will find ArcGIS Explorer easy to use, and in this particular case easy to share near real-time geographic information with colleagues, organizations, or friends.

I looked at an earlier post on this blog and read about how to add a live Web cam to Explorer. Using what I learned there I was able to add my own live Web cam, in this case from a location close to my hometown near Crane Lake, Minnesota.

This time of year many people in the northern United States and Canada wait with baited breath for the ice to go out on the lakes so they can begin to plan trips to catch walleye, northern pike, and crappies. Like seeing the first robin of the year, a sure sign of spring up north is the ice disappearing from the lakes. 

Many resorts operate Web cams that face the lake so the current conditions can be viewed online. But I wanted to take that a step further and view the Web cam in a better geographic context, and also share my results with others.

I used the Find Place task to enter "Crane Lake, MN" and zoomed to the lake.

This got me quickly to the general area, and from there I zoomed in further. Handberg's is a local resort that has a Web cam facing the docks and water.  I visited the resort’s Web site, clicked the Web cam tab, and then copied the URL for that page.

I then went back to my Explorer map of Crane Lake, and navigated to the dock where the cam was placed.  Using Create Notes I added a point at the cam location. A red pushpin appeared where I pointed, and I right-clicked the pushpin to open its properties. I pasted the URL for the cam there, then hit OK.

Now when I click the pushpin the Web cam appears in the popup, showing a live view of the lake. Last week the ice was in. Today when I checked the ice was out, which means it's time to buy a new rod and reel.

I wanted to share this with some colleagues and doing that was easy. I just right-clicked the pushpin and chose E-mail to send it along (of course keeping my best fishing holes a secret).

The E-mail is automatically created - the result is added as an attachment and the E-mail text with instructions is automatically inserted. Easy enough even for a crappie fisherman!

And don't forget to bookmark the ESRI ArcWatch site. If you're fishing for interesting news and information, you'll find it there!

ESRI education manager Joseph Kerski recently explained how he looks at the spatial distribution of class participants in a recent blog post on the GIS Education Community blog. The post explains how Excel spreadsheets are used to map the locations of students using Explorer's File Import capabilities.

See the complete post on this topic on the ArcGIS Developer blog.

For those that have visited the ESRI campus in Redlands, you've probably had lunch at the ESRI Cafe. It's one of the newer buildings on campus and uniquely designed, featuring glass walls and a pleasant outdoor eating area.

We've covered Web cams in previous posts, including a post where we explained how you could use the Yosemite National Park Web cams in popups and how you could import text files with links to Web cams.

We thought we'd show another example of using Web cams in Explorer. But this being a Friday afternoon we thought we'd have some fun and do something a little different. Rather than Web cams that show grand scenic vistas we thought we'd focus on a different kind of scenery - the Web cam in the ESRI Cafe. Note that you won't be able to access this particular cam outside of ESRI, but you can link to any Web cam using more or less the same steps we've outlined here.

First, we'll locate the ESRI Redlands campus by using Find Address.

You'll see a new result appear, and double-click the result to zoom in.

When we click the result pushpin its popup window opens, and at the moment it displays the address information we just entered.

The first thing we want to do is position the pushpin on top of the ESRI Cafe, rather than the geocoded location where it's currently located . To adjust the location right click the pushpin and choose properties, then choose the location property, and use the Get Position button to click on a new location, which in this case will be the rooftop of the ESRI Cafe.

Now that we've place the pushpin where it should be we can change the popup to show the Web cam. ESRI staffers can access the ESRI Cafe Web cam from our internal site, handy when you want to see how busy the Cafe is before heading over for lunch. Here's what the web site looks like (note the Explorer team members posing).

If we open the popup content property here's what's currently there - the address location from our original geocoding result.

To add the Cafe Web cam all we need to do is replace that text with the URL pointing to the Web page with the cam.

And here's what the popup looks like now.

Now that was really easy to do, but we didn't like the fact that we had a large Web page inside the popup when all we wanted was the live Web cam. So we right clicked in the Web page in our browser and chose view source. Scanning the HTML source we found the embed tag which pointed to the cam.

To change the popup to open the cam only, we just copied and pasted the HTML into the popup properties, and added opening and closing HTML tags, shown below:

Here is our final result, showing the popup window opening just the Web cam.