Overview
This project served as my final project for my Web GIS course (GEO 4073), taken in the fall of 2022 at UTSA.
This project served as a companion project to my Remote Sensing (GEO 4093) course's final project, which also studied the progression of urbanization in far northwest San Antonio. However, while the Remote Sensing project was more research-oriented, this Web GIS project is designed to demonstrate my ability to create a useful web app, as well as serving as a showcase of my understanding of the types of data that can show urbanization.
For instance, I chose to use U.S. Census GIS data (2010-2020 population growth rate) supplied through the Web AppBuilder, as I felt that the breakdown of growth in the census blocks within the study area illustrated the growth patterns in the region fairly well. In addition, I drew on my remote sensing knowledge and used a layer containing high-resolution NDVI imagery, as it makes it possible to clearly see regions of urban development (marked in well-defined red shapes); this, paired with the fact that the imagery is made available biyearly from 2012 to 2020, allows for studying changes in urban development over time.
The use of GIS data did pose some decisions and challenges—from deciding how to break down the study area, to having to put together a feature layer of census blocks constrained to the study area using ArcGIS, it took me a fair amount of work to come up with a web map with relevant layers for this web app. In addition, the AppBuilder itself has some limitations that an ArcGIS JavaScript implementation could overcome—which has definitely made me interested in exploring the possibilities in creating a bespoke JS web app.
However, this project still goes to show that for creating a simple, useful web tool, knowing how to use tools like the Web AppBuilder can be very beneficial for organizations and teams that need an illustration of their data to make informed decisions.
Methods used
Skills
- Ability to pull data from various authoritative sources (e.g., U.S. Census Bureau) for use in decision-making
- Understanding of GIS principles to put together a layered web map to base the web app on
- Ability to use the Web AppBuilder to put together an experience that may be useful to people in urban planning, government, etc.
- Understanding of UI principles for properly placing Web AppBuilder widgets and creating a usable web interface
Software, tools, and libraries
Project links
Access web app1 View web app item pageMedia credits
Thumbnail, showcase clip, and ArcGIS Online Web AppBuilder icon were created by me. ArcGIS Pro icon is created by me and is derived from "Earth 1", from the Streamline Bold icon pack designed by Streamline.
1 This web app may require a login to an account with an ArcGIS Online subscription, due to the use of the Subscriber-only NDVI imagery layer.