Building Web Applications with ArcGIS

By Hussein Nasser

ArcGIS allows users to create rich maps and applications that interact with services hosted on ArcGIS for Server and ArcGIS Online. This book will help you to understand the ArcGIS JavaScript API in a fun way while building a real-life project.

This book revolves around a fictional project called Bestaurants. The journey starts with a description of the project requirements before moving on to designing and sketching an interface of what the website will look like. Then, gradually with each chapter, you will add a single functionality until the full ArcGIS application is completed.

By the end of this book, you will have built an entire ArcGIS web application from scratch. An additional bonus appendix is included on how to build ArcGIS applications with ArcGIS Online–a new and extremely useful service offered by Esri.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Release date: Nov 19, 2014
• ISBN: 9781783552962

Hussein Nasser

Hussein Nasser is an Esri award-winning senior GIS solution architect working in the GIS field since 2006. He is the author of three books in the ArcGIS technology: Administering ArcGIS for Server, Learning ArcGIS Geodatabases, and Building Web Applications with ArcGIS, all by Packt Publishing. In 2007, he won the first place at the annual ArcGIS Server Code Challenge, conducted at the Esri Developer Summit in Palm Springs, California. In 2014, he started the IGeometry YouTube channel, where he periodically publishes educational GIS videos.

Book preview

Table of Contents

Building Web Applications with ArcGIS

Credits

About the Author

About the Reviewers

www.PacktPub.com

Support files, eBooks, discount offers, and more

Why subscribe?

Free access for Packt account holders

Preface

What this book covers

What you need for this book

Who this book is for

Conventions

Reader feedback

Customer support

Downloading the example code

Errata

Piracy

Questions

1. The Bestaurants Project

Getting started with Bestaurants

Bestaurants, the best restaurants in Belize

The project statement

Proposed Interface Design

The proposed architecture

Installing ArcGIS software

Installing ArcGIS for Desktop

Installing ArcGIS for Server

Publishing a service in ArcGIS for Server

Testing the published service

Summary

2. Setting Up the Basic Web Application

Setting up the web server

Installing IIS

Testing the web server

Setting up the ArcGIS web application

Creating the HTML web page

Adding the map and loading the ArcGIS service

Customizing basic features

Default extent

Adding the legend

Summary

3. Querying ArcGIS Services

Feature layers

Adding feature layers

Identifying restaurants

Using definition query to filter map

Filtering by category

Filtering by rating

Searching and displaying restaurants by name

Displaying the query results

Interacting with the results to highlight the map

Summary

4. Rich Content and Mobile Integration

Brief introduction to relationships

A simple relationship query example

Working with Restaurants' rich content

Displaying reviews

Displaying pictures

Mobile integration

Testing the website on mobile devices

GPS integration

Summary

5. Posting Reviews, Ratings, and Photos

Configuring enterprise Geodatabase

Connecting to the Geodatabase

Copying Bestaurants' data to the server

Publishing feature service

Setting the Source to the Enterprise Geodatabase

Publishing the map document

Testing the web application with the new service

Adding ArcGIS's editing capabilities

Posting reviews and ratings

Uploading pictures

The final touches

Summary

A. Bestaurants on ArcGIS Online

Setting up ArcGIS Online account

Publishing an ArcGIS Online Map

Using online map from the JavaScript API

Summary

Index

Building Web Applications with ArcGIS

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Building Web Applications with ArcGIS

Copyright © 2014 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing and its dealers and distributors, will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: November 2014

Production reference: 1121114

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

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ISBN 978-1-78355-295-5

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Credits

Author

Hussein Nasser

Reviewers

Hani M. Basheer

Brian Small

Commissioning Editor

Kunal Parikh

Acquisition Editor

Llewellyn Rozario

Content Development Editor

Rahul Nair

Technical Editors

Mrunmayee Patil

Aman Preet Singh

Copy Editors

Janbal Dharmaraj

Laxmi Subramanian

Project Coordinator

Judie Jose

Proofreaders

Ameesha Green

Amy Johnson

Indexers

Monica Ajmera Mehta

Tejal Soni

Production Coordinator

Nilesh R. Mohite

Cover Work

Nilesh R. Mohite

About the Author

Hussein Nasser is an Esri award-winning senior GIS solution architect at Electricity and Water Authority, Bahrain. He is the author of two books on ArcGIS, Administering ArcGIS for Server and Learning ArcGIS Geodatabases, both published by Packt Publishing. In 2007, Hussein won the first place in the annual ArcGIS Server Code Challenge conducted at the Esri Developer Summit in Palm Springs, California, for using AJAX technology with ArcGIS for Server, which was not implemented back then. After his 8-year career as a GIS Architect in the leading Middle Eastern Engineering company, Khatib & Alami, where he spent time implementing various utility GIS systems based on Esri technology across the Middle East, Hussein decided to move to a more focused environment in Electricity and Water Authority back in Bahrain, his homeland. Here he can channel his expertise to develop a robust GIS utility solution that is fully integrated with the eGovernment project, which will help Bahrain march towards the smart grid. Beyond GIS, Hussein is fascinated by acute research topics; some of the papers he is currently working on are The Human API: A Software Interface to Prevent Cancer, Global Economic Crisis and Natural Disasters Quantum Detector, and Stock Market change with the Moon Phases.

I would like to thank Nada; most of this book was written in our favorite coffee shop. You wouldn't be holding this book if she wasn't there.

About the Reviewers

Hani M. Basheer is a GIS expert, Oracle Certified Professional DBA, and Esri Certified ArcGIS Desktop Associate. He has graduated as a surveying engineer with a technical Postgraduate Diploma in Esri GIS. He has over 15 years of experience in the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Esri products.

Throughout his career, he has worked on several enterprise GIS projects in Egypt and Saudi Arabia; he has also worked with the Egyptian SDI project. He moved to Saudi Arabia in 2007 to work with a leading GIS company, Farsi GeoTech, dealing with many GIS projects. Hani moved to National Water Company in 2010 to establish a GIS unit for managing water and waste water utilities networks in Jeddah city.

Hani has over 10 years of experience in the field of technical training for Esri GIS products. During this period, he has delivered many successful training sessions in the Middle East to different business industries such as petroleum, mining, education, electricity, and municipalities.

Throughout his career, he has worked with most of Esri products, ArcGIS, Geodatabase, ArcGIS Server, ArcSDE, Python, Arc Objects, and Esri extensions. He has also worked with Oracle RDBMSs, where he earned four DBA OCPs, and with SAN storage, GPS, and GPS CORS systems.

I really like this book! While I was reviewing it, I found it so interesting that I could not put it down. The writer has successfully transferred his knowledge in an easy and readable way. I can guarantee you will get the best knowledge required for your GIS career by reading this book.

I would like to thank my wife, Wegdan, for her love and support. I also wish to acknowledge my loving family who is always there for me.

Brian Small is a self-confessed computer geek since age 11 and has been in the field for nearly 30 years. He earned his first computer (a Franklin Ace 500) by picking raspberries and strawberries at his family's farm, and has learned coding by typing the listings from the Nibble and Byte magazines in the 1980s. His early IT career was focused on end-user technical support and dabbling with application development. His mid-IT career focused more on administration of enterprise business systems such as work management, inventory/purchasing management, and GIS systems. Currently, his main focus is on the administration of GIS systems based on the Esri product platform and developing web mapping applications.

Outside of work, his interests are diverse, which include playing the piano, wandering the trails and backpacking in the North Cascades, building a digital weaving loom, and building his own CNC machine.

Brian has worked in the local government for over 16 years providing IT and GIS support, which included providing end-user technical support, supervision of support technicians, administration of various enterprise systems, and also as a GIS senior analyst who administers ArcGIS for Server, ArcSDE,