Getting Started with ArcGIS Online for Data Collection and Editing
Posted by Tracy Thorleifson on Tue, Oct 18, 2011
At the 2011 GITA GIS for Oil & Gas Pipeline Conference, Eagle will be giving away a new Apple iPad 2. Well, not exactly giving it away; it's a contest to see who can create the coolest pipeline in our ArcGIS Online-driven, gisgap powered pipeline editing application! In order to play, you'll need an ArcGIS Online account. If you already have one, you can skip down to the part where we tell you how to join the Eagle GITA Pipeline Palooza group. If you don't have an ArcGIS Online account, follow these instructions...
First, in the browser of choice, enter http://arcgis.com to open the ArcGIS Online home page:
In the ArcGIS Online home page, click on the Sign In link in the upper right corner to open the Sign In page:
If you already have an ArcGIS Online account, simply sign in. Similarly, if you are an existing Esri customer, and have an Esri global account, you can just click the Register your Esri Global Account button and make your existing Esri global account your ArcGIS Online account. But the really cool thing about ArcGIS Online is that it's totally free, and anybody can use it! So let's go that route, and create a new Esri global account for ArcGIS Online from scratch by clicking on the Create an Account button to open the Create Account page:
Enter the appropriate information, and press the Create My Account button. This will open the Account Profile page for your new Esri global account:
Press the Edit my Profile button and enter whatever information about yourself that you'd like to share (or not). You should end up with something like this (well, maybe not quite so ridiculously good looking):
Now that your account profile is complete, it's time to find, and then join, the Eagle GITA Pipeline Palooza group. Click on the Groups button, and then enter "Eagle GITA" into the Search textbox:
Click the Search for Groups link in the Search textbox pulldown to return a listing of all the groups that match the search criteria:
Click on the Eagle GITA Pipeline Palooza group link to be directed to the description page for the group:
Click the Join This Group button to send a join request to the Eagle GITA Pipeline Palooza group administrator. Requests are processed regularly by Eagle staff; the next time you sign in to ArcGIS Online you should find that you are a member of the Eagle GITA Pipeline Palooza group!
ArcGIS Online maps can be accessed in a variety of ways. In your web browser, ArcGIS Online maps can be accessed via the ArcGIS.com map viewer, in ArcGIS Online Explorer, or in ArcGIS 10 Desktop directly. For even more fun, you can access ArcGIS Online maps via your Apple iPhone or iPad, or Windows Phone 7 smartphone or tablet. If you have one of these devices, simply download the free ArcGIS app from the appropriate app store, install it, and sign in. (You'll still need to join groups via your web browser, but you can access any group you belong to via your phone/tablet ArcGIS app.) Make sure to bring your device to the GITA conference so you can compare your really cool pipeline with those created by your friends. (And maybe get a little free tutoring from friendly Eagle staff members!)
See you at GITA for Oil & Gas Pipelines!