Mimi Reagler said, “The GoMap Twenty-One map competition gave her a good relationship with the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies program at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.”

– The Sentinel-Record, April 5, 2021

“I want to stay in EAST. I would like to continue to use that relationship for future projects,” Reagler said.

John Anderson | The Sentinel-Record, April 5, 2021

The EAST Geospatial Support Team at CAST would like to thank all of our 2021 GoMap Twenty-One Competition participants. The response to this years ArcGIS activity competition was a pleasant surprise and there were many EAST programs and participants using their ArcGIS skills effectively and making positive impacts within their communities.

One way to celebrate Earth Day (today) is to review this REAL-TIME ArcGIS dashboard of important Environmental Health indicators of our planet! It leverages LIVE data feeds from the ArcGIS Living Atlas!

Esri has gathered near real-time information within the ArcGIS Living Atlas from many data-contributing partners such as: NOAA, UN Environment Programme, and the US Geological Survey to create this ArcGIS Living Atlas Indicators of the Planet. This ArcGIS application was launched in July 2020 and organizes an impressive collection of indices into a dashboard gallery of Environmental conditions for our planet. Earth Day 2021 is the perfect time to review these Earth Indicators and possibly plan activities to help mitigate these impacts. Simply planting a tree, or picking up litter in a local park could make a lasting difference!

ArcGIS Living Atlas Indicators of the Planet was developed using the ArcGIS Experience Builder and is in its Beta release while additional capabilities are being implemented. This Experience Builder template can be customized for your own topics of interest. All of the underlying layers, maps, and apps are available from this Content Group.

Each ArcGIS Enterprise organization address will be unique so your address will differ than this example screenshot from ArcGIS Field Map

Field Maps was released in October 2020 and is set to replace ArcGIS collector in December 2021 so now is the time to dive into using Field Maps.   The migration to Field Maps will simplify the ArcGIS variety of ‘mobile mapping applications’ and eventually consolidate functionality into one application: ArcGIS Field Maps.   For EAST students, you have used ArcGIS Collector when field mapping or creating new geodata, such as points, lines or polygons from your mobile device, so Field Maps should feel very familiar. If you have questions, contact the EAST Geospatial Support Team (Brian Culpepper or Malcolm Williamson)

There are several excellent ESRI Blog posts that summarize what you can do with Field Maps and why it will improve your workflow; especially if you are needing to ‘work offline’ in an area with limited cellular service.  Map navigation within the Field Maps app has also improved, so let’s download it and try out these FIVE THINGS TO TRY WITH THE NEW FIELD MAPS app from Esri.   We are interested in hearing your thoughts too!

Here are some Mapping Activities that the CAST team wants to encourage:

• Demonstrate the use of ArcGIS Mapping Technologies in your EAST Project(s) but submit examples or documentation within your report.
• Complete an ArcGIS Mapping Tutorial (Online or in-person)
• Share your knowledge of Mapping Technologies with others (Survey123, ArcGIS Hub, Web Map Builder, ArcGIS Administration, StoryMaps, or Community Analyst all count in this competition.)

Multiple mapping-related activities can be submitted by using the online submission form, but we require supporting documentation for each activity report to valid your effort. Documentation may include the URL to a Survey123 form/web map application that you have created, or even a screen shot of the completion certificate from an online mapping tutorial. We simply want you to UP your MAPPING SAVVY and GoMap more in 2021! We look forward to answering questions and assisting you this year with your mapping questions. Map On!

The GoMap Twenty-One Competition officially began August 24, 2020 and the closing date for this competition was March 9, 2021.

You can use our Public Survey123 application to contribute Public or Free WiFi access locations within Arkansas.   These Free Wifi locations are shared with Arkansas Public School students and citizens that may not have internet access at home.  Your assistance may help Arkansas students or their families locate free internet access nearby! Over 148 Wifi hotspots have been collected by volunteers since March of 2020. Click here to learn more or to complete our Survey123 for ArcGIS form.

Potter County (PA) is home to many mammals, birds, amphibians and fish, but their most common wildlife includes black bear, white tailed deer, opossum, raccoon, red squirrel, various songbirds, wild turkey, and many more!

-Emily Shosh – Potter County (PA)Conservation District

If you’re enrolled within an EAST program/school and would like to discuss how ArcGIS Storymaps or other ArcGIS mapping applications could help support or engage your community leaders, visit our ArcGIS Geospatial Hub or drop us an email: east_support@cast.uark.edu

• Find a location of interest.
• View these historical topographical maps.
• Compare the maps with modern imagery.
• Download and share the maps or open them in ArcGIS Desktop (ArcGIS Pro or ArcMap desktop) where places will appear in their correct geographic location. 
• Save the maps in an ArcGIS Online web map too, if you have an AGOL account, but one’s not needed to explore and download the archive!

These historic topographical maps were originally featured in an October 2014 ArcWatch publication.

The Living Atlas summarized in 3-minutes.

The 2020 EAST conference was unfortunately cancelled due to Covid-19 this year but many presentations and competitions were held online/virtual. We’re happy to share this years winner of the Mapping Competition that was sponsored by the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) at the University of Arkansas. We firmly believe in and support our local trash cleanup efforts within Arkansas; what better way to give back to your community! You can view their winning ArcGIS Story Map here!

“There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you’re going to be part of the problem.” -Eldridge Cleaver.

These EAST team members worked closely with their county solid waste managers to help visualize (via ArcGIS online and Storymaps) where illegal dumping had been an issue within their rural county.

It is important to monitor and reduce waste dumps near water supplies because they hurt the groundwater supplies, make our water lower quality and pollute our rivers and streams.

Washington County Solid Waste Manager

We’d like to congratulate Davis McClure for submitting this amazing TEAM EFFORT between Helen Tyson Middle School, Hellstern Middle School and J.O. Kelley Middle School in Springdale, Arkansas. Their 2020 Storymap “Illegal Roadside Dumping within Washington County, Arkansas” is a great example of how the EAST initiative positively impacts our community leaders via accelerated education and outreach.