ArcGIS Online is a browser-based software where maps can be created and shared for collaboration. As long as you have an ArcGIS Online account and an internet browser, you can start mapping. Want to get started with an ArcGIS Online account? I provided a few helpful tips and tricks in a previous blog post.

Esri updates ArcGIS Online as needed, so be aware that ArcGIS Online may look different than the last time you logged in. We recommend subscribing to receive emails on when they plan to push updates.

New updates were most recently pushed at the end of September. Here are some highlights on the latest tools and functionality enhancements in ArcGIS Online:

Cluster Points

  • Clustering is useful for large datasets to increase visual impact and sift through concentrated clusters of points. Clustering your data groups points together to make large point datasets meaningful.
  • To cluster your data, hover over a point dataset of interest and select Cluster Points. You can adjust the number of point features grouped into the clusters by moving the slider left and right.
  • By default, the pop-up displays the number of features in each cluster. The pop-up can be configured to display a title and the predominant value within each cluster, if applicable.
  • Pro Tips
  • Cluster Points has a maximum of 50,000 points it can group.
  • Pop-up can be configured for further customization. You can also browse the points that make up each cluster.

This map shows Maryland public schools. Enabling clustering groups the schools into clusters that reflect the number of schools. Clicking on an individual cluster displays the quantity represented in that grouping.

Find nearest to

  • Nearest to has been added as a spatial relationship that can be used when building an expression in the Find Existing Locations and Derive New Locations tools. This allows you to find or create features based on certain criteria.
  • This map shows Maryland public schools and libraries. Let’s find the closest school to each library so that students know where to go after school to get homework done, use the internet, and find resources.
  • With the Find Existing Locations tool, I used the nearest to spatial relationship to identify the closest school to each library (displayed as blue circles).

Enhanced options for joining features

  • A join lets users transfer attributes from one layer to another layer.
  • Joins can be based on common information in a table (like county name or ID number), or on a spatial relationship between two layers.
  • When performing a one-to-one join (where each record in one table matches to only one record in another layer), there are new options for specifying  which record is kept during the matching.
  • There is a new box that can be checked to save the data as a hosted feature layer view for all attribute joins. Doing so keeps your data up-to-date in case any source data changes, but allows for editing since it is an entirely new view of the layer.
  • A hosted feature layer view is a different view of the hosted feature layer where you can apply different editor settings, styles, or filters. The creation of this view is not unique to this tool, but has been added as an additional feature in the Join Features tool.
  • Pro Tips

    • You can only create a hosted feature layer view if you are the owner of both layers, both layers are hosted feature layers, and you are performing an attribute join.
    • Creating results as a hosted feature layer view makes the Use current extent box become unavailable; it can only create the hosted feature layer view based on the entire layer.
    • The view is read-only and does not consume credits for analysis and storage.

Download organization’s activity

  • On the Organization tab, under Overview, administrators are now able to download a CSV listing their organization’s activity. Before this addition to ArcGIS Online’s interface, administrators had to use an outside vendor to be able to see an activity log of their organization’s users and content.
  • The CSV contains who created the content, who edited content, how they edited it, and when.