App Strategies:

Configuration, Customization
or Development
Heather Murnane
Justin Turco
Agenda

• Overview of App Implementation Options

• Gathering Requirements
• Configurable Options
• Advanced Configuration
• Adding Custom Code
• Develop from Scratch
 Configure Customize Develop
Extend templates with Code from scratch
Use COTS templates
custom code using the Esri APIs

Fast time to market Higher starting point Unique/Branded UI/UX

Great for rapid Great when COTS Great for orgs with
prototyping meets most of the req. access to developers

No developer Provides foundation for Deep development

experience needed novice developers experience required

Configuration Custom Development

ArcGIS Apps

Field Office Community

1

ArcGIS Explorer Story

Collector Navigator Earth Maps

Workforce Maps for Maps for

Office Initiatives Open Data
SharePoint

Maps for
Survey123 Drone2Map Adobe Creative Maps for Photo Quick
Cloud Power BI Survey Report

Operations GeoPlanner Crowdsource

Business
Dashboard Polling
Analyst

Focused, Powerful and Ready-to-Use

ArcGIS Apps

Configurable Templates Web AppBuilder

AppStudio

(Apple, Android,
Windows, Linux)
Widgets

HTML5/JavaScript Native Apps

Providing Easy, Configurable, and Extensible Tools

Where Do I Start?
How to ask the right questions
Gathering Requirements
“Measure twice, cut once”

• Work with sponsor, stakeholders, users, IT

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courtesy: www.projectcartoon.com
Gathering Requirements
“Measure twice, cut once”

• Work with sponsor, stakeholders, users, IT

• Focus on the requirements not the solution
• Types of requirements
- Business
- High-level vision statements
- Functional
- What the application should do (from a user
perspective)
- Non-functional
- How the application does it (usability, security,
performance, etc.)

• Prioritize!

courtesy: www.projectcartoon.com
Application Considerations

Considerations
- How will users access my app?
- Will I need to perform analyses?
- Will users be editing data?
- Do I need to display 3D data?
- Where will I host my app?
- Do I anticipate customization?
How Will Users Access My App?

Considerations
- Native vs. browser
- User experience - Responsive design
- Device compatibility
- Offline capabilities

Recommendations
- Most ArcGIS Online/Portal apps and Story
Maps are responsive
- Think about using multiple apps (each
intended for a specific device and use
case) sourced from the same web map
Configure an ArcGIS
Online App
Technical Demonstration
Do I Need to Display 3D Data?

Considerations
- Use case – viewer, compare, larger story
- What widgets are needed?

Recommendations
- Web AppBuilder
- Map Journal, Map Series, or Cascade
Story Maps templates
- 3D Data Visualization, Compare Scenes,
Simple Scene Viewer templates in ArcGIS
Online/Portal
Will Users be Editing Data?
Considerations
- Map vs. form-centric data entry
- Offline capabilities
- Creating vs. updating data
- Related records support
- Is anonymous access required?
- Smart forms

Recommendations
- Collector for native, offline, editing of related
records, map centric workflows
- GeoForm for browser based, form-centric
workflows, anonymous access
- Survey123 for native, offline, form-centric collection
Will I Need to Perform Analyses?

Considerations
- Review COTS widgets first
- MOST configurable apps cannot ingest
custom GP services

Recommendations
- Web AppBuilder
- Exposes analysis capabilities found in
ArcGIS Online/Portal
- Includes a GP widget that takes a GP service
REST URL as a parameter
Adding Custom Code
Technical Demonstration
Do I Anticipate Customization?

Considerations
- Select apps whose source code is
accessible
- Ensure access to a hosting web server

Recommendations
- Developer Editions of Web AppBuilder or
AppStudio
- All ArcGIS Online/Portal apps, Story Maps,
and Survey123
- Download source code BEFORE
configuring
Where Will I Host My App?

Considerations
- Web apps require a web server
- ArcGIS Online vs. local
- Native apps will live on devices

Recommendations
- All ArcGIS Online/Portal templates can be
hosted in your org subscription
- Most LGIM-based app templates require a
local web server
- Any customizations to app code will
require a local web server
Customization and
Development
What if I need more?
When Configuration Isn’t Enough
Extend ArcGIS Apps with custom code

• Source code for many apps available for

download from GitHub and ArcGIS Online
• Developer’s site provides documentation
and sample code
• GeoNet a good resource for custom
widgets and other components
• **NEW** ArcGIS Code Sharing

Keep in mind…
- A web server will be required
- You will need someone who is comfortable
in reading/developing code
Developing from Scratch
Benefits to building an app from the ground up

• Choose the programming language

that works for you
• Full control over UI/UX
- Great for branding purposes
• No need to work in someone else’s
code
• Build only the features that you
need
- Full control over implementing
specific workflows/capabilities
• More interesting for developers!
Developing from Scratch

Web APIs Native SDKs

Develop from Scratch
Technical Demonstration
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