Use the Instant Apps Indicator template to help users explore, visualize, and compare data indicators from a web map. Data indicators are values that tell something about a place, population, or condition. Indicators can be stored in a tall or wide data schema. App authors can configure fields that represent key measures, such as population, health outcomes, infrastructure, or economic conditions, and allow users to filter the data by geography, category, or indicator. As users switch between indicators in the launched app, the map's style settings and legend dynamically update while preserving the configured color ramp, classification method, and number of classes. The Indicator template includes map exploration tools and configurable styling options to help users identify patterns, trends, and areas of interest.
Examples
Choose this template to create an app for use cases such as the following examples:
- Explore demographic indicators stored in a map, such as population, age, income, or housing characteristics.
- Compare public health indicators across counties, regions, or service areas.
- Visualize economic development metrics, such as employment, business activity, or investment areas.
Data requirements
The Indicator template requires a web map with at least one polygon feature layer containing fields that represent indicators, values, and related attributes such as geography, category, or time. The app prompts you to choose the data source and fields that define your geography, categories, indicators, and values. These settings are used by the app to read and organize your data. The app also prompts you to specify whether the data is a wide or tall schema.
Wide data schema
Wide data has indicators represented by fields and columns with the value listed under that column in the table. The following table is an example of a wide data schema:
| County | Uninsured rate | Life expectancy | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|
Bexar | 17.2 | 78.4 | 58,900 |
Comal | 11.8 | 81.1 | 89,300 |
Kendall | 12.9 | 82.0 | 95,100 |
In the example table above, the county column indicates the geography fields, the column headings are indicator names, and the data entries listed below the indicators are the numeric values of the indicators. In this example, the indicator data is stored by county.
Tall data schema
Tall data has indicators as values in a column or multiple columns, with values being in a different field in a corresponding row. The following table is an example of a tall data schema:
| County | Category | Indicator | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
Bexar | Health | Uninsured rate | 17.2 |
Bexar | Health | Life expectancy | 78.4 |
Bexar | Economy | Median income | 58,900 |
Comal | Health | Uninsured rate | 11.8 |
Comal | Health | Life expectancy | 81.1 |
Comal | Economy | Median income | 89,300 |
In the example table above, each indicator name is stored in a column as is the indicator value. Therefore, multiple row entries will exist for each geography. In this example, each county has multiple entries (one per indicator). In a tall data schema, category fields may be introduced that help sort indicators into specific themes or data areas.
Map styling and classification
Configure how indicator values are symbolized on the map by selecting indicator values as a classification and selecting map style options. You can style the numeric values of the indicators using graduated colors. For a wide data schema, you can select any indicator in the Classification field drop-down menu. For a tall data schema, select the column that contains the numeric values for the indicators. Once you select the relevant field to style from the Classification field drop-down menu, you can access styling options including the following:
- Theme—Apply a theme to emphasize certain values in your data, which can help depict certain relationships. Themes are only available if your data is not classified. The configured value ranges do not recalculate when users switch indicators; the same ranges are applied across indicators.
- Classify data—Classification is the method of grouping numeric data into ranges. The classification options are Natural breaks, Equal interval, Quantile, Standard deviation, and Manual. When Manual is selected, class breaks remain fixed and do not recalculate when switching indicators. If you select Natural breaks, Equal interval, Quantile, or Standard deviation as your classification method, the indicators in your map will have class breaks that dynamically change based on the selected indicator's values. The same color can then represent different numeric ranges depending on which indicator is selected. To have fixed numeric ranges across indicators, use the Manual classification option instead.
Caution:
Selecting a value from the Round classes drop-down menu automatically enables the Manual classification method.
Learn more about themes and classification methods in the ArcGIS Online documentation
App capabilities
The following list includes key settings and capabilities that you can configure to create an app with this template:
- Bookmarks—Allow users to zoom and pan to a collection of preset extents saved in the map.
- Language switcher—Provide translations for custom text and create a multilingual app.
- Basemap gallery—Display a collection of basemaps that can be used in a map. By default, you can select from a list of basemaps in your organization's default basemap group.
- Selection colors—Specify the fill and outline colors for highlighting features in the map.
- Cover page—Enable a cover page to introduce the app and provide relevant instructions and context to guide users. This is the first page the user sees when loading the app.
- Export—Allow users to take a screenshot of the map and its selected indicator and export as a .pdf, .jpg, or .png file.
All Instant Apps templates include settings for a Home button and zoom controls, a legend, and the capability to search the map or data.