Sketch and annotate in ArcGIS for Teams

The ArcGIS for Teams Sketch and annotate option is a collaborative feature you can use to share, synchronize, annotate, and engage with ArcGIS spatial content in real time during  Microsoft Teams  meetings.

Sketch and annotate is similar to the Microsoft Teams meeting options Share content and Present and share in ArcGIS for Teams. A key difference, however, is that each participant can not only explore the shared content independently from the presenter, they can also use annotation tools to change the content shown when permitted by the presenter.

Sketch and annotate functions are designed for real-time collaboration. One participant at a time has the presenter role, but all participants can independently explore shared spatial data, synchronizing back to the presenter as needed.

Once you sign in, you are prompted to choose from the Share content, Present a map, and Sketch and annotateoptions shown in the following image:

Sketch and annotate an item

Note:

You must be signed in to ArcGIS to use the Sketch and annotate option.

Once you select Sketch and annotate, you can add ArcGIS content to a Microsoft Teams channel or call chat to collaborate on a map in real time while your colleagues sketch and annotate.

To sketch and annotate an item, complete the following steps:

1. Sign in to ArcGIS.

   A prompt appears with the tab options to install.

2. Select Sketch and annotate.
3. Click Save.

   The Choose an item pane appears. From here, you can search for publicly available ArcGIS Online content. Since you are signed in to ArcGIS, you can also add from your My Content folder in ArcGIS Online.

4. Provide a name in the Tab name text box if applicable.

   Note:

   The default tab name is ArcGIS; it is shown on the Microsoft Teams meeting ribbon to all participants.

5. Provide a word or phrase in the Search text box to refine your search.

   As you narrow the search parameters, the results list updates automatically.

6. Click the Sort button to sort the results list by title, date created, or date modified.

   

7. Choose an item from the results list and click Save.

   The item you chose is added to the channel as a tab.

   A new tab (named ArcGIS by default or the name you provided in step 4 above) is added to the Microsoft Teams meeting ribbon.

   

8. Click the Start presenting ArcGIS button on the tab.

   Each participant and the host is visible in the map frame as a pointer with ID attached. The administrator or host of the meeting enables the Other participants can edit toggle button in the Settings pane for the participants to start collaborating. See the Administrator or host settings section below.

9. Click the Stop sketching tab on the Microsoft Teams ribbon to stop sketching and annotating and exit sharing.

Sketch and annotate as a participant

When you join a Microsoft Teams channel, chat, or meeting where the administrator or host has started the Sketch and annotate feature for all participants, you can access the tools made available by the host. You cannot save the map or grant editing access to other participants.

Use the Sketch tool in the map to explore and annotate it with text and shapes (points, lines, and polygons).

Save an annotated layer to ArcGIS Online (host or administrator)

When other collaborators annotate a layer using Sketch and annotate during a Microsoft Teams presentation, you can save the annotated layer to ArcGIS Online.

To make the annotated layer available to others, you can change sharing permissions in ArcGIS Online, from Owner to My Organization or Everyone. To learn how to change sharing permissions, see Share items in the ArcGIS Online help .

Administrator or host settings

The settings shown in the image below are available to the host or administrator:

The buttons in the side panel of the image above are described as follows:

• Expand —Expand the map tools.
• Collapse —Collapse the map tools.
• Layers —Add, hide, or remove layers from the map.
• Sketch —Annotate an active layer with a shape (point, line, or polygon) or text.

  The sketch options are shown in the following image:

  

  Note:

  To delete text annotations, select the text entered on the map and click Delete. For points, lines, and polygons, select the shape and press Delete on your keyboard. See the Batch select and delete annotations section below to perform multiple similar feature deletions at the same time.

• Save —Save a layer to ArcGIS Online.

  Note:

  You can only save copies of the map. You cannot manipulate the original layer or feature layer properties unless you are the owner.

• Share —Share a layer. You can open the layer in a new browser window or share the URL.
• Settings —As an administrator, you can allow other participants to edit, automatically save updates, hide or show all collaborators in the map view, and turn the navigation tools (Zoom in, Zoom out, and Default extent) on or off.

Note:

Administrators or hosts can use the Sketch and annotate option to share maps that users can actively edit with their own annotations during live Microsoft Teams presentations.

Batch select and delete annotations

You can select multiple features added to a shared map, and move and delete them during meetings. The features must be of a similar type, for example, all points, all lines, or all polygons.

Note:

Only the administrator, the organization member who is signed in and has initialized the application, and the owner can save a map after the deletions.