Export and publish a feature layer

The USA Current Wildfires layer from ArcGIS Living Atlas is a live-feed layer: it is updated frequently as new fires are reported. Old fires are discarded from the layer, which only records fires from the past seven days.

You want to use this data in an analysis project. You want a copy of the data that will not constantly update, which will instead show a snapshot of wildfires from the current week. You want to have full ownership and control over the data so you can add new fields and record information that is relevant to your analysis.

In this tutorial, you'll export a copy of the data from the USA Current Wildfires layer. You'll then publish this data as a hosted feature layer. This will create a separate and static copy of the data that is owned and managed by you.

This tutorial was last tested on November 24, 2023.

Requirements

• ArcGIS organizational account with a Publisher, Facilitator, or Administrator role in an ArcGIS organization (see options for software access)

Export and publish a feature layer

Video

This tutorial is also available as a video.

Export and publish a feature layer video

Export data to your account

Exporting is not allowed for every layer; this permission must be configured by the layer’s owner. Fortunately, the USA Current Wildfires layer does allow exporting in different formats. You’ll export the data as a shapefile, which will be saved as an item in your ArcGIS Online account.

1. Go to the USA Current Wildfires feature layer.

   

   This feature layer contains two sublayers: Current Incidents contains point features and Current Perimeters contains polygon features.

2. On the ribbon, click Sign In and sign in to your ArcGIS organizational account.

   Note:

   If you don't have an organizational account, see options for software access.

3. If necessary, click the Overview tab.

   The Overview page appears, containing metadata for the layer.

   

4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and find the Terms of Use section.

   The layer is licensed under the Esri Master License Agreement, so you are allowed to export a copy of this data so long as you provide attribution to Esri and the layer’s data providers.

5. Scroll back up to the top of the page and click Export Data.

   A menu appears, listing several export options.

   

   Any of the export options can be used to create a hosted feature layer, although the steps for some of the options will differ from this tutorial.

6. Click Export to Shapefile.

   A shapefile is a common data format for desktop GIS.

7. In the Export to Shapefile window, for Title, type USA Wildfires, followed by your name or initials (for example, USA Wildfires Your Name).

   Note:

   You cannot create two layers in an ArcGIS organization with the same name. Adding your initials to a layer name ensures that other people in your organization can also complete this tutorial. Once a layer has been created, you can rename it in the map to remove your initials, which will not affect the name of the underlying data layer.

8. For Summary, type today’s date.

   

9. Click Export.

   A new item page appears. It looks like the previous item page, except that you are listed as the item’s owner and the item type is listed as Shapefile.

   

   All of the metadata from the original layer is included, including the source information in the Credits (Attribution) section.

   This is a new, separate, and static dataset. The data will not update next week. Instead, it will always show the wildfires from the week that it was created.

   Note:

   If you want to save a copy of a layer that is not separate and static, but instead receives updates from its source layer, try the tutorial Save a copy of a layer.

Publish a hosted feature layer

On the Overview page, there is no option to open the data in Map Viewer. There are no Data or Visualization tabs. A shapefile is a data format intended for desktop GIS, not web GIS, so its abilities in ArcGIS Online are limited. Next, you'll publish the shapefile item as a hosted feature layer that can be used more fully in ArcGIS Online.

1. Click the Publish button.

   

2. In the New item window, for Summary, type today’s date.
3. Click Save.

   Another item page appears. This time, the item type is listed as Feature Layer (hosted).

   

   Feature layers are a web GIS data format. The hosted label indicates that in addition to owning the layer, you can also manage the capabilities and the schema of the data. There is an Open in Map Viewer button and many other options that were not available to the shapefile item.

   In the Details section, the Created from line links to the shapefile item that this layer was created from.

   

   Next, you’ll confirm that the data was copied correctly and completely.

4. On the ribbon, click the Data tab.

   First, you’ll confirm that both sublayers are present.

5. Above the table, click the Layer menu.

   

   The menu is set to Current_Incidents. The table lists the point features from this sublayer.

6. Change Layer to Current_Perimeters.

   The table updates to list the polygon features from the Current_Perimeters sublayer.

7. In the table, in the Comments column, double-click any cell and type test comment.

   

8. Press Tab.

   Because the layer is a hosted feature layer owned by you, you automatically have editing privileges for the data.

   The field names have been compressed and truncated. This is because shapefiles have limitations for field names. You can edit the display names of the fields to make them easier to interpret.

9. Above the table, click the Fields button.

   

10. In the fields table, click IncidentNa.

    

    The settings for the IncidentNa field appear.

11. At the top of the page, click the edit button next to IncidentNa. Rename the field Incident Name.

    

12. Click Save.

    You can change the display names of the other fields later. First, you’ll review the new items that you created.

13. On the ribbon, click the Content tab.

    There are two items with the name USA Wildfires. One is a hosted feature layer and the other is a shapefile.

    

14. Check the check box for the Shapefile item to select it.
15. Above the content table, click Delete.

    

    A window appears, telling you that the item can’t be deleted. The shapefile item can’t be deleted because it is the data source for the hosted feature layer.

16. In the Delete window, click Cancel.

In this tutorial, you exported a shapefile from a live-feed feature layer in ArcGIS Living Atlas. This created a separate, static copy of the data that you own. Then, you published the shapefile as a hosted feature layer. This created a layer that you both own and manage, which you can use for mapping and analysis in ArcGIS Online.

You can find more tutorials in the tutorial gallery.

Acknowledgements

• USA Current Wildfires: United States Department of the Interior, Office of Wildland Fire.
• World Topographic Map sources: Esri, HERE, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community