Create a map
First, you'll create a map that shows areas of high and low median household income in Detroit, Michigan. You'll start by finding your area of interest on a new map and changing the basemap. Next, you'll add a layer of census tract boundaries from ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World, a collection of ready-to-use geographic information on thousands of topics. Then, you'll add population and income data to the layer by enriching it, and view the enriched layer's attribute table to see the data it contains. Finally, you'll style your layer to show median household income by census tract area.
Locate the study area
First, you'll locate Detroit, Michigan, on a map in ArcGIS. Then, you'll choose a basemap to provide a neutral background for your map.
- Sign in to ArcGIS Enterprise.
Note:
If necessary, confirm that your ArcGIS Enterprise configuration is sufficient to complete these tutorials.
- At the top of your organization home page, click Map.
- If necessary, on the ribbon, click Open in Map Viewer Classic.
A new map opens. The map extent for a new map is set to the default extent of your organization.
Note:
If you're in a new session, clicking Map opens a new map. Otherwise, it opens an existing map (the last map you were using). If an existing map opens, click New Map in the upper right corner of the page, and choose Create New Map.
- In the search box at the top of the map, type Detroit. In the list of suggested locations, click Detroit, MI, USA.
Note:
If your ArcGIS organization uses a custom locator that prevents you from finding this location, zoom the map to the Great Lakes region of North America. Then, zoom in to Detroit, Michigan.
The map zooms to Detroit and shows some of the geographic features of the city, including its close proximity to the Detroit River and the city of Windsor in Canada.
Every new map starts with a basemap, which provides geographic context for the data you want to display on the map. This tutorial assumes that the default basemap is Topographic, but your organization may use a different default. The colors, labels, and features of the Topographic basemap may hide some of your data, so you'll choose a more neutral basemap.
- On the ribbon above the map, click the Basemap button and click Light Gray Canvas.
The map updates with the new basemap.
Note:
If your organization has configured a custom gallery and you don't see this option, click the Add button and choose Browse Living Atlas Layers. In the search box, type light gray canvas (WGS84) and press Enter. Locate and select Light Gray Canvas (WGS84) and click Use as Basemap.
Add a Living Atlas layer
Next, you'll add a ArcGIS Living Atlas layer that shows census tract boundaries. United States census tracts divide state counties into smaller geographic areas, which are useful for revealing local spatial patterns.
- On the ribbon, click Add and click Browse Living Atlas Layers.
The Living Atlas pane opens. You can filter the list by specific categories to more easily find the layer you want.
- In the search box, click the Filter button.
- In the Filter pane, under Categories, click Boundaries and click Administrative.
The filtered list on the left updates to display results for the administrative boundaries filter. The list is narrowed down, but still quite large. Next, you'll refine your search within this category by searching for Census layers within the category.
- In the search box, type USA Census tracts and press Enter.
- Click USA Census Tract and click Add to Map.
The layer is added to the map.
- In the Living Atlas pane, click the Back arrow to return to the Contents pane. If necessary, click Content to open the Contents pane.
The name of the layer appears in the Contents pane.
- Pan the map so that Detroit is in the middle of the map. If necessary, zoom out until you can see at least Farmington Hills in the upper left corner and Roseville in the upper right corner. (Use the image below as a guide.)
Note:
If your map has a different extent, some of your results may be slightly different than the example images. For meaningful analysis results, make sure that your map shows several census tract areas surrounding Detroit.
The census tracts layer is displayed in pink, showing boundaries for census tract areas of various sizes and shapes in the Detroit region. The census tracts layer covers the entire United States, even though you only see Detroit and the surrounding area.
Enrich the layer
Next, you'll enrich your census tracts layer with population and income data using the Enrich Layer spatial analysis tool. Analysis tools help you answer questions and make important decisions using more than simple visual analysis.
- On the ribbon, click the Analysis button.
- In the Perform Analysis pane, click Data Enrichment and click Enrich Layer.
Note:
Depending on your ArcGIS Enterprise deployment, you may need to click Feature Analysis first.
The Enrich Layer tool opens. This tool enriches data by getting facts about the people, places, and businesses that surround data locations.
- If necessary, for Choose layer to enrich with new data, choose USA Census Tracts.
Next, you'll choose the variables with which to enrich this data.
- Click Select Variables.
The Data Browser window opens. The Data Browser allows you to browse and search for detailed demographic information, or variables, about a specific country or category, including population, education, income, and health.
First, you'll choose population variables to help you find areas where children are most at risk in Detroit.
- Verify that the country is set to United States.
- Locate and click the At Risk category. (If necessary, click the gray arrow to scroll to the second page.)
- At the bottom of the Data Browser window, click Show all At Risk Variables.
- Expand 2022 Age Dependency (Esri). Check the 2022 Children (Age <14) box.
Note:
Demographic data is updated periodically, so the available variables and values may differ from those specified in the tutorial. If necessary, use the most recent data.
- Expand 2022 Key Demographic Indicators (Esri). Check the 2022 Total Population (Esri) box.
Next, you'll choose a variable for household income to locate areas of poverty.
- At the upper left of the Data Browser window, click the categories button to return to the main menu of categories.
- Locate and click the Income category. In the list of popular variables, check the 2022 Median Household Income (Esri) box.
- In the top corner of the window, confirm that three variables are selected. Click Apply.
The Data Browser window closes. The three variables that you chose are listed under the second parameter of the Enrich Layer tool.
The third tool parameter defines areas around point and line features to enrich. You're enriching a polygon layer, so you don't need to define an area.
- For Result layer name, type Detroit Demographics and add your name or initials to make sure the name is unique within your organization.
Note:
New items created by analysis operations must have unique names within your ArcGIS organization. Once the layer has been created, you can rename it in your map.
- Confirm that Use current map extent is checked.
If this box is checked, only the census tract features that are visible in the current map extent will be enriched. The census tracts layer encompasses the entire United States, so if you unchecked this box, the analysis would take a long time.
- Click Run Analysis.
When the operation finishes, the enriched census tracts layer is added to the map. It looks similar to the original census tracts layer.
You'll rename the Detroit Demographics layer so it doesn't show your name or initials.
- In the Contents pane, point to the Detroit Demographics layer, click the More Options button, and choose Rename.
- Remove your name or initials and click OK.
The new layer looks similar to the original layer, but its features have new demographic data that you can use to change the layer's style and properties. You can see this new attribute information in the layer's table or default pop-up.
First, you'll remove the original USA Census Tract Areas layer, which is no longer needed.
- In the Contents pane, point to the USA Census Tract Areas layer, click the More Options button, and choose Remove.
- In the Remove window, click Yes, Remove Layer.
The layer is removed from both the map and the Contents pane.
View the attribute table
Every layer in a map has an associated attribute table that contains information about the geographic features in the layer. You'll view the attribute table for the Detroit Demographics layer to better understand the data it contains.
- In the Contents pane, point to the Detroit Demographics layer and click the Show Table button.
Note:
You may have used more current demographic data in your data enrichment, and as a result, column names and attribute values may differ from those published in this tutorial.
The layer's attribute table opens below the map. Each row in the table represents a feature (in this case, a census tract area). The columns, or fields, in the table provide different types of information about the census tract features. For example, the FIPS field contains a code that represents the state, county, and census tract identifier for each census tract feature, and the SQMI field provides the square mileage value for the census tract area.
Tip:
Selecting a row in the table will select the corresponding feature on the map. You can use the Options menu to zoom to the selected feature and clear the selection.
- If necessary, use the scroll bar at the bottom of the table to scroll all the way to the end.
The demographic attributes that you added when you enriched the layer are listed as fields in the table. You'll apply a style to the layer using the values of the 2022 Median Household Income field.
- In the Contents pane, point to the Detroit Demographics layer and click the Hide Table button.
Style the layer
The Detroit Demographics layer is currently styled by location, showing all census tract boundaries in blue. You'll change the style of the layer to show and compare median household income.
- In the Contents pane, point to the Detroit Demographics layer and click the Change Style button.
The Change Style pane opens.
- For Choose an attribute to show, choose 2022 Median Household Income.
Based on the attribute you chose to map, several styles are offered. The nature of your data determines the default style suggestions. This is known as smart mapping. The recommended smart mapping style—in this case, Counts and Amounts (Color)—is marked with a blue check mark. The layer automatically updates on the map with a default color ramp that represents low to high median household income. Areas with the lowest median household income are drawn with a light color, while those with the highest values are drawn with a dark color. For now, you'll accept the default style.
Note:
The default colors on the map may be different than the results shown here.
- At the bottom of the Change Style pane, click Done.
By applying the recommended Counts and Amounts (Color) style to show median household income by census tract area on the map, you can see a clear pattern of low median household income in areas surrounding the Detroit city center. Later, you'll make adjustments to this style to help you identify areas in Detroit with high numbers of children under the age of 14.
Save the map
Now you'll save your map and assign it a title, tags, and a summary to make it easy to find and identify later.
- On the ribbon, click the Save button and choose Save As.
- In the Title box, type Detroit Demographic Analysis.
- In the Tags box, type each of the following tags, pressing Enter after each one:
- Detroit
- child poverty
- demographic data
- income data
- census tracts
Tip:
If you're signed in with an organizational account and your organization has set up content categories, you can assign your map to one or more categories to make it easier for others to find. To do so, click Assign Category and choose categories from the list. You can also use the Filter categories box to narrow the list of categories.
- In the Summary box, type This map shows demographic data in Detroit.
- Click Save Map.
The map is saved with the specified title, tags, and summary. (Once you've saved your map, it appears in your content, which you can access from the Home menu.)
You've located the city of Detroit on a map and changed the basemap. You've also added a layer of census tract areas from ArcGIS Living Atlas and enriched it with population and income data. Finally, you've styled the layer to show median household income by census tract area and discovered a pattern of low median household income areas surrounding the Detroit city center. Next, you'll change the style of the Detroit Demographics layer to show both median household income and child population on the map. You'll also configure pop-ups to emphasize patterns in the data.
Change layer style and configure pop-ups
Next, you'll apply style changes to the map and configure pop-ups to display useful information. These updates will identify areas of high child population and low household income in Detroit, helping your charity decide where to allocate funding this year.
Change the style
The Detroit Demographics layer is currently styled based on one attribute: median household income. You'll change the style of the layer to highlight both of the demographic attributes that you want to display: median household income and child population.
- If necessary, open your Detroit Demographic Analysis map.
- In the Contents pane, point to the Detroit Demographics layer and click the Change Style button.
The Change Style pane opens. Currently, the map has a layer styled based on one attribute—median household income. You’ll add a second attribute—child population—so that both attributes can be represented in the same map layer.
- For Choose an attribute to show, click Add attribute.
- For the second attribute, choose 2022 Children (Age <14).
Based on the two attributes you chose to map, several drawing styles are offered. The Color and Size style is recommended, as indicated with a blue check mark. This style uses colors and different-sized symbols to show two attributes in a single layer on the map. The layer automatically updates on the map with a new default style, with circles for each census tract. The size of the circle indicates the number of children, while the color of the circle indicates median household income.
Before you accept the default settings, you'll make a few small changes to refine the style.
- Under Color and Size, click Options.
The Color and Size style is using color to show median household income and size to show children under 14. You'll change the theme and color to reflect median household incomes that are above and below the average.
- Under Counts and Amounts (Color), click Options.
- For Theme, choose Above and Below.
Unlike the default single-color ramp, Above and Below uses two color ramps to emphasize values that are either above the average value or below it. With this style, it will be easy to see at a glance which areas have below-average income levels. Next, you'll change the colors used.
- Click Symbols.
A window opens with options to change the shape, color, and outline of the symbols on the map.
- Click Fill and click the blue-to-orange color ramp.
- Click Outline and change the transparency to 50 percent.
- Click OK. In the Change Style pane, click OK.
Many symbols overlap, so you'll reduce their size to help highlight the overall pattern of high and low values.
- Under Counts and Amounts (Size), click Options.
- For Size, choose Specify size range. Confirm that the Min size is 8 px (pixels) and change the Max size to 40 px.
- At the bottom of the Change Style pane, click OK. Click Done twice.
The Detroit Demographics layer now shows both key attributes on the map: median household income and child population. New patterns in the data may be evident to you already. You'll explore the map in more detail later. First, you'll configure pop-ups for the layer to more easily display the attribute data of each census tract area.
Configure pop-ups
Pop-ups provide descriptive information about the features in a layer, often based on attributes in the data. Pop-ups appear when you click a feature on the map. You can specify what information is displayed in pop-ups and how that information is presented.
- Click a census tract area on the map to display its pop-up.
The basic configuration of a pop-up is just what you see: a list of fields and values. Most pop-ups are stylized views of the attribute table associated with a layer. In this case, the default configuration has a few problems. For example, too many fields are listed, making the pop-up difficult to read, and many of the attributes are not needed for your analysis.
Tip:
Sometimes field names are unfamiliar abbreviations or are unclear in other ways. For example, it may not be obvious that SQMI means square mileage. You can resolve this problem in the pop-up by changing the field alias to something more informative or familiar without changing the data itself. An alias is a display name that replaces the field name in the pop-up. To change an alias, point to the layer, click the More Options button, and click Configure Pop-up. Then, click Configure Attributes, click the field alias value that you want to change, and type a new alias.
- Close the pop-up.
To make the data in the Detroit Demographics layer easier to read and to provide more useful information, you'll customize how the attributes are displayed.
- Point to the Detroit Demographics layer, click the More Options button, and click Configure Pop-up.
The Configure Pop-up pane opens.
- For Pop-up Title, change the title to Detroit Demographics.
- For Pop-up Contents, change Display to A custom attribute display.
- Click Configure.
The Custom Attribute Display window opens. You can write your own content for the pop-ups, using variables for each field value that you want to describe. (You can also format the text and include hyperlinks and images.) Your custom display will use the following attribute fields:
- FIPS {FIPS}
- 2022 Median Household Income {MEDHINC_CY}
- 2022 Children (Age <14) {POPU14_CY}
- 2022 Total Population {TOTPOP_CY}
- In the Custom Attribute Display window, type The followed by a space. Then, click the Add field name button and choose FIPS {FIPS}.
Field names in braces { } work like variables. For instance, when you click a census tract area in your map, the pop-up will display the code for that feature.
- Type and add field names so that the custom attribute display contains the following text:
The {FIPS} census tract area has a median household income of ${MEDHINC_CY}.
There are {POPU14_CY} children under the age of 14 out of {TOTPOP_CY} total residents.
- Use the Bold button to bold all four fields and the dollar sign ($) next to {MEDHINC_CY}.
Note:
Some Internet browsers may not have the capability to format pop-ups. If you encounter difficulties, you can continue with the unformatted text.
- Click OK. In the Configure Pop-up pane, click OK.
- Click a census tract area on the map to confirm that your pop-up was configured correctly.
The pop-up displays with the new configuration. By default, numeric attributes such as population and income are displayed with two decimal places. This makes sense for median household income but not for child population and total population.
Next, you'll change how the pop-ups display these population attribute values.
- Open the Configure Pop-up pane again.
- Under Pop-up Contents, click Configure Attributes.
The Configure Attributes window opens, listing the layer's attributes.
- Scroll down to the end of the list, and click the {TOTPOP_CY} field to select it.
A few options appear to the right of the fields.
- Change Format from 2 decimal places to 0 decimal places.
Now when your pop-up displays the population values, they will not include any decimal places.
- Click the {POPU14_CY} field and change its format to 0 decimal places.
- Click OK.
At the bottom of the Configure Pop-up pane, click OK.
- Click a census tract area to open its pop-up.
The pop-up that you configured gives you key demographic information for each census tract area.
Tip:
If you want to use this layer in another map with the same style and pop-ups, you can save the layer. Doing so saves the style and pop-ups as properties of the layer that will be present in any other map in which the layer is used. Otherwise, when you add the layer to a different map, it will have a default style and pop-up. To save the layer, point to the layer, click the More Options button, and click Save Layer.
- Close the pop-up. Save the map.
You've changed the style of the Detroit Demographics layer to show household income and child population using color and size. You also configured pop-ups to highlight key demographic information. Next, you'll explore the map that you've created to see what patterns have been revealed.
Find patterns in the map
Previously, you changed the style of your Detroit Demographics layer and configured pop-ups to highlight areas of high child population and low household income.
Next, you'll use the map legend and the pop-ups that you configured to determine areas in Detroit where your charity might want to target programs for children in poverty. Then, you'll edit your map's item details to include a description of the map and its purpose.
Use the legend
First, you'll use the map's legend to help you understand patterns in the demographic data shown on the map.
- If necessary, open your Detroit Demographic Analysis map.
- In the Contents pane, click the Legend button.
The Legend pane opens.
According to the legend, the Detroit region has an average median household income of approximately $68,000, which is lower than the national average median household income in 2022. Census tract areas with orange circles have below-average median household income, with darker shades indicating households with income close to the poverty level. Most of the dark orange census tract areas are located close to the city center.
Note:
Your results may be slightly different than this example if you had a different map extent when you enriched the layer or if you used data from a different year.
Circles are used to represent the number of children under the age of 14 in each census tract area. Larger circles indicate greater numbers of children, while smaller circles indicate fewer children. On the map, there is a cluster of several large darker orange circles near Dearborn, indicating high child populations and very low income. Census tract areas near Dearborn, such as the 26163573500 tract, might be a good place for your charity to offer programs to help children living in poverty.
Use pop-ups
Next, you'll use the pop-ups that you configured to get more detailed household income and population information for individual census tract areas.
- Click the largest orange symbol for the census tract area near Dearborn to see its pop-up. Your results may differ due to updated demographic data.
The pop-up shows that the median household income of this census tract area is approximately $27,000 and that 1,849 children under the age of 14 live there. This information confirms that this area near Dearborn would greatly benefit from the programs (free after-school care, breakfast programs, and more) that your charity wants to fund this year.
- Close the pop-up.
- Click the largest orange symbol for the census tract area directly north of Detroit to see its pop-up.
The median household income in the 26163552800 census tract area is approximately $22,000 and 1,643 children under the age of 14 live there. This makes it another appropriate candidate for your charity's programs.
- Click other orange census tract areas to see details about income and population displayed in the pop-up. When finished, close the pop-up.
Edit the item details
Now that you've used the legend and pop-ups to help you better understand the demographic patterns and data in the map, you can provide a clear description of the map and its purpose. When you first saved the web map, you provided a title, summary, and tags. The title and summary appear in the map's About pane. You can also review and edit this information on its item page, where you can add more information, such as a description, and set additional properties.
- In the Legend pane, click the About button. Click More Details.
The map's item page opens in a new window. Each item in ArcGIS has an item page, which helps you manage your content and includes descriptive information about the item. By default, most item pages have no description, only the summary and tags that you provided when you saved the map.
You should include a description of your map to make it easy to identify later and to help others find it and understand its purpose if you decide to share it. The description can also appear in apps created with the map.
- On the item page, for Description, click Edit.
- In the Edit Description box, type a description for the map, for example:
This map shows demographic and income data in Detroit. What stands out is a pattern of low-income households in the downtown area combined with areas of high child population. This pattern helps answer where in Detroit our charity should focus its resources to help children living in poverty.
- Click Save.
It's also good practice to give credit to the data providers.
- For Credits (Attribution), click Edit and type Esri, US Census.
- Click Save.
You've used the map legend and the demographic information provided in pop-ups to identify where in Detroit your charity should focus its resources to help children in poverty. You also edited the map's item details to include a description of its purpose. Next, you'll share your findings with donors and other interested organizations by creating a simple web app.
Share analysis results
To present your findings to donors and other interested organizations, you'll create a web app from your map. A web app is a customized user interface that focuses your map for a specific purpose, message, and audience. For example, if you just want to showcase your map, your app only needs a few basic navigation tools. If, on the other hand, your map will be used to collect feedback from the public, it will need data editing tools and instructions for how to enter the information.
You'll create an app using ArcGIS Instant Apps and share it with others. You'll also edit the app's item details to make it easy to find in ArcGIS.
Create a web app
To create the web app, you'll share your map and choose an app template.
- If necessary, open the item page for your Detroit Demographic Analysis map.
- Click Share.
- In the Share window, select to share the map with your organization (if you want, you can also share it with everyone).
- Click Save.
When you share the map, the Update sharing window appears, which indicates that the Detroit Demographics layer may not be visible to others because it's not shared in the same way as the map. Layers, like maps, must be shared for others to access them.
- Click Update to share the layer the same way that you shared your map.
Next, you'll create the web app.
- On the item page, click Create Web App and choose Instant Apps.
The Instant Apps gallery page that opens provides information and guidance to help you choose an appropriate app template, depending on your needs. When browsing the available apps, you can click the button next to each name for more information.
You can also search the apps for a particular capability or tool. You want your map to be the primary focus of your app, which is your best point of evidence to show donors. You also want to show the legend and map description in a side panel.
- In the search box, type panel and click the suggestion that appears.
The gallery is now filtered to show only the apps that include a side panel. You can preview an app to try it before creating it.
- On the Minimalist card, click Preview.
- In the Preview window, experiment with the tools and panels in the app.
The app includes a side panel to display information for the map, such as a legend that helps users understand the symbols and styling in the map, and map details with the description that you added to the map's item page. The app also includes map navigation tools, sharing options, and a search tool to find locations in the map. Clicking census tract areas in the map displays feature data that matches the information and format of the pop-ups that you configured for the map.
This template works well for your needs, so you'll choose it for you app.
- Click Choose.
- In the Create App window, accept the default title, tags, and folder.
It won't be a problem that the app has the same title as the map because the two items are different types of content.
- Click Configure App.
The web app is created. A configuration window appears.
Publish the app
Next, you'll publish the app. When creating an app, you can accept the default settings and publish instantly, or you can change the configuration before publishing.
The app configuration window includes several app settings and an interactive preview of your app. When configuring the app, you can click through the express steps to make decisions about essential app settings.
- Explore all the steps to review the express settings available for this app.
For example, you can optionally turn off the header in the About settings, choose to display pop-ups in the sidebar or in the map, and turn off the search tool in the Interactivity settings.
- At the bottom of the configuration panel, click Publish to accept the default settings.
- In the Publish window, click Confirm.
A success message appears when publishing is completed and a Published badge appears in the configuration panel with the date and time you published. The Share window opens, which includes a link to the app, buttons to share via social media, code to embed the app in a website, and the date and time the app was last published. You can click Launch to open your app and test it in a new window.
- Close the Share window. Click Exit. When prompted, confirm that you want to exit.
The app's item page opens.
Edit the item details
Some of the item details information was added from when you created the app. However, the web app item page is missing a description and some other information.
- For Description, click Edit, and type the following text to describe the app:
This app shows demographic and income data in Detroit, Michigan. Explore the data for various census tract areas by clicking features in the map.
- Click Save.
- For Terms of Use, click Edit, and type None. Public domain data and images.
- Click Save.
- For Credits (Attribution), click Edit, and, type Esri, US Census. Click Save.
You need to re-enter the credit information. This doesn't carry over from the map details.
You'll replace the automatically generated thumbnail image with one that better showcases your app. Doing so will allow other members of your charity organization or users who search for the app to get an idea of what the app contains before they open it. First, you'll create the image.
- At the top of the item page, click the thumbnail image to open the app.
- Capture an image of the app with your image editing software.
Tip:
If you're not sure how to do that, capture the image with the Print Screen key (PrtScn) on a Windows-based keyboard or Function + Shift + F11 on an Apple-based keyboard. Paste it into your image editing program, such as Windows Paint or Paintbrush for Mac.
- Resize the image to an aspect ratio of 3:2.
- Save the image in PNG, GIF, or JPEG file format to a folder on your computer.
- Return to the web app's item page. Above the default thumbnail image, click Edit thumbnail.
- In the Create Thumbnail window, click Browse (or your browser's equivalent command).
- Browse to the folder where you saved the thumbnail and double-click the image.
- Click Save.
The edits are saved and the new thumbnail appears. This thumbnail is the image that users will see when they discover your app by searching ArcGIS. To provide members of your organization with a direct link to your app, you can copy the app's URL from its item page (from the Overview tab or the Settings tab), and send them the link.
In this tutorial, you created a map by adding layers and enriching them with demographic data. You viewed the attribute table for the Detroit Demographics layer to learn more about its data, styled the layer to highlight patterns, and configured pop-ups to display useful information. You then studied the map and legend in detail to determine where to direct your charity's programs and used the map to create and share a web app. Organizations such as The Skillman Foundation and Data Driven Detroit are doing important work to address child poverty and other social and community issues in Detroit. To support these organizations or learn more about their work, visit their websites.
A similar map can be made for any city in the United States using ArcGIS Living Atlas data. By enriching the data with different parameters, you can perform a demographic analysis on many different age groups, income levels, ethnicities, or populations. Lastly, with different apps, you can display your data in a variety of ways for all kinds of purposes.
You can find more tutorials in the tutorial gallery.
