Exploring Halifax Attractions using the Esri Runtime SDK for Android

1. Exploring Halifax
Attractions using the
Runtime SDK
for Android
Lindsay LeFresne and Sarah Micheau

2.  Create an app of the Halifax region using an
Esri basemap
 Use feature layers to display data which can
be turned on/off
 Ability to query data
 Find optimal routing between locations
Initial Project Plan
Image from: https://weather.gc.ca/forecast/canada/index_e.html?id=NS

3. Software
2.1
Online & Desktop 10.3
Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

4. Getting Started
 Choose an Android Version and API level
 Create an emulator
 Basics of Android Studio
 Esri tutorials from ArcGIS for Developers

5. Android Platform Versions
Platform versions are a trade off between the
percentage of users’ the app aims to target
and available features.

6. Creating an Emulator
 Option to connect an Android device or use a virtual emulator
 We created several emulators in Android Studio which are shown in the
image below

7. Basics of Android Studio
 Build Automation
 Gradle has the ability to access
other host repositories including
Maven
 Android studio is the only IDE that
supports the Gradle build system

8. Tutorial 1: Add a map to your app
 Completed the ‘Add a map to your app’ tutorial on the Esri developers website
 Defined MapView
 Problems:

9. Tutorial 2: Use ArcGIS basemaps (1/2)
 In the onCreate method, the mapView was retrieved from
the XML where we defined it earlier
 onPause and onResume methods were added
 In menu_main.xml 4 different basemaps were defined as a
menu item

10.  Several basemap variables were defined
 In the onCreateOptionsMenu method, menu.getItem
was used to retrieve the basemap menu items
 onOptionsItemSelected uses the menu item ID to
determine the action to be taken from the switch
statement
Tutorial 2: Use ArcGIS basemaps (2/2)

11. Tutorial 3: Access feature data in the cloud
 A Feature layer URL was added to the string.xml, this accesses the layer from
the cloud
 Layer variables were defined in main code
 Code was added to the onCreate method to create the feature layer graphic
upon start up

12. Tutorial 4: Add geocoding to your app
 Geocoding variables were added
 New graphics layer was added in the onCreate method
 Code was added to set a listener to ensure that the map view was
initialized and ready to use upon app startup.
 The next step was to allow user to enter an address this was done by
adding a search button to the top bar in the app.
 LocatorAsyncTask method added to execute the geocoding and zoom to
the specified location.

13. Creating the Layers Used
 Trails
 Provided by Halifax Open Data (http://www.halifax.ca/opendata/) and imported into ArcGIS
Online
 Breweries
 Geocoded using ArcGIS Online
 Shopping Centres
 Main large shopping centres were chosen
 Geocoded using ArcGIS Online
 Parks
 Provincial parks within Halifax County were located from http://parks.novascotia.ca/
 Geocoded using ArcGIS Online
 Hospitals
 Geocoded using ArcGIS Online
All layers were symbolized within ArcGIS Online, and made available to the public

14. Geocoding in ArcGIS Online
 CSV files were created using
Addresses of the locations used.
 They were then imported into ArcGIS
Online which automatically geocoded
the locations.

15. Trails Layer
 Layer was downloaded from Halifax Open
Data website
(http://www.halifax.ca/opendata/) as a
shapefile and imported into ArcGIS for
Desktop.
 Problem: Projection
Web Mercator
 The layer is then shared as a feature service
and brought into ArcGIS Online.
 All feature layers were added in the
string.xml file using the feature service URL’s

16. Creating Image Buttons
 Image Buttons were created to allow user to
query or select feature layers
 Five image buttons were used: App Info,
Brewery, Biking (Trails), Parks and Shopping
Centres.
 A drawable xml was created for each button
that defined the shape and color of the button.
 The ImageButtons were created under the
layout folder with the drawable and mipmap
photos assigned as part of their attributes
 The onClick attribute was used to link the
button to a method within the code that
defined the button’s action.

17. Using the App Info Button
 When information button is clicked the method appInfo is called that displays a
pop up window explaining the app to the user.

18. Using the Brewery Button
 When the brewery button is clicked the onBreweryClick method is called
 This method uses a boolean to track whether the layer is turned on or off.
 For example if the layer is turned on, pressing the button will turn the layer off
and vice versa.
 Brewery layer was added as a feature layer using the feature layer URL

19. Using the Trail (Biking) Button
 The trail layer is defined in the onCreate method and is displayed upon start up.
 When the user clicks on the biking button it calls the showPopup method.
 When the user makes their selection it calls the onMenuItemClick method.
 Resulting trails are highlighted in blue using a SimpeLineSymbol

20. Using the Park button
 The park layer is defined in the onCreate method and is displayed upon
start up
 This button works similarly to the biking button, where it queries the
layers attributes allowing the user to select parks where there is
swimming permitted.
 The button calls the showPopupPark method to inflate the park menu
 Parks are identified by an overlaying SimpleMarkerSymbol

21. Using the Shopping Button
 When the shopping button is clicked the onShoppingClick method is called. The
button calls the showPopupPark method to inflate the park menu
 Similar to the brewery button, this method uses a Boolean to track whether the
layer is turned on or off
 For example is the layer is turned on, presses the button will turn the layer off and
vice versa
 Shopping Centre's are shown with blue shopping bag symbols

22. Using the Hospital Menu
 When the hospital button is clicked on the top tool bar the hospital menu is
inflated using the showPopupHospital method.
 When a hospital is chosen from the menu, the onMenuItemClick method is
called which queries the chosen hospital based on it’s attributes.
 This results in a red cross graphic overlaying the hospital the user selected

23. Other Problems
 Android Studio frequent updates
 Downloaded projects from GitHub would not sync (Routing)
 Creating multiple menus
 Main activity is doing too much work

24. QUESTIONS?
Team work makes the dream work!