App comparison: Presenting ArcGIS items

You or your students have a set of ArcGIS items (maps, apps, stories, etc.) to organize and share. There are a variety of scenarios where you might need to do so:

• Providing the maps or other materials required for an assignment or course
• Creating of a portfolio of work
• Sharing work between students, perhaps for peer review or work on a project
• Sharing research with the community
• Gathering the resources you commonly recommend to easily share them with other teachers

In all these scenarios, there are items in ArcGIS Online that you'd like to curate and share with a specific audience. You need to provide context, but the focus is on the content and using it. And of course, you want to spend your time on the content, not on how it is provided. So what can you do?

Esri offers a number of options that create ways to explore curated content, and here we'll explore 5 of them:

• An ArcGIS StoryMap Collection - ( info ) ( example )
• A Category Gallery Instant App - ( info ) ( example )
• An ArcGIS Hub Gallery page - ( info ) ( example )
• An Atlas Instant App - ( info ) ( example ) *only for maps and layers*
• An Experience Builder experience - ( info ) ( example )

Now you've seen some examples and had a peek at the authoring experience. This table dives in and compares some of the key differences in the use and authoring of each presentation format. The table can help you understand which format(s) would work for displaying your ArcGIS items and ultimately help you decide which one to use.

See also  the original blog comparing a subset of these presentation formats .

This is a lot of information and detail. But to get choose how to present your items, start by asking yourself two questions:

1. What do I need to present? Think about the types of items, the info you need to share about each one, and any context you must provide.
2. What am I comfortable taking on? If there is an app you prefer, and it will work for this, use it! Consider how much time you have to spend.

As you create how you'll present your items, remember to share them appropriately. This will likely be similar to the sharing you do of the presentation.

Remember the hard part was was finding, creating, and curating all the great content you have to share! Now get them into the hands of those who need them.