What is it?
The Tall Timbers GDI is a server environment consisting of a set of virtualized servers hosted onsite at Tall Timbers. The GDI is the technology infrastructure that supports and facilitates the goals, efforts and outputs of the Tall Timbers Geospatial Services initiative. To support the Organization’s mission and further its research, conservation and education goals, a combination of proprietary and open source solutions is deployed on the servers. The GDI participates in the Tall Timbers Web GIS.
Figure 1: Tall Timbers Geospatial Services Initiative – Supporting the Organization’s mission and goals.
Server Environment – How is it organized?
The Tall Timbers Geospatial Data Infrastructure consists of a set of servers configured with a base deployment of ESRI’s ArcGIS Enterprise 11.1 (ArcGIS Data Store, ArcGIS Server, ArcGIS Web Adaptor and Portal for ArcGIS), two web servers to facilitate access to web apps and a dedicated data server for raster and vector data.
In the GDI, ESRI’s Portal for ArcGIS (11.1) and ArcGIS Server (11.1) are the principal system components. Portal provides the platform from which you create and share items, such as layers, web maps and apps. ArcGIS Server handles the interaction with geospatial data for map rendering and analysis. ArcGIS Server is federated with the Portal within its sub-system (https://pinemaps.ttrsgis.org/portal/home/index.html) which makes the sharing of map and feature services straightforward and easy.
Capabilities – What can I do with it?
Based on its current implementation and configuration, the GDI provides a structure for the Organization to create, display and analyze geospatial data through the development of content, such as: apps, data, services, tools and websites. This content can then be shared and accessed by internal staff, collaborators, and/or the public.
Content can be created from clients on desktops or mobile devices using a variety of ESRI software, such as, ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Server, Collector for ArcGIS, and, Survey123. Content such as web maps, web layers, results from geoprocessing and/or analysis and apps can also be created within Portal for ArcGIS and/or AGOL.
Clients, such as ArcGIS Desktop and Collector for ArcGIS provide the necessary tools to create, prepare and interact with geospatial data before it is “published” to a server. ArcGIS Server provides the ability to create geospatial services (map, feature and geoprocessing services) for web-based analysis and mapping. It can interact with both Portal for ArcGIS and AGOL.
Portal for ArcGIS and AGOL are the repositories and platforms for accessing and sharing content. They act as geospatial content management systems that provide the structure and framework for sharing geospatial services, as well as, the ability to create apps and maps based on those services. The Data Store works with ArcGIS Server to handle data needs for hosting geospatial services. And, the Web Adaptor integrates with a web server to allow secured access to ArcGIS Server and Portal resources.
Figure 2: Tall Timbers GDI – A platform built for creating and sharing geospatial content and capabilities.
Content can be shared from either the Tall Timbers’ Portal running on the GDI: https://pinemaps.ttrsgis.org/portal/home/ or from the Tall Timbers’ AGOL Organization: https://talltimbers.maps.arcgis.com/.
Registration for a user account is required to create or share content from either the GDI or the Tall Timbers’ AGOL Organization, as neither is open to the public. An account is also required for viewing and interacting with any content from these systems that has not been shared as public (shared with Everyone, i.e., the world).
Knowing the user audience will help determine whether or not the content should be hosted from the Tall Timbers’ Portal or from AGOL and what sharing level or visibility (Everyone, Group, Organization, etc.) is needed. Other considerations for sharing and hosting include weighing the consumption of credits (used when data or features are stored on AGOL or, when certain capabilities are used from AGOL, such as geocoding and data analytics) against the need for high availability and reliable access.
Some content such as apps, websites, and, non-hosted map services can be accessed outside AGOL or the Tall Timbers’ Portal. These capabilities can be deployed directly to the app and/or web servers running in the GDI and then be accessed internally or externally depending on project needs.
For more information on ESRI’s credits and how it relates to Tall Timbers, please see the “ESRI Licensing: Users, Roles and Credits” section within the Help Desk article: Tall Timbers Web GIS.