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Explore ArcGIS Online in Salesforce Maps

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit you will be able to:

  • Prepare ArcGIS Online data for Salesforce Maps.
  • Explore use cases for ArcGIS Online in Salesforce Maps.

Companies make many critical business decisions using geographical analytics. For example, a financial company may need to select the best location for a new bank branch. A gas company must identify the location of a potential gas leak and determine the number of people affected. Companies often use the following products to make data-driven decisions through geographical analytics.

  • Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) provides Geographic Information Systems (GIS) that offer advanced mapping visualization, analysis, and manipulation.
  • ArcGIS Online is ESRI’s SaaS web-based mapping tool, hosted in ESRI’s managed cloud environment. It offers a cloud-based mapping system.
  • ArcGIS Web Map is an interactive display of geographic information.

Now, imagine taking the geographical data found in these products and combining it with Salesforce data to uncover correlations and make smart data-driven decisions that impact your business. 

Note

An ArcGIS Online license is required to create data and web maps presented in this unit.

Use Case: Retail

To better understand how the geographical visualization of ArcGIS Online data sets interact with Salesforce records, let’s look at some examples. In the first scenario, imagine a financial organization is adding bank branches to specific areas of the southeastern United States. The financial organization has an ArcGIS Online account and is looking for retail space between 2,000 and 10,000 square feet. The retail location must meet the following criteria.

  • Medium to high household income for the area.
  • Low bank branch presence in the area.

Use Salesforce Maps to geographically display bank branch records from Salesforce, as well as data from ArcGIS Online to view household demographics and available retail space. Analyze the data to determine the best location for new bank branches. 

Prepare ArcGIS Online Data

To start, prepare ArcGIS Online data for use in Salesforce Maps. 

  1. Log in to your ArcGIS Online account.
  2. Select the My Content button to display a list of available web maps.
  3. Select the web map of the hosted feature layer, for example, 2020 USA Median Household Income.
  4. Select the maps that will display both household demographics and available retail space with specifications.
    In ArcGIS Online the 2020 USA Median Household web map and data is displayed. The left panel displays the layer name. On the right there is a map view with a popup box displaying information about the household income for a specific area.
  5. Copy the web map URL from the browser and save it. This URL will be used when adding the web map to Salesforce Maps.
  6. In the Salesforce setup menu, add the feature service and base map URL as a remote site. This is normally completed by a Salesforce admin.
    The Remote Site Edit menu shows Household Income as the Remote Site Name. The Remote Site web map URL is https://services.arcgis.com. The site description is, for Salesforce Maps, Household Demographics ArcGIS Online Layer.

Display Salesforce Records from Salesforce

In this use case, bank branches are accounts in Salesforce. 

  1. Navigate to the Salesforce Maps user interface.
  2. Use the Marker Layer builder to create an account marker layer as outlined in the Create a Salesforce Maps Marker Layer project.
  3. Name the marker layer Existing Branches.
  4. Configure the marker layer to display all bank branch records in Salesforce.
  5. Configure bank branch markers to display as different colors based on bank performance. Green markers represent high-performing branches and blue markers represent underperforming branches.
    The Existing branches marker layer with the annual revenue legend is displayed. Lower revenue branches are displayed as blue pins and the higher revenue branches are displayed as green pins.

Add the ArcGIS Layer

Now, it’s time to create the ArcGIS Online layer. 

  1. Enable ArcGIS for the relevant permission groups to ensure users have access to this layer. If this is your first introduction to permission groups review the Salesforce Maps Configuration badge.
  2. Navigate to the Salesforce Maps user interface and select a folder to store the ArcGIS layer.
  3. Select New | ArcGIS Layer.
    The New Layer dropdown menu displays all layer options with, the ArcGIS Layer option highlighted.
  4. Name this layer 2020 USA Median Household Income and paste the ArcGIS layer URL that you previously saved.
    In the ArcGIS layer builder, ArcGIS layer is named 2020 USA Median Household Income, the description is entered as, “data for additional bank branches”. The instructions to copy and paste the URL is also displayed.
  5. Save the layer. Once saved, this ArcGIS layer will provide information about USA demographics and retail properties as specified.

Now, let’s review this scenario in more detail and establish how this ArcGIS Online layer will help plan the best location for additional bank branches. 

Make Decisions Based on Geographical Analytics

  1. Plot the Existing Branches marker layer and the 2020 USA Median Household Income ArcGIS Online layer within the Salesforce Maps user interface. Now Household demographics display as boundaries on the map.

Notice that medium to high household income displays as dark blue shapes. Available retail space display as stars and bank branches display as different color pins based on bank performance. 

The map displays boundaries as different shades of blue, retail space displays as red stars, and bank branches display as green based on bank performance.

With this information, stakeholders can determine the best location for additional branches that meet the specified criteria. Viewing the map, they see available retail space in medium to high income areas with low bank presence and make a decision to purchase real estate. 

Using the Salesforce Maps interface, take other actions on data displayed from ArcGIS Online, like calling available retail locations to schedule meetings or adding records to Salesforce using Click2Create®, a feature that creates records directly from the map view. 

Once a parcel is selected, the actions popup box appears and Click2Create is highlighted.

In this use case, you learned how Salesforce Maps displays ArcGIS Online data sets and overlays this information with Salesforce data so organizations can make informed decisions. Now, let’s review another unexpected use case such as a natural disaster.

Natural Disasters and ArcGIS Online

In this example, we have a National Weather Service (NWS) National Watches and Warnings ArcGIS Online layer that displays data related to a possible hurricane. 

In Salesforce Maps, the left panel displays the legend for the National Weather Service (NWS) National Watches and Warnings ArcGIS Online layer. The right side displays a map with details about a territory of the map impacted by weather.

Capture the NWS National Watches and Warnings data by logging in to your ArcGIS Online account and copying the web map URL from the browser. This URL is then used to create an ArcGIS Online layer in Salesforce Maps.

Once displayed on the map, companies can plot the NWS National Watches and Warnings ArcGIS Online layer with Salesforce data to make critical business decisions concerning the following use cases.  

Use Case

Benefit

Track Impacted Employees  

  • Track employees’ home locations.
  • Determine proximity of employees’ home and work location.
  • Establish employee outreach.
  • Implement a safe back to work plan.

Monitor Hot Spots

  • Overlay NWS National Watches and Warnings with important business and account information from Salesforce.
  • Reach out to accounts in the impacted areas and provide assistance when needed.

Manage Call Centers 

  • Plan for additional service, support, or staffing capabilities depending on impact to service in impacted areas.
  • Add impacted regions to campaigns that include approved talk tracks and supporting offers.

These are just a few examples for how companies can use the NWS National Watches and Warnings ArcGIS Online layer with Salesforce data but the possibilities are limitless.

What’s Next?

Whether this is your first introduction to ArcGIS Online or you’ve been using it for years, there are many benefits to combining cloud based mapping like ArcGIS Online with Salesforce data. An additional layer of geographical data from ArcGIS Online provides companies with the information they need to make critical decisions. In this unit, we reviewed some common use cases. Keep reading to learn more about ArcGIS Online and how to use Click2Create to add data from ArcGIS Online to Salesforce.

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