I started the day early, boiling eggs and sweet potatoes while structuring a solid plan for App Links with help from ChatGPT.

My main focus at work was bug fixing, both for the current version and the demo. I spent much of the afternoon on data processing, uncertain if everything would run smoothly.

Despite the workload, I made time for the gym at noon and followed Xiaoyan’s advice to eat dinner on time. Working late left my eyes strained, prompting Xiaoyan to joke that I should just marry my computer.

Recently, I also discovered two fascinating performers—magician Kyle Eschen and comedian Matt Rife—both of whom left a strong impression.

Did you know?

ArcGIS Earth’s Quick Dock feature lets you personalize your workspace by adding, reordering, and managing frequently used tools—streamlining your workflow for faster access to key functionalities. Whether you’re navigating, analyzing, or editing, customizing the Quick Dock ensures your most-used tools are always at your fingertips.

🛠️ How to Use Quick Dock in ArcGIS Earth:

1️⃣ Open Quick Dock Customization 🎛️ Go to Settings > Customization to access the Quick Dock panel.

2️⃣ Add & Arrange Tools 📌 Click a tool to add it to the Quick Dock. Drag and drop to reorder tools based on your workflow.

3️⃣ Optimize for Efficiency ⚡ Remove unneeded tools or reset the Quick Dock to its default state.

🚀 Pro Tips:

1️⃣ Speed Up Your Workflow – Keep essential tools like Measure, Bookmarks, or Spatial Filters just one click away. 🚀

I started the day early, remembering that I had unused museum tickets from before the New Year and deciding to visit this Sunday.

Hamer and I made a fruit-based breakfast together before I dropped her off and headed to the office. My plan to finish the app link demo was delayed by a bug that took over an hour to fix. After discussions and focused effort, I finally wrapped it up by 4 PM. By 8:30 PM, I was mentally drained.

A midday table tennis match with colleagues, filled with laughter and a playful poem, was a bright spot in the day.

Did you know?

ArcGIS Earth’s Spatial Filter allows you to include or exclude specific buildings, trees, 3D objects, and points within a designated area. Whether you’re analyzing urban infrastructure, vegetation impact, or site planning, this tool helps you focus on the most relevant features while eliminating visual clutter.

🛠️ How to Use Spatial Filters in ArcGIS Earth:

1️⃣ Activate the Spatial Filter 🎛️ Right-click a 3D object or point scene layer in the Table of Contents and select “Spatial Filter”.

2️⃣ Define Your Area of Interest 📌 Draw one or more polygons to include or exclude features, or manually select individual features to isolate or remove them from the view.

3️⃣ Apply and Refine Your View 🔲 Choose Exclude to hide features inside the selection or Include to display only the selected features.

🚀 Pro Tips:

1️⃣ Improve Data Accuracy – Use spatial filters to hide outdated data and replace it with updated information. 📍 2️⃣ Apply multiple spatial filters for a focused, clear, and efficient analysis. 🔍

Today was fairly smooth, though I didn’t complete everything I had planned. I spent the afternoon refining the UI but got frustrated when things didn’t go as expected.

At noon, I played frisbee, enjoying the warm weather and noticing my throws improving.

In the evening, after shopping with Hamer and Xiaoyan, I planned to work at the office but forgot my access badge.

There was also a brief scare when my stepmother couldn’t find Hamer at the mall, but I reassured her, trusting that Hamer would find her soon.

Did you know?

ArcGIS Earth now supports 3DConnexion SpaceMouse, offering an intuitive, smooth, and immersive way to navigate 3D environments. With 6-Degrees-of-Freedom (6DoF) control, you can effortlessly pan, tilt, zoom, rotate, and fly through your data—perfect for detailed terrain exploration, city modeling, and underground navigation.

🛠️ How to Use SpaceMouse in ArcGIS Earth:

1️⃣ Enable SpaceMouse Navigation 🛠️ Go to Settings > Navigation and toggle Enable Space Mouse to activate support.

2️⃣ Seamlessly Navigate in 3D 🌍 Experience real-time, fluid movement with precise control for exploring terrain, buildings, and subsurface data.

3️⃣ Customize Controls for Your Workflow ⚙️ Adjust navigation speed and sensitivity for high-precision mapping or smooth overviews.

🚀 Pro Tips:

1️⃣ Fly Through Your Data – Effortlessly glide through terrain, buildings, and 3D models for in-depth analysis. 🏙️

This morning, I was startled awake by Hamer’s alarm clock and was surprised to see that it was already 7 AM. Yet, I still felt drowsy. I hadn’t gone to bed particularly late last night, but for some reason, I was still exhausted.

I spent the entire morning in meetings, discussing features and the schedule for next week’s meetings, only to realize there were still many details that needed to be filled in. At noon, I had lunch with a colleague and also grabbed a cup of coffee from her. In the afternoon, I was busy revising the PR I submitted yesterday and finally managed to merge it into the main branch just before heading out for badminton.

In the evening, when I got home, Hamer wasn’t too keen on eating dinner—probably because there wasn’t anything she particularly liked. After dinner, we watched TV together. During the music segment of Zombie 2, she started singing along, which really surprised me—she sang so well!

Did you know?

With ArcGIS Earth’s “What’s Here” tool, you can instantly identify addresses, coordinates, and place names anywhere on the globe—just by right-clicking! Whether you’re planning routes, verifying locations, or working offline, this tool delivers real-time insights without needing external apps.

🛠️ How to Use “What’s Here” in ArcGIS Earth:

1️⃣ Find Any Location 📌 Right-click anywhere on the globe and select “What’s Here” from the menu.

2️⃣ Get Location Insights 🏠 Instantly retrieve addresses, coordinates, and place names for easy reference and analysis.

3️⃣ Work Offline with Locators 🌍 Use reverse geocoding even offline with your own locators included in mobile map and scene packages.

🚀 Pro Tips:

1️⃣ Copy & Share Location Data – Quickly copy coordinates and addresses for reports, routing, or collaboration. ✂️ 2️⃣ Save Key Locations – Right-click and save as a KML point for future reference or integration with other GIS tools. 📍

This morning started on a positive note after last night’s heavy conversation with Xiaoyan. I had expressed my feelings about her impatience, fearing it might create distance, but to my relief, she initiated a casual chat over breakfast.

At work, I finally submitted the first version of the Stream Service PR—over 5,000 lines of code, which should be split and will be a challenge to manage in the future.

At home, I had a discussion with Hamer about keeping our commitment to not eating out, leading to a tough but necessary decision. Later, she showed resilience in facing a setback while finishing her homework, proving that her adaptability is growing.

Did you know?

ArcGIS Earth now seamlessly integrates with Survey123, enabling you to collect, review, and analyze survey data within a 3D environment. Whether you’re a field worker gathering real-time data or a stakeholder conducting QA/QC, this integration enhances accuracy, efficiency, and spatial insights.

🛠️ How to Use Survey123 in ArcGIS Earth:

1️⃣ Add a Survey Form ➕ Browse surveys from your organization or ArcGIS Online, then search and add a Survey123 form to the globe.

2️⃣ Submit or Edit Records ✍️ Right-click a Survey123 form in the Table of Contents to submit a new record or update existing ones.

3️⃣ Streamline Data Entry 🔄 Auto-populate surveys by selecting a feature—ArcGIS Earth dynamically transfers both attributes and geometry into the form.

4️⃣ Enhance Decision-Making 🎯 Embed Surveys for QA/QC: Visualize, review, and update incoming records while analyzing data in 3D.

🚀 Pro Tips:

1️⃣ Customize Visualization – Adjust symbology and labels to highlight key insights. 🎨 2️⃣ Modify Geometry – Click Set Location in the survey window to update a record’s spatial position directly in ArcGIS Earth.

Our Sunday routine may now be set—badminton followed by luosifen!

The morning was slow, but I went to Xiaoguan Market to get fish before it relocates to “Seventh Market.” Lunch led to a small standoff between Xiaoyan and Hamer over brushing teeth, but they made up after badminton. While playing, I reminded Hamer to pick up shuttlecocks properly, and she eventually improved, which made me proud.

Dinner was fun, with the kids struggling through the spicy luosifen but finishing every bite. It was a simple but fulfilling day.

This morning, despite the gloomy weather, I went for a run with Hamer and later had breakfast at a bustling market. We met one of her classmates, who showed her around while I queued for pig’s head meat, a traditional dish for this lunar date.

In the afternoon, Hamer stuck to Xiaoyan, and I worked on Stream Service.

At night, we watched Nezha with Hamer’s uncle, enjoying the film and a refreshing walk home.

TGIF.

Today, I completed most of the UI and workflow setup for Stream Service. My leader has been asking for the last chance for me to attend the Dev Summit, though unsuccessfully.

In the morning, Xiaoyan’s response left me feeling a little down.

Did you know?

ArcGIS Earth provides powerful time-based animation tools that allow you to track changes in spatial data over time. Whether analyzing climate change, infrastructure development, or disaster progression, the time slider and playback controls help bring your data to life with smooth, intuitive animations.

🛠️ How to Use Time-Enabled Data Animation in ArcGIS Earth:

1️⃣ Load and Activate Time-Enabled Data ⏳ Add KML/KMZ files, feature services, or image services that contain time attributes. The time slider appears automatically at the bottom of the screen and dynamically adjusts based on active layers.

2️⃣ Control and Navigate Temporal Data 🎛️ Drag the time slider or select specific dates to set the start and end time. Click Play to animate the dataset and use Next/Previous buttons to step through time intervals.

3️⃣ Customize Playback for Better Analysis 🎥 Fine-tune playback by setting it to repeat, reverse, or stop after a full cycle. Adjust animation speed for faster or slower transitions. Switch between UTC and local time for accurate time zone adjustments.

🚀 Pro Tips:

1️⃣ Analyze Multi-Layer Time Series – Overlay multiple time-enabled datasets (e.g., wildfire spread and population density) to observe interactions over time. 2️⃣ Optimize Performance – Enable only relevant KML nodes to ensure smooth animations without unnecessary visual clutter. 3️⃣ Refine Time Ranges – Adjust time intervals to highlight key events and make trends more apparent.

Today, I made a hearty breakfast. It was also our English day, mixing Chinese and English in casual conversation.

Work went smoothly, with regular breaks and good interactions with colleagues. I played table tennis during lunch and worked overtime in the evening on displaying attribute table content.

Did you know?

ArcGIS Earth’s Table of Contents (TOC) and Legends provide an intuitive way to manage layers, control visibility, and interpret symbology. The TOC helps you organize, reorder, and customize layers, while the Legend panel offers a clear reference for symbol meanings, improving data interpretation.

🛠️ How to Use the Table of Contents and Legends in ArcGIS Earth:

1️⃣ Manage Layers Efficiently in the TOC 📂 The TOC serves as a control center for managing layers, allowing you to toggle visibility, adjust transparency, reorder layers, and group related datasets for better organization.

2️⃣ Customize and Control Layers ⚙️ Right-clicking a layer or folder provides additional options, such as renaming, refreshing, removing, adjusting symbology, viewing properties, and exporting layers as KMZ files for sharing.

3️⃣ Interpret Data Easily with Legends 📜 The Legend Panel updates dynamically based on active layers, making it easier to understand map symbology. This is especially useful for land use classifications, hazard zones, and transportation networks, where colors and symbols differentiate categories.

🚀 Pro Tips:

1️⃣ Use the Search in TOC to quickly locate layers by keyword. 2️⃣ Group Layers for Organization – Keep related layers in folders to maintain a structured, clutter-free TOC. 3️⃣ Optimize Legends for Presentations – Hide non-essential layers to focus on key map elements.

My day was challenging as I faced issues converting strings to Geometry while adding a stream service via JSON. It consumed my entire day, and I even skipped lunch. After rewriting a class to manually implement the FromJson and ToJson methods, the problems were resolved.

Additionally, with my colleagues' help, we successfully connected to the on-premises version of S123, which was a relief.

2025-02-26 TIL: Quid Pro Quo and Self-Adhesive Label Stickers

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Quid Pro Quo

/ˌkwɪd prəʊ ˈkwəʊ/

• Quid pro quo is a Latin phrase used in English to mean an exchange of goods or services in which one transfer is contingent upon the other—“a favor for a favor.”

Self-Adhesive Label Stickers (口取纸)

Also known as index paper, self-adhesive label stickers were originally coated with glue, requiring users to lick them before sticking them to ledger pages or documents for notes or numbering. This practice led to the name 口取纸, which refers to licking before use.

Did you know?

ArcGIS Earth allows you to add and customize labels to improve map clarity and interpretation. Whether you’re labeling cities, infrastructure, or geographic features, using clear, well-styled labels enhances your spatial analysis and presentation.

🛠️ How to Apply and Customize Labels in ArcGIS Earth:

1️⃣ Enable Labels for Your Data 📍🔤 Right-click a supported layer in the Table of Contents, select Labeling, and click Enable Labeling to turn on visibility. KML users can now label lines and polygons with a simple toggle switch in the Layer Properties window.

2️⃣ Configure Label Properties for Clarity 🎛️ In the Labeling Properties window, choose which attribute field to display, control placement relative to features, and prioritize key labels for better readability.

3️⃣ Customize Label Appearance for Better Readability 🎨 Adjust font, size, color, halo, and background transparency to ensure labels clear over different basemaps and terrain.

🚀 Pro Tips:

1️⃣ Label KML Lines & Polygons Easily – No more workarounds! Just use the Label toggle switch in Layer Properties to turn KML labels on/off. 2️⃣ Enhance Readability – Apply halo effects and backgrounds to make labels stand out over complex maps.

This morning, after dropping off Hamer, I arrived at the office early to work on the Stream Service’s add and save functionalities, making significant progress.

In the evening, I enjoyed a relaxed badminton session. Hamer called to ask permission to dine out with classmates; despite my initial hesitation, she made the decision to join them, responsibly consulting us beforehand.

2025-02-25 TIL: On-Premises Software and NewsNow

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On-Premises Software

On-premises software is installed and runs on computers within the premises of the person or organization using the software, rather than at a remote facility such as a server farm or the cloud (SaaS).

• On-premises software is deployed within an organization’s internal system, along with the necessary hardware and infrastructure for it to function.
• Cloud-based software is typically delivered via the internet, allowing users to access it online anytime and from any location.

NewsNow

Elegant real-time news reading.

• Features an elegant design for a pleasant reading experience, keeping you up to date with the latest and hottest news.

Did you know?

ArcGIS Earth provides powerful symbology tools for clearer spatial analysis and data visualization. Whether tracking public health trends, environmental changes, or demographic data, choosing the right symbology enhances insights and decision-making—in both 2D and 3D.

🛠️ How to Apply Symbology in ArcGIS Earth:

1️⃣ Choose the Right Symbology 🎛️ Right-click a feature layer, select Symbology, and pick the method that best represents your data:

• Single Symbol (Location) – Apply a uniform symbol to show distribution.
• Unique Symbol (Type) – Differentiate features based on attribute values (e.g., land use types).
• Graduated Colors (Counts & Amounts) – Use a color ramp to represent quantitative variations (e.g., population density).
• Dictionary Symbology – Apply standardized symbols like MIL-STD-2525 and NATO APP-6 for defense and emergency response.

2️⃣ Customize Symbols for Enhanced Visualization 🎨 Modify color, transparency, classification, and stroke properties to refine your map’s clarity. Adjust symbol size and style to highlight key insights.

3️⃣ Use 3D Symbol Extrusion for Deeper Analysis 📊 Extrude points, lines, or polygons to represent numerical attributes in 3D, making spatial relationships more apparent. This technique is ideal for tracking pandemic cases, visualizing urban expansion, or modeling elevation changes.

🚀 Pro Tips:

1️⃣ Track Changes Over Time – Use graduated colors and 3D extrusion to visualize trends such as COVID-19 spread, pollution levels, or deforestation rates. 2️⃣ Standardize Symbology for Interoperability – Use Dictionary Symbology to ensure consistent representation across defense, emergency response, and security operations. 3️⃣ Create Custom Symbology – Import mobile style files (.stylx) to define unique symbology styles that fit your organization’s needs.

2025-02-24 TIL: One for the Money Rhyme and Its Use in Popular Music

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One for the Money

“One for the Money” is an English-language rhyme. Children have used it as early as the 1820s to count before starting a race or other activity.

The full rhyme reads:

One for the money,
Two for the show;
Three to make ready,
And four to go.

The rhyme has been used or referenced in popular music since the 1950s. Here is a Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0DPCAFpstp5pQneqJasAoa

This morning after Hamer woke me up, I prepared breakfast while she got ready.

Work was fragmented; I intended to work on the Stream Service feature but spent unplanned time on the S123 feature due to pending tasks and discussions.

A table tennis session with colleagues at noon left me a bit tired since I skipped my usual nap.

In the evening, Hamer hadn’t planned on doing homework, ended up working on her math assignments instead of taking a bath as intended.