On ArcGIS Online, be mindful of what is shared publicly, and how. Items that are shared publicly can be found by anyone. We have had incidents where student assignments for a class were taken to be authoritative by external parties. In your assignments, make sure to identify any web applications, web maps or datasets you create as class assignments or projects. This can be accomplished through the following: 

• Including the course name in the item title, for example: “Baltimore Over Time – Assignment 1 For Class XY” 

• A statement in the item description, for example: “This StoryMap is part of a submission for Class XY, week 1, assignment 1.” 

• Use of tags such as “student project”, “student assignment”, “academic coursework”, etc 

• Use of watermarks in images and other digital media used in a web application (such as a StoryMap) 

• Writing a disclaimer in the Terms of Use section of the item description page, for example: “This StoryMap was produced as part of a capstone project by [insert name] for the Johns Hopkins University Masters program in GIS.”

The screenshot below is an example of an item details page for a web map. Note that there are references to this being a student assignment in the title, description, terms of use, and tags. The original source for the underlying feature layer is also provided and linked to. 

You are responsible for ensuring that your use of any Esri product accessed through the JHU education site license complies with the privacy and security policies outlined by your institution, grant funder, or applicable legal code. If your research involves human subject data or other sensitive data, we strongly suggest that you contact your relevant institutional review board (IRB). For more information on protecting identifies in human subjects data, please review our Protecting Identifiers in Human Subjects Data libguide.

Geocoding Needs

If you are looking to geocode sensitive data, you will most likely need a local setup to ensure the protection of your data. Do not use ArcGIS Online or Esri's World Geocoding Service through ArcGIS Pro to geocode sensitive data. JHU Data Services can provide information on set-up and configuration options for Esri software and platforms to inform your decision about appropriate uses of the Esri suite of software for your research project. Please contact us with any questions and/or requests.

In the past year, JHU Data Services has worked with several research groups on high-profile projects that use ArcGIS Online web applications. Due to the high demand and subsequent need for increased technical support and infrastructure, these projects have fallen outside of the scope of the existing Esri education site license agreement.  

As a result, if you are developing a research project that:

• is public service-oriented in nature, as opposed to general education use and inquiry, 

• and anticipates using JHU’s ArcGIS Online platform services, 

we now require additional consultation with JHU Data Services and other relevant JHU groups prior to the launch of the research project.

Following these consultations, JHU Data Services will determine if the research project requires elevated technical support from Esri, including but not limited to: 

• setting up an ArcGIS Online organization, separate from the main JHU ArcGIS Online organization;

• upgrading to a premium feature Data Store subscription; 

• contracting Esri professional support services.  

Consulting ahead of time makes sure you have the support and infrastructure you need to create and manage a successful public project. If you are planning to use Esri software and applications for your project, please email JHU Data Services.