The next update to ArcGIS Online is planned for 29th February so here’s a taste of what will be coming.
Smart Mapping
Map styles are being added to smart mapping. Map styles allow more than one attribute in your data to be presented through the symbology. The new styles will take care of the calculations you need behind the scenes, in most cases, so you can focus on authoring the map. To try it out, select a couple of attribute fields and click a style.
Imagine you have a layer that shows crop production by district and you want to show which crop has the highest value compared to other crops. The predominance style will let you show which attribute, out of several presented on a map, is predominant and shows the degree of its predominance.
3D Web Apps
If you have 3D content you will be able to configure web apps to present your scenes in a more tailored interface, including scene comparison options. Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS is getting new widgets and themes with specific 3D tools and layouts.
Social Logins
ArcGIS Online will give users the option to sign up for public accounts using their Facebook or Google login, making it quicker and easier. A public (or personal) account has more limited capabilities and is meant for non-commercial use. Existing users will also be able sign in with their Facebook or Google login.
Analysis
We will have access to a new Choose Best Facilities tool to help determine the optimal facilities based on specified criteria.
Administering ArcGIS Online
Administrators will have more control over the security settings for their organization. They will be able to choose whether members can edit and display biographical information. Administrators will also be able to choose whether to show social media links on item details and group pages. Support for enterprise logins is being enhanced, so that organizations can configure custom logouts. Additional tutorials and best practices for enterprise logins will also be available.
Administrators will also have the option to enable Esri access, which allows the users to opt in to communications from Esri. Through their profile page, users can then sign up for emails about: the latest ArcGIS software, best practices, GIS news in their industry and customer stories.
Update (1/03/2016)
Following the update to ArcGIS Online, you can read more details on the What’s New page. If you are interested in the new smart mapping predominance style there’s a new storymap that explains it.