5. Create Groups for Your Hub

Groups are the backbone of Hub content management. They control what content appears in your catalog, who can contribute, and how content flows from draft to published state. This chapter explains group concepts and walks through creating them.

5.1. Why Groups Matter

In ArcGIS Online, groups serve two critical functions for your Hub:

Function	How It Works
Content organization	Items shared to a group become searchable in your Hub catalog
Access control	Group membership and visibility settings determine who sees what

Important

Your Hub doesn’t store content directly. It displays content from groups. No groups = no catalog content.

5.2. Group Types for Hubs

Most WB Hubs need at least two types of groups:

5.2.1. Catalog Group (Required)

The primary group that feeds your Hub’s searchable catalog.

Attribute	Recommended Setting
Purpose	Published, curated content visible to Hub visitors
Visibility	Matches your Hub visibility (Organization or Public)
Membership	Curators and publishers only
Content	Finalized, quality-checked items with complete metadata

5.2.2. Working Group (Recommended)

A staging area for content in development.

Attribute	Recommended Setting
Purpose	Drafts, work-in-progress, items under review
Visibility	Organization or Private
Membership	Contributors, reviewers, curators
Content	Items not yet ready for the public catalog

5.3. Group Naming Convention

Use consistent, descriptive names:

Pattern	Example
[Country] - [Purpose]	Nigeria - Catalog
[Country] - [Theme]	Nigeria - Foundational Data
[Country] - Working	Nigeria - Working

5.4. Create a Group

1. Sign in to https://geowb.maps.arcgis.com

2. Navigate to Groups:

   • Click Groups in the top navigation

   • Click Create Group

3. Configure group settings:

   Setting	What to Enter
   Name	Follow your naming convention
   Summary	Brief description of the group’s purpose
   Tags	Include country/CMU identifier

4. Set membership access:

   Option	When to Use
   Organization members can apply	For broader contributor access
   Invitation only	For controlled, curated groups (recommended for Catalog)

5. Set visibility:

   Level	Who Can See Group & Content
   Private	Only group members
   Organization	All WB AGOL users
   Public	Anyone on the internet

6. Set content contribution:

   Option	Meaning
   All members can contribute	Any member can share content to the group
   Only managers can contribute	Tighter control over what enters the group

7. Click Create Group

5.5. Recommended Group Configuration

5.5.1. For Catalog Groups

Name:           [Country] - Catalog
Summary:        Curated geospatial content for the [Country] Hub
Visibility:     Organization (or Public if Hub is public)
Membership:     Invitation only
Contribution:   All members can contribute
Members:        Hub Steward, Data Curators, approved publishers

5.5.2. For Working Groups

Name:           [Country] - Working
Summary:        Draft and in-progress content for [Country] Hub
Visibility:     Organization
Membership:     Invitation only
Contribution:   All members can contribute
Members:        All contributors, reviewers, curators

5.6. Add Members to Groups

After creating a group:

1. Open the group from Groups > My Groups

2. Click the Members tab

3. Click Invite Members

4. Search for users by name or email

5. Select a role:

   Role	Capabilities
   Member	View group content, contribute items (if allowed)
   Manager	Add/remove members, manage group settings
   Owner	Full control, can delete group

6. Send invitations

5.7. Group Permissions Matrix

Action	Member	Manager	Owner
View content	✓	✓	✓
Share content to group	✓*	✓	✓
Remove content	—	✓	✓
Invite members	—	✓	✓
Change group settings	—	✓	✓
Delete group	—	—	✓

*If “All members can contribute” is enabled

5.8. Content Workflow with Groups

The staging workflow in practice:

1. Contributor uploads item to AGOL
2. Contributor shares item to Working Group
3. Curator reviews item (metadata, quality)
4. Curator shares item to Catalog Group
5. Item appears in Hub catalog

Important

Items must be shared to the Catalog Group to appear in your Hub. Simply uploading to AGOL is not enough.

5.9. Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Can’t create groups	Verify your Creator license includes group creation; contact GeoLab
Can’t find users to invite	User must have signed in to WB AGOL at least once
Content not appearing in Hub	Confirm item is shared to the correct Catalog Group
Wrong visibility on content	Check both group visibility AND item sharing settings

5.10. Outcome

After completing these steps, you have:

• Catalog Group created for published content

• Working Group created for drafts and staging

• Theme Groups created (if needed for your data governance)

• Key members invited with appropriate roles

• Understanding of how content flows between groups

5.11. Next Steps

With your groups created, proceed to Connect Your Hub to the Catalog to link your Catalog Group to your Hub site.