Create Your Hub Site

4. Create Your Hub Site#

With your Creator license active, you can now create your Hub site. This chapter walks through site creation, naming, and initial configuration.

4.1. Before You Begin#

Confirm you have:

Tip

Have your country’s ISO3 code ready (e.g., NGA for Nigeria, AFG for Afghanistan). You’ll need it for the Hub URL.

4.2. Hub Naming Convention#

World Bank Hubs follow a standard naming pattern:

Element

Format

Example

URL

[ISO3]-geowb.hub.arcgis.com

nga-geowb.hub.arcgis.com

Site Name

[Country] Geospatial Data Hub

Nigeria Geospatial Data Hub

4.3. Create the Hub Site#

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

  2. Open the Hub interface:

    • Click the App Launcher (grid icon) in the top navigation

    • Select ArcGIS Hub from the list

  3. Start site creation:

    • Click Create in the Hub interface

    • Select Site (not “Hub Initiative” or “Page”)

  4. Enter site details:

    Field

    What to Enter

    Name

    Your country/CMU name + “Geospatial Data Hub”

    Short Name (URL)

    [ISO3]-geowb (this becomes your URL)

    Summary

    Your purpose statement (1-2 sentences)

  5. Click Create to generate the site.

Note

The site is created in private status. It won’t be visible to others until you publish it.

4.4. Configure Basic Settings#

After creation, configure these essential settings:

4.4.1. Site Information#

  1. From your Hub site, click Edit (pencil icon)

  2. Go to Settings > Site Settings

  3. Complete these fields:

    Setting

    Guidance

    Title

    Full Hub name (e.g., “Nigeria Geospatial Data Hub”)

    Summary

    Purpose statement from your planning

    Description

    Expanded description (who it serves, what content it provides)

4.4.2. Site Visibility#

Set initial visibility conservatively:

Level

Who Can See

When to Use

Private

Only you

During initial setup

Organization

All WB AGOL users

Internal Hubs, sensitive data

To set visibility:

  1. Go to Settings > Site Settings

  2. Find Access and Permissions

  3. Select the appropriate visibility level

  4. Click Save

4.4.3. Custom Domain (Optional)#

For production Hubs, you may want a custom subdomain:

Default URL

Custom URL

nga-geowb.hub.arcgis.com

nigeria.worldbank.org/geodata

Note

Custom domains require IT coordination. Contact GeoLab for guidance on custom domain setup.

4.5. Verify Your Hub#

After creation, confirm everything is set up correctly:

  1. Preview your site:

    • Click View to see the public-facing site

    • Verify the URL matches your expected format

  2. Check the editing interface:

    • Click Edit to return to the editor

    • Verify you can access all editing tools

  3. Confirm in AGOL:

    • Go to Content > My Content

    • Your Hub site should appear as an item

    • Check the item details show correct ownership

4.6. Hub Site vs. Hub Items#

Understanding the relationship:

Component

What It Is

Hub Site

The website container (what users see)

Site Item

The AGOL item that stores site configuration

Content Groups

AGOL groups that feed content to the Hub

Catalog

The searchable content displayed on the Hub

Tip

The Hub site is the “storefront” — the content you create is the “inventory” it displays.

4.7. Troubleshooting#

Issue

Solution

Can’t find Hub in App Launcher

Verify your Creator license is active; contact GeoLab

URL already taken

Choose a different short name; check with GeoLab if the URL should be yours

Site not appearing in Content

Refresh the page; check “My Content” filter settings

Can’t change visibility

Verify you have Hub administration permissions

4.8. Outcome#

After completing these steps, you have:

  • A Hub site created with the correct URL format

  • Basic site information configured

  • Visibility set appropriately for your stage of development

  • Verified access to editing tools

4.9. Next Steps#

Your Hub site exists but has no content yet. Proceed to Create Groups for Your Hub to create the AGOL groups that will organize and feed content to your Hub.

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