ArcGIS Explorer 9.2

ArcExplorer 9.2

ArcExplorer is a free product from ESRI. It can use data that is stored both on your local computer and also information stored on an ArcIMS server and/or ArcSDE server. You can combine data you have stored locally with data that has been stored on a server, for example you can find the base map online and then add specific data that you might be interested in. There are two versions of ArcExplorer a regular versions and a version for educators, they both are JAVA based. The two version have a slightly different appearance, for example you have a layer menu in the standard version which you don't in the educational and in the educational you have the ability to open a new window, but don't in the standard. Also what is located in each menu is different between the two versions. In general the educational version has a large set of tools than does the regular edition, including Mac support. Two manuals are online for the standard and for the educational. There is also a web version at: http://www.geographynetwork.com/arcexplorer/arcexplorer.html. The web version works only with image services not feature services and does not have the capacity of the two downloadable versions. More detailed information can be found at the following link discussing the difference between the versions of ArcExplorer http://www.esri.com/software/arcexplorer/about/versions.html.
This image is from the educational version and I have loaded data from both my local computer and from my ArcIMS servers (two different servers one 9.1 and one 9.2). The information displayed are feature class information from the ArcIMS servers and shapefiles from the local computer.

You do have the ability to query the data set. Much as you would with ArcView.

The results from the query, note you can both see it virtually and as a table in the inner window.

Please note that ArcGIS Explorer and ArcExplorer are not the same product.

A future virtual workshop will be assembled on how to use this product, once the workshop has been completed it will be discussed on this blog.

Introduction to GPS

I have posted a new podcast today on how a GPS works. It can be found off of my GIS homepage at http://vince.jcc.kctcs.edu/gis/ under workshop 3. It is also posted as a larger size video to be watched on a computer. It is about 17 minutes in length.

GIS Virtual Workshops

I have been working on a series of virtual workshops in GIS. The workshops are single concepts of the mechanics of doing GIS using ArcGIS and other tools such as a GPS. The workshops are composed into three virtual workshops at this time with more to be added soon. You will need access to ArcGIS 9.1 or newer to accomplish the workshop tasks. The workshops are located at http://vince.jcc.kctcs.edu/virtual/ if you need additional information about the workshops please contact tammy.mccollum@kctcs.edu. If you use the information please e-mail Tammy so we can collect demographic information since this is funded in part by our KITCenter NSF Grant. If you find a password on the workshop page please complete the requested information or e-mail Tammy for assistance.

ArcGIS 9.2 comments from an ESRI product introduction

On Thursday, October 26th I attending in Louisville, KY a meeting introducting what was new in the ArcGIS 9.2 release. First this is a major release and not a minor upgrade. Both the desktop and the server products will be very different. We were told that it should ship in the next 6 weeks. My comments are from the notes that I took at the ESRI meeting and should be taken only as this.

ArcServer will give greater functional upon initial installation, it will have ArcSDE as part of the initial installation, there will be several different levels of server and this will be discussed later in these comments.

ArcGIS Explorer a free download looks initially alot like Google Earth but it appears to have loads of functionality associated with it.

The access to the server from the desktop will be simplier and very powerful for users in a multiple desktop environment.

ArcGIS 9.2 is open and standards based.

ArcReader is a free product > ArcView is at the user level > ArcEditor (create/manage) > ArcInfo (geoprocessing/analysis)

Improved Scan Technology now integrated

Link maps, graphs and tables together, when you change one item all linked items change together on the fly.

You will be able to utilize Excel Spreadsheets within ArcGIS. I believe this will be very powerful feature.

Image Processing can be done on the fly.

New extension on the Server side.

Goto X,Y manually and input Latitude and Longitude.

You can publish (export) to PDF with a layer tab so you can change the layers within Acrobat.

You also publish to the ArcReader

I believe there is a drastic improvement on the CAD drawing, such as georeferencing CAD drawings.

You can view a second window on a second monitor

Two levels for server: enterprise and workgroup

The web mapping applications are greatly improved in this release. Including mapping, editing, geoprocessing, routing, geocoding.

ArcIMS 9.2 will be available but appears that in many ways we are moving toward server in webbased applications away from IMS.

Same web development for both server and IMS

The ArcGIS manager (webbased) looks alot like MS Sharepoint.

Three levels of server basic (geodatabase, amnagement and web-based replication), standard (Mapping and visualization), Advanced (geoprocessing and editing).

These three levels are available at both workgroup and Enterprise levels.

There is animation at the desktop level in both 2 and 3 dimensions.

Visualization and Communication
Visualization (thematic analysis, authoring, 2D/3D viewers)
Intergation and Learning (visual interrogation, animation and graphing, spatial selection)
Mapping (symbolation, labeling, publishing)

New Graphing Engine

These are my impressions and comments from what I heard and saw.

ArcGIS 9.2 Initial Comments

Today I went to a day long session presented by ESRI on the new version of ArcGIS which will become available in the latter part of November. The workshops looked at both the changes in the desktop side of GIS (ArcView, ArcEditor, ArcInfo) and the Server side. While many changes have occurred on the desktop side I believe the biggest changes have occurred on the server side of ArcGIS. ArcSDE will now be integrated into ArcServer no need for separate installations, they will now function completely seamless from IT perspective. Also changes have occurred in the ArcIMS functions and how data is displayed and manipulated, this was only mentioned and not covered in depth. A new product ArcExplorer (free) will give a much greater degree of functionality to web based GIS. Another product for the lower end web GIS is ArcReader (free). In the next couple days I will review on this site the notes that I took at the workshop.