GIS Development

ArcGIS 10.1 and Windows 8

2012-11-11T22:56:00.003-08:00

ArcGIS 10.1 and Windows 8

by Rob Elkins on November 1, 2012

Microsoft has recently released Windows 8 and we have just released ArcGIS 10.1 Service Pack 1. I’m pleased to announce that Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 are now supported operating systems for ArcGIS 10.1 SP1.

Posted in Analysis & Geoprocessing, Developer, Mapping | Tagged Announcement, ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Server, Microsoft, SP1, windows 8 | 1 Comment

How to build an Apple Map app for iOS using the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for iOS

2012-11-11T22:56:00.000-08:00

How to build an Apple Map app for iOS using the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for iOS

by Al Pascual on November 9, 2012

With the new release of iOS 6, Apple replaces the Map app from Google maps to create its own map application. Even though the new application from Apple has exciting new features, like 3D maps, some users are complaining about … Continue reading →

Consuming WebMaps from ArcGIS.com with ArcGIS Runtime for iOS

2012-08-30T22:25:00.001-07:00

by Al Pascual on August 29, 2012

ArcGIS Online brings the concept of WebMaps, a ready to use intelligent map that includes a way to “mashup” of all your data. WebMaps are highly configurable for any user wanting to tell a story or share their geographic information. … Continue reading →

2012 Esri User Conference impressions from the Flex development team

2012-08-29T00:18:00.002-07:00

The Esri User Conference in San Diego, CA is always a great opportunity to learn about new Esri technology trends, reconnect with your colleagues, and meet some new folks in the community. This year was no different and we would like to summarize some of the Flex-technology related news and announcements from this year’s conference.

Open-sourcing of Flex SDK

Last November, Adobe announced the Flex SDK would become a community-driven open source project. This summer the first open-source Flex SDK version was released by the Apache Software Foundation project, and recently Adobe announced the beta release of the next Flash Builder.

Continue reading →

Esri and Open Source Software: More Please

2012-08-29T00:13:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago GeoIQ joined Esri and, augmented by a few other Esri employees, we formed the Esri R&D Center, Washington DC, a.k.a the DC Dev Center. We immediately launched into action and are having fun brainstorming with our colleagues about what sort of technology and tools to explore. Transitioning a whole company at once was a new experience, and we’ve outlined some of our initial plans. Part of our transition involves working closely with our Esri co-workers to square up some goals for the future in terms of what makes the most sense for Esri as a whole and for the geo-developer community in particular. The DC Dev Center crew is a somewhat outspoken bunch of developers who are passionate and devoted to their craft and from early on it became clear where our experiences and passions could make a quick and significant impact.

At GeoIQ, we were heavy users of open source software and contributed code back to the community when we could. However, we feel that we could have been better about contributing code back to the community and developing more in the open. This is one of the areas where we as developers, evangelists, and geospatial uber-geeks feel that we can make a strong impact — improving Esri’s participation in and contributions to open source. Esri has always hosted open code and samples in a variety of ways, but more can be done. Focus and motivation needs to be improved, and Esri is now making it a priority to improve its open source participation.

More of Esri’s code should and will be open sourced in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. Patience is needed, of course, but we’re on our way. Here’s the basic plan: make it easy for Esri employees to write and share code in an open space and identify what products can and should be open sourced. To start, this means giving developers access to the appropriate tools, resources and space they need to collaborate with each other. This really just means Esri is beginning to leverage Github.

We will centralize Esri’s open code as much as possible, but again this will take some time. We are encouraging the sharing of ideas, experiments, and new code all to be developed openly on Github. We want Esri developers to have faces, be active on Github, and work more closely with those outside the company. We will embrace open source development as much as we can. You’ll see more code from Esri on Github. You’ll see more collaboration with other software projects. You’ll see Esri forking code and issuing pull requests on your repos – we are excited to be launching these new activities.

Developers who want to share ideas and code with us are welcome and encouraged to issue pull requests and file bugs and features on the repos. We’ll be gauging our success in this effort by the level of collaboration between internal developers and others who are willing to collaborate. Again, the Esri development team is excited to see how this plays out over the next few months. We know perceptions die-hard. This initiative is about a cultural change that has internal buy-in at all levels. Esri wants to push the limits of our industry and lead through openness and sharing where other companies have failed to see the benefit. We want to see progress and innovation in geospatial technology through collaboration with developers who share different perspectives and insights.

We’ve got the ball rolling already with several repositories up and running on Github. Esri’s presence in Github centers around two separate accounts: http://github.com/esri and http://github.com/arcgis. The “esri” account will house (host?) code that is meant to be more freestanding and generic. Code that a has broad reach to very more non-GIS community like visualization examples, solutions and various other scripts will all live there. The “arcgis” account will house open source code related directly to the “ArcGIS Platform” and have repositories for things like ArcGIS Online templates and ArcGIS Desktop extensions. The structure of all the code and repos will grow and evolve as Esri places more code on Github.

More open source code and more collaboration with others is a good move by Esri and only good things will come from it. You’ll be surprised by some of the code and projects that’ll be open sourced soon. As usual, hearing any comments, suggestions or opinions would be great in helping Esri shape the future of its open source effort.

Applying media queries to your ArcGIS API for JavaScript applications

2012-08-28T02:25:00.001-07:00

Smartphone and tablet usage is quickly usurping the desktop. Targeting the dizzying array of browsers, screen sizes and devices in a market experiencing hardware fragmentation is one of the challenges developers encounter. Although responsive web design does not offer a panacea for all scenarios, designing your web mapping applications to be mobile-friendly using this technique can provide an improved experience to your end-users.

CSS3 media queries enable developers to selectively style their pages based on properties (device width or height, resolution, orientation) of the browser where the page is being rendered. For instance, you can now choose to style a page differently for a small screen such as smartphone versus a slightly larger screen such as a tablet, or the desktop.

Using the Legend Widget sample as a starting point, I will show you how I modified an ArcGIS API for JavaScript application to support tablet (768 x 1024px) and smartphone devices (320 x 480px).

Continue reading →

Esri Maps for Office 1.0 release now available!

2012-07-20T23:06:00.001-07:00

We’re pleased to announce the release of Esri Maps for Office v1.0 powered by ArcGIS Online.

Esri Maps for Office is a powerful add-in for Microsoft Office that brings the capabilities of Esri’s ArcGIS Online mapping platform to Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint users.

With Esri Maps for Office, you can easily create interactive maps of your organization’s data, enabling you to see patterns that graphs and charts cannot reveal. Any of the interactive maps you create can be embedded in PowerPoint, so you can make your presentations even more impactful. And by leveraging ArcGIS Online, you can quickly and securely share your interactive maps in web pages, blogs, and mobile apps as well as with ArcGIS users.

Within Excel, it takes just a few seconds to create an interactive map of your data. You can map your data regionally, such as by postal code, create point maps that show individual locations, generate heat maps to show where there are concentrations of points, and more. Esri Maps for Office gives you broad control over styling your mapped data, enabling you to make the important facts stand out.

In PowerPoint, maps can be inserted as static images or as “live” maps that you can interact with during your presentations. Live maps allow for zooming in and out, moving around the map, and displaying “pop-ups” with additional information about map features when you hover the mouse over them.

Several updates have been made from Beta to v1.0 to improve the overall performance and experience, including:

Improved user experience for adding Excel data
Export your point data enriched with location information
Notification of errors when finding locations

To install Esri Maps for Office, visit the Esri Maps for Office page and click the Download link on the right under Quick Links. If you currently have the Public Beta version installed, you can install v1.0 simply by running the setup.

If you are traveling to the International User Conference in San Diego next week, please come by and see us at the Location Analytics Island in the Esri Showcase!

~Esri Maps for Office team

Using Yahoo! Pipes to create dynamic map layers

2012-07-11T01:34:00.001-07:00

Yahoo! Pipes are a handy way to aggregate web feeds and other information from various sources. One way to think of Pipes is as a way to create data/information mashups, just like we can create ArcGIS Online web maps by mashing up a variety of map layers. An interesting aspect of Pipes is that we can leverage them in the context of our ArcGIS Online web maps, and use them to create dynamic layers using URL-located KML or CSV files as mappable information sources.

Continue reading →

Add Pinterest photos to ArcGIS Online web maps

2012-07-09T22:54:00.001-07:00

Pinterest is a social photo sharing site that lets you create and manage “boards” of photos, usually organized around some theme. Pinterest users can browse other pinboards and ‘re-pin’ images in their own collections, or ‘like’ photos. Pinterest’s mission is to “connect everyone in the world through the things they find interesting.”

Continue reading →

Downloadable tools for ArcGIS Server administration

2012-07-09T22:53:00.003-07:00

With the release of version 10.1, automating administrative tasks on ArcGIS Server got a whole lot easier. The new ArcGIS Server Administrator API allows you to perform the same administrative tasks you can do in ArcGIS Desktop or ArcGIS Server Manager. Because it’s a REST-ful API, you can programmatically build up URLs to make calls to the server to perform tasks.

Using this API, I’ve published a sample that puts server admin tasks into an ArcGIS toolbox and ModelBuilder. The ArcGIS Server Administration Toolkit (download), written with Python, provides a variety of tools that you can use to administer the server. For example, there are tools for starting and stopping services, modifying log settings, registering server object extensions (SOEs), and publishing services from service definition files. You can chain these tools together in ModelBuilder to complete a workflow, or you can run them in a one-off fashion directly from the toolbox.

Continue reading →

Add Flickr photos to ArcGIS Online web maps

2012-07-09T22:52:00.001-07:00

Add Flickr photos to ArcGIS Online web maps

by Bern Szukalski on July 3, 2012

Flickr is one of the most popular photo sharing sites available, hosting well over 6 billion images. Here’s how to use your Flickr photos in your ArcGIS Online web maps.

Continue reading →

ConstellationGPS.gif (240×192)

2012-07-09T01:04:00.001-07:00

ConstellationGPS.gif (240×192)

Google Maps Developer Overview

2012-06-28T02:33:00.005-07:00

What are the Google Maps APIs?

The Google Maps APIs give developers several ways of embedding Google Maps into web pages, and allows for either simple use or extensive customization. There are now several API offerings:

Depending on your needs, you may find yourself using one or a combination of these APIs.

If you operate an enterprise or commercial website, you may also be interested in Google Maps API for Business.

Google Maps has a wide array of APIs that let you embed the robust functionality and everyday usefulness of Google Maps into your own website and applications, and overlay your own data on top of them.

What you can do with the Google Maps APIs

Maps JavaScript API Embed an interactive Google Map in your webpage using JavaScript.

Google Earth API Take your visitors anywhere on the Earth without leaving your web page.

Maps Image APIs Embed a Google Maps image or Street View panorama in your web page without requiring JavaScript.
Static Maps - Street View Web Services Use URL requests to access geocoding, directions, elevation, and place information.

Maps for Business Google Maps API for Business provides Enterprise-ready application support for your mapping needs.

Places API Access information about establishments, geographic locations, or prominent points of interest.

Maps applications on mobile devices

The Google Maps JavaScript API V3 has been developed to cater to mobile devices, and is suitable for browser applications targeted at both the desktop and devices that include a web browser with a full JavaScript implementation, such as the Apple iPhone.

For applications targeted at devices not suitable for using the JavaScript API, the Static Maps API delivers map images in GIF, JPG, and PNG formats, including markers and polylines. Note that use of the Static Maps API outside of browser based applications requires that the map image be linked to Google Maps.

To incorporate maps in an Android application, use the Android Maps External Library.

To incorporate Maps in a native iPhone application, use the Apple iPhone Map Kit framework.

The Google Maps JavaScript API supports the following web browsers:

Google Maps JavaScript API V3:

· IE 7.0+ (Windows) *

· Firefox 3.0+ (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux)

· Safari 4+ (Mac OS X, iOS)

· Chrome (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux)

· Android

· BlackBerry 6

· Dolfin 2.0+ (Samsung Bada)

When using the JavaScript Maps API, the following information is sent to Google:

Map size and location for retrieving map tiles and copyrights
Addresses for geocoding
Direction and Elevation requests
Locations around which to search for Places
KML when using KmlLayer (V3) or GGeoXml (V2)

The Google Maps APIs Can accessed over SSL (HTTPS)

The Google Maps JavaScript API V3, Google Static Maps API, and Google Maps API Web Services can be accessed over secure (HTTPS) connections by developers using either the free version of these APIs or Google Maps API for Business. Please see the documentation for the API concerned for information on how to access the API over SSL.

The Google Maps JavaScript API V2 and Google Maps API for Flash can be accessed over a secure (HTTPS) connection by Google Maps API for Business customers only. If these Maps APIs are used with a free Maps API key on a secure site, the browser may warn the user about non-secure objects on the screen.

Google Maps JavaScript API v3

The Google Maps Javascript API lets you embed Google Maps in your own web pages. Version 3 of this API is especially designed to be faster and more applicable to mobile devices, as well as traditional desktop browser applications.

The API provides a number of utilities for manipulating maps (just like on the http://maps.google.com web page) and adding content to the map through a variety of services, allowing you to create robust maps applications on your website.

The JavaScript Maps API V3 is a free service, available for any web site that is free to consumers. Please see the terms of use for more information.

Basic Map Types

There are many types of maps available within the Google Maps API. In addition to the familiar "painted" road map tiles, the Google Maps API also supports other maps types.

The following map types are available in the Google Maps API:

· MapTypeId.ROADMAP displays the default road map view

· MapTypeId.SATELLITE displays Google Earth satellite images

· MapTypeId.HYBRID displays a mixture of normal and satellite views

· MapTypeId.TERRAIN displays a physical map based on terrain information.

You modify the map type in use by the Map by setting its mapTypeId property, either within the constructor via setting its Map options object, or by calling the map'ssetMapTypeId() method.

Layers Overview

Layers are objects on the map that consist of one or more separate items, but are manipulated as a single unit. Layers generally reflect collections of objects that you add on top of the map to designate a common association. The Maps API manages the presentation of objects within layers by rendering their constituent items into one object (typically a tile overlay) and displaying them as the map's viewport changes. Layers may also alter the presentation layer of the map itself, slightly altering the base tiles in a fashion consistent with the layer. Note that most layers, by design, may not be accessed via their individual objects, but may only be manipulated as a unit.

To add a layer to a map, you only need to call setMap(), passing it the map object on which to display the layer. Similarly, to hide a layer, call setMap(), passing null.

The Maps API has several types of layers:

· KmlLayer objects render KML and GeoRSS elements into a Maps API V3 tile overlay.

· HeatmapLayer objects renders geographic data using a Heatmap visualization.

· FusionTablesLayer objects render data contained in Google Fusion Tables.

· The TrafficLayer object renders a layer depicting traffic conditions and overlays representing traffic.

· The TransitLayer object displays the public transport network of your city on the map.

· The WeatherLayer and CloudLayer objects allow you to add weather forecasts and cloud imagery to your map.

· The BicyclingLayer object renders a layer of bike paths and/or bicycle-specific overlays into a common layer. This layer is returned by default within theDirectionsRenderer when requesting directions of travel mode BICYCLING.

· The PanoramioLayer object adds photos from Panoramio as a layer.

· The DemographicsLayer object renders United States demographic information as a layer, and is available to Google Maps API for Business customers only. It is contained within the visualization library.

These layers are described below. The Demographics layer is documented in the Demographics Layer chapter of the Google Maps API for Business documentation.

Controls Overview

The maps displayed through the Google Maps API contain UI elements to allow user interaction with the map. These elements are known as controls and you can include variations of these controls in your Google Maps API application. Alternatively, you can do nothing and let the Google Maps API handle all control behavior.

The Maps API comes with a handful of built-in controls you can use in your maps:

· The Zoom control displays a slider (for large maps) or small "+/-" buttons (for small maps) to control the zoom level of the map. This control appears by default in the top left corner of the map on non-touch devices or in the bottom left corner on touch devices.

· The Pan control displays buttons for panning the map. This control appears by default in the top left corner of the map on non-touch devices. The Pan control also allows you to rotate 45° imagery, if available.

· The Scale control displays a map scale element. This control is not enabled by default.

· The MapType control lets the user toggle between map types (such as ROADMAP and SATELLITE). This control appears by default in the top right corner of the map.

· The Street View control contains a Pegman icon which can be dragged onto the map to enable Street View. This control appears by default in the top left corner of the map.

· The Rotate control contains a small circular icon which allows you to rotate maps containing oblique imagery. This control appears by default in the top left corner of the map. (See 45° Imagery for more information.)

· The Overview Map control displays a thumbnail overview map reflecting the current map viewport within a wider area. This control appears by default in the bottom right corner of the map, and is by default shown in its collapsed state.

Note: the previously existing Navigation control has been deprecated and divided into separate Zoom and Pan controls.

You don't access or modify these map controls directly. Instead, you modify the map's MapOptions fields which affect the visibility and presentation of controls. You can adjust control presentation upon instantiating your map (with appropriate MapOptions) or modify a map dynamically by calling setOptions() to change the map's options.

Services

Directions Service

You can calculate directions (using a variety of methods of transportation) by using the DirectionsService object. This object communicates with the Google Maps API Directions Service which receives direction requests and returns computed results. You may either handle these directions results yourself or use the DirectionsRendererobject to render these results.

Directions may specify origins and destinations either as text strings (e.g. "Chicago, IL" or "Darwin, NSW, Australia") or as LatLng values. The Directions service can return multi-part directions using a series of waypoints. Directions are displayed as a polyline drawing the route on a map, or additionally as a series of textual description within a

element (e.g. "Turn right onto the Williamsburg Bridge ramp").

Distance Matrix Service

Google's Distance Matrix service computes travel distance and journey duration between multiple origins and destinations using a given mode of travel.

This service does not return detailed route information. Route information, including polylines and textual directions, can be obtained by passing the desired single origin and destination to the Directions Service.

Elevation Service

The Elevation service provides elevation data for locations on the surface of the earth, including depth locations on the ocean floor (which return negative values). In those cases where Google does not possess exact elevation measurements at the precise location you request, the service will interpolate and return an averaged value using the four nearest locations.

The ElevationService object provides you with a simple interface to query locations on the earth for elevation data. Additionally, you may request sampled elevation data along paths, allowing you to calculate the equidistant elevation changes along routes. The ElevationService object communicates with the Google Maps API Elevation Service which receives elevation requests and returns elevation data.

Note that these requests are rate-limited to discourage abuse of the service. If instead you wish to calculate elevations for static, known locations, see the Elevation Web Servicedocumentation.

With the Elevation service, you can develop hiking and biking applications, mobile positioning applications, or low resolution surveying applications.

Geocoding Service

Geocoding is the process of converting addresses (like "1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA") into geographic coordinates (like latitude 37.423021 and longitude -122.083739), which you can use to place markers or position the map.

The Google Maps API provides a geocoder class for geocoding addresses dynamically from user input. These requests are rate-limited to discourage abuse of the service. If instead, you wish to geocode static, known addresses, see the Geocoding web service documentation.

Maximum Zoom Imagery Service

The Google Maps API provides map tiles at various zoom levels for map type imagery. Most roadmap imagery is available from zoom levels 0 to 18, for example. Satellite imagery varies more widely as this imagery is not generated, but directly photographed.

Because satellite imagery is not always available at high zoom levels for remote locations — sparsely populated areas or open ocean areas — you may want to know the highest zoom level for imagery at a given location beforehand. The MaxZoomService object provides a simple interface for discovering the maximum zoom level at a given location for which Google Maps has satellite imagery.

Street View Service

Google Street View provides panoramic 360 degree views from designated roads throughout its coverage area. Street View's API coverage is the same as that for the Google Maps application (http://maps.google.com/). The list of currently supported cities for Street View is available at the Google Maps Help Center.

The Google Maps Javascript API provides a Street View service for obtaining and manipulating the imagery used in Google Maps Street View. Unlike in the V2 API, the Street View service in the Maps Javascript API V3 is supported natively within the browser.

Libraries

The JavaScript code for the Maps API is loaded via a bootstrap URL of the form http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js. This bootstrap request loads all of the main Javascript objects and symbols for use in the Maps API. Some Maps API features are also available in self-contained libraries which are not loaded unless you specifically request them. Breaking up supplemental components into libraries allows the main API to load (and parse) quickly; you only incur the additional overhead of loading and parsing libraries if you need them.

You specify additional libraries to load within the bootstrap request by specifying a libraries parameter, passing that parameter the name of the library or libraries. Multiple libraries may be specified as a comma-separated list. Once loaded, libraries are accessed via the google.maps.libraryName namespace.

The following libraries are currently available:

· adsense allows your Maps API application to include context-sensitive text ads, allowing you to share in ad revenue for ads shown to your users. Consult the AdSense library documentation for more information.

· drawing provides a graphical interface for users to draw polygons, rectangles, polylines, circles, and markers on the map. Consult the Drawing library documentation for more information.

· geometry includes utility functions for calculating scalar geometric values (such as distance and area) on the the surface of the earth. Consult the Geometry library documentation for more information.

· panoramio contains functionality for adding Panoramio photo layers to your Maps API application. Consult the Panoramio Layers documentation for more information.

· places enables your application to search for Places such as establishments, geographic locations, or prominent points of interest, within a defined area. Please read thePlaces library documentation for more information.

· visualization provides visual representations of heatmap data, and demographic information for the United States. For more information on heatmaps, see the Heatmap Documentation. For more information on the Demographics Layer, consult the Demographics Layer documentation in the Maps for Business guide.

· weather contains functionality for adding weather forecasts and cloud imagery to your map. Consult the Weather Layer documentation for more information.

ArcGIS Online task server and services updated recently

2012-06-26T23:34:00.000-07:00

The ArcGIS Online team recently updated the task server (tasks.arcgisonline.com) to use ArcGIS 10, Service Pack 4, and the geosearch and routing services were updated with performance improvements and more recent data.

The World Places Locator (ESRI_Places_World) was updated with March 2012 GeoNames Data.

The routing services now use NAVTEQ Q3 2011 reference data:

European Routing (ESRI_Route_EU)
North American Routing(ESRI_Route_NA)

The following geosearch services now use NAVTEQ Q3 2011 reference data:

European Address Locator (TA_Address_EU)
North American Address Locator (TA_Address_NA_10)
United States Street Locator (TA_Streets_US_10)
North American Address Locator (9.3 style)(TA_Address_NA)
United States Street Locator (9.3 style)(TA_Streets_US)

GUI for Geodatabase Administration with ArcGIS for Desktop

2012-06-26T23:28:00.001-07:00

One of the most requested features on the ArcGIS Ideas page is to have a GUI for common administration tasks. This has been on our minds for a while as well and the geodatabase team has focused their efforts with the 10.1 release to produce one. So that you can apply your time more effectively, we’ve simplified and consolidated many routine and essential administrative tasks into a tasty new GUI called the Geodatabase Administration dialog.

Here’s what it looks like:

What do you get with this awesome amalgamation of administration?

A lot Lenny, check it out:

Simplified management of versions

View all versions in the geodatabase in a list, as a version tree, or in recommended reconcile order
Filter and sort versions by name, owner, and date modified
Easily view and change version properties such as name, description and access privileges
Just right click to create, delete, and reconcile versions
Simple management of historical versions and their properties
Launch the new reconcile versions tool and batch reconcile many or all versions at once

View all locks in the geodatabase

See what objects are locked in the geodatabase
Filter by object type, lock type, and lock owner
Administrators can disconnect users holding locks

Manage user connections (administrator only)

See all users connected to the geodatabase
Disconnect a user connected through a direct connect or application server connection

Not bad eh? Be careful though, along with these great features comes an omniscient sense of power and control. GUI wisely.

You can learn more about the Geodatabase Administration dialog and other helpful administration tools in the help topic A quick tour of administering ArcSDE geodatabases with ArcGIS for Desktop.

Video – Geodatabase Administration: Managing Versions

ArcGIS 3.0 for Flex Released

2012-06-25T23:21:00.002-07:00

Version 3.0 of both the ArcGIS API for Flex and ArcGIS Viewer for Flex was released on Wednesday, June 13.

The release of ArcGIS 10.1 provides many new enhancements that will make delivering engaging and powerful web applications easier than ever. The Flex Team is very excited to deliver these new capabilities to our Flex users with version 3.0. We think you’ll be very inspired to get started integrating this new functionality. Here are few of the key new features covered in this blog:

Share your widgets with the Flex community
Bring your services and data to life with new dynamic capabilities
Deliver content through new ArcGIS Online and Portal Integration
System Requirements for Version 3.0
Mobile Application Developers
What’s new in ArcGIS API 3.0 for Flex
What’s new in ArcGIS Viewer 3.0 for Flex Continue reading →

Modern Web Browsers

2012-06-25T01:40:00.001-07:00

The Myths of Modern Web Browsers, and the Real Problem with IE

Browser Logos from Paul Irish

In a recent project that I’ve been working on I was able to reach a new level of frustration and aggravation with Internet Explorer. Any front-end developer with more than a week of experience could tell you horror stories about Internet Explorer and how wonderful it is to develop in ‘modern browsers’. We mistakenly clump Chrome, FireFox, Opera, and Safari under one inaccurate label, and not bother with a label for the versions of Internet Explorer. We need to correct our way of thinking about the differences between these browsers by looking atwhy they’re different. And if we consider the real reason that they’re different, we can fix the real problem with Internet Explorer.

Modernity is a Myth

Nothing you buy is the ‘best’. You’ll never buy the best smart phone, because there’s always a better one in development. Your computer with a one-terabyte hard drive is out-of-date when it gets to your house, because the 2TB hard drive was already in development. Computers evolve too fast for consumers to ever keep up. The best we can do is fall behind at a graceful pace.

Software is no exception at all. On a daily basis my iPod Touch has new application updates of some sort, either for the apps themselves or for the OS. It’s downright frustrating that something like iTunes on my Mac has to get updated every few weeks, but what choice do I really have? If I choose not to update or upgrade, I force myself to live with bugs or to be deprived of features.

The Principles of Upgrades:

Application changes are as drastic as the operating system (OS) will allow and as frequent as the market demands.
The OS changes are as mild as the market will allow, but as frequent as the hardware will permit.
The hardware changes are as drastic and as frequent as the market demands.

So we have a problem. An application can change as much as is technically possible within the limits of an OS. But the bounds of change within the OS are user-based. The market demands a usable OS first, and then demands that those changes are to the upper limits of the hardware. We want quantum computing, but first we want an OS that keeps our computer safe and stable. We’ll always demand a stable operating system before a fast one. 4GB of RAM in Windows XP is better than 8 in Vista.

This little economics lesson is important because it means that we can never be “modern”. We can only be close to it. So, if we acknowledge that modernity is out of reach, we can move on.

New geoprocessing tools for LAS datasets

2012-06-24T23:32:00.002-07:00

A large effort was put into creating several new tools and reorganizing existing ones into more logical groupings within the 3D Analyst toolbox. A full summary of the toolset changes can be found listed inside What’s new in the 3D Analyst toolbox.

New geoprocessing tools for LAS datasets with flexible licensing requirement levels

Although most tools for working with LAS datasets new at 10.1 require the 3D Analyst extension, some are licensed a little differently to allow more flexibility. The tools located inside the 3D Analyst toolbox require 3D Analyst. The tools located in core toolboxes work if you have one of these three options: 3D Analyst, Spatial Analyst, or ArcGIS Standard.

The 3D Analyst toolbox includes the following LAS tools, all of which require the 3D Analyst extension:

LAS Dataset To TIN
Change LAS Class Code
Set LAS Class Code Using Features

The core Conversion toolbox includes the following LAS tools which have more flexible licensing requirements:

LAS Dataset To Raster
LAS Point Statistics As Raster

The core Data Management toolbox includes the following LAS tools which have more flexible licensing requirements:

Add Files To LAS Dataset
Create LAS Dataset
LAS Dataset Statistics
Remove Files from LAS Dataset

Additional new tools introduced at 10.1:

Buffer 3D
Creates a 3D buffer around point or line features.
Enclose Multipatch
Creates closed multipatch features in the output feature class using the features of the input multipatch.
Intersect 3D Line With Surface
Computes a geometric intersection of input 3D line features and one or more surfaces to return the intersection as segmented line features and points.
Stack Profile
Creates a table and optional graph denoting the profile of line features over one or more multipatch, raster, TIN, or terrain surfaces.
Sun Shadow Volume
Creates a model of the shadows cast by the sun for each input feature on a given date and time.

Several other geoprocessing tools were enhanced overall for 3D Analyst in10.1. Please have a look in the detailed ‘What’s new in ArcGIS 3D Analyst 10.1′ overview.

Other 3D Analyst enhancements

There are several usability improvements incorporated to the overall 3D Analyst functionality.

Visualization

Improved level of detail for BING map layer consumed from ArcGIS Online
Scalability—the undo/redo edit stack for 3D editing is more reliable
Interactive 3D Selection capabilities in ArcGlobe and ArcScene
More alerts (pop-up messages) to appear and inform when ArcGlobe or ArcScene needs to take an action as a result from the current situation.

Analysis

Area of Interest tool
You can now interactively reduce the extent of your 3D view in ArcScene by creating an area of interest box. This greatly improves performance and targets specific work areas. All features that are completely outside of the box will discontinue to be rendered until the extent is reset.
Shadow Analysis
The user experience for creating and analyzing feature shadows has been greatly enhanced. With one tool, the Feature Shadow Volume tool, it allows you to create shadow volumes for 3D features such as buildings.
Grading Tool
The TIN Editing toolbar has a newly added interactive tool to the drop-down menu. Grade From Centerline is used to modify the TIN surface based on grading parameters applied to a selected linear feature. This is useful for adding roads and berm-like features to your TIN surface.
Profile Graph
This tool has been enhanced to support a default graph template. This means that there are preset design options for how you want the graph to be displayed

Is Apple taking on Google search with a more powerful Siri?

2012-06-24T23:29:00.003-07:00

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Yelp and a handful of other major consumer content sites, including movie reviewer Rotten Tomatoes and restaurant reservation service OpenTable, will be helping to power Apple's Siri, the voice-activated iPhone personal assistant, in the new mobile operating system iOS6. Getty Images

By Poornima Gupta/Reuters

San Fransisco: When Apple Inc sends out its coveted invitations to major events, one CEO has always been making the guest list of late: Jeremy Stoppelman.

The co-founder and chief executive officer of consumer review website Yelp Inc has never taken the stage at these gatherings, but his company has become an important weapon in Apple’s arsenal as it steps up its assault on ally-turned-rival Google Inc .

Yelp and a handful of other major consumer content sites, including movie reviewer Rotten Tomatoes and restaurant reservation service OpenTable, will be helping to power Apple’s Siri, the voice-activated iPhone personal assistant, in the new mobile operating system iOS6.

Windows Phone 8 to be launched by Samsung and HTC

2012-06-24T23:26:00.000-07:00

Major manufacturers including Nokia, Samsung, HTC and Huawei will support the Windows Phone 8, the new operating system coming from Microsoft in the autumn.

Windows 8.

By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor

Unveiled at Microsoft’s Windows Phone Summit in San Francisco, Windows Phone 8 will accompany the main PC and tablet operating system Windows Phone when it launches in October.

The support from a range of device manufacturers including HTC and Samsung will reassure app developers who had been fuelling the growth of Google’s Android and Apple's iOS at the expense of Windows Phone.

But it will present a further challenge to troubled BlackBerry because a host of the new features for Windows Phone 8 aim squarely at the corporate market. Nokia and Huawei will also be among the companies that help to launch Windows Phone 8 in 180 countries.

New features include security based on the same model as full desktop software because Windows Phone and Windows will share the same core ‘kernel’, as well as improved support for corporate email and integration with Microsoft’s suite of Office products. The Windows maker hopes that these will appeal to IT buyers previously keen on BlackBerry's platform.

The changes will also mean that developers will be able to write programmes once, but see them run on Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and Xbox. Microsoft hopes that support for three screen resolutions will allow it to simultaneously make progress in the battle for users living rooms, laptops, tablets and phones.

videos walk you through ArcGIS 10.1 for Server

2012-06-20T23:22:00.002-07:00

The ArcGIS for Server development team has created a series of step-by-step videos to introduce you to version 10.1. These brief walkthroughs cover the basic tasks needed to install, configure, and administer an ArcGIS Server site. A few minutes exploring these videos can go a long way toward simplifying your transition to 10.1.

Installing ArcGIS 10.1 for Server on Windows

Creating an ArcGIS Server site

Installing the ArcGIS Web Adaptor

Continue reading →

Raster Products in ArcGIS 10.1

2012-06-20T23:20:00.003-07:00

By: Simon Woo, Product Engineer, Esri

At ArcGIS 10.1, we introduce a new concept called a raster product. A raster product is a new and easier way to handle specific vendor data. Most vendor products are distributed with each band as its own file. This meant that you had to process the data before you could use it as one raster dataset.

Continue reading →

New versions of ArcGIS for iOS, Android and Windows Phone released!

2012-06-20T23:18:00.001-07:00

The latest ArcGIS Online update brings a host of new functionality and possibilities to both cloud and mobile GIS. To leverage that functionality in the mobile world ArcGIS for iOS, Android and Windows Phone apps have been updated to support the latest ArcGIS Online functionality.

ArcGIS for Windows Mobile 3.0 Released!

2012-06-20T23:17:00.001-07:00

ArcGIS for Windows Mobile 3.0 is now available for download from the Customer Care site.

With a new name and a new version number, ArcGIS for Windows Mobile 3.0 includes significant enhancements and improvements to the user experience, architecture and deployment of mobile solutions.

Here are a just a few highlights of 3.0… Continue reading →

Version 3.0 of the ArcGIS API for Silverlight now available!

2012-06-20T23:16:00.001-07:00

After nearly a year of development, and numerous beta releases, version 3.0 of the award winning ArcGIS API for Silverlight is now available for download. Here are a few highlights of what’s new in 3.0:

Both Silverlight 4 and 5 are supported. Two sets of assemblies are included with the API to provide the best experience for the Silverlight platform of your choice.
Both the Standard and Showcase Silverlight project templates are included for use with Visual Studio 2010 SP1, Visual Web Developer 2010 Express SP1, Expression Blend 4, and Expression Blend Preview for Silverlight 5.
Support for new ArcGIS Server 10.1 services and capabilities: Continue reading →