GPS World

Tag: Esri

  • Trimble Expands Its Positions Software to Streamline Esri Workflows for Mapping and GIS Applications

    Trimble introduced today the Trimble Positions Mobile extension — a new streamlined choice for integrating Trimble’s GNSS professional field solutions and data verification into the Esri ArcGIS for Windows Mobile environment.

    The Trimble Positions software was first introduced as a development kit to Trimble’s GIS developer community in late 2011. Today, the software suite has expanded to provide a streamlined option for users who wish to work directly with Esri’s ArcGIS for Windows Mobile technology.

    “Now, common Trimble and Esri users have a streamlined workflow between their Trimble devices and the Esri mobile software environment,” said Daniel Wallace, general manager of Trimble’s GIS Data Collection Division. “Because all data is verified and validated before it reaches Esri’s Enterprise GIS, each update adds value, making the geodatabase more reliable and more useful.”

    Using Trimble GNSS receivers, field workers can collect reliable GNSS data for all feature geometries while leveraging the high performance features of Trimble handhelds such as Trimble Floodlight for better productivity in tough GNSS environments. Data can be automatically posted to the enterprise server from the field where Trimble Positions Desktop add-in is used to process and validate the data coming in from field crews. Office administrators can easily check for new sessions, differentially correct the data, and verify that the data meets accuracy requirements before updating the enterprise database at the touch of button, Trimble said.

    This release adds real time and postprocessed corrections support for Trimble’s market-leading GNSS receivers, including the Trimble GeoExplorer, Juno, Nomad and Pro series receivers and is available to order now through authorized Trimble Mapping and GIS resellers. For more information, visit www.trimble.com/positions.

  • Esri Acquires Location Analytics Developer GeoIQ

    Esri announced that GeoIQ, a small geo-location company based in Arlington, Virginia, will be joining their organization. The addition of GeoIQ’s team will strengthen Esri’s capabilities in the areas of user experience design, web development and cloud-based applications.

    "We are excited to join the Esri family, integrating our technology and extending the Esri platform,” says Sean Gorman, founder of GeoIQ.  “Esri’s approach to ‘GIS for Everyone’ is transformational in the industry and is very closely aligned with GeoIQ’s vision, so we are extremely excited about working together.” 

    “We believe this will help us supplement our capabilities in delivering simple geospatial solutions for our customers around the world as well as the rapidly growing web developer and content delivery communities,” said Jack Dangermond, president, Esri.

    According to the announcement, GeoIQ staff will join Esri at a new software development center located in Washington, D.C. and extend the ArcGIS platform with special emphasis on federal government clients in the areas of self-service mapping, analytics, big data, content streaming and social media. This center will also support web developers that are focusing on geo-enabling their web solutions with Esri’s geospatial platform. Existing GeoIQ users will continue to be supported. 

  • Esri Releases ArcGIS for Windows Mobile 3.0

    Esri announced the release of ArcGIS for Windows Mobile 3.0 and its availability for download from the Esri Customer Care site.

    According to the announcement, 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:
     
    Creating and Managing Field Projects
     
    • Simplified Project Management – with the 3.0 release you can include mobile caches, basemaps and project extensions inside the mobile projects you create. So all you need to do is pull or push the project to your device and it will unpack and manage the offline data content as well as any and all extensions.
    • Project and Service Validation – the Mobile Project Center includes a validation framework that will ensure the integrity of your field projects by detecting, notifying and recommending changes before you publish out to your field workers.
    • Qualify Map Layers for Synchronization – 3.0 simplifies the way you synchronize changes between the client and server. You can fully qualify the behavior of map layers inside of the project so your field workers need not worry about the details of synchronizing edits/changes.

    Using the ArcGIS Application (Windows Mobile)

    • GPS – the integration and use of GPS has improved considerably. First time install walks you through a process of configuring GPS for use with your device, now you can view GPS position info on top of the map using the GPS info bar, navigate to a feature using a GPS compass, auto-populate GPS information when creating new features, and create new features using a simplified collection process (single shot GPS collection).
    • Attachments – now you can attach media to your features. Using Geodatabase Attachments you can capture many photos per feature and you can attach other media types to features that are both editable and read-only (pdfs, docs, videos, etc). Attachments are fully supported for offline use on your device and special consideration is taken during the synchronization process as well.
    • Feature Editing – now you can update the location of existing features and in a field-savvy way! Explore new workflows for data capture/editing with the ability to extend a line or replace the portion of a feature using GPS.
    • Auto-populate and user identity – with 3.0 you can greatly simplify the collection of attributes by automatically populating values such as GPS information, the user identity and date/time of capture, and more.
    According to the ArcGIS Resource Center Blog, ArcGIS for Windows Mobile 3.0 is a really big release and there is a lot to discuss. Look for more articles on focused enhancements, workflow improvements and more coming soon. For a list of what is new, check out the documentation available on the Resource Center.

  • Esri Releases ArcGIS Online for Organizations

    Esri officially released ArcGIS Online for organizations, a groundbreaking service that offers expanded collaboration tools for cataloging, visualizing, and sharing geospatial information.

    "ArcGIS Online is a new cloud-based mapping system for organizations that is essentially changing how GIS managers, as well as IT managers, think about mapping and GIS," said Jack Dangermond, president, Esri. "ArcGIS Online works with all types of data and is built on a powerful enterprise mapping platform that lets users simply manage their geospatial content, such as data, maps, images, applications, and other geographic information."

    According to the announcement, early adopters of ArcGIS Online have realized immediate benefits from extending their existing geographic information to reach more people across the enterprise and the public. The system supports better collaboration among teams and departments by allowing data to be easily integrated and shared. ArcGIS Online provides on-demand, self-serve mapping and is closely integrated with Excel for making maps from spreadsheet data commonly accessible. ArcGIS Online provides new insights and opportunities for organizations to visualize their information spatially and quickly turn these visualizations into web services that can be shared anywhere. Organizations can mash up map services coming from a variety of sources and configure an array of ready-to-use applications that can be embedded and run in browsers and on mobile devices.

    Through the purchase of an annual subscription, an organization can obtain a private and secure instance in Esri's cloud that's scalable and ready to use. No additional hardware or software has to be purchased or installed. An organization has access to tools for mapping and location analytics, global basemaps and imagery, demographic information, a library of templates, and applications for browsers and mobile devices.

    Users can catalog and discover maps and applications, set up groups to collaborate, and share items with each other, the entire organization, or publicly. For example, without any programming, any user that's part of an ArcGIS Online subscription can quickly share maps by embedding them in a website or blog, through social media, or using a preconfigured web application template.

    Because ArcGIS Online is integrated with ArcGIS for Desktop and ArcGIS for Server, maps created by GIS professionals can now be made accessible to others in the organization using the same system. Everyone in the organization can view and interact with these maps via a browser, smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device.

    Registering ArcGIS for Server services in ArcGIS Online only takes a few steps and puts them into the hands of those who need this information to get their work done. In addition, non-GIS professionals, such as knowledge workers who have a need for GIS, now have a way to quickly create maps from the unstructured information they work with in spreadsheets and text files and share these maps with others who can access them on any device.

    This type of on-demand and self-serve mapping frees up GIS professionals from having to respond to constant requests for maps and instead concentrate on making and publishing authoritative information products. An ArcGIS Online subscription also includes access to an API that developers in the organization can use to extend the system or integrate a custom solution with the ArcGIS system.

    A flexible, annual subscription plan structured to accommodate different sizes of organizations or departments is available—from small workgroups to an enterprise-wide implementation. What plan to purchase depends on the size of an organization and the online resources it plans to consume. You can purchase separate subscriptions for each department or one large subscription for the entire organization.

    The subscription plans start as small as 5 users and 2,500 service credits all the way to a multidepartment plan with 1,000 users and 110,000 service credits or even larger for enterprise plans. Regardless of which plan your organization chooses, more users and service credits can be added to the plan at any time.

    Service credits are the currency of the ArcGIS Online system. Each service credit entitles your organization to consume a set amount of ArcGIS Online services, such as storing features or tiled map services and geocoding. Providing a pool of credits gives your organization flexibility to use the system to fit your organizational workflows and other needs. Organizations that have an existing enterprise license agreement (ELA) with Esri receive an ArcGIS Online subscription as part of their agreement with a certain number of service credits allocated and unlimited users.

    There are three roles in ArcGIS Online: administrators, publishers, and users. Administrators of the ArcGIS Online subscription have the ability to publish and use content and also monitor service consumption through a dashboard. If the dashboard indicates that the service credits are at a low level, more credits can be purchased either online or by contacting Esri. Administrators also have the ability to invite and add users, remove users, assign user roles, delete content and groups, and set and manage the security policy.

    Administrators also have the ability to customize an organization's ArcGIS Online home page to represent the organization's brand and identity. Customization options include adding a logo and banner, creating a custom URL, and featuring maps and applications important to the organization.

    Publishers do not have administrative privileges but can publish content and use content published by others. Users can interact with and consume content but not publish it. It is important to note that organizations retain all the rights and title to, and interest in, any content they publish in ArcGIS Online.

    For organizations that didn't have the opportunity to participate in the ArcGIS Online beta program or be part of the early adopters program, a 30-day evaluation is available. To get more details about ArcGIS Online and sign up for the free 30-day trial, visit esri.com/agol.

  • Gakstatter to Give GNSS Technology Update at Esri Conference

    Eric Gakstatter, GPS World’s contributing editor for Survey/GIS, will speak at the 2012 Esri International User Conference, which will be held July 23-27 in San Diego, California.

    In his “GPS/GNSS Technology Update,” Gakstatter will provide a discussion on how current and upcoming satellite systems affect the user. The talk will be held in Room 31B at 10:15-11:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 26. Here is the official description:

    ArcGIS Mobile users around the world are challenged to keep current with evolving satellite systems. There are new GPS satellites being launched with new GPS signals being broadcast (L5). The Russian GLONASS system is near operational and Europe has launched its first two Galileo satellites. Not only are the satellite systems changing but also GPS augmentation systems such as WAAS, DGPS, EGNOS, MSAS and GAGAN systems. ArcGIS Mobile users take advantage of these GPS/GNSS augmentation systems and should be aware of how they are evolving. The LightSquared controversy is still a major threat to GPS/GNSS users. How might that affect the future of GPS/GNSS mapping/surveying? How do these changes affect spatial data collection and navigation services within ArcGIS Mobile? Which factors should one consider when using these different satellite systems. What are the current trends and developments that one should consider when preparing GPS/GNSS mapping hardware budgets?

    To learn more about the conference, read about it in our Events section here.

  • TerraGo Releases Publisher for ArcGIS v.6

    TerraGo announced the release of Publisher for ArcGIS v.6,  the latest version of TerraGo geospatial collaboration software allows the Esri community to produce TerraGo GeoPDF maps and imagery for users to collaborate without the need for sophisticated GIS tools or training.

     

    According to the announcement, TerraGo Publisher for ArcGIS provides unprecedented collaboration capabilities by enabling Esri users to extend, exchange and exploit their enterprise geospatial assets by producing highly portable, intelligent and interactive TerraGo GeoPDF maps and imagery. Mobile and field workers can use GeoPDF maps and imagery to easily access, update and share mission-critical geospatial intelligence whether in connected or offline environments.

    Version 6 Publisher for ArcGIS provides advanced GeoPDF map and imagery production and collaboration capabilities that empower users to:

    • Produce GeoPDF applications that are automatically enabled to allow anyone, anywhere using the no-cost v.6 TerraGo Toolbar with Adobe Reader to update and share maps and imagery with georeferenced audio, video, notes, geoforms, and Web services;
    • Support automated GeoPDF map production using Esri data-driven pages;
    • Export feature layers and attributes into TerraGo GeoPDF maps to allow markup and editing in TerraGo Toolbar and Adobe Reader.

    Detailed product information about TerraGo Publisher, Composer and Toolbar v.6 software is available at: http://www.terragotech.com/products/overview

  • Esri Releases Free Business Analyst Online Mobile App for Android Smartphones

    Esri announced the release of a free Business Analyst Android app for retail and commercial real estate professionals, allowing them to access demographic data anywhere with the Esri Business Analyst Online (BAO) application. The application is designed for anyone who needs access to population and consumer marketing data on the go.

    According to the announcement, the BAO application enables users to access up-to-date facts on demographics, lifestyle, and consumer spending for any region in the United States. With it, users can compare any address with another or with the county, state, or United States and analyze an area within one mile of a prospective location. Unlike traditional market research, users can quickly compare and contrast regional information with the regional average and show that data to clients in the field. Reports created in the mobile BAO application can also be e-mailed to share with a broader audience. More extensive data, capabilities, and reports are available through the application with a subscription to the BAO web application.

    The BAO application is free and can be downloaded directly from Android Marketplace.

    To learn more, visit esri.com/BAOapp.

  • Arby’s Assesses Market Footprint with Esri Business Analyst

    Esri announced that Atlanta-based Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. has licensed Esri Business Analyst software and business data to help with corporate decision making. The second largest quick-service sandwich chain in the United States, Arby’s is using the location-based system to more accurately assess its restaurants and trade areas including growing, remodeling, and relocating restaurants.

     

    “Esri’s Business Analyst has saved our GIS analyst countless hours and has had a positive impact on the Business Development department,” said Dave Conklin, senior vice president, Business Development, at Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc..

    According to the announcement, Arby’s can now update the locations of its restaurants and business development activity on designated market area (DMA) maps, which describe the activity taking place in individual markets. These maps are readily accessible to users, including development teams working in the field, through the Arby’s intranet. Since the implementation, the teams are able to more easily and quickly monitor the business climate around each restaurant. This provides an opportunity for the organization to model different market scenarios to better serve its current customers and attract new ones.

    “We are pleased to provide a single-platform approach for managing and analyzing business data to Arby’s staff,” said Simon Thompson, director of global commercial industry, Esri. “With an enterprise system, Arby’s can scale to meet the changing business landscape with tools that make it competitive in the marketplace.”

  • Esri Announces ArcGIS for Android Now Available for Kindle Fire

    Esri announced that ArcGIS for Android is now available for Amazon’s popular Android tablet, the Kindle Fire. ArcGIS for Android, also available on iOS devices, Windows Phones, and other Android devices, lets users access, edit, and share maps. The free app can be downloaded directly from the Amazon Appstore for Android.

    According to the announcement, ArcGIS for Android is a native application that serves as a mobile gateway into the ArcGIS system. It provides an intuitive user experience for querying map layers and data. With it, users can quickly access their own maps and data authored in ArcGIS Online as well as collect and edit geographic data. ArcGIS for Android includes a Favorites feature that accesses popular maps quickly; a tool for measuring area and distance; and the ability to display data in popups that support images, charts, links, and more.

    Esri reports that ArcGIS for Android is built on Esri’s ArcGIS Runtime Software Development Kit (SDK). This SDK lets developers create custom spatially enabled applications for Kindle Fire and other Android devices and is designed to use web services available from ArcGIS Online. Apps built using the SDK can be deployed within the enterprise or to the public via the Amazon Appstore for Android and Google Play.
    To download the ArcGIS app, visit the Amazon Appstore for Android or directly from your Kindle Fire.

  • Esri Announces Technology Used to View How Climate Change Impacts African Populations

    Esri announced that the Strauss Center’s Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) program has implemented Esri technology to view how climate change impacts vulnerable populations in Africa. CCAPS created the dynamic mapping tool in partnership with AidData for use by researchers, policy makers, journalists, and citizens. Users can visualize any combination of CCAPS data on climate change, conflict, and aid on a map to discover how different forces overlap or intersect.

     

    “This mapping tool allows policy makers to analyze data from multiple sources at once, providing integrated analysis of the drivers and responses related to security risks stemming from climate change,” said Francis J. Gavin, director of the Strauss Center.

    According to the announcement, the tool is already being used in the country of Malawi for a solution that tracks and reports on the country’s external funding. Aid information is mapped along with data on climate change vulnerability and incidents of conflict. This sheds light on whether aid is effectively targeting regions where climate change or conflict poses the most significant risk to the sustainable development and political stability of the country.

    “Climate change poses an enormous threat to the livelihoods of millions of Africans,” said Jean-Louis Sarbib, CEO of Development Gateway. “The level of risk, however, is not evenly spread and certainly doesn’t respect national boundaries. To ask critical questions about how development assistance can reduce vulnerability, you need hyperlocal data on climate and also on aid-funded interventions. This is what the new CCAPS mapping tool shows in a digestible, interactive way.”

    Esri reported that by integrating CCAPS research on climate change, along with existing datasets such as topographic maps, imagery, and thematic information on conflicts, the CCAPS mapping tool aims to provide the most comprehensive view possible of climate change and security in Africa.

    “The great work of these organizations is a real game changer for the development community,” said Jack Dangermond, president of Esri. “Being able to create a tool that allows people to communicate with others all over the world using maps is powerful. I am impressed with the work being done and excited to see what they will think of next.”

  • Get It Surveyed: ESRI Surveying and Engineering GIS Summit

    I attended (and presented at) the 2010 ESRI Surveying and Engineering GIS Summit (SEGS) last week, as well as the ESRI International User Conference (UC). I’m telling you, if you’ve never been to the SEGS and UC, just treat yourself one time. Make a mini-vacation out of it. San Diego is a beautiful place to visit. The weather is always moderate with low humidity and warm temperature. It was a little cooler this year than years past, but still absolutely beautiful with tons of sigh-seeing. My wife has accompanied me for the past few years and she always enjoys herself and finds something new every year.

    I believe that if you just go just one time, your vision of surveying, engineering, construction and GIS will change forever. I know it sounds like an advertisement from ESRI, but I think my pitch is even better than theirs :-). Seriously though, there are so many people presenting so many different ideas, and they are all related to the kind of geographic data you work with on a regular basis.

    But, like anything else, it’s not all good. There are some drawbacks, so I’ve come up with my Good, Bad, Ugly list with respect to the conference. I think its pretty objective.

    The Good

    • The single largest gathering (13,000+) of GIS, surveyors and engineers in the world (although one could argue that Europe’s INTERGEO might be larger).
    • A pre-conference (SEGS) that is designed specifically to cater to the land surveying and engineering folks.
    • Ideas and technology are presented that you will not find anywhere else.
    • The opportunity to network and collaborate with a large number of peers that you will not find anywhere else.
    • In 2011, the national ACSM (American Congress on Surveying and Mapping) conference will be combined with the SEGS.
    • San Diego is a beautiful city with beautiful weather and lots to do within walking distance of the convention center.

    The Bad

    • Since it’s a vendor-specific conference, ESRI competitors such as Autodesk, Intergraph, etc., are not invited. In fact, if you tick them off, they might not invite you back next year.
    • A lot of time away from work during prime field season (July).
    • You could be overloaded if you aren’t prepared for the barrage of information and technology.

    The Ugly

    • The whole experience isn’t cheap. The conference registration is expensive and San Diego is an expensive place to visit.
    • The San Diego airport is horrible, but at least it’s a very short ride to the convention center.

    The Surveying and Engineering GIS Summit (SEGS) is held the weekend prior to the massive User Conference (13,000+ people).

    At the end of the SEGS on Sunday (July 11), ESRI and ACSM (American Congress on Surveying and Mapping) announced that next year ACSM will be combining its national conference with SEGS in San Diego. The attendance is expected to be ~1,200.

    I’ve heard rumblings about this for quite awhile. Here are my thoughts.

    The ACSM national conference is dying and needed to do something drastic. This year, it co-located with the GITA (Geospatial Infrastructure Technology Association) national conference in Phoenix, Arizona, back in April. I attended that conference, too. Even though I was disappointed in the lack of coordination between the ACSM and GITA technical programs in Phoenix, the technical content was very good. Attendance, on the other hand, was horrible. It wasn’t sustainable from a business standpoint.

    Because the annual ACSM conference was on a quick road to nowhere; it had to make a move to team up with another conference. Who?

    The GITA conference dissed ACSM (or maybe the other way around) and is flying solo next year in Dallas, Texas. I think the attendance at the GITA conference will be a disaster. They already have a GITA Oil & Gas conference in Houston.

    Another partner choice would be ASPRS, but for some reason, ACSM and ASPRS can’t figure out how to put something together even though the conferences were at the same time this year. Someone’s ego probably got bruised.

    Partner with Autodesk? No way. Autodesk is a $2 billion behemoth. They don’t need or have the time to deal with ACSM.

    That leaves the ESRI SEGS. Attendance-wise, the SEGS has been flat, or even lost ground. It needed a boost. Bringing in ACSM was a smart move, essentially increasing its attendance from 300 to 1,200. For ACSM, it wasn’t the ideal choice, but it was the only choice. It couldn’t afford another solo event in some off-beat city. The bottom line is that conferences need a healthy number of exhibitors and commercial sponsors in order to be financially viable. For companies to be interested there needs to be a healthy number of attendees. It’s a vicious circle. If attendance wanes, then exhibitors and commercial sponsors start to pull out.

    Even though there is some pretty good upside for ACSM and ACSM membership in combining the conferences, I think the general ACSM membership will suffer. The primary reason is because it’s stuck in San Diego for the next three years. The U.S. Mid-Westerners and U.S. East Coaster’s will hesitate to make the trip due to the distance and expense of the conference, especially with the poor U.S. economy. I think what you’ll see are the state association conferences becoming stronger as they have been in the last few years. I wish, somehow, that some of the energy and excitement from the ESRI conferences could make their way to the state conferences.

    I may sound wishy-washy, but in the final analysis, I think this is a good move. For ACSM, it was the only move and for ESRI, a feather in their cap. It’s interesting to note that even though it’s a three-year agreement, either can opt out annually.

    On to the technical part of the SEGS conference

    I blogged about the SEGS while I was in San Diego. Click here to view my summary.

    A few of points I’d like to quickly emphasize:

    Crowd-sourced data. There’s a lot of buzz about this, and rightfully so. SEGS keynote speaker Nancy von Meyer commented on crowd-sourced data and the challenge of “authenticating” it. Crowd-sourced, or third-part,y data is coming in a big way. You can choose to ignore it, but the smart people will take the time to understand it and use it when appropriate.

    On a related point, a Community Basemap initiative was announced at the ESRI UC Plenary. The idea is that you contribute to the “community basemap” and, in return, you receive a better basemap than you started with. Granted, you have the same “data authentication” issues as crowd-sourced data, but if you understand it, there is value.

    Imagery (e.g. ,satellite images, aerial photography). From following t
    he satellite imagery vendors, I’ve known that imagery is progressing. Its quality (pixel resolution) and availability is improving. But, I’ll admit that I was taken back a bit when Lawrie Jordan, founder of ERDAS (he later sold to Leica) said this is the most exciting time in his 40-year career in imagery. He said that in less than five years, every square inch of the Earth will be constantly imaged by satellites. Now, ground truth accuracy is another story…

    On Sunday, I made the keynote presentation during lunch. The title of my presentation was Get It Surveyed (GIS). The title was said tongue-in-cheek of course. There were many directions I could have gone, but I decided on three topics.

    1. A GIS isn’t driven by spatial data accuracy.
    2. GNSS technology in the next 10 years is going to advance significantly faster than the past 10 years.
    3. The land surveyor’s role in the next 10 years is going to change significantly more than the past 10 years.

    You may take offense to some of the details in #3, and I’m sure some of you did. I assure you, my intent was not to offend, but rather stimulate thought and consideration. Some comments I received after my presentation.

    “You said what I’ve wanted to say, but can’t because my RPLS colleagues would kill me” (heard a version this from several people, two of whom are very prominent in the RPLS community).

    “You are spot-on” (heard some version of this several times).

    “Don’t forget about those who specialize in boundary surveys.”

    “Your timeline of 10 years is too conservative; it will be more like five.”

    A criticism I heard (not directly, but through the grapevine), was from someone who was particularly incensed by my presentation. I’m sure there were several people with this attitude. No doubt these criticisms are in reference to my thesis about land surveyors’ practices evolving and/or my comment that most RPLS’s aren’t qualified to manage a GIS. The criticism doesn’t surprise me. I’d be surprised (and probably disappointed) if it didn’t evoke any. Change doesn’t come easy and some will choose to give up rather than change.

    No matter if you were at the live presentation or not, I’d love you hear your comments on it. You can download it by clicking here.

    Lastly, during the Q&A after my presentation, I was caught flat-footed with a question about GIS licensure. I sort of stumbled and then stated that the technology is moving too rapidly and the bureaucracy of licensure couldn’t keep up. It didn’t take long for me to realize, and others to point out, that it wasn’t a very intelligent answer. Several people approached me afterwards and were able to express their opinions more eloquently and clearly. For what it’s worth, not one of them was in favor of GIS licensure. I will dedicate another article to this subject.

    In closing, following are some photos I took at the SEGS. I hope you enjoy them.

    Interesting slide from ESRI’s Brent Jones showing the attendance breakdown at the SEGS

    Countries represented at the SEGS

    Panel Discussion lead by ACSM’s Curt Sumner (Nancy von Meyer – VP Fairview Industries, David Cowen – NGA Committee Member, Wayne Harrison – President NSPS)

     

    Thought-provoking slide from Brent Jones

    Another thought-provoking slide from Brent

    Opportunities for surveyors in GIS according to Brent Jones

     

    Thanks for reading, and see you next time.

    Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GPSGIS_Eric

  • Touched by a Multi-Touch World

    2009 ESRI Federal Users’ Conference – Washington DC

    By Art Kalinski, GISP

    The ESRI Federal User Conference, held February 18-20 this year, was a good forum for GIS practitioners and vendors to share new information — and to commiserate. Since the event took place in Washington, D.C., it was no surprise that the economy worked its way into most informal discussions.

    Many attendees that I talked with indicated mixed experiences: although some budgets are shrinking, putting certain projects on hold, the proposed massive federal spending on infrastructure bodes well for GIS usage. Overall, the prognosis was positive; the current economic situation promises a slight silver lining for GIS. The example of hardware stores doing well in a good economy, and even better in a poor economy, seems an appropriate analogy.

    Although there were no significant new “tools” in the “hardware store,” there were many refinements of existing software on display. ESRI and other spatial application builders continue the path toward integration, with GIS being a desktop, server, mobile device, or Web application.

    Both Google and Microsoft had expo booths demonstrating applications that integrate with ESRI products, bringing the best of both worlds together. The ESRI/Microsoft Silverlight integration of Virtual Earth was especially compelling. The result is GIS functionality in a much more graphically engaging environment. The big release of this integration will take place later this month, at the ESRI Developer Summit.

    What’s in Store for ArcGIS

    Dangermond and his staff demonstrated some of the new features and performance improvements in ArcGIS 9.3.1, which is planned for the second quarter of this year. They also discussed version 9.4, scheduled for release within a year.

    An especially interesting new capability that is currently available through the Web but will be part of version 9.4 is the Layer Package, which I’d describe as a GeoPDF “slice.” By that I mean that a user can create a map layer in ArcGIS and then export that layer as a complete package, including the data, the layer, and the symbology and cartography. So just as MAPublisher or GeoPDFs preserve the cartography, Layer Packages do the same, but for only one layer. This should be a great help to those that are cartographically challenged. Users will be able to e-mail the Layer Packages as well as publish them on CDs, or through ArcGIS Online for mash-up applications.

    Other aspects of version 9.4 include cartographic templates (another crutch for the cartographically challenged), CAD integration, better image integration, and 3D analytics to compete in the BIM world. There’s also something called “sketching” — a geographic design tool to display not what is, but what could or should be.

    The Magic Touch

    It looks like the multi-touch-screen environment will become commonplace, especially with the upcoming release of Windows 7. ESRI already has preliminary applications being tested for that environment. Is multi-touch just gee-whiz technology, or will it actually help people “raise the bar”? I don’t know; the jury is still out. I had the same uncertainty about oblique imagery, until I saw the significant positive impact it had on non-GIS professionals.

    DiamondTouch Table being operated by two users.
    DiamondTouch Table being operated by two users.

    One impressive device I saw in the expo that fits this new multi-touch environment was the DiamondTouch table from Circle Twelve. I’ve seen many similar devices, including the first-generation touch tables from Northrop Grumman, numerous other tables, touch-screen computers, a huge touch wall from Lockheed Martin, and even the iPhone. What separated the DiamondTouch table from most others was its price — it was in the $10,000 range, compared to the six-figure prices of earlier tables — and that it’s very intuitive.

    The DiamondTouch is able to keep track not only of multiple touches, but also multiple users. The upshot of that is that a group of people can gather around the table to collaborate on a project. Each member of the group can work on the table, which is able to distinguish the different users. But it doesn’t end there; these tables can be networked so the collaboration and identification of users can be maintained in remote locations. This would be a tremendous tool for emergency command centers, and since the operation is so intuitive, the technology could improve communication rather than interfere with it.

    Annotations are shown in different colors, depending on which user made them.
    Annotations are shown in different colors, depending on which user made them.

    Adam Bogue, the president of Circle Twelve, explained that the table was successful because of the ability to accommodate multiple users and because users had very fine and precise control when working on the table. The touch can be as precise as a mouse-click. Note the data in the picture below, which is normally not visible to the table’s users. It shows how precisely the table “sees” each user and interprets their inputs. Perception of the touches is very sensitive: a fine finger movement is interpreted differently from a fist or palm swipe.

    Touch, as the table sees it. Note the fine increments that define the touch.
    Touch, as the table sees it. Note the fine increments that define the touch.

    Bogue explained how a command center set up two tables, one horizontal and one vertical, as a visualization and collaboration tool. Ortho imagery was placed on the horizontal table, while oblique imagery was placed on the vertical. The ability to look down on the ortho and then up at the oblique felt very natural and speeded the perception of the common operational picture. Bogue also indicated that Circle Twelve’s software is designed to integrate with ArcGIS so multiple users could each create annotations, which are automatically saved as separate Shapefiles. He also indicated how useful the tables are for WebEx conferences. This is one of those technologies that is really quite helpful when done right, and Circle Twelve nailed it.

    Looking Forward — and Back

    Although there were more presentations than any one individual could attend due to the multiple tracks, this conference still seemed more digestible than ESRI’s annual mega-event: the International User Conference. There were only 3,000 attendees in D.C., compared to the 13,000 who will be in San Diego this summer. Despite the crowds, I will be there, and I’ll be sure to report on what I learn.

    One note from last month’s column on voxels: I was properly taken to the woodshed (or Bosun’s Locker, for us Navy people) by one of my readers last month regarding voxels. Robert Meyer of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, pointed my attention to a 1995 paper by Alvy Ray Smith titled, “A Pixel Is Not a Little Square! (And a Voxel Is Not a Little Cube)” The full screed can be downloaded from ftp://ftp.alvyray.com/Acrobat/6_Pixel.pdf.

    In his paper, Smith correctly states that although we display our data as little grid squares or phosphorous rectangles, these are representations of a sample point — and a point, as any GISP should know, is not a polygon. And by extension, a point is also not a cube. I feel chastised, but somewhat honored and relieved that I was corrected by no one less than a rocket scientist. Thank you, Robert — the beers are on me next time I’m in Southern California.