new jersey geographer » ArcGIS

ArcGIS: strong enough for Server, pH balanced for Desktop

John Reiser — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 03:31:54 +0000

James Fee pointed out how ArcGIS is undergoing minor rewording as part of the changes coming to the software at version 10.1.

Those were the good ol' days

One thing to note is that the ArcView license level is now Basic, while the ArcEditor level is Standard. While this brings ArcGIS (for) Desktop in line with the terminology used to describe current ArcGIS Server licensing (Basic, Standard, Advanced), something about ArcEditor being Standard strikes me odd. Perhaps it’s part of being in academia too long, but it seems like ArcEditor isn’t a big seller for ESRI. To me, those looking for the additional functionality over what is offered with ArcView would opt for ArcInfo, completely bypassing Editor. Also, we have (almost) always had ArcInfo licenses for the computer labs, while the Educational Time-out discs provided to students would have the ArcView level license. This two-level mentality must resonate with more people than just me. A recent change is that the last time I requested discs for ArcGIS 9 at the beginning of 2011, ESRI sent us 9.3 ArcEditor-level educational discs. And the ArcGIS 10 education discs I recently received are ArcInfo level. So is ArcView going to be phased out as the “entry-level” ArcGIS? And is ~~ArcEditor~~ ArcGIS for Desktop Standard going to see a decrease in price?

While I personally will miss the quirkiness of ESRI’s licensing terminology, I can see why it is being done. The progression of Basic, Standard, Advanced is clear while View, Editor, Info is not. Especially with the fact that some people are still using ArcView 3 (uninstall, already!) which is completely distinct from the ArcMap program in ArcGIS (for Desktop) 8.x and later.

What’s still unanswered for me is what happens to some of the other “ArcGIS” products. ArcPad? ArcGIS Explorer? ArcReader? They don’t get fancy new names?

© John Reiser for new jersey geographer, 2011. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: ArcGIS, ArcGIS Server, ArcPad, ESRI, James Fee, rebranding

Some thoughts on the ESRI DevSummit

John Reiser — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 03:29:16 +0000

I’m back from the sixth ESRI DevSummit. It was a great event full of informative sessions, socializing and networking. This was one of the first conferences in a while where I did not participate more than simply attending. The DevSummit is truly for devoted developers and while I do some development, it’s nowhere near what I could call full time. Many of the user presentations were incredible displays of GIS geekery and I’m still in awe with what some people are doing with the software.(...)
Read the rest of Some thoughts on the ESRI DevSummit on my blog.

© John Reiser for new jersey geographer, 2011. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: ArcGIS, Development, DevSummit, ESRI, GIS, mobile, Software

Repetitive tasks are what computers do best.

John Reiser — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 03:50:33 +0000

James Fee recently noted that 2011 will be the year of scripting GIS tasks using Python. I’d like to share a few thoughts I had while reading his writeup.

Back in 2003, when I was learning GIS using ArcGIS 8, I wanted to put together a map of lottery winners in New Jersey by ZIP code. (I’ve since recreated the map as a set of interactive web maps.) I wrote a quick and dirty script in Perl that hit the State Lottery’s website and downloaded the number of winners in each ZIP code. After I came out of “the zone” and watched the script work away, I thought, “why can’t I do that with ArcGIS?” I wasn’t going to manually type in each ZIP code and insert my findings into a table. Considering it was a “let’s see if I can do it” project, I would have likely lost interest before getting all of my data. I knew better than to go the data-entry route and wrote a script to do it for me. Repetitive, mindless tasks are what computers do best – I was able to have it gather data (tedious, but necessary) to allow me to make the maps (the fun part) in an afternoon. Being able to automate some of the tedious aspects of GIS would be a blessing.

(...)
Read the rest of Repetitive tasks are what computers do best. on my blog.

© John Reiser for new jersey geographer, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: AML, ArcGIS, Avenue, ESRI, python, scripting

ArcGIS available on the iPhone

John Reiser — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:34:04 +0000

ArcGIS on the iPhone

ESRI has released ArcGIS for iPhone. It’s now available through the App Store. It’s an iPad/iPhone app, so it should work well on both. I just tried it out on my iPhone, and it’s pretty snappy. The data loads quickly and the interface is clean. There are many layers already available through the app, such as OpenStreetMap.

I like the support for ArcGIS Server, as we will be able to provide our local data to iPhone users. I hope that a later revision will also support WMS, as there are many more free and useful WMS-based services out there than ArcGIS services. Greater support for GPS would be useful. ArcGIS for iPhone can locate you using the embedded GPS, but I don’t believe you can use the GPS to record features. I believe these features will come. James Fee points out that ESRI’s response to the UC FAQ regarding iOS support is positive, claiming that updates will feature editing and geoprocessing. As much as I prefer to edit on a big, widescreen monitor, it would be nice to update my data on the go.

If you have an iPhone or iPad, download it for free from the App Store and check it out.

© John Reiser for new jersey geographer, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: App Store, ArcGIS, ESRI, iPhone, OpenStreetMap

Projects featured on Rowan’s home page

John Reiser — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:59:37 +0000

I’m proud to say that I now have two articles written about my work that have been featured on the Rowan University home page.

Most recently, Mapping the Guard (still on the home page) was posted, detailing the great work performed by students for the New Jersey National Guard. I’m very pleased to be heading up this internship program, because I feel that the students leaving the program will be excellent candidates for GIS positions. The students are learning about SDSFIE and other data schema, how to edit data in a multi-user environment, and working with web-based GIS services.

Way back when I was still an adjunct, Mapping the Campus in Layers was written. It’s a good read, because now that I’m at the University full time, I’ve worked to put the pieces together so that we can do much more.

Check back within two weeks about one of the projects we’re working on now. It might not be front-page material, but I’m sure you’ll find it interesting.

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Post tags: ArcGIS, Internship, Mapping, Rowan University, SDSFIE, Web Mapping

Script: Geotagged Photos to GIS

John Reiser — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:49:33 +0000

One of the data deliverables to the NJ National Guard as part of our GIS Internship program is photo and video documentation of the state’s Readiness Centers. There’s even a SDSFIE (a somewhat complicated, cumbersome data schema) entity type specifically for the location where photographs were taken. (Aside: it’s not surprising that “photograph_location_point” is in SDSFIE, because it seems like everything is in SDSFIE.) We have some cameras that have integrated GPS, so we’ve used them for documenting the field work. The problem was, “how do we get geotagged photos into GIS?”

I think it’s somewhat ridiculous that ArcGIS Explorer has the ability to add geotagged photos to the map, but ArcGIS Desktop doesn’t have a built-in means of recognizing geotagged photos. ArcCatalog already examines JPGs it finds for additional information in the case that the JPG is a spatially-aware aerial photo or a rectified map. Even a tool for creating a feature class out of geotagged photos would be great.(...)
Read the rest of Script: Geotagged Photos to GIS on my blog.

© John Reiser for new jersey geographer, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: ArcGIS, geotagging, National Guard, python, scripting, SDSFIE

Google making Map Maker data available for download

John Reiser — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:58:31 +0000

Starting with Kenya, Google is allowing users to download the base data collected through the Map Maker service, as either KML or Shapefile format. Google’s licensing allows for only non-commercial use. Hopefully, this data will support some of the non-profit mapping efforts taking place on the continent. The license also restricts (or at least, severely limits) competition with services provided by Google. This puts OpenStreetMap in an odd position – OSM is restricted from incorporating the data into its own service. Considering OSM has been around since 2004 and Map Maker only 2008, and seeing how many people in over 100 countries have been offering Google data, OSM needs to better align (or contrast) itself with the work Google is doing. One of the reasons I believe Map Maker has gathered the amount of user-generated content in the past year is that Map Maker is incredibly easy to use and if you do run into issues, there is clear and concise help. This is compared to the OSM Beginner’s Guide. Now, I understand that OSM is geared towards a more technical audience than the Map Maker service, but OSM needs to spend more time fostering a community outside of the devoted submitters. What is going to prevent Google from offering up a GIS service akin to the Virtual Earth on ArcGIS platform currently being offered by ESRI and Microsoft? A service built on TA/Navteq data, enhanced with local knowledge? A service that is available now from OSM, but much easier to use? Providing base data for Kenya is just the beginning.

Mikel Maron has some more thoughts about OSM and Map Maker, as well as some comparison screenshots. (Via Mapperz)

© John Reiser for new jersey geographer, 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: ArcGIS, Google Map Maker, Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Virtual Earth, Volunteered Information

ArcGIS 9.3 now shipping

John Reiser — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:48:15 +0000

ESRI’s ArcGIS 9.3 has now been released and should be arriving soon if you’ve kept your ~~tithing~~ maintenance up to date.

Post your hopes and expectations of 9.3 in the comments below.

© John Reiser for new jersey geographer, 2008. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: ArcGIS, ESRI, Updates