Is Mobile GIS Ready For Prime Time?
ESRI has released a new GIS data format, called AXF, for use with ArcPad 7.1. The AXF brings the geodatabase to ArcPad.
From ESRI’s announcement:
“AXF is not actually a new file format but rather it is built on top of existing proven database technology. In this case, AXF is built on top of Microsoft’s SQL Server Compact Edition (SQLCE).”
The semantics scholars have not yet handed down their verdict on whether this is, technically, a new file format. I think it is, and that adding a new GIS acronym only complicates things further; ESRI’s Elvin Slavik disagrees.
I would like to hear from mobile GIS users. Is mobile GIS ready for prime time? If not, what are some major obstacles? What applications (other than ArcPad) do people use?
