An ArcGIS Server application is the central example running through the recently published software development book Agile Development with ICONIX Process: People, Process, and Pragmatism by Doug Rosenberg, Matt Stephens, and Mark Collins-Cope. The application generates city maps to show hotel locations for an online travel Web site.

Having ArcGIS Server incorporated in Agile Development with ICONIX Process makes it a practical learning tool for ArcGIS developers. It also opens up the possibilities of using GIS in applications to those who have not yet had occasion to utilize mapping or geospatial techniques.

The book describes using the ICONIX Process (an object-modeling process) to demonstrate how one can apply a minimal, use case-driven object-modeling process in an agile software project. The agile software process can be defined as moving ahead with speed while making many small corrections along the way. Agile Development with ICONIX Process is full of practical advice on how to avoid common agile pitfalls. The book defines a core agile method subset, so those who want to "get agile" need not spend years learning to do it. Instead, one can simply read this book and apply the core subset of techniques.

The book follows a real-life .NET/C# project from inception and UML modeling to working code, through several iterations. The result of the book's example ArcGIS Server "mapplet" project is a fully functional map-based hotel finder application that individuals can try out at smartmaps.vresorts.com so they can easily compare the example projects' requirements and design with the finished application.

Coauthor Doug Rosenberg of ICONIX Software Engineering, Inc., says, "Developers can use ArcGIS Server to build focused Web applications, Web services, and other enterprise applications."

Visit www.esri.com/agile for more information on the book along with a link to its listing on Amazon.com.