Virtual City Template Enables 3D City Modeling Highlights „ 3D city enables realistic what-if scenarios. „ Temporal analysis in 3D drives new insights. „ 3D city models combine basemaps, imagery, elevation, and object data. With the release of ArcGIS 10 and significant capabilities added to the ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension, the system becomes a truly 3D GIS. Working with a 3D GIS gives developers and city planners the ability to • Analyze data and impacts not possible in 2D. • Create models that drive critical decisions. • Present and share realistic 3D scenarios with stakeholders, decision makers, and the public. To speed the transition to planning cities and communities in 3D, the ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension now includes a Virtual City template. A realistic 3D city model combines basemaps; imagery; elevation information; and objects, such as buildings and bridges. The virtual city model can also go belowground to include subsurface structures, such as basements, parking structures, subway systems, and utility infrastructure. Included template features of street furniture, vegetation, cars, and people seem to bring virtual cities to life. The Virtual City template uses Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a best practices model, walking users through step-by-step instructions on how to add elements to create a virtual city. There’s also a tutorial on performing different types of 3D analysis. Visualizing What-Ifs The real power of ArcGIS 3D virtual cities comes in evaluating what-if scenarios. Concepts can be quickly visualized, evaluated, refined, or tossed aside depending on how a scenario plays out. GIS PRODUCT NEWS 13 Above: A temporal, or time aware, analysis shows the impact of the proposed building’s shadow at different times. Red connotes new shadow cast at noon, and blue represents shadows from existing buildings. Left: A temporal element is added to create a window-by-window shadow analysis. Tools built into the ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension help users assess the visual sensitivity of a proposed project or building, including changes to a skyline, effects of shadow on existing structures, and impacts on viewsheds and lines of sight for surrounding buildings. Take, for example, the impact of a proposed building in Philadelphia. In this scenario, planners can visualize and analyze the volumetric shadow the new structure will create. In 2D, planners could only determine that a shadow would be cast and where it would fall. With 3D volumetric analysis, they can perform more complex analyses that take into account time of day and existing shadows. Other analyses can show the number of hours a day that any given window on a neighboring building will be in shade because of the proposed new building. Although 3D virtual city models create visually compelling images to help communicate a vision or development concept, the real value is the depth of analysis that simply isn’t possible in 2D. More Information For more information on the ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension and Virtual City template, including video demonstrations, visit www.esri.com/3D. Planners can analyze where the proposed building is casting new shadows, window by window, by time of day. Here windows colored red denote new shadow, yellow represents no shadow at all, and blue shows overlapping or existing shadow cast by nearby structures. Navigate Maps, Capture and Report Data, and Perform GIS Analysis ArcGIS for iPhone Esri has expanded its mobile GIS platform to support the iPhone. ArcGIS for iPhone will include both a free downloadable application from Apple’s App Store and an API for iPhone developers to build focused mapping solutions. ArcGIS for iPhone leverages capabilities from ArcGIS Online to provide a seamless and easy user experience. Users can navigate maps and discover assets from Web services, as well as capture new data from the field and send information back to the server. This allows ArcGIS Server customers to leverage their GIS investment in the iPhone by using the device to access their own corporate data. ArcGIS for iPhone also promotes collaboration and information sharing between multiple users in the field. For example, field users can create and share status updates with others to communicate and work more efficiently. ArcGIS Application for iPhone ArcGIS for iPhone is a native iPhone application that serves as a mobile gateway into the ArcGIS system. This system will include access to services available through ArcGIS Online or on-site ArcGIS Server deployments hosting your corporate authoritative data. The ArcGIS for iPhone application consumes maps authored and hosted through ArcGIS Server. These maps contain not only data but also functionality (query, find, geoprocessing tasks, etc.). The ArcGIS for iPhone application includes the following capabilities: • Map navigation using native iPhone gestures • Search, Identify, and Measure tools • Collection/Update features and attributes (these will be available after initial release) • GIS analysis through access to geoprocessing tasks (this will be available after initial release) • GIS information sharing with other iPhone users ArcGIS API for iPhone The ArcGIS API for iPhone is built on Objective-C/Cocoa, the development framework for iPhone. It provides developers and Esri partners with the opportunity to create their own custom, spatially enabled iPhone applications to address their end-user and business requirements. It also lets organizations extend their solution products to iPhone’s large user base and brand their iPhone applications with a custom logo, look and feel, etc. The API is designed to work with and use Web services available from ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Online, and its architecture is similar to Esri’s ArcGIS Web Mapping APIs for JavaScript, Flex, and Silverlight. It will also follow the same ArcGIS API release and deployment pattern: easy online access/download with periodic updates. Developers and Esri partners will use the API to create their own applications for both external and internal use. They can also easily build iPhone applications that work with their own published Web services. The beta version of the API is available from the iPhone Resource Center and includes • Conceptual and reference help guide • Integrated templates and documentation • Community resources, including code galleries, sample applications, forums, and blogs More Information To learn more, arcgisforiphone. visit www.esri.com/ Find and use ArcGIS services to access content directly from the iPhone.