The Next Step Extending the role of GIS mean that everything runs in a browser on the public Web. The work of GIS professionals using workstations for advanced analysis and compilations will be more—not less—important. Rather, Web concepts and technologies will continue to be integrated into ArcGIS to deliver better, expansive systems—whether those systems run on an intranet, private cloud, or public system. Content Is Critical The key element in these new systems is content. Content is shared using well-designed maps and map services. OneGeology exemplifies how GIS enables content sharing on a global scale. This initiative, coordinated by the British Geological Survey (BGS), involves 116 countries and makes geologic data residing on the servers of national geologic surveys available as a Web Map Service (WMS) through a Web portal created with the ArcGIS Server Geoportal extension. The portal, officially launched in 2008, is a series of virtualized servers provided and maintained by the French Geological Survey (BRGM). Making shared geologic data and maps readily available creates new opportunities for countries to work more closely together whether for scientific research, disaster management, or natural resource development. OneGeology makes geologic data from across the globe available at a scale of 1:1 million and, in some countries, at scales of 1:50,000. Esri supports OneGeology with GIS technology and a grant. Content is now also acquired not only through authoritative sources but also through collaborative activities such as community map projects and volunteered geographic information (VGI). For example, the Esri Community Maps Program provides a repository for sharing and locating GIS basemaps and furnishes tools and templates to streamline the process. [See “Creating Authoritative Online Maps: Esri Community Maps Program makes sharing easier” in this issue.] Like the venerable Wikipedia and the much newer Wiki.GIS.com, VGI relies on user-generated content. OpenStreetMap is a well-known example of a VGI project that is creating a free editable map of the world using data from portable GPS devices, aerial photography, and local knowledge. Other VGI maps have a more finite mission. Esri’s Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill map incorporates links to online photos, Web sites, GeoRSS feeds, tweets, and YouTube videos about the massive oil spill that occurred April 20, 2010, off the coast of Louisiana. This information is combined with authoritative basemap data from Esri’s ArcGIS Online and government agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It organizes, makes available, and places information in context in a manner that promotes situational awareness and further analysis. [To learn more about VGI sites and how to set one up, read “Getting in Touch with Volunteered Geographic Information: Use a JavaScript API live sample to build a Web editing application” in this issue.] More Ways to Build Systems with ArcGIS In addition to configuring and exploiting standard GIS applications such as ArcMap and ArcGIS Explorer, developers can build new applications and extend existing ones. ArcGIS provides extensive support for Web applications using REST, SOAP, and Open Geographic Consortium (OGC) services and employing JavaScript, Adobe Flex, The convergence of abundant, current geographic data and simple, fast, and focused GIS tools supplied via the Web is having a greater impact on the way organizations and individuals make decisions. Empowering people to use maps and geographic information to support scientific research, government operations, public access to information, planning, and resource and landscape management has always been the goal of GIS. At the same time GIS technology has become more ubiquitous, it has also become less discernible. Using location as a framework for accessing and organizing information is taken for granted and is the foundation of sites like foursquare, which helps locate friends, places to go, and places friends like to go. Geographic information, generated by geospatial technologies, is the foundation for this and other similar social networking applications. However, the people using them seldom realize this because Web-based applications such as these are simple to use and don’t require any special software or training. Building on New Technologies The underlying technology used to build systems that deliver geographic information has gone through significant changes. ArcGIS is now moving from a client/server-centric system that relies on workstations to a Web-centric system that focuses on building and configuring—rather than developing—applications. These applications allow geographic information to flow through the system from desktop to server to the Web and mobile devices. The implications of this change include the use of federated network architecture and an emphasis on developing simple, fast applications that deliver a superior user experience to more people. This doesn’t 14 ArcUser Summer 2010 www.esri.com