Focus Oilseeds are crushed and the resulting oil is converted into biodiesel. services and an interface developed using the ArcGIS API for Flex. "VSJF had some pretty high standards for this Web site," explained Peter McAlenney of Fountains Spatial, who managed the programming and interface design for the project. "They wanted the site to stand out and have a unique look and feel that breaks away from standard Web mapping applications. We raised the bar and, in so doing, faced challenges in building the look and feel of the user interface." For this application, Fountains Spatial provided the ability to analyze, to varying degrees, more than 20 different renewable energy types. McAlenney said they looked at the approach used by the Boston Solar Web site, which provides a simple but powerful application for looking at solar potential in the Boston area. This approach inspired their own approach to modeling solar potential and the other renewable energy types. "However, each of the various energy types is unique, and we needed to provide a wide range of interfaces for summarizing and displaying results," said McAlenney. "A wind power analysis is quite different than evaluating potential production of biodiesel from canola seeds. Designing these interfaces was one of the great challenges in developing the atlas." In the project design methodology, Fountains Spatial documented analysis workflows from start to finish as well as key business logic. The team created ArcGIS Server map services (for cartography) and geoprocessing services (for analysis) consuming the geodatabase provided by VCGI. Basemaps were mashed in from ArcGIS Online. (ArcGIS Online is a common platform where ArcGIS users can directly connect to maps, layers, tasks, and tools published by Esri and other ArcGIS users.) The team authored maps and created the geoprocessing tools for running calculations and performing other tasks in ArcGIS Desktop and published maps and tools to ArcGIS Server. The client front end and related business logic were implemented using the ArcGIS API for Flex and Flex Builder. The design team included video tutorials on the site's help system and a content management system-driven information clearinghouse so atlas users can access additional information such as photos and text. "Esri's service-oriented architecture, including ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Online, is fantastic," said Mark Haberle, senior project manager at Fountains Spatial. "It has pro- vided us with the ability to consume massive amounts of free data and advanced services from ArcGIS Online. The system architecture allowed us to then layer our own raster and vector data over these map services. In turn, these were then mashed together with ArcGIS Online geocoding and locally published geoprocessing services providing deep cartographic and analysis capabilities." These services, coupled with the rich Flex API, allowed Fountains Spatial to build engaging, interactive, and powerful analysis tools and develop a creative, forward-thinking interface design that makes the Web site easy to use and provides a unique experience. "Using the Esri suite of technologies made this process seamless. Specifically, ArcGIS Online has been very efficient for us. We did not need to build out any kind of basemap or geocoding services. You can't beat that," said Haberle. Conclusion "Our hope," said Sawyer, "is that the atlas will assist town energy committees, funders, educators, planners, policy makers, and businesses in making informed decisions about renewable energies in their communities. These decisions will ultimately lead to successful projects, greater energy security, a cleaner and healthier environment, and better quality of life across the state." Esri recognized the outstanding work of VSJF on the Renewable Energy Atlas project with a Special Achievement in GIS Award, which was presented at the 2010 Esri International User Conference. About the Author Barbara Shields is an Esri writer dedicated to sharing environmental GIS stories. She is the editor of Environmental Observer and Forestry GIS Journal, two Esri newsletters. Learn More at These Web Sites: Vermont Renewable Energy Atlas Fountains Spatial Esri's GIS solutions for environmental management Esri's GIS solutions for energy ArcGIS Online www.vsjf.org/resources/renewable-energy-atlas www.fountainsspatial.com www.esri.com/environment www.esri.com/electric www.esri.com/arcgisonline www.esri.com ArcUser Fall 2010 23