GIS Enters the Design Space

By Matt Artz, ESRI

GeoDesign may be a new term to some people, but it's a concept that packs power. ESRI president Jack Dangermond says that GeoDesign brings geographic analysis into the design process, where design sketches are instantly vetted for suitability against a myriad of data on the physical and social geography of the project.

Why is this important? Read the article.

The coupling of GIS and design will also carry over to the 2009 ESRI International User Conference (ESRI UC), where the event's theme is GIS: Designing Our Future.

Jack Dangermond will expound on his vision of GIS and design at the ESRI User Conference next month in San Diego, California.

Tip of the Month

Many Ways to Customize Legend Patches

The ArcMap application in ArcGIS Desktop supplies different legend patch shapes, other than the default choices, that may better communicate the type of data being represented on a map. Read this tip to learn how to customize legend patches.

Connect with ArcWatch

ArcWatch is published monthly by ESRI and contains GIS news, practical advice, and updates about the company's software and events. To submit article ideas,
e-mail editor Carla Wheeler at arcwatch_editor@esri.com.

Bloggers' Corner

Keep learning by consulting the GIS Education Community blog, which offers great ideas on how to engage your students in geography and GIS.

• ESRI UC Speakers de Soto and Smits: Two Men Bettering the World

  Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto and biologist Willie Smits, keynote speakers at the 2009 ESRI UC, will talk about their groundbreaking projects that have improved the economic fortunes of the poor. Read the article.

• Stay Connected during the 2009 ESRI UC

  Communicate with others attending the ESRI UC on the Official ESRI UC Facebook page, or read notes on the RSS Feed. Get key reminders and updates from ESRI UC Announcements. Stay informed about what's happening at the conference by reading the ESRI UC Insider. Tweet with us on Twitter.

• ArcGIS Explorer 900: A New Way of Seeing the World

  In this article, you will learn about the latest and greatest tools and features in ArcGIS Explorer 900 that will make your geographic content richer and your work easier. ArcGIS Explorer product manager Bern Szukalski also explains the thinking behind the development of the soon-to-be-released version of ESRI's free and downloadable software application. Read the article.

• ArcGIS Online Offers New Content-Sharing Capabilities

  A new ArcGIS Online Web application serves as a central repository for users to easily share and find GIS data, maps, layers, services, and tools. Read the article. Learn about the new and updated content in ArcGIS Online, including an imagery service based on Landsat imagery, in this second article.

• Everything You Need to Know about ArcGIS 9.3.1

  This online resource will answer most of your questions. If not, send us a question or comment.

• ArcGIS API for Flex 1.2 Released

  Get the scoop about what this new API offers, including routing using ArcGIS Server 9.3.1 and Microsoft Virtual Earth mapping and geocoding.

• Accomplish More with ArcPad 8

  Learn all about ArcPad 8, which comes with many new, useful extensions and a new user interface with modern icons, toolbars, and menus.

• Watch a Video about Web Mapping

  See Web GIS at work in emergency operations in Colorado and Virginia and in government transparency programs in the state of Maryland in this video posted on the ESRITV channel on YouTube.

• ESRI's 2009/2014 Demographic Data Released

  The data offers accurate insights into housing, unemployment, and income trends and will be extremely valuable to all agencies, organizations, and businesses. Read the article.

• Find Success in a Soft Economy Using GIS

  Geography matters in business. ArcGIS Business Analyst can help retailers conduct microanalytics that will help them understand important market nuances and keep their businesses robust even during an economic downturn. Read the article.

• Disaster Response and Homeland Security System Uses GIS

  The Indiana Department of Homeland Security launched a communication network based on server, desktop, and Web GIS technologies. Read the article.

• Podcast: How Government Fleet Managers Can Lower Costs with ArcLogistics

  ArcLogistics maps the most optimal routes for cars, trucks, buses, and other government vehicles. In this podcast, Christopher Thomas, government industry solutions manager at ESRI, talks about fuel savings achieved by mapping routes using ArcLogistics. With fewer miles driven, companies can reduce wear and tear on the vehicles, Thomas says.

• Do you listen to ESRI podcasts? Watch ESRI videos?

  Tell us what you think about ESRI's podcasts and videos and receive a complimentary ESRI Virtual Campus course. Take the ESRI Media Survey.

• Hone Your Spatial Analysis Skills

  GIS Tutorial II: Spatial Analysis Workbook from ESRI Press offers exercises to help you develop proficiency in methods such as overlay, density, and hot spot analyses. This new intermediate-level GIS tutorial includes real-world scenarios, data, and ArcGIS Desktop 9.3 evaluation software. Buy the book.

• Revisit the 2009 ESRI Developer Summit

  If you missed the summit or want to hear some of the presentations again, tune in and watch this series of videos about ArcGIS Online, Python, fast Web maps, and more.

• Get the Latest ArcScripts

  Street Map Template is one of the most popular new ArcScripts. Find the others. Do you want to share a script with the ESRI user community? Upload it here.

• Register for Authoring and Serving ArcGIS Mobile Projects

  Learn the recommended workflow for successfully creating and deploying an out-of-the-box ArcGIS Mobile project in this course from ESRI Training and Education.

• New GIS Day Materials Available

  GIS Day 2009 is fast approaching. Mark your calendars for November 18, 2009. Notify colleagues or students about the worldwide celebration by adding a GIS Day Web button to your Web site or a GIS Day signature to your e-mails. Check out other new materials you can download for free.

• ArcGIS Online World Routing Now Available

  
  

• Request a Free, 60-Day Trial of ArcGIS Desktop Extensions

  
  

• Podcast: How Santa Barbara County Used GIS during the Zaca Fire

  
  

• Case Study: Airport in Manchester, England, Uses GIS and Saves Money

  
  

• Request a Reminder for the September 24 Live Training Seminar: Introduction to the Common Operational Picture

  
  

• Podcast: Considerations for Designing Effective Web Maps

  
  

• How ESRI Customers Use GIS: Find the Case Studies

  
  

• Take an ArcLesson: Investigate the Pattern of Four Crops

  
  

• Buy Online

  U.S. customers may order the ArcGIS Data Appliance or ArcGIS Data Appliance Server Bundle from ESRI, with recently announced new data collection offerings of World Imagery, World IKONOS Cities, and European Street Map. ArcGIS Data Appliance, based on the data collection package purchased, can provide terabytes of prerendered nationwide and worldwide data that includes street and transportation, place-name, administrative boundary, and raster imagery data. Learn more [PDF-620 KB]. ArcGIS Data Appliance Server Bundle is a complete turnkey geospatial intelligence and decision-making solution. Learn more [PDF-712 KB].
  
  Visit the ESRI Store to find more software and extensions, upgrades, data, books, and hardware bundles.