ArcWatch: Your e-Magazine for GIS News, Views, and Insights

August 2010

Opening the World of Geographic Knowledge to Everyone


By Carla Wheeler
Esri Writer

Esri president Jack Dangermond says GIS technology will soon enable everything from citizen-driven government to the design of more sustainable cities. Abu Dhabi already uses GIS for e-government, utility management, emergency response, urban planning, and other projects.

During the recent Esri International User Conference, Dangermond said GIS is becoming a medium of communication for governments; businesses; and even citizens, who are sharing, via mobile devices and the Internet, location-based information such as reports of earthquake damage, potholes, pollution, and blight. "A map is worth a million words," Dangermond said. "[GIS] is becoming a new storytelling system." Read the article.

read the article Advances in computer and GIS technology will open the world of geographic knowledge to everyone.

read the article

ArcObjects Tutorial

Tips and Tricks for Using ArcObjects in Microsoft Visual Studio

This video tutorial illustrates how to use some of the new Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and 2010 integration features available with ArcGIS 10 such as project templates, snippets, references, help documentation, and samples.

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

Read about crime mapping symbols, public safety workflows, the Esri Homeland Security Summit, and more, in the Esri Public Safety blog.

  • Free ArcGIS Viewer for Flex

    read the articleEsri just released a beta version of ArcGIS Viewer for Flex 2.0. It's a ready-to-use, configurable Web mapping application that requires no development skills to deploy. Read the article and download the viewer for free.

  • Managing Gardens with GIS

    The University of California, Davis, Arboretum read the articleuses GIS to catalog and map more than 30,000 plants. The arboretum belongs to a consortium, the Alliance for Public Gardens GIS, which has created the ArcGIS Public Garden Data Model, a template for implementing GIS projects at botanical gardens and zoos. Read the article.

  • Monitoring a Major Flood with GIS

    When the Red River in Manitoba, Canada, flooded in 2009, Manitoba Health's Office of Disaster Management (ODM) worked with Esri Canada to create a common operating picture (COP) to monitor the flood and manage decision making related to the natural disaster.

    With few resources available to implement a complex system, the situational awareness tool had to be simple, intuitive, and able to guide users through the four stages of emergency management—mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Read the article.

  • New Smart Map Search Tool in BAO

    Decisions are only as good as the information that goes into them. The Smart Map Search tool in Esri Business Analyst Online (BAO) guides users to the best conclusions using new data and producing custom PDF maps. The tool helps decision makers become more efficient by analyzing all the criteria and mapping all the results at the same time. Read the article.

    BAO is now available on iPhone or iPad. Download the free application.

  • Newsroom

  • ArcLogistics Saves Money, Time

    Shalem Medical Supplies, Inc., a Texas-based company, watch the videouses Esri's ArcLogistics to plan the most efficient delivery routes. Fuel, truck maintenance, and overtime costs have decreased, and the delivery window for the medical equipment and supplies has shrunk, increasing customer satisfaction. Company employees tell the story in this video.

    Try a free 30-day trial of ArcLogistics.

  • Access ArcGIS Desktop 10 Resources

    Want to learn about hardware and software requirements and operating system limitations and access videos, a blog, and other information related to ArcGIS Desktop 10? Visit the ArcGIS Desktop 10 Resource Center.

  • Contribute Data with ArcGIS Editor for OpenStreetMap

    This new no-cost add-on helps ArcGIS Desktop users contribute to the growing OpenStreetMap community.

  • Learn GIS Fundamentals

    Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop introduces the fundamentals of GIS and ArcGIS buy the bookDesktop using detailed illustrations and step-by-step exercises. This second edition reflects ArcGIS 10 functionality and will help you make maps, perform spatial analysis, and build and edit spatial databases. Data and ArcGIS 10 evaluation software are provided. Buy the new book published by Esri Press.

  • GIS—Then and Now

    The latest edition of the Esri Map Book celebrates 25 years of your best work. Examples include a browse through all the mapsmap plotting the most common surnames in Ireland; a map displaying the locations of bank robberies in San Diego County, California; and a 3D-perspective map of pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden.

    Browse through all the maps and see how geospatial solutions are being used worldwide.

    If you would like to submit a map to be considered for inclusion in the next edition of the Esri Map Book, e-mail mapbook @esri.com to receive submission guidelines.

  • GIS Spurs Investments

    Real estate developer and businessman Charles A. "Mac" McClure counts on GIS to help read the articlehim make important decisions about opening new franchises, such as Chili's restaurants, in areas others deemed unprofitable. McClure joined Manny Rios from United Services Automobile Association (USAA) at the Esri Business GIS Summit, where they spoke about the role GIS plays in their business strategies. Read the article.

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