Technology Improvements, Trends, and Technical Advice Take Center Stage at Esri Developer Summit
More Than 1,000 Developers Learn the Latest about ArcGIS 9.2, ArcWeb Services, .NET, Java, and Other Technologies
 Scott Morehouse, Esri director of software development, announced plans to improve functionality in ArcGIS Server when he spoke last month at the 2007 Esri Developer Summit in Palm Springs, California. |
"Helping support developers and end users as they work with ArcGIS 9.2 technology will be Esri's top development goal this year," Scott Morehouse, Esri director of software development, said at the 2007 Esri Developer Summit, held March 19–22 at the Palm Springs Convention Center and Wyndham Hotel.
"Another goal is to enhance functionality in ArcGIS Server, and, in the long term, overhaul the ArcGIS Desktop user experience," said Morehouse, who is also Esri's chief software architect and visionary.
Speaking to nearly 1,200 developers at the Palm Springs Convention Center, Morehouse provided an overview of the ArcGIS platform and spoke about Esri's high-level philosophy, which focuses on building geographic information systems (GIS) as a platform technology. "We are also heavily engaged in overhauling core components in the ArcGIS system in areas of geodatabase, mapping, graphics, geoprocessing," Morehouse continued. "In each of these areas we are doing significant work to simplify the programming model and improve the performance and internal implementation."
 Esri employees Corey Tucker, senior software product engineer, (near white board) and Sentha Sivabalan, senior software engineer, (right) answer questions during the ArcGIS Server Processing "Deep Dive" at the 2007 Esri Developer Summit. |
Additionally, a team is working on a framework that makes it easier for enterprises to create and deploy mobile applications. Another goal, according to Morehouse, is to enhance ArcGIS Online by adding more content and capabilities.
Attendees from more than 40 countries attended this distinctive developer-focused event, cosponsored by IBM and Microsoft. They listened to talks by Microsoft and Gartner Research executives and Esri research and development staff, plus attended technical sessions and Tech Talks.
"We're here to help you learn about new technology, share best practices that solve your problems, and get your feedback," said ArcGIS program manager Jim McKinney during his remarks at the March 20 plenary. "Esri wants to establish relationships with developers at this conference that will continue throughout the coming years."
Java or .NET?
Mark Driver of Gartner Research and Eddie Amos of Microsoft gave keynotes on March 21. A vice president and research director, Driver contrasted the strengths and weaknesses of the Java and .NET development environments. "It's critical to understand that this is not an issue of one or the other," he said. "By now most of you, I think, have come to realize that it really is an issue of how to accurately and optimally manage your investments between the two." Toward the end of his address he noted that between the two, there won't be a winner; they will continue to coexist.
Amos, senior director of the Development and Platform Evangelism Group at Microsoft, presented key computing and technology trends affecting the GIS developer community including wireless technology, Web services, and service-oriented architecture.
Developers Attend Popular Tech Talks
 Derek Law from Esri's Product Management team conducts a Tech Talk, where he explains how versioning works in an ArcSDE geodatabase. |
All Developer Summit speakers were available to attendees in the Tech Talk areas after their presentations. Crowds often gathered to take advantage of the opportunity to speak one-on-one with development staff in the informal surroundings of the summit's Community Center, an area equipped with wireless coverage, comfortable furniture, and white boards. Development and technical support staff were also available in the Esri Showcase to demonstrate technology and address specific questions.
Technical sessions were divided into tracks for server-based applications, mobile applications, desktop applications, ArcWeb Services, geodatabase concepts, and core concepts. Session types included best practices, deep dives, panel discussions, and one road map session. Special Interest Group meetings covered development topics including .NET, Java, mobile, ArcWeb Services, defense, and geodigital rights management.
Lively discussions in the Tech Talk areas and overwhelming positive postconference feedback pointed to the summit's high overall value.
 Lola Akinmade |
The summit earned raves from attendees such as Lola Akinmade of Woolpert, Inc., based in Dayton, Ohio. "The session this morning was great because they talked about the new functionality that's being developed for 9.3, and as a developer I always want to see what's cool and new and cutting edge," said Akinmade. "I'm looking forward to the deep dive sessions where we actually get to look at the code and get into the nitty gritty—get an opportunity to geek out—so I'm really excited."
Esri Announces ArcGIS Server Code Challenge Winners
New to this second Developer Summit was the ArcGIS Server Code Challenge, in which Esri Developer Network (EDN) subscribers and registered attendees voted for their favorite code sample submitted by GIS developers. Nineteen entrees were received, and the winners were as follows:
- First place: Hussein Al-Sayegh from Khatib and Alami of Manama, Bahrain, who received a Trimble Recon GPS XB Edition bundled with ArcPad.
- Second place: Ranjit Menon from Telvent Miner and Miner in Fort Collins, Colorado, who received a Microsoft Xbox 360.
- Third place: Sasa Ivetic from Map It Out, Inc., in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, who received a Microsoft Zune.
- Honorable Mention: John Waterman of GCS Research in East Burke, Vermont.
To view and download the winning code, visit http://esricodechallenge.wordpress.com/.
Developers who were unable to attend can view videos of selected technical sessions in their entirety by visiting the 2007 Highlights area of the Developer Summit Web site at www.esri.com/devsummit.
