Nine Innovations in ArcGIS 9.4

John Calkins

Each year at the ESRI International User Conference, staff present detailed demonstrations that preview major new functionality in upcoming ESRI software releases. John Calkins, technical evangelist at ESRI, precedes these demonstrations with a brief overview of his favorite innovations that will not be covered in detail in the demonstrations. Here are Calkins' top nine favorite innovations in ArcGIS 9.4, excerpted from his presentation at last July's conference in San Diego, California.

1. User Interface. ArcGIS 9.4 features a new user experience. The upgraded look includes dockable windows that can automatically hide. Also, a new Catalog window is embedded in ArcMap. These and other underlying framework changes will greatly improve your productivity.

	Locate the data needed using the new search tool.
	The table of contents supports multiple views.
	Use the symbol selector in ArcGIS 9.4 to find the symbol you need.
	Redraw basemap layers quickly in ArcGIS 9.4.

2. Attribute Tables. At 9.4, attribute tables are displayed in a dockable window. You'll see a new toolbar across the top, giving you easier access to the tools you need. Also, you will be able to open multiple tables using the tabbed interface at the bottom.
3. Search. A new search capability complements the Add Data dialog box. The new search tool will allow you to type in search criteria and, with subsecond response time, locate the data you're interested in. You will be able to use special keywords like points, lines, polygons, or layer to further refine your search.
4. Reporting. ArcGIS 9.4 includes a new reporting capability. A series of predefined templates makes it easier to make nice, formatted reports. Once you've created a report, you will be able to save the report so that you can later reexecute it with a different selected set.
5. Geoprocessing Tools. With ArcGIS 9.4, the customization capability will be enhanced so that you'll have access to all analysis tools. You'll be able to drag and drop the Buffer tool or a geoprocessing model onto a toolbar. There's also a new geoprocessing option that will allow you to enable background processing.
6. Table of Contents Views. The table of contents now supports multiple views. The List By Visibility view is like a smart legend that will only show you the symbology in the legend for the features that are in your current, visible map. It's a nice innovation to complement the traditional table of contents.
7. Symbol Search. To change symbols, you will no longer have to browse through 20,000 different symbols looking for the right one. You will simply do a search. It is far more efficient to search for symbols than browse through the multitude of symbols that are included with ArcGIS.
8. Temporal Mapping. ArcGIS 9.4 is becoming time aware, making it easier to make temporal maps with ArcGIS. There's a new Time tab in the layer properties as well as a new clock tool that will allow you to set the display's date and time.
9. Fast Basemaps. In versions prior to 9.4, when ArcMap updates the display, it redraws each layer sequentially. A new basemap layer in 9.4 enables continuous, fast redraw. ArcGIS 9.4 is expected to be available in the second quarter of 2010.