Welcome to Esri/IBM Connections, a quarterly electronic newsletter highlighting news and events about Esri and IBM-integrated GIS solutions for our government and commercial customers. If you know someone who would like to be updated on the latest events regarding Esri, please have them subscribe by visiting. www.esri.com/ibmconnections.
Additional electronic and print publications are also available.
In This Issue
Esri/IBM News
New Brochure: Spatial Data and the Mainframe Advantage [PDF]
Enterprise GIS customers using the Esri ArcGIS® Server 9.3 can leverage the capabilities of the IBM System z platform. Enterprises that depend on GIS solutions can benefit from consolidating Esri offerings and their spatial data on System z. Built on a 40-year heritage of large-scale data and transaction processing, the IBM System z Server enables the deployment of multiple workloads to support today’s on demand requirements.
2008 Esri User Conference Wrap-Up: IBM and Esri Presentations
This year's Esri User Conference (Esri UC) featured several IBM-Esri presentations reflecting continued collaboration on technical integration initiatives.
Enterprise Special Interest Group Topics [PDF]
The Esri UC Enterprise Special Interest Group meeting helps raise awareness of technology and architectural trends of interest to large-scale GIS organizations. Topics covered in this presentation include Web service and thin-client testing, service-oriented architecture (SOA), support for virtualized server environments, and an IBM update on new mashup development and deployment technology.
Administration for IBM Databases - An Introduction [PDF]
This presentation provides a software update, important administrative tips, and helpful advice for users operating IBM DB2 and Informix spatial databases with Esri ArcGIS software.
IBM Maximo Spatial Update [PDF]
The IBM Maximo Spatial enterprise asset management solution for government, utilities, transportation, and many other types of organizations seamlessly integrates GIS capability using ArcGIS Server. This short presentation provides a quick description of Maximo Spatial and updates information on available resources and contacts.
ArcGIS Server Support for IBM WebSphere Portal Server [PDF]
ArcGIS Server 9.2 Service Pack 5 (SP 5) provides new support for portal projects that rely on IBM WebSphere Portal Server. This short presentation provides a description of portals, portal servers, and portal architecture and defines ArcGIS Server integration via the IBM Rational Application Developer toolset. Learn more.
Podcast: 2008 Esri International User Conference Plenary Session Opening [MP3-11.4 MB | 16:40]
Listen to Jack Dangermond, president of Esri, welcome attendees to the 28th Annual Esri International User Conference, which took place August 4 - 8 in San Diego, California. Illustrating the conference theme GIS: Geography in Action, Dangermond talked about the importance of GIS as part of the solution to the challenge of living in a sustainable world and highlighted the works of GIS users around the world. Dangermond presented GIS awards to the State of Qatar, Centre for GIS; the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Rosario Giusti de Pérez and Ramón A. Pérez, Venezuelan architects and urban planners.
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Esri/IBM Events
Esri thanks IBM for its strong support at the 28th annual Esri International User Conference. Users from 134 countries gathered to learn and share through sessions, workshops, activities, and social events. IBM's sponsorship greatly contributed to many of the events including the following:
- Electric & Gas User Group (EGUG) Special Interest Group Meeting
- Electric and Gas Social
- IBM Special Interest Group Meeting
- Java Developers Special Interest Group Meeting
- Using SQL and Spatial Data Types with the Geodatabase Session
- Water/Wastewater User Group Meeting and Social
Esri at IBM Information On Demand 2008
Visit Esri at IBM Information On Demand, October 26-31, in Las Vegas, Nevada, to learn more about Esri and IBM technology integration with IBM DB2, Informix, and Cognos business intelligence software. For more information or to schedule an appointment to meet with Esri representatives during the show, contact Diana Dittemore.
IBM Is the Platinum Sponsor of the Esri Europe, Middle East and Africa User Conference 2008
This year's Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) User Conference will take place October 28-30 in London, United Kingdom. Hosted by Esri (UK) Ltd., this three-day event will showcase the latest innovations, newest technologies, and best-of-class services made available through Esri's business partner network. As many as 1,000 delegates from the EMEA region are expected to attend to gather information and gain a deeper understanding of Esri and Esri (UK)'s vision for the future, where GIS solutions will play an increasingly vital role on an everyday basis in a myriad of different ways. IBM will showcase its products in this focused environment that provides excellent networking and sales opportunities.
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Esri Product News
ArcGIS 9.3 Now Available
ArcGIS 9.3 began shipping late August. At the 9.3 release, Esri has focused on improvements for spatial data management, cartography, mobile technology, data dissemination, and much more. See what's new in ArcGIS 9.3 for server, desktop, and mobile solutions and watch a demo that showcases the enhancements of this release.
ArcGIS Online Premium Services Now Available
The following new ArcGIS Online Premium Services are now available for evaluation and purchase: USA Prime/World Bundle, USA Prime Imagery, and Virtual Earth Maps. ArcGIS users can evaluate these services for 14 days or purchase annual subscriptions. Please note that ArcGIS 9.3 is required to connect to premium services.
Esri's 2008 Community Sourcebook Products Deliver Accurate U.S. Demographic Data
Experts and students across all industry sectors can now have access to the most accurate demographic data with the 2008 Sourcebook products. Esri has published the soft-cover editions of Community Sourcebook of ZIP Code Demographics and Community Sourcebook of County Demographics, as well as the Sourcebook•America with ArcReader CD-ROM, all of which include Esri's 2008/2013 demographic updates and projections for data variables such as population, age distribution, and income.
Esri Press Publishes Definitive Book on GIS and Return on Investment
The latest offering from Esri Press, The Business Benefits of GIS: An ROI Approach, details a return on investment (ROI) methodology that explains how the implementation of a GIS can create business value for an organization. This book was written by David Maguire and Victoria Kouyoumjian, Esri's chief scientist and IT strategy expert, respectively, and Ross Smith, a member of PA Consulting Group, Inc.'s management team and leader of the firm's GIS initiatives.
Building a GIS: System Architecture Design Strategies for Managers
New Release from Esri Press
Author Dave Peters, director of systems integration for Esri, shares a tried-and-true methodology for building a successful system for GIS that's rooted in Esri's consulting experience and feedback from customers. He hopes the book will help managers avoid a common tendency to feel their way to a proper system design.
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Esri News
Esri Trend Analysis 2008/2013 [PDF]
In a new report, Esri demographer Lynn Wombold writes about housing market trends; the credit crunch; and demographic changes related to baby boomers, Generation Y, and the Hispanic population. She also explains what's new in the 2008/2013 data updates for users of ArcGIS Business Analyst products. Read the white paper [PDF]. Listen to an interview with Wombold [MP3-16.4 MB | 17:54].
Loma Linda University Medical Center Implements Emergency Response System Using Esri's ArcGIS
Esri's ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Mobile provide the backbone for the advanced emergency GIS (AEGIS) now being used by Loma Linda University Medical Center in Southern California. This Web-based hospital situational awareness system monitors and maps the location and status of emergency resources including area hospitals, ambulances, and rescue helicopters. The AEGIS deployment is also serving as a model disaster response management system not only for other communities in the United States but also for the U.S. military.
Esri France Participates in Phoenix Mars Landing Event
On May 25, 2008, the Phoenix Mars Lander successfully touched down on its target, giving the world a fresh glimpse of the Red Planet's polar region. Esri participated in an event to celebrate this historic craft on the inaugural day of its mission.
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GIS in Action
GIS Saves Baltimore County $4 Million Annually
In Maryland, the County of Baltimore's enterprise GIS has undergone an extensive study initiated by a strategic business plan focused on determining the return on investment and use of the GIS, which originated in the mid-1980s. Based on the study, the plan sets forth a series of enterprise recommendations that prioritize the findings and propose a course of action for their implementation. Among the quantified results was $4,659,521 in total annual benefits realized from the use of GIS.
China Relief and Recovery Efforts Enhanced Using GIS
GIS has been a strong contributor to relief efforts in many natural disasters. When an 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck May 12 in the Sichuan province of China, Esri and Esri China (Beijing) Limited immediately recognized the opportunity to lend assistance by providing GIS software, staffing, and resources to assist in the relief and recovery efforts.
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Marketing Opportunities
2008 Esri Homeland Security GIS Summit
The Esri Homeland Security GIS Summit, to be held October 20-23, 2008, in Scottsdale, Arizona, will provide a forum for professionals in local, regional, state, and federal government; utilities; and the private sector who establish priorities and set directions for their organizations and work to improve systems for public protection and business continuity. Be part of the GIS Solutions EXPO to showcase your applications and services for homeland security and emergency management. Sign up now as a sponsor or exhibitor.
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