ArcInfo 8 Is Now Shipping!

The initial release of ArcInfo version 8 with ArcSDE--ArcInfo 8--is now shipping. This release has been eagerly awaited for over a year and introduces many new and innovative technologies.

ArcInfo 8 is the first GIS that can fully integrate a DBMS. It includes

• A new data model and data management environment: the Geodatabase
• Full support for versioning and long transactions
• Metadata support with full FGDC compliance
• A new development environment named ArcObjects
• A wonderful and easy-to-use user interface
• Many new and improved tools

The release introduces new capabilities while at the same time retaining all of the existing functionality. Existing applications and data structures will keep working. As you begin to experiment and work with the new capabilities, you'll find ways to add them to your daily work flows in your organization.

While we are pleased with this milestone, we are not done creating ArcInfo 8. Over the next year, we expect to deliver a series of focused releases that will build on the initial platform provided by ArcInfo 8 to add functionality, as well as to improve quality and performance.

A major goal behind ArcInfo 8 is its integration with DBMS technology using ArcSDE. This will allow users to begin to manage spatial data along with their other Business data using standard DBMS practices. Over time, GIS databases will become transactional. GIS will become a part of the organization's "information infrastructure."

Future releases over the coming months will add many significant capabilities including

• Additional metadata support
• More advances in tabular analysis and reporting
• Advanced analysis for rasters, networks, and TINs
• Geocoding, address management, and dynamic segmentation integrated with a DBMS
• Measurement data model extensions to the geodatabase for survey and civil engineering
• Support for additional operatingsystems
• Internet support
• Standard data models for various industries such as land records, AM/FM, water resources, roads and highways
• Stronger support for international users

In the coming months you'll be able to read more exciting news about ArcInfo 8 here in ArcNews. For more information, call Esri at 1-800-447-9778 or visit www.esri.com/arcinfo. To purchase ArcInfo, contact your Esri regional office. Outside the United States, please contact your local Esri distributor.

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