The World in Your Pocket In 2010, our day-to-day lives have become so infused with and informed by geographic information that terms like “location-based services” have largely dropped out of the lexicon. GIS technology, operating on mobile devices and in Web applications, helps us find our way, find our friends, even find out what people we don’t even know are doing all over the world right this minute. Fluttr, an Adobe Flex application created by designer/developer Daniel Bradshaw, mashes up ArcGIS online basemaps with live feeds from Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube and lets us peek into the lives of thousands of people. Presenting information in a geographic context is more than just a convenience or a curiosity. Maps are powerful tools for changing minds. Just one map, the Waldseemüller world map of 1507, not only introduced the name America to the world (although affixing it to a continent we now know as South America) but tacitly refuted the assertion that Christopher Columbus had reached some part of Asia by depicting America as surrounded by water. However, unlike the Waldseemüller map, which was lost for nearly 400 years, Web and mobile maps are almost universally available. Instead of having one map in your pocket, now you can easily access maps for virtually anywhere in the world, thanks to your smartphone or mobile device. The new ArcGIS for iPhone app consumes maps; contains functionality for query, find, and geoprocessing tasks; and provides access to services through ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Server deployments. The move to a design paradigm that employs the Web and the cloud amplifies the impact of GIS by making maps and geographic information nearly universally accessible. No longer is this information trapped in a database table, local drive, printed document, or in someone’s head. Current, documented, and integrable information supplied by map services, combined with simple tools for finding and using information, is shaping our world by enhancing the decisions of organizations and individuals. This makes of even greater importance the work of GIS professionals who compile and create the authoritative maps that are served and consumed. Summer 2010 • Vol. 13 No. 3 EDITORIAL Editor Monica Pratt Contributors Matthew DeMeritt Joseph Kerski Keith Mann Technical Advisors Paul Dodd Damian Spangrud Copy Editing Joyce Lawrence DESIGN Graphic Designer Antoinette Zaragoza Photography Eric Laycock Print Coordinator Tim Polen ADVISORY BOARD Corporate Linda Hecht Corporate Alliances Steve Trammell Products Dave Scheirer International Dean Angelides Marketing Communications Robin Rowe Industries Lew Nelson HOW TO REACH US Visit the ArcUser Online Web site (www.esri.com/arcuser) to download tutorials, read current and past issues, and access additional resources. For all subscription, advertising, or editorial inquiries, call 909-793-2853, ext. 1-2730. Your ArcUser Subscription To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change mailing information online, please go to gis.esri.com/emails/arcuser_subscr.cfm or send e-mail to requests@esri.com. Advertise in ArcUser For information regarding placing an advertisement in ArcUser magazine, contact the advertising coordinator at 909-793-2853, ext. 1-2189, or ads@esri.com. Fax: 909-307-3051 Editorial Inquiries Monica Pratt, ArcUser Editor 380 New York Street Redlands, CA 92373-8100, USA E-mail: arcuser_editor@esri.com Visit the ArcUser Online Web pages (www.esri.com/arcuser) to read the article submission guidelines and copyright policy. Monica Pratt ArcUser Editor editor’s page 4 ArcUser Summer 2010 ISSN 1534-5467 ArcUser is published quarterly by Esri at 380 New York Street, Redlands, CA 92373-8100, USA. ArcUser is written for users of Esri software. ArcUser is distributed free of charge to registered users of Esri software. www.esri.com