The big release of this integration will take place later this month, at the ESRI Developer Summit.ĭangermond and his staff demonstrated some of the new features and performance improvements in ArcGIS 9.3.1, which is planned for the second quarter of this year. The result is GIS functionality in a much more graphically engaging environment. The ESRI/Microsoft Silverlight integration of Virtual Earth was especially compelling. ESRI and other spatial application builders continue the path toward integration, with GIS being a desktop, server, mobile device, or Web application.īoth Google and Microsoft had expo booths demonstrating applications that integrate with ESRI products, bringing the best of both worlds together.
The example of hardware stores doing well in a good economy, and even better in a poor economy, seems an appropriate analogy.Īlthough there were no significant new “tools” in the “hardware store,” there were many refinements of existing software on display. Overall, the prognosis was positive the current economic situation promises a slight silver lining for GIS. Many attendees that I talked with indicated mixed experiences: although some budgets are shrinking, putting certain projects on hold, the proposed massive federal spending on infrastructure bodes well for GIS usage.
Since the event took place in Washington, D.C., it was no surprise that the economy worked its way into most informal discussions. The ESRI Federal User Conference, held February 18-20 this year, was a good forum for GIS practitioners and vendors to share new information - and to commiserate.
By Art Kalinski 0 Comments 2009 ESRI Federal Users’ Conference – Washington DC