2009 ESRI Developer Summit Plenary Session
March 24, 2009 31 Comments
The wireless connection here is less that ideal, but I’m going to try and live blog the DevSummit Plenary. Just refresh the page for updates (but keep in mind I’m not the fastest typer in the world). You can also follow some discussion at my twitter account: http://twitter.com/cageyjames
8:32 AM: Video starts showing the languages ESRI supports. Keeping my eye out for Avenue. Nope looks like Avenue gets no love.
8:33 AM: Jack opens the DevSummit with a welcome.
8:37 AM: Jim McKinney takes over and explains the purpose of the Developer Summit and why everyone is here. There are over 1,100 developers at the DevSummit this year from 41 countries (much larger than the BPC). Tech Sessions will be recorded and placed on the ESRI Resource Centers.
8:43 AM: Jim talks about the road from 9.3 to 9.4. 9.3.1 ships “May”. 9.4 will go beta around the 2009 UC.
8:45 AM: Scott Morehouse takes the stage and talks about the philosophy behind ArcGIS. Very high level stuff.
9:05 AM: Jim gets back on stage and the demos are about to begin.
9:07 AM: Demo on how 9.3.1 adds functionality to tune map services automatically. No longer do you have to figure out what layers are slowing down your maps. Run the analyze tool and get errors and warnings to show what is slowing your services down. The results lists tells you what you have to do to fix the service, some as easy as right clicking and saying fixing. After you fix the errors, you get can preview the service inside ArcMap and get see the speed of the service after fixing. Thus you no longer have to author in ArcMap and publish in ArcCatalog. You can do this directly in ArcMap. In fact the tool can be used in just desktop applications to improve map display performance. All very slick and will be well received.
9:14 AM: Next demo is for the Flex API. Amazing that 1 year ago it was barely featured at the DevSummit and now it is probably the default API for ESRI. We drop into some Flex Developer IDE demo and code. Seems all simple, but I’m no Flex developer. Demo shows importing data (xls file) directly into the client side application. I think this gets into unhooking these APIs from ArcGIS Server. Adobe is here at the DevSummit and is having a get together. Quite a change from the past.
9:20 AM: Oh my, an actual Java demo. Talk about Java and excitement at ESRI. I used to understand how Java Devs worked, but this demo is just way over my head. Lets just say that ESRI continues to support Java and leave it at that.
9:33 AM: ArcGIS Online is next up. ESRI seems to refer to this as the cloud so if you here that mentioned here, think ArcGIS Online. Sud and Jeremy are showing the ArcGIS Online 9.3.1 demo. Remember now you can upload those Layer Package files (zipped layer files and data). It seems that ESRI wants you to package your data using the layer package format and then upload it to their system. I can’t but help think of the Geography Network when I see this, but maybe users are willing to use this much simpler interface. One thing that it does do is you can limit your content to certain users, rather than the whole cloud Internet. These users are members of groups so collaboration can occur on ArcGIS Online. I can’t figure out the business model here for ESRI, but I suppose it ties back into Desktop and Explorer. Not only can you add data to ArcGIS Online, but you can create hosted maps from your uploaded data. Reading between the lines here, we see ESRI uncoupling ArcGIS Server from workflows. You can share data and maps with the world without having to purchase an ArcGIS Server license. The demo showed the JavaScript API, but I’m sure any ESRI REST API SDKs can be used with ArcGIS Online and without an ESRI ArcGIS Server license. ArcGIS Online goes public beta after ArcGIS 9.3.1 arrives in May.
9:47 AM: Break
10:17 AM: Back and video showing ESRI mapping implementations
10:18 AM: Jim starts off with the ESRI Resource Centers. Jim Barry takes the stage to talk about ESRI’s community efforts. The Resource Centers were updated a couple months ago so most of this stuff on stage is old hat. The story is that unlike the old EDN pages is ESRI is investing time and effort into the website. Still no mention of a true Wiki, but maybe one day. The new template galleries are interesting and hopefully they’ll do much better than the Geoprocessing and Data Model pages on the support site.
10:29 AM: Art Haddad introduces ArcGIS Silverlight API for Microsoft Silverlight/WPF. Art turns the stage sliver (get it Silverlight?). He demos the ArcGIS Resource Center Silverlight page. The demos really show off the power of Silverlight. We can argue about Silverlight’s install base vs Flash, but it really is compelling. The getting started demo of Art’s shows how quickly you can get started with Silverlight. Art’s demo is by far the smoothest we’ve seen today and really highlights where ESRI is going (Microsoft Integration). The cluster feature method works well and you get some really great maps without much code. Also slick is the ability to use the same code with WPF. Silverlight API is not coupled to the ArcGIS release schedule (like the other APIs) so get involved with the beta.
10:43 AM: ArcGIS Explorer 900 is next up. The new Office ribbon interface makes the application fit in very well with other windows applications. Bern shows the reading of layer packages being loaded into AGX. So now you get the fancy cartography generated in ArcMap, inside AGX. 2D Maps are now part of AGX. 3D globes are great for some mapping, but nothing beats 2D for getting the message across. Microsoft Virtual Earth is now part of AGX so you get much better looking base maps than before. Yet another new feature, there is a new presentation mode to allow you to use AGX for presentations. This is hard to describe, but think about using AGX for your presentations rather than PowerPoint. You can navigate back and forth through the “slides” and then interact with the maps. Larry Young went into some customization of AGX with an application configuration file. This means you can streamline AGX to meet the needs of your users, dropping out the tools that users might not need. This is done with an Application Configure tool that is included with the AGX 900 download.
10:55 AM: Bill Moreland talks about Python and ArcGIS. The Python demo uses pulp-or with ESRI’s Geoprocessing model. In the past, Python hasn’t been getting as much love as it should at the DevSummit so seeing this on the Plenary stage is really a change. It is good to see the Geoprocessing Resource Center is getting some traction with shareing scripts.
11:05 AM: ArcGIS Desktop at 9.4 is next up. Some key goals were to simplify common tasks, streamline workflows and improve ability to share work. Catalog is now integrated into ArcMap (like Toolbox), much faster map drawing, search from ArcMap, better cartography (isn’t that always there?), charting and reporting, 3D GIS (3D editing) and Asynchronous Geoprocessing (no longer locking up Desktop why your analysis runs). New ADFs at 9.4, extensions can now be developed with .NET and Java (drop in extensions). Side by side deployments at 9.4, thus you can run 9.3.1 and 9.4 at the same time on the same machine. Map automation can now be performed with Python in ArcGIS Desktop. Say goodbye to DS Map Book because now you can create PDF export using Python scripts, much like we did in the old days with ArcPlot. With a few lines of code you can replicate all the functionality of DS Map Book. You can now add geoprocessing tools to any of the toolbars (including your Python scripts). Python is also now integrated into Python. Yep and interactive Python window right inside ArcMap. So intellisense GIS analysis with Python. Brilliant!
11:17 AM: Editing Demo – Sorry I can’t bring my self to blog about editing. If you do lots of editing with ArcGIS Desktop, you’ll want to learn more because the editing tools are really leaping over where they are at 9.3.x.
11:30 AM: Jim is back with the news that you can now edit in all ArcGIS Server ADFs and APIs (including the RESTful ones). Now on to ArcGIS Mobile, the story here is that it doesn’t seem to integrate with what Art Haddad is doing with WPF and Silverlight. It is a shame that ArcGIS Mobile is still treated as a different product than the ArcGIS API for Microsoft Silverlight/WPF. I don’t like the idea that the ArcGIS Mobile team is doing WPF work and the ArcGIS Server team is doing it as well. I want to write code once and deploy on Server or Mobile, not maintain two different apps.
11:45 AM: Break for lunch.
About James Fee
Sucks….at PUG they were saying April for 9.3.1.
James, have they said something about multiple layouts?.
I was told that this functionality is going to be part of ArcGIS 10. But maybe ESRI change its way of thinking
Thanks
I’ll find out about multiple layouts. Haven’t heard anything
That’s why maplogic layout manager is among the best $1200 you can spend on a 3rd party application. (especially for $250/year maintenance)
Any major mention or demo of the Javascript API during Plenary Session? Hopefully not an indicator that they are the moving more to the Silverlight and Flex API’s?
JSAPI isn’t the story this year. It is Flex API and Silverlight API. I don’t think that has any deeper meaning, just that JSAPI isn’t “new”. This is Flex and Silverlight’s comming out party. Their space at the Server island is as big or bigger than anyone elses.
Thanks for this… Keep it coming.
Some great new features! Sure wish they would fix some of the fundamentals that have had problems for a technological coons-age. Like ArcMap printing. Thanks for the updates!
James, you got a little purple mustache working. You might want to carry a napkin or two when you’re drinking from that punchbowl.
Yea that’s me. Kool aid drinker.
Real question is what is in the Koolaid…
James, did you drink too much kool-aid? No blogging after lunch? Must have had a full stomach and needed the rest.
Bad Wireless connectivity. The Palm Springs Convention Center really needs to add capacity. Even ESRI is having issues. Shame really.
Sure, *wink* *wink*. Techonolgy failure. The pillow and bed wouldn’t let go!!
Thanks for all the updates.
Jack and James went to lunch at the Blue Coyote Grill.
Once the crowds let Jack sit down and order, and after their burritos were served, Jack leaned over conspiratorially and put his hand on James’ shoulder…looked him in the eye…and said:
‘I think this is big’
…and everyone sitting at nearby tables applauded.
While trying not to be too much of a language fanboy, very happy to see Python getting some tighter integration with ArcMap. Has the dual effect of (a) removing the complaints of some of the old guard about how it never fully replaced the proprietary command line automation operations and (b) makes Python a really worthy investment for new users – it is now the language of choice for MIT, Google, and OS GIS plugins/addons.
I’m surprised there wasn’t a mention of the .NET implementation (IronPython) as there seems to be a move toward MS by ESRI.
James,
Will you be expanding on your twitter comments from the BPC or are you constrained by some type of confidentiality agreement?
It is complicated, for the BPC it sort of is under an NDA so I just don’t bother. I’ve been busy and with poor network connectivity its been hard to keep on it.
I plan to give a wrap up though when I get home and hit some of the stories I know people want to hear.
So what happened the rest of the day?
Any update on Atlas?
The story for the rest of the day is Flex and Silverlight. If you aren’t paying attention to either, then you are missing where ESRI is going.
Between the double combination of accessibility issues and the looming specter of html 5, I’m surprised that ESRI would lean more on flex/silverlight than AJAX. And that’s still not even acknowledging the search engine issues that come into play (even more important consider how badly ESRI wants spatial content to become indexable).
All I know is, I just updated all of our internal applications from JSAPI 1.2 to JSAPI 1.3 in 3 days and built a new in-car navigation application (using widgits from existing applications) that works as expected on firefox, ie6/7, and safari. The most difficult part was accounting for map.getScale(), which shows how easy it was.
Silverlight, Virtual Earth, IronPython…what’s the over/under on when Microsoft buys ESRI? I say 6 years.
Over Jack’s dead body.
How would Microsoft buying ESRI benefit ESRI or ESRI’s many customers who aren’t MS shops? If ESRI isn’t interested in going public then why would they think of selling themselves to another company? Also Microsoft would have to get in line to purchase ESRI.
Microsoft isn’t buying ESRI (IBM would be a better fit, but that is even more unlikely). No one has money to buy anyone these days, let along a huge company like ESRI.
Microsoft has more to worry about that what would be a niche business for them. They are best when they build the tools that people use to build other tools. When they do both, they fail.
James I think that ESRI becoming yet another neck of the IBM Hydra would result in a loss of focus. On the plus side, nobody at IBM would be dumb enough to try to use a newly acquired ESRI to force DB2 on everyone
ESRI is the GIS company and focuses solely on GIS and getting those tools into the hands of users.
I just meant that I think IBM is a better fit, but it is unlikely to happen either way. ESRI will stay ESRI for a long time.
Pingback: At the ESRI Development Summit 2009 : Al Pascual
The Silverlight demo during the plenary was, indeed, slick. So slick it was very easy to get sucked in by what Art kept saying over and over rather than what he was doing. He kept saying it took “only two lines of code” and then did set-up step after set-up step before actually adding the “two lines of code”… and apparently XAML isn’t “code”. He clearly believes in the product, its a shame he felt the need to exaggerate. It simply wasn’t necessary and was, frankly, insulting to the audience. (Alright, a little overdramatic, I agree.)
As far as Silverlight API vs. Flex API vis-a-vis ArcGIS Server, it’s probably a good idea to evaluate based on some actual deployed applications rather than vendor demos. Typical of ESRI, there is likely to be, generally, parity between the two out of the box. The difference will be in what the typical GIS developer or municipal GIS professional is able to do with it.
Should be fun to watch.
What’s up with the wireless at ESRI conference locales? It has been really poor at the PUG in Houston the last several years. I mean c’mon people, we’re dealing with _web apps_ here, aren’t we? Not to mention us pathetic souls that can’t go rely on the nice folks like you James to keep us informed. Get the friggin’ Information Superhighway working better at the venues!
It isn’t just ESRI, practically every conference I’ve been to has been hurting. The technology ones get hit harder because more people have laptops/phones that use WiFi.
Given what companies such as ESRI pay the venues for WiFi (i’ve seen the numbers, just incredible) you’d think there would be better support.