MapQuest Map API Transactions Are Now Free

November 17, 2011 1 Comment

So Google did the right thing by actually charging for their API.  We all expected other APIs to jump in and show the world how they are either cheaper or better.  Well MapQuest jumped in with free with no transaction limits for their “Open Data” Map API.

MapQuest is excited to announce a change to our limits, which includes no preset limit on maps within our free Community Edition license!

Ah, but what about their licensed map versions?

 In addition, we are setting higher limits on our other service calls (the highest in the industry), with 5,000 geocodes, 5,000 routes and 5,000 search calls allowed per day.

If you click over to their blog post, you can see a chart that outlines all the features of the different options.  What is interesting is the Community Edition/Open Data tier allows free on Private and/or Paid Commercial Web Apps and Mobile Apps.  I can’t think of any apps that use MapQuest offhand now, but I suspect these new changes will at least get people to look.

MapQuest is still in a tight spot, but at least they are running faster.

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Esri Says They Have Your APIs Covered

November 17, 2011 9 Comments

So Silverlight, Flash and Flex are dead.  Or maybe not.  Honestly we’ll probably see all three around for years.  Enterprises love to hold onto outdated or deprecated software (er IE6) so they’ll probably continue using these three until the development tools are dead.  Given how many VB6 and VBA apps I still see out there, it will probably be years before they are gone from our browsers.

The big question of course is what will Esri do with those APIs?  Well don’t fear, they are totally committed to you writing apps in libraries that have no future.

We’re committed to providing the best technology for GIS developers and giving choices from the most widely used developer platforms in the market. By offering many options, we enable developers to address different customer needs and expectations. Our commitment is not based on a specific technology, but based on supporting the GIS developer regardless of the platform chosen. Each of these areas: JavaScript/HTML 5, Flex, Silverlight, and native application code, gain significant improvements in the upcoming ArcGIS 10.1 release.

See? No worries.  Plus you can use their JavaScript (notice they now append HTML5 to the end?) API to stay “current”.  Of course you have to use Dojo which gives you just enough bloat to call that a nice Enterprise API.   Plus you can still use the ArcGIS for SharePoint to fulfill all your Enterprise API coding needs.

Seriously, if I was Esri…  I’d totally get Leaflet working natively with Esri APIs out of the box and use that.  Lightweight and fun.  Something Esri’s heavy APIs lack.

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File Geodatabase API 1.1 is here — .NET Wrapper Time

August 10, 2011 Leave a Comment

One of the minor complaints about the File Geodatabase API was that there was no API wrapper for those who wanted to use it with .NET projects [ref]Where is the Avenue wrapper Esri?[/ref].  Clearly Esri heard the talk and rolled out a simple wrapper for .NET users.  The File Geodatabase API 1.1 has all that and some bug fixes.

I can’t wait to start using the File Geodatabase API!

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I’ve Come to Praise ArcObjects, Not Kill It

June 24, 2011 Leave a Comment

OK, I’m the first one to dance on ArcObjects grave[ref]In fact I suspect I’ll take my anti-love of ArcObjects to my grave[/ref], but others seem to like it.

… This all comes from the following fact: being a complete ignorant about ArcObjects and the ArcGIS API, I have been able to create the corresponding SEXTANTE bindings from scratch in less time than I needed to create any other bindings before. That means less time than the gvSIG bindings (an application that I knew pretty well), and way less than the OpenJUMP or Geotools ones (both of them softwares that I had worked with before, at least once).

This is basically due to the clean, well designed and perfectly documented API of ArcGIS, which, along with the additional Eclipse plugins, makes it very easy to develop new plugins and extensions for the software.

Now, let me just tell you first off.  Sextante coming to ArcGIS — awesome!  But the real meat of the matter here is if there is a well documented API, developers just love it[ref]No matter how crazy the ArcObjects API may be[/ref].  That is the real less for any project, proprietary or open source.  Documentation matters!

In API hell, as long as there is documentation we’ll all be fine!

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Latest Version of Arc2Earth Allows Google Earth Imagery in ArcMap — Legally

May 13, 2011 Leave a Comment

So now you can stop using that old busted Bing Maps Aerial Imagery that Esri “provides” you and use some beautiful Google Maps Aerial Imagery as well as their other geo-web services:

Data Services is a new product for use with Arc2Earth Desktop. It allows you to display Google Maps Street and Imagery data directly in ArcMap (legally, A2E is now an OEM of the Google Maps API). It also includes access to other Google Maps services like Geocoding, Routing and Elevation.

Arc2Earth and Google seem to be taking on Esri and their stagnant ArcGIS.com offering (seriously, does anyone actually enjoy using ArcGIS.com?).  Ballsy move if you ask me and clearly Google is going after Esri and their “cloud” <sic> offerings.

Much like you don't want to mess with Bolo Yeung, you don't want to mess with Google. Best of luck Esri...

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File Geodatabase API – To support both Windows/Linux and 32/64 bit

April 13, 2011 8 Comments

File Geodatabase API – 4 platform final release set for mid-May

… we’ve received a lot of feedback from everyone wanting 64-bit Linux and we’ve made faster progress than we’d expected on the 64-bit Linux port, so we’ve decided to delay the initial release a few weeks and have a single release that supports all 4 platforms. Bazaam!

Cool, now all I have to do is find a customer that actually wants data delivered in the File Geodatabase format.  Kablooey!

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Esri Releases ArcGIS API for JavaScript 2.2

March 3, 2011 2 Comments

Just in time for the Esri Developer Summit, Esri has pushed out the ArcGIS API for JavaScript[ref]Horrible name, but great API[/ref].  Esri says it includes “many oft-requested features that will improve the usability of the Web apps you build”.  If that doesn’t get you excited there is always the “What’s new in Version 2.2” in the docs with lots of samples.

On a related note, did anyone else notice that Flash Gordon (with help from Prince Vultan and the Hawkmen) attacked the War Rocket Ajax[ref]Yes, Ajax. Weird huh?[/ref] in the movie Flash Gordon?  Every time I hear someone talk about Flex/Flash I too want to scream, “repel all boarders”.

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File Geodatabase API is now available on Linux

February 14, 2011 3 Comments

Well ask and you shall receive.

We’ve added a Linux version of the File GDB API.

It is available from the same download page as the windows version.

Now developers can develop file geodatabase code on a Linux machine.

Happy Feet!

Now I gotta get off my duff and do something with it. Good to see some Linux support here, feel like Esri is saying Use Me.

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Esri Releases the File Geodatabase API Beta 2

February 10, 2011 Leave a Comment

So things are moving quickly, well that is if you are on Windows. Those of us who are waiting for a Linux build (Fedora please) watch with anticipation.

Esri, do we need to haggle to get some Linux support?

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The File Geodatabase API is Available

January 20, 2011 14 Comments

So I guess there really is news at the Esri FedUC (was beginning to wonder if it was just more of the same from the last year). Esri has finally released their File Geodatabase API. Without having looked into it yet Esri says you can do the following:

  • Create, Open and Delete file geodatabases[ref]we be talking about little g, not big g – more GeoDesign jokes for no reason[/ref]
  • Read the schema of the geodatabase
    • All content within a geodatabase can be opened for read access
  • Create schema for objects within the simple feature model
    • Tables
    • Point, Line, and Polygon feature classes
    • Feature datasets
    • Domains
    • Subtypes
  • Read the contents of datasets in a geodatabase
    • All dataset content within a geodatabase can be read
  • Insert, Delete and Edit the contents of simple datasets:
    • Tables
    • Point, Line, Polygon, Multipoint, and Multipatch feature classes
  • Perform attribute and (limited) spatial queries on datasets
    • Spatial queries will be limited to the envelope-intersects operator

A couple points here. First off there is no raster support. Second you are totally on your own here. You have total control over screwing up your geodatabases here. Some may want to continue using ArcObjects as it gives you some framework to work within. Lastly this is a C++ API, while I don’t see the need for .NET or Java “versions” feel free to continue complaining about Esri ignoring you below.

I still can’t believe they finally released this thing.

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