It is Pile on Microsoft Virtual Earth Week
Redfin seems to have set off criticism of Microsoft’s VE API. Their reasons for their move are outlined on their blog and many seem to agree with their conclusions about Microsoft’s and Google’s mapping APIs. I’m not sure I agree the VE API is much slower than Google’s, but I suppose if you are hypersensitive you’ll notice the difference. For us it usually is local network conditions that cause one API to be slower than the other, but YYMV.
Vish does a great job of listing what he is missing from the Virtual Earth API. Many ESRI users are exposed to these differences in the ArcGIS JavaScript Extenders for Google Maps and Virtual Earth when they move back and forth between them. I suppose if I had to come out and say which API was our development “standard”, I’d probably go with Google Maps API, but it wouldn’t be enough to call it a preference. The one feature that keeps us coming back to Virtual Earth is the Bird’s Eye imagery which many of our clients just love (planning and architecture seem to gain much from those, much more than street level imagery taken from a car in traffic).
My biggest problem with Virtual Earth is trying to figure out what the heck the “Live” platform is.
My biggest problem with Virtual Earth is trying to figure out what the heck the Live platform is.
ESRI’s Mobile Platform of Choice
Jack Dangermond was interviewed on CRBonline this week and there was one comment that caught my eye. When Jack commented on ArcLogistics on mobile, the interviewer asked him this:
Q. Does it run on the iPhone/BlackBerry Storm/Windows Mobile/Google Android? If not, when will it? A. We’ve standardised on Windows Mobile as a platform that gives us a level of device independence. We are looking at other platforms, but see Windows Mobile as a primary IT platform for professionals.
Yikes, I guess we and our clients won’t be running ArcGIS on their mobile devices in the coming year.
Maxwell Smart uses ArcGIS Server Mobile on the Windows Mobile Platform.
Of course I could be over analyzing Jack’s comments like others are.
ESRI’s Mobile Platform of Choice
Jack Dangermond was interviewed on CRBonline this week and there was one comment that caught my eye. When Jack commented on ArcLogistics on mobile, the interviewer asked him this:
Q. Does it run on the iPhone/BlackBerry Storm/Windows Mobile/Google Android? If not, when will it? A. We’ve standardised on Windows Mobile as a platform that gives us a level of device independence. We are looking at other platforms, but see Windows Mobile as a primary IT platform for professionals.
Yikes, I guess we and our clients won’t be running ArcGIS on their mobile devices in the coming year.
Maxwell Smart uses ArcGIS Server Mobile on the Windows Mobile Platform.
Of course I could be over analyzing Jack’s comments like others are.
ArcGIS License Manager Update
Running the new ArcGIS License Manager? You might want to download the latest update from ESRI’s servers. Those running ArcGIS on laptops should definitely look.
Issues Addressed in this update
- NIM003128 ’ The ArcGIS License Manager for Windows is now supported without hardware keys.
- NIM006141 ’ The ArcGIS License Manager is now supported on RedHat and SUSE LINUX.
- NIM000652 ’ The license manager is losing its connection with the USB key when a laptop goes to sleep, resulting in the failure of the license manager when the laptop ‘wakes up’.
- NIM013222 ’ A remote user can gain access to files on the license server using the License Manager as a gateway.
- NIM040406 - The AIX License Manager has been updated to support systems running AIX 5.3 ML04 and higher.
And before you get too excited, license borrowing won’t be implemented until after 9.3.
ArcGIS License Manager Update
Running the new ArcGIS License Manager? You might want to download the latest update from ESRI’s servers. Those running ArcGIS on laptops should definitely look.
Issues Addressed in this update
- NIM003128 ’ The ArcGIS License Manager for Windows is now supported without hardware keys.
- NIM006141 ’ The ArcGIS License Manager is now supported on RedHat and SUSE LINUX.
- NIM000652 ’ The license manager is losing its connection with the USB key when a laptop goes to sleep, resulting in the failure of the license manager when the laptop ‘wakes up’.
- NIM013222 ’ A remote user can gain access to files on the license server using the License Manager as a gateway.
- NIM040406 - The AIX License Manager has been updated to support systems running AIX 5.3 ML04 and higher.
And before you get too excited, license borrowing won’t be implemented until after 9.3.
On to GeoWeb 2.0?
What? I need to use Flex APIs (and thus GeoWeb 2.0) to do this?
GeoWeb 2.0 would need to be able to answer spatial questions and solve real-life problems in the spatial context’in addition to locating and visualizing data on maps. For example, it should be able to answer questions, like when the fire broke out, taking into account wind direction and speed, which area will be effected by the smoke and how many residents will be effected; or what critical infrastructure needs to be protected. It should also be able to pinpoint the nearest safe shelters for residents likely to be affected, the best evacuation routes; and the best way to setup road blocks so that the least number of U-turns will occur.
Why does someone need to propose GeoWeb 2.0 (other than I’m sure O’Reilly requires appending the 2.0 suffix to any article you write) when we can do everything Zhang outlines with GeoWeb Classic 1.0? Good grief indeed!
Malibu Stacy