We all know what a ‘toolbox’ is in the physical world, but what do we mean by a toolbox in a GIS context? Toolboxes are a way to wrap up a series of GIS processes into a small software program. The ESRI ArcGIS platform includes several toolboxes with the desktop ArcView, ArcEditor and ArcInfo licensees. These toolboxes include things like ‘Data Management’, ‘Conversion Tools’ and ‘Analysis Tools’. Additional toolboxes are provided with extensions such as Spatial Analyst.
But toolboxes are not limited to functionality delivered by ESRI. Any GIS software process can be automated and turned into a toolbox for use in your organization. Toolboxes can be created from GIS models, python scripts or custom ArcObjects programs.
At Azavea, we are using the toolbox technology to automate the integration of the legislative districts that drive our Cicero web service. Our DecisionTree product also includes a custom toolbox that helps to create the raster GRID files that can be used as inputs in the online application. But the most exciting development with toolboxes arrived last year with the release of ArcGIS Server.
ArcGIS Server is much more than the successor to the internet map server technology in ArcIMS. While it is able to perform tasks such as map generation and geocoding, the full range of capabilities in the ArcObjects framework can be accessed. In addition, many types of toolboxes and models can be ‘published’ as web pages that enable users of an ArcGIS Server application to run those tools without the desktop application. This is an incredibly powerful capability. It means that not only can you build models and toolboxes to automate your desktop processes, but you can now enable visitors to your website to perform many of the same tasks. So, for example, let’s say that you work at a land trust. You might have built a conservation prioritization model to enable people inside your organization to quickly assess properties based on a series of input data sets. ArcGIS Server now makes it possible to make that model available to the town planning boards, citizen groups and other stakeholders in your region.
