ESRI Business Partner Conference and Developer Summit Review

"As a business partner that primarily does web-based software development, these events [ESRI Business Partner Conference and Developer Summit] are pretty important to us"

Every year, Azavea makes the trip out to Palm Springs, California to attend the ESRI Business Partner Conference and Developer Summit. As a business partner that primarily does web-based software development, we consider these events pretty important for us, so I wanted to outline what we regard as some of the highlights of the event.

These two conferences were primarily about the forthcoming release of ArcGIS 9.3.1. While this is an interim release before version 9.4 goes into beta testing this fall, it incorporates a number of features that we think are important:

ArcGIS Server
ArcGIS Server will receive several improvements, most of which are focused on performance and developer tools. They include:

Performance – Dramatically improved performance for dynamic mapping services. Cached map services will still be the faster way to provide maps on the web, but a new, optimized rendering engine as well as several tools for troubleshooting and resolving performance issues should have a substantial impact.
Licensing
- Map editing features will now be included in ArcGIS Server Standard edition as well as in the Advanced edition.
- Analytical extensions (Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst and Network Analyst) will now be included in the Advanced edition without having to purchase separate licenses.
- The Web ADF will no longer require a separate license if it is hosted on a separate server.
Developer API’s – New versions of the Javascript API and Flex API will be joined by a new Silverlight API, which is already in beta testing.
Templates – ESRI will released updated versions and a broader range of templates to help people get started more quickly with the various API’s

ArcGIS Online
The ArcGIS Online system will see several substantial extensions to its functionality including:

Upload your own data – ArcMap will be able to export ‘Layer Packages’ that combine data and cartography and can be uploaded to ArcGIS Online and used in conjunction with cached base maps hosted there. You will also have the option of setting limits on who can find and use the data you store on ArcGIS Online.
Low cost Web Map API – Will provide a set of base maps and basic geoprocessing capabilities for organizations that do not need all of the functionality in ArcGIS Server.
Personalization – Save favorite data sets, create your own mashups, upload layer packages, share data, and perform other activities from your account.
More data and services – ESRI has negotiated some new agreements to provide data sets from Microsoft Virtual Earth, DeLorme, and other providers. It will also be rolling out commercial versions of its geocoding and routing services.

While not a "major" release, the focus on performance and flexibility will make this a compelling upgrade for many organizations. If you have any questions about how you might be able to leverage these new capabilities, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

ESRI will be holding a series of half-day seminars on Creating Effective Web Maps through June 9. These events are a great way to learn more about the new capabilities in the ArcGIS Server 9.3.1 release.