ESRI, Arc/Info, ArcGIS, ArcView... 25 Years in the making - A Time Line
Written by Glenn Letham
27 June 2007
Of particular interest at this year's International ESRI User Conference was a clever timeline showing the history of ESRI and of their core platform, ArcGIS. It's been more than 25 years since ArcInfo hit the shelves and now with ArcGIS release 9.3 on the horizon the company is showing no sign of slowing down. Check out this timeline starting with the release of Arc/Info 1.0 and ending with ArcGIS 9.3
1981 - Arc/Info R1 released
1983 - Arc/Info R2 released - 17 systems in use including the Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources and the University of Maryland
1984 - 40 Arc/Info systems are in use
1985 - Arc/Info 3
1986 - Surpass the 100 seat milestone as 105 systems are in use
1987 - Arc/Info 4
1988 - 1500 systems in use
1989 - Arc/Info 5
1990 - First ESRI Press book released "Understanding GIS The Arc/Info Method"
1991 - Arc/Info 6, 7000+ seats in use
1992 - Arc/Info is 10 years old
1993 - ArcView is released to the World - think "Affordable" desktop GIS
1994 - Arc/Info 7 & ArcView 2
1997 - 100,000 user seats
1999 - Arc/Info 8, Arc/Info workstation, and ArcView 3.2 (Everyone remembers AV 3.2, some of you are still using it!)
2002 - Arc/Info 8.2 & ArcGIS 8.2
2004 - ArcGIS Desktop 9 is announced
2005 - ArcGIS desktop 9.1
2006 - ArcGIS desktop 9.2 - over 100 person years of development
2007 - ArcGIS desktop 9.3 prepared to launch
ArcGIS 9.3 is expected to be released late 2007 as a series of incremental service patches with a full, major release in 2008. Some of the functionality enhancements expected in ArcGIS 9.3 include:
better algorithms to conduct and improve geographic science
rich error messaging
huge improvements in mapping and labeling
WYSYWIG graphic editing
loads of geologic labeling options
support for multiple view windows
textures for buildings
faster import of web services
tracking in 3D
schematic diagramming and new diagram types (ie. electrical)
new mapping center website (via EDN) resource downloads, models, style fills, map gallery, a blog, more - see http://mappingcenter.esri.com
At 9.3 ArcGIS Server brings new javascript APIs - combine your organization's GIS content hosted on ArcGIS Server withg content from Virtual Earth, Google Maps, ArcGIS Online - powered by backend ArcGIS SErver REST services
much more!
It all started 25+ years ago with ArcGIS 1.0 and the hiring of Scott Moorehouse
ArcGIS 9 has evolved into an industry standard for enterprise GIS and a geospatial platform for webmapping services.
Top iPhone related GIS and Geo Tech news stories from 2009 - At the end of the year its always interesting for us to look at some of the stats and results to identify trends and more important, to see what our readers think is hot! In the "news" category it seems that iPhone related geo tech items were extremely popular.
Geo Social Location Checkin to Twitter from iPhone - With the cool SXSW event taking place Austin, TX, everyone who's anyone in social and social location seems to have rolled out updates this week, making your choice for how to check-in to your social media bookmarks even tougher to decide on!
10 Awesome GIS and Mapping apps for the iPhone - I recall last year at the ESRI UC when an iPhone was on stage showing a prototype app (think ArcPad on iPhone). It was then that I realized the iPhone platform is going to be BIG in mapping and there's a ton of opportunity for developers.
Nokia Booklet 3G, unboxing video and image gallery... Those of you in the USA who pop in to BestBuy occasionally, you may have seen a stand showing off the Nokia Booklet 3G. A sleek, 3G enabled, SIM slot (AT&T) sporting netbook.
Interesting Tweeple - 10 Geo Technology & Geo-Social Women of Twitter - given the growing love for geospatial and location-aware technologies, I’ve decided to hype 10 women that I feel make a significant contribution to the Geo-Twittersphere. If you’d like to add 10 knowledgeable and useful Twitter contacts to your Geo following list I highly suggest the following: (in no particular order)
10 Geo Social Location-Aware Apps Making Waves... With Twitter's opening of their location API to developers there's going to be a ton of third party apps that will enable Twitter users to share location-aware information via their Twitter accounts.
Signs that indicate you may be a GeoGeek (aka. GeoNerd) and some suggested Geo blogs - Chances are good that if you are a Geo Geek then you already know it and likely refer to yourself as one. However, there’s many of you out there that may be on the fence and wondering… “am I a Geo Geek?" Read on for a comprehensive list of signs you might be a GeoGeek followed up by some suggested Geoblog reading.
Real-time GPS Mapping and GIS Solution Aids Efficient Disaster Management - Saturday, February 7, 2009 will forever be known as Black Saturday in the State of Victoria, Australia. In the midst of a 10-year drought, a record breaking heat wave descended upon the state, with temperatures exceeding 45 degrees C (110-120 deg F), breaking all-time record highs in some cities - Victoria Police Use Trimble Juno SC Handhelds to Speed Assessment of Damage Caused by Bush Fires.
2010 ESRI Federal User Conference February 17-19, 2010, Washington D.C. Walter E. Washington Convention Center - The FedUC is the largest geospatial conference for federal agencies. Connect with other leaders, decision makers, and GIS professionals.
The International LiDAR Mapping Forum 2010 - Tenth Anniversary Event! ILMF 2010 will be held from March 3 - 5, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency in Denver at Colorado Convention Center.
The NAVTEQ 2010 Global LBS Challenge Awards Ceremony will be held during Ignite at O'Reilly Where 2.0. Be among the first to hear as NAVTEQ announces the winners for the North America region. Participants will be competing for a global prize pool of $10 million and growing by showcasing pre-commercial location-enabled apps using NAVTEQ map data & products. March 30, 2010, during Ignite Where, 7:30pm - 9:00pm, at the Marriott San Jose, CA
WHERE2.0 2010 - Now in its sixth year, the Where 2.0 Conference is where the grassroots and leading edge developers building location-aware technology intersect with the businesses and entrepreneurs seeking out location apps, platforms, and hardware to gain a competitive edge. For 15% use Discount Code: whr10lbs