what's New in ArcGIS 9.2 – a major release coming this fall
Written by Glenn Letham (GISuser editor)
10 August 2006
ArcGIS 9.2 – a major release coming this fall - likely the most comprehensive update that ArcGIS has seen. The focus of this release: Improve the quality and usability of ArcGIS via customer driven improvements. Extending the ArcGIS platform. And Better documentation. the goal is to ship final release this fall - Pre release was July 2006. Read on for a look at what you can expect as seen at the ESRI UC.
Key enhancements - make it easier to use and fix bugs - improve docs - make good looking maps without using other apps - add more powerful visualization - make the geoDB easier to use - improved support for cAD and other data stds - better automation for worklows using geoprocessing - make it easier to author and deploy GIS maps across the web
More than 4000 bugs have been fixed in total!
From the what's new at 9.2 session... The Biggest complaint regarding usability was that it required too many mouse clicks to do something. Within ArcMap ESRI has repaired some 600 issues with a strive for consistency across all applications. Hundreds of new shortcuts added for faster navigation Some of the other fixes you'll find waiting for you in 9.2 include: - added support for the mouse-wheel. Drag map and scroll to zoom in/out. Right click context menu with many shortcuts. - Customize where the full extent action takes you. Very useful if publishing to the web as that property is adopted and applied to your data properties. - Birds-eye map viewer window – view your window with none of the ArcMap “stuff” around it. Very useful for those of you with dual monitor workstations! - Easily add your own scales into the scale control dialog – automatically converts your units to a common format - Very easy to annotate your maps with locations and coordinates - More robust measurement tool, supports many units, click on any feature and retrieve the area in any unit desired. - Simple access to tabular data. View very large field contents, easy turn on/off data fields to see only what you need. - Easy to calculate area of a feature via calculate geometry dialog – also ability to add unit abbreviation characters into the field for labeling. - Select multiple features to create subsets of your data, simple add/remove ability. - Online documentation with flash animations of what’s coming – see ESRI.com homepage for article on What’s new in 9.2 (220+ pages as a PDF) - New search engine supporting documentation
Making great looking maps (without using other apps) - added intelligent, reactive symbology - improved productivity - more control over symbols - customize symbology to individual features and drive the symbology by attributes of data - graphic conflict detection according to pre-defined rules - expanded animation capabilities - multi-dimensional support for NetCDF – commonly used format for use with oceanographic and hydrologic data modeling - Improved 3D usability with new geoprocessing tools, addition of terrains and a terrain data format, and 3D visualization improvements.
I’ve already covered off a number of the enhancements that you’ll find in ArcGIS later this fall when 9.2 ships (note: if you’re waiting for ArcGIS Explorer it will be available once the shrink wrap is taken off ArcGIS 9.2).
Recall the focus of this major release will include: - Improve the quality and usability of ArcGIS via customer driven improvements. - Extended the ArcGIS platform - Better documentation
Other key general improvements include:
-new keyboard shortcuts, mouse wheel support
-numerous new and improved tools, including a my places tool, measure tool, and go to XY tool
-faster geocoding
-HUGE, integrated help utility
-Direct read Miccrosoft Excel files
-New COGO tools
If you can’t wait to get your hands on 9.2 then you may be able to catch a preview when the ESRI crew goes on the road with the ArcGIS 9.2 Nationwide seminar series. The seminars will cover off the latest enhancements in the following products: ArcGIS (ArcView, ArcEditor, ArcInfo), Server, EDN, ArcSDE, ArcIMS, ArcPad, and MapObjects. Between September and November tour stops will be made in Anchorage, Vegas, Pasadena, Atlanta, Austin, Orlando, New York, and many places in between. See www.esri.com/92seminar for details... oh, I forgot to mention that the seminars are Free!
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.
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.
10 Ways Your Tech Business Can Take Advantage of Twitter - Many companies and individuals are still asking themselves how can I use Twitter in my business? The following is a small sampling of some of the ways that your technology business can use Twitter to your advantage.
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
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