Posts Tagged: ArcGIS Online
Esri User Conference 2017 – Day 3
Today was a great day at the ESRI User conference. I attended several sessions covering the use of raster and vector data in big data analyses, the use of python and r for data science, and the use of arcpy to create and modify maps in ArcGIS Pro.
Speaking of big data and arcgis, over the past 5 years I have watched ESRI develop their software from a desktop environment to a distributed computer platform capable of analyzing millions of spatial features in minutes and hours instead of days or weeks. These tools are now accessible to the average users of arcgis without the need to understand the underlying big data frameworks and software. We now have the ability to install tools such as GeoAnalytics Server, the Spatial Temporal Datastore, and ArcGIS Pro and take advantage of big data analytics within ArcGIS Pro. By using these tools we do not have to know how to setup and manage tools like apache spark, elasticsearch, or other tools.
The above tools are used to store and analyze vector data. To analyze multidimensional rasters, we have the ability to use mosaic datasets to store and analyze multiple raster datasets and multiple raster formats. Over the past years I underestimated the capability and the utility of mosaic datasets. These datasets have the ability to calculate custom raster functions on the fly. These datasets can also be shared via ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Online. I look forward to utilizing the datasets in the future.
One thing to note at the ESRI User Conference is that like last year all of the presentations that I have seen by ESRI staff this year have been on ArcGIS Pro. The ArcGIS Pro software is getting more powerful and ESRI is building more functionality into this new software platform.
I cannot wait to see what day 4 brings tomorrow.
Esri User Conference 2017 – Day 2, the first days of talks and technical sessions
Of all the technical session and talks I went to today the topic that was the most exciting was the “ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud”. The plugin for Adobe Creative Cloud is a bridge between ArcGIS and Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. This plugin allows cartographers and graphics designers to import vector and raster data directly from ArcGIS Online and from shapefiles into Illustrator and Photoshop. Once these data are in Illustrator and Photoshop the data can be manipulated and styled using the native tools in Illustrator and Photoshop.
This tool fills a need that cartographers have wanted filled for many years. I foresee these tools as being very important to allow graphics designers within our organization to extend the spatial data that we have created to publications and other materials that UCANR produce.
To download and start using these tools you will need access to Adobe Creative Cloud https://exchange.adobe.com/addons/products/16913 and an ArcGIS for Organizations account http://www.arcgis.com. If you are a member of the UCANR network and do not have access to ArcGIS Online fill out the following form and we will help you gain access to the ArcGIS Online http://igis.ucanr.edu/resources/esri_software/.
Notes and stray thoughts:
- ArcGIS Pro 2.0 and ArcGIS 10.5.1 Released in advance of the User Conference this year. To see what is new in these new releases go to http://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/get-started/whats-new-in-arcgis-pro.htm for ArcGIS Pro 2.0 and http://desktop.arcgis.com/en/arcmap/latest/get-started/introduction/whats-new-in-arcgis.htm#ESRI_SECTION1_76DF146740D047C78D38DC5FFF917CCD for ArcGIS 10.5.1.
- ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS will be have new releases every 6 months in to the future.
- As always, the ESRI User Conference is a well done production with professional presentation and branding.
- Being at the ESRI Conference is always a nice opportunity to see old friends in the GIS community.
More to Come Tomorrow
More from the 2014 ESRI User Conference
The ESRI User Conference is always an exciting and educational experience, and this year was no different. In addition to the new offerings discussed in the previous post, there were a few very interesting new developments in the web mapping arena.
First, there were a host of new features announced for ArcGIS Online: the ability to create presentations from the map viewer, several new spatial analysis tools including interpolated surfaces and route planning, some revamped security options, and support for related data. It has been quite interesting to watch ArcGIS Online develop over the years from a very basic online mapping and data sharing interface into a robust, easy to use application capable of creating some very powerful web mapping applications. This is truly a great tool for UCANR.
Another great new product coming out in the near future is the Web App Builder. This is a tool developed for ArcGIS Online and Portal for ArcGIS that provides a very simple environment for creating web maps using preconfigured widgets in a drag-and-drop interface. The Web App Builder is javascript based, so it functions across all platforms including mobile platforms. The Web App Builder is currently in beta, but is scheduled for a full release with ArcGIS 10.3 later in the year.
The User Conference was a great experince. It's always amazing to see just how many people are using GIS throughout the world and all the creative ways they are taking advantage of this technology. I had a great time and I'm looking forward to attending again soon.