SOFTWARE REVIEW Cartographic Visualization with In the education, research and advisory services environment of our institute (ITC, the License Manager, but only one hardware key), ArcView has exactly the same func- Netherlands) we have come across quite a few wrong ideas of what ESRI's new ArcGIS tionality but is extended by ArcGIS in providing access to multi-user editing, really is about. ArcGIS is not simply another software package. On the contrary, it is a advanced analysis and spatial database and Internet services (the latter not only family of GIS software products with the same architecture and a common (Windows) for dissemination purposes, but also to access data in e.g. the Geography user interface. However, it has different "levels of functionality" which may be Network). ArcView 8.1 may be customized at different levels. It includes, for employed according to the specific GIS needs and requirements of the users and their instance, Visual Basic for Applications. organizations. The big advantage is, of course, that users do not have to familiarize themselves with new software and a new interface as soon as they need more func- tionality. ESRI facilitates differences and possible changes in user needs by applying a flexible and "floating" license concept with the installation of the ArcGIS desktop. ArcGIS Licensing By Corne P.J.M. van Elzakker ArcEditor 8.1 is neither the same nor the successor of ArcEdit. It is a completely new maps, data and tools. It is software product with the same functionali- envisaged that users will ty as ArcView 8.1 but with the additional typically interact with the power to edit features in a multi-user geo- 40 system by having two or database or (ArcInfo) coverage. And next to all three of these applica- all this, ArcInfo 8.1 has more advanced tions active. ArcToolbox geo-processing functionalities, as expressed contains functionalities for by the maximum number of ArcToolbox data conversion and geo- functions referred to above. It should be processing by means of noted that ArcInfo 8.1 in fact consists of wizards. ArcMap is meant ArcInfo Desktop, with only menus and wiz- for the basic editing, ards, as well as the complete "old" ArcInfo querying, analysis and Workstation, with the same interface as integration of geo-data, ArcInfo 7. usually involving data dis- play and cartographic visualization. Finally, ArcGIS Extensions The ArcGIS Family ArcCatalog is the applica- In fact, there are three increasing levels of tion for the browsing, management, cre- There are six new ArcGIS extensions that add functionality, combined in the desktop soft- ation, organization and maintenance of functionality to ArcView, ArcEditor or ArcInfo. ware products ArcView, ArcEditor and geo-data and their metadata. Functionally wise, these extensions do not ArcInfo successively. Users may decide to differ when called upon by either ArcView or install one of these products, depending ArcEditor or ArcInfo. The Spatial Analyst on their needs and the available license. ArcView, ArcEditor and ArcInfo extension combines the capabilities of the All three are based on a combination of extension we already knew of the former the standard applications ArcMap, The new version 8.1 of ArcView forms the versions of ArcView with those of ArcGRID. ArcCatalog and ArcToolbox with, as men- basis of ArcGIS and possesses standard The extension can be used for surface cre- tioned before, more or less functionalities. GIS functionalities. It is the only product ation, raster analysis and grid algebra. 3D For instance, whereas ArcToolbox has only of the ArcGIS 8.1 family that is also mar- Analyst is for 3D visualization and analysis 20 functions in ArcView and in ArcEditor, it keted in some countries as a stand-alone and combines the capabilities of the old 3D has more than 170 functions in ArcInfo. The GIS (single-user license with a separate Analyst extension of ArcView and ArcTIN. 3D ESRI idea behind the three different appli- "dongle" (=hardware key)). In the con- Analyst includes the new three-dimensional cations ArcMap, ArcCatalog and ArcToolbox current use license version (the only viewing application ArcScene. Geostatistical is that they represent the fundamental license that is available for ArcEditor and Analyst is a new extension for advanced sur- methods of how people interact with a GIS: ArcInfo, requiring the installation of the face interpolation, modelling and exploratory JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2002 SOFTWARE REVIEW is not possible any longer to reverse this action. Therefore, users have to take great ESRI'sESRI's ArcGISArcGIS 8.18.1 care when organizing files in GIS folders. spatial data analysis. The new ArcPress cessor. Therefore, we will not deal any fur- Cartographic Digitizing and extension is a PostScript-based Raster Image ther with the working of ArcToolbox, nor with Editing in ArcMap Processor (RIP) for printing and exporting of many other standard GIS functionalities and maps with improved colour output control. the new 'geo-database' object-oriented vec- In ArcMap, new cartographic features may StreetMap is for street display and geo-cod- tor data model that increases interoperability. be created and existing ones edited, similar ing (at the moment, for the USA only) and Instead, we will concentrate on the carto- to ArcView 3.x but with many new function- the MrSID Encoder produces smaller-sized graphic functionalities of ArcMap. But, before alities. Users need no longer be dependent MrSID images from geo-referenced input doing so, first a few words should be devot- on buying cartographic datasets but may images up to 500 MB and mosaics MrSID ed to ArcCatalog. For ArcCatalog is a very create or edit their own. Input of various images. Other new ArcGIS extensions are on useful management tool to connect to data data formats is possible, or use can be their way (e.g. Survey Analyst, Network sources (be they e.g. on the local hard disk, made of digitizing tablets that support the Analyst, Tracking Analyst, Business Analyst, on the Intranet or the Internet) and to pre- Wintab driver. Compared to the possibilities Maplex, etc.). Finally, ArcSDE and ArcIMS are offered by ArcView 3.x, the new snapping the fully integrated application services on interface and facilities make digitizing more the ArcGIS platform. ArcIMS adds Inter- and ArcView and ArcMap in comfortable. Examples are vector snapping Intranet functionality to ArcGIS and ArcSDE is capabilities like snapping to reference layers the interface for storage and management of version 8.1 definitely are among with different priorities and selecting snap- a multi-user geo-database in a DBMS. ping types like: snapping to vertices, edges Together, these application services make the best software solutions for or the end of a line. Placing functionalities possible a mutual integration of Internet, are extended with construction tools like Intranet and local geo-data and also allow creating various thematic map placing vertices at intersections of two dis- for their dissemination. tances from two other points, or at the types in a GIS environment. implied intersection of two segments. Lines can be placed at different angles, distances System Requirements or deflections and parallel or perpendicular view the data. It is more than just the to other segments. For on-screen digitizing 41 The ArcGIS desktop products run on 'Windows Explorer' of ArcGIS, if only raster images may be geo-referenced in Windows NT4 (SP 6a or higher), Windows because of the options to incorporate and ArcMap. First, second and third order trans- 2000 (SP1) and Windows XP. The minimum edit meta data. In addition, ArcCatalog does formations are supported, but it is a pity system requirements are a Pentium 450 MHz not only provide cartographic and tabular that raster tracing is not. However, segments with 128 MB RAM, but a Pentium 650 MHz previews of the data, but also offers some may be traced, with or without offset. To or higher with 256 MB RAM (available) and basic functionality to explore, query and edit maintain relationships while editing a more than 1 GB disk space (without data) is the data on the basis of these previews. For dataset with different layers in which fea- strongly recommended (and perhaps even example, in the map preview it is possible to tures share common boundaries or points, necessary, as we have discovered). These "identify" singular objects in a similar way there is a possibility to snap to vertices, requirements are one of the reasons why as in ArcView 3.x. Furthermore, the user may edges or endpoints of features that are situ- ESRI will continue the support of ArcView edit a table preview by adding or deleting ated in other layers than the current editing 3.x for the time being. After all, for running fields. A disadvantage is that the user is not layer. In ArcMap, features from different data ArcView 3.x all you need is a Pentium with able to add or change values for a field. sources that share common boundaries or 32 MB and Windows 95/98. Besides, the Another functionality is the calculation of points may now also be integrated, using a stand-alone version of ArcView 8.1 is some- statistics and the production of a frequency specific function. what more expensive than ArcView 3.x, and distribution for a field. ArcCatalog another reason why users may want to con- also offers useful search functionali- tinue working with 3.x is that a customiza- ty: a user may search by geographic tion with Avenue scripts cannot be trans- location and within the metadata. ferred to the 8.1 environment. Searching based on geographic location is possible by drawing a box around the area of interest, by ArcCatalog selecting a location from a drop- down list, by specifying geographic In view of the expertise of the authors, the coordinates in text boxes or starting rest of this concise review of comprehensive from a user-defined map.