At the ESRI User Conference a couple of weeks ago we received many questions about the upcoming release. As always, we appreciate your feedback and comments. Here's a list of the more frequently asked questions and their answers.

Q. How does ArcGIS Explorer fit into the rest of the ESRI product line?

A. ArcGIS Explorer is specifically designed to be a free and easy way for you to provide broader access to your GIS data and capabilities to other departments within your organization, with organizations outside your own, or geographic information users everywhere.

It's meant to be used as a viewer of what has been authored in ArcGIS Desktop as map or globe services, or layer files and packages. ArcGIS Explorer can also be extended via add-ins which connect to geoprocessing services that you author using ArcGIS Desktop and publish via ArcGIS Server.

ArcGIS Explorer has the capability to read local data directly, and offers basic rendering and property editing for local content. ArcGIS Explorer also allows you to create notes and easily integrate other documents and media, such as photos, movies, reports, and more. ArcGIS Explorer is meant as a way for you to deliver GIS to everyone, and is intended for users that aren't GIS experts or analysts but who may need to use GIS data and/or capabilities.

Q. Do I need ArcGIS Server to use ArcGIS Explorer?

A. No. ArcGIS Explorer is ready to use and connects directly to ArcGIS Online which powers the default map, basemaps, and tools you use. Though you don't need ArcGIS Server, you can extend the maps and capabilities of ArcGIS Explorer by authoring and publishing your own maps and layers via ArcGIS Server, or authoring geoprocessing tools which can extend Explorer's capabilities via add-ins.

Q. Is ArcGIS Explorer customizable?

A. Yes, ArcGIS Explorer can be customized in a variety of ways, many of which do not require programming. First, users personalize the application by changing color schemes, the behavior of various aspects of the application, choosing tools to appear on the Quick Access Toolbar, and the location of windows such as Content.

ArcGIS Explorer can be further customized using using the Application Configuration Manager (ACM). Using the ACM you can remove tools, add new tabs, reorganize existing tools, enable or disable capabilities (like saving the map, or adding new layers), and more. These are saved as application configuration files (.ncfg) which can even be opened directly via double-clicking. In many cases the ACM is used to configure Explorer for specific users and workflows.

Using the ArcGIS Explorer SDK, you can extend Explorer's capabilities via add-ins that you create using Visual Studio. A typical example might be authoring a geoprocessing tool, and extending Explorer with additional GIS capabilities via an add-in built using the SDK. Add-ins can also be managed within application configurations.

Q. How can I use Application Configurations?

A. Application configurations are a great way to customize Explorer to support specific users or workflows. So, for example, you could create a special version of Explorer for planners, another for the utility department, and another for crime analysis. The application configurations can be centrally managed within an organization.

Q. Is there a charge for the SDK?

A. No, the ArcGIS Explorer SDK is free via a separate download.

Q. What are "expansion packs?"

A. Expansion packs are optional downloads and used to deliver additional ArcGIS Explorer capabilities or resources. The current list of expansion packs includes:

• Data Access Expansion Pack - expands geodatabase functionality by allowing direct connections to multi-user geodatabases.
• Fonts Expansion Pack -  adds more ESRI fonts for use with ArcGIS Explorer when displaying ArcGIS layer files and layer packages.
• Projection Engine Expansion Pack - adds more projections and geotransformations for use with ArcGIS Explorer.

Q. Can I work offline with ArcGIS Explorer?

A. ArcGIS Explorer is meant to be used in a connected environment since the default map, basemaps, and functions are provided via ArcGIS Online, but you can work in a disconnected (or intermittently connected) environment. You can work directly with local content, and can work with any Web-based content you've visited (and therefore cached locally), but you won't be able to use Find or other capabilities that rely upon ArcGIS Online services.

Q. Can I symbolize data any way that I want in ArcGIS Explorer?

A. ArcGIS Explorer provides basic capabilities for symbolizing local content, and includes a rich palette of point symbols that you can extend. The upcoming release adds support for ArcGIS layer files and layer packages. Layer packages are ideal for encapsulating ArcMap cartography with the data in an easy-to-share package that can be E-mailed, copied to CD or DVD, or shared via ArcGIS Online. Using layer files and layer packages ArcGIS Desktop cartography can be viewed using ArcGIS Explorer.

Basemap and layer service cartography is not editable, and are "as-authored" by the ArcMap user who created it and published it via ArcGIS Server.

And the number one question we were asked:

Q. When will the new version of ArcGIS Explorer become available?

A. Soon!

More questions and answers coming....