ArcGIS Explorer Blog : ArcGIS Online

Using add-ins

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:48:00 GMT

Add-ins extend ArcGIS Explorer's out-of-the-box functionality, and are delivered as add-in files (.eaz files). Like you can add layers to your map with .nmc files, you can add tools (buttons, dockable windows, and more) to ArcGIS Explorer with add-ins. Let's take a closer look.

Add-ins can be created using the ArcGIS Explorer SDK, and the ArcGIS Explorer team has created a number of ready-to-use add-ins that are shared on ArcGIS Online in the ArcGIS Explorer Labs group. To get there, you can start at the ArcGIS Explorer resource center and click the data tab. There you'll see links to the various ArcGIS Online resources including the Labs group.

Or you can go to ArcGIS Online, toggle to search for groups, and search for "AGX" or "ArcGIS Explorer."

Another way to find add-ins is at the ESRI Mapping for Everyone site. You'll find a selection of the same ones that are published on Labs.

These add-ins are both interesting and useful, but they're prototypes and examples and are not supported. Some of these will eventually find their way into the core product, others may not. If you're a developer the source code for several of them can also be found in the Explorer Gallery.

Whichever way you find them, just click to open. When you see the dialog below, you can choose Open or Save.

If you choose Open, ArcGIS Explorer will start with a new Add-In tab.

Just click the tab to use your chosen add-in. Here we've clicked the tab to see the Weather Forecast add-in we've just chosen.

If you choose Save instead of Open in the File Download dialog you can store the add-in (.eaz file) anywhere.

To add an add-in from a .eaz file, or manage add-ins you already have, use Manage Add-Ins found in the Resources section of the ArcGIS Explorer Options. First click the ArcGIS Explorer button

Then click ArcGIS Explorer Options

Click the Resources section and choose Manage Add-Ins

Click Add to place more on the Add-Ins tab by browsing for the EAZ files you've saved. You can also view properties of existing add-ins, or remove the ones you don't use anymore.

We'll showcase a few of the add-ins in upcoming posts. For more information on the topics we've discussed above you can check out the following in the ArcGIS Explorer Help:

Using the ArcGIS Explorer group on AGOL

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:41:00 GMT

In a previous post we mentioned the two groups we've created for ArcGIS Explorer users on ArcGIS Online; the ArcGIS Explorer group and the ArcGIS Explorer Labs group. Let's take a closer look at the ArcGIS Explorer group, and how you can use it.

When you click the Contents tab you'll see a list of content that you can use directly in ArcGIS Explorer.

The summary indicates the content type, and includes links to get more more information or open it directly in ArcGIS Explorer.

The detailed information includes a thumbnail preview, an in-depth description, credits, source of the content, and usage recommendations.

Either from the details, or directly from the summary list, you can click to add it to ArcGIS Explorer.

You can open it directly, or save the file (in this case a map content file, or .nmc) locally.

Since this is a layer, if you've already started ArcGIS Explorer it will be added to your map. If not, ArcGIS Explorer will start with the chosen layer.

The ArcGIS Explorer group on ArcGIS Online contains lots of content that you can add directly to your map. Or you can search ArcGIS Online for other items (Explorer maps, layer packages, layer files, add-ins) that you can add.

ArcGIS Explorer groups on ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:48:00 GMT

ArcGIS Online provides an easy way for GIS users to find and share useful content and resources, including maps, layers, and tools. These include a wide variety of specific file types unique to ESRI products, and you can view a complete list of supported content in the ArcGIS Online Help.

There's lots of content from ESRI and other users that you'll find on ArcGIS Online, but not all can be used directly in ArcGIS Explorer. For example, an ArcMap map document (MXD) can only be opened in ArcMap, and can't be used in ArcGIS Explorer. GIS users will know and understand these differences, but for beginning ArcGIS Explorer users it may be a challenge to explore (no pun intended) all of what can be found on ArcGIS Online.

To make things simple we've established two ArcGIS Explorer groups that offer an organized subset of what's shared by ESRI on ArcGIS Online and that represent a core set of useful maps, layers, and tools for ArcGIS Explorer users. Here's how you can find those groups.

First, go to the ArcGIS Online home site.

You'll see Search featured on the page, and you can enter keywords to find shared content that matches them. But we want to find the ArcGIS Explorer groups. So click the pulldown to the left of the input box and choose Search for Groups and enter AGX or ArcGIS Explorer:

The results returned will include the two ArcGIS Explorer groups established by the Explorer team; the ArcGIS Explorer group and the ArcGIS Explorer Labs group.

The ArcGIS Explorer group includes a collection of ready-to-use maps and layers. Most of these are ArcGIS Explorer map content files (NMC files) and can be opened directly in ArcGIS Explorer.

Click the Contents tab to see what's available.

The ArcGIS Explorer Labs group is a place where you can find a wide variety of add-ins (EAZ files) that extend Explorer's capabilities. These are created by members of the ArcGIS Explorer team, and may represent capabilities that find their way into the core product. Then again, maybe not.

Though unsupported, these add-ins are fun, interesting, and useful, so check them out. Click the Contents tab to view them.

We'll cover how you can use what you find on these groups in upcoming blog posts.

ArcGIS Online public beta now available

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:10:00 GMT

The new ArcGIS Online site went public beta earlier today, and the latest post on the ArcGIS Online blog provides a great introduction to using and leveraging the site, including some specific examples using the soon-to-be released new version of ArcGIS Explorer.

Shown below is ArcGIS Explorer with a layer package that was published by ESRI and discovered and accessed from ArcGIS Online.

Note that shared resources you will find on ArcGIS Online, such as layer packages, layer files, add-ins, Explorer layers, and more will open in ArcGIS Explorer 900 only and are not intended to be used with ArcGIS Explorer 500.

ArcGIS Explorer and ArcGIS Online articles in the latest ArcWatch

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:30:00 GMT

ArcWatch is ESRI's e-magazine for GIS news, views, and insights. The latest ArcWatch includes a couple of articles of specific interest to Explorer users.

The first is a preview of what's coming in the next release of ArcGIS Explorer.

The second covers new sharing capabilities of ArcGIS Online, which will be available as a public beta prior to the upcoming ESRI User Conference.

User content from ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:26:00 GMT

A couple of posts ago we showed how you can connect to ArcGIS Online directly to add additional content, and we highlighted a couple of the services, including the ONC charts from NGA. Continuing that thread, we'll take a look at user contributed content in this post.

On the ArcGIS Online resource center you'll find information about the Content Sharing Program (CSP) which enables users to contribute content that will be hosted and published by ESRI. Some of the CSP content is part of the World Events Imagery service which we'll take a closer look at.

Connect to ArcGIS Online like before, and select the CSP_Imagery_World globe service, shown here:

Some of the CSP content is highlighted by shaded polygons, and after you've added that service you'll see those on your map. Here we've zoomed in to the Texas and Louisiana coastal region, and can see the yellow shaded polygons indicating where the new content has been added.

As you zoom in you will see the new imagery, and here we've used the swipe tool to compare the default basemap imagery with the newer contributed imagery showing the damage immediately after Hurricane Ike went through the area. The basemap imagery is on the left, the imagery flown just after Ike went through is on the right.

Zooming out to Portugal we see another area of contributed imagery highlighted in this service.

And as we zoom in we eventually reach the scale threshold at which the imagery can be seen.

Using the Operational Navigation Charts from ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:38:00 GMT

In a previous post we showed you how you could connect directly to ArcGIS Online from ArcGIS Explorer to view additional content found there.

Another interesting service is the Operational Navigation Charts (ONCs). This service presents a digital version of the charts at 1:1,000,000-scale. The ONCs were produced by the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). The map includes over 200 charts across the world, excluding parts of North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania where charts are not publicly available. Here's what the coverage looks like:

Connect to ArcGIS Online like we described in our earlier post and open the Specialty folder. Choose the EVC_Topo_World globe service.

Here's what the service looks like around the Strait of Gibraltar.

If you want to learn more, see the World Topographic Map information on the ArcGIS Online Resource Center.

Exploring more of ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 23:33:00 GMT

ArcGIS Online is tremendous resource of ready-to-use map and globe services that can be accessed directly using ArcGIS Explorer. Explorer's default globe and the additional maps and layers that you add from the Data tab on the Explorer Resource Center are all powered by ArcGIS Online.

You can also connect directly to ArcGIS Online and discover additional services not currently included on the Explorer Resource Center. Here's how...

First, make a direct connection to ArcGIS Online. From Explorer choose File > Open, then click Servers. Create a new connection by choosing ArcGIS Server.

Enter the URL to ArcGIS Online. Note that in the graphic below the final "s" is cut off in the input box. The complete URL should be http://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/services. You don't need a user name or password.

Once you've established the connection, you'll see something like this - the list of all available data services from ArcGIS Online.

If you look closely you'll note the different icons that distinguish and organize what is available.

When you first connect globe services will be a little faster to draw since these don't need to be projected and most are already cached. Map services will take just a little bit longer to display when you first connect, but will be just as fast once you've connected and generated local cache.

To add a service just double-click. Here we've chosen to open a NASA cloud cover service. Try adding one or both of the layers in the service.

Now that you know how to add ArcGIS Online services directly, we'll take a closer look at others in upcoming posts.

ArcGIS Explorer at the 2009 ESRI Federal User Conference

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:00:00 GMT

ArcGIS Explorer 900, the forthcoming release of ArcGIS Explorer, was showcased a few hours ago during the opening plenary presentations at the 2009 ESRI Federal User Conference in Washington, D.C. ArcGIS Explorer was introduced by ESRI president Jack Dangermond with slides, and ArcGIS Explorer product manager Bern Szukalski showcased some of the new features and capabilities of Explorer, and how they're related to other new features that will be delivered with ArcGIS 9.3.1.

The context was set by demonstrating the new ArcGIS Online search that can be used to find GIS data. Bern started off by opening an ArcMap document missing some desired layers, then typing in keywords to search for and find needed data via ArcGIS Online. The data could be previewed, and then added to ArcMap from the search results with a single click. Shown below is the search page (on the right) and the search results (on the left).

The ability to create layer packages was then highlighted, a new feature of ArcGIS 9.3.1. Layer packages encapsulate ArcMap cartography and data (or URLs to services, if a service layer) in an easy-to-share share package. To create a layer package in ArcMap, just right-click a layer and choose Create Layer Package.

Jack Dangermond explained that layer packages can be shared in a variety of ways; they can be E-mailed, published onto CDs or DVDs, or placed on network drives. Bern showed another new way to share - via ArcGIS. He logged in to his ArcGIS Online account, then added his newly created layer package to other items he'd added previously. All ArcGIS users will have their own ArcGIS Online account, and have space available to share their data with others.

Shared data can be of many types, from source data to complete maps and layer packages, and even links to Web maps. These can be organized and shared publicly, or within groups that can be created and managed to allow public access or restricted access within specific user communities. Below are some of example groups that were demonstrated.

The demonstration then moved to ArcGIS Explorer 900, the forthcoming new release of the product. The new ribbon-based user experience was highlighted, as well as other features that improve its ease of use.

One of the shared layer packages was opened in ArcGIS Explorer, and showed how ArcMap cartography is captured in the layer package and can now be displayed in ArcGIS Explorer. ArcGIS Explorer has always been a great way to view and publish GIS services, but now it's also great for providing broad access to GIS data via layer packages created using ArcMap. ArcGIS Explorer 900 has an integrated 2D/3D display, and the layer package was opened in 2D mode.

The display was switched from 2D to 3D. Bern explained that the layer package he had just opened contained 3D content, and when opened in 2D mode it was draped on the map. But when the display was toggled to 3D mode the data was shown as extruded 3D polygons.

Also demonstrated was the new Basemap Gallery. These allow users to quickly switch basemaps without having to change or reorder any other operational layers they may have added. These new basemaps also include Microsoft Virtual Earth streets, imagery, and hybrid maps, which will be available to all ArcGIS users.

The demonstration concluded by showing an ArcGIS Explorer presentation. Explorer 900 includes tools that allow users to create presentations for briefings, meetings, educational use, and more. The full-screen presentation mode allows layer visibility and popups to be toggled, yet allows full control of the application at any time during the presentation. Presentation mode also allows various types of rich media to be incorporated, and the demonstration included streaming videos, live Web cams, and flash animations.

Using ArcGIS Online via direct connection

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:42:00 GMT

The ArcGIS Explorer default map, and maps and layers you can discover on the Explorer Resource Center, are created using ArcGIS Online services. Behind the scenes these have been authored using ArcGIS Desktop, and are powered by ArcGIS Server.

We've chosen a subset of all of the available ArcGIS Online services to include on the Explorer Resource Center, but you can connect directly to ArcGIS Online and shop around for more. Here's how...

Go to File > Open, and choose Servers. You'll see a list of the available connections you can make across the top. Choose ArcGIS Server (since the ArcGIS Online services are ArcGIS Server based) and type the following connection URL:

http://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/services

You'll see a list of all of the available services, many of them organized into folders.

At the bottom left of Open Content you'll see a link to the Help on Opening Content that includes a legend describing the icons you'll see:

Since Explorer is a globe, the globe services will be optimal. Many of the listed services are intended for use in ArcGIS Desktop, but any services you find will work just fine.

In this example, let's click to open the NASA CloudCover_World, and choose Space:

We've just added a cloud cover layer to our map. There lots of content to choose from, so try browsing for others you may find of interest.

Learning about ArcGIS Online updates

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:08:00 GMT

We recently completed a two-part post on managing your Explorer cache. In Part I we noted how the content available at the ArcGIS Explorer Resource Center is delivered via ArcGIS Online. We also talked about the fact that ArcGIS Online content is updated often, and explained how to manage and refresh your cache to ensure that you're always looking at the most recent content.

If want to know when ArcGIS Online content is updated, there's an easy way to do so. The ArcGIS Online Blog provides information about all changes and updates, and includes RSS feeds to which you can subscribe. We'll also keep you posted here.

Your Cache Portfolio - Part 1

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:30:00 GMT

You should see your investment advisor about investing cash, but in this two part post we'll cover how you can best manage your investment in Explorer map cache. Under most circumstances cache and how it is managed are completely internal to the application. But knowing a little more about it will help you make the right decisions about managing your own cache, and in making decisions about how you connect to services.

We'll begin by covering the implications of cache as it pertains to the default map, and other maps and layers you can access from the Content tab on the Explorer Resource Center.

Behind the scenes the default map and other maps are powered by ArcGIS Online, a large repository of online content and services that can be used in ArcGIS Explorer, ArcGIS Desktop, and ArcGIS Server. The ArcGIS Online services are powered by ArcGIS Server, and use ArcGIS Server's caching capabilities to streamline performance, and reduce client/server overhead. The ArcGIS Server 9.3 Help describes caching as follows:

Map caching is a very effective way to make your ArcGIS Server maps run faster. When you create a map cache, the server draws the entire map at several different scales, and stores copies of the map images. The server can then distribute these images whenever someone asks for a map. It's much quicker for ArcGIS Server to hand out a cached image than to draw the map each time someone requests it. Another benefit of caching is that the amount of detail in the image doesn't noticeably affect how quickly the server can distribute the copy.

The bottom line is that caching is a feature of ArcGIS Server that makes things better for you - the ArcGIS Explorer user.

When you first connect to a service you communicate with the ArcGIS Online's ArcGIS Servers. Cache is "handed out" to Explorer, and you'll see the Streaming... progress bar at the bottom of the map.

What's happening is that cache is being transferred from the ArcGIS Online servers to Explorer, where it's stored locally. This is somewhat similar to how bits and pieces of internet sites you visit are stored in browser cache to optimize performance when visiting the site again.

Once local, the next time you visit the same location Explorer doesn't even have to communicate with the server. It knows that it already has the cache it needs and simply uses it from local storage, resulting in best performance and minimizing client/server communications.

In an earlier post we blogged about how Explorer's default startup map and other layers you find on the Resource Center are regularly updated. To see these updates in areas that you've already visited you will have delete your local cache since Explorer knows you've already been there, and doesn't fetch new cache from the server.

But now that we said that, it's not entirely accurate. There were many changes in ArcGIS Online services in recent months that were automatically propagated to all Explorer users. That happened since we changed the ArcGIS Online server URL string to indicate a migration from the 9.2 version of ArcGIS Server to the 9.3 version. As a result of that change, new cache was pushed out automatically. But unless ESRI does something on the back end, some changes may be made to ArcGIS Online services that you'll need to refresh your cache to see.

To refresh your cache, just go to Tools > Options > Cache and choose Disk Cache. Check the option for All Caches and click Delete Caches.

It's a good idea to periodically refresh your cache, and good practice to make it part of your housekeeping activities.

In Part II, we'll cover how to have your cache refresh automatically when connecting to services.

ArcGIS Online infrastructure updates scheduled for tonight

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:21:00 GMT

Tonight (Friday, October 10, 2008) from 6 p.m. to midnight PST, ArcGIS Online will undergo some system upgrades to improve existing infrastructure. During this time there may be some 1 minute service interruptions. If you're using Explorer during this time you may notice very brief periods of not being able to connect to the default map or other maps and layers available on the Explorer Resource Center.

Explorer maps - always on the update

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:39:00 GMT

The ArcGIS Explorer default map, and other maps and layers found on the ArcGIS Explorer Resource Center, are regularly updated. These services come from ArcGIS Online and updates are managed by the ArcGIS Online team. ArcGIS Online also offers a variety of map services available for ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Server users.

Some of these changes are subtle (but still important) and others are dramatic. Here's one that we noticed earlier today when taking a look at one of the demonstrations shown during the User Conference plenary.

During one of the demonstrations we took a look at a bridge near Phoenix. In the Explorer default map the imagery showed a bridge still under construction. We added a more recent local raster file of the same bridge, now completed, and used the swipe tool to examine both during the demonstration. Here's a screen shot from that demonstration showing the bridge in the default map on the left, still under construction, and the newer local raster file with the bridge completed on the right.

If we visit that same area now we'll see that the Explorer default map has been updated, and shows the now-completed bridge.

The imagery in Explorer's default map is updated quarterly, and you may have noticed some other updates to the cartography in the Topo, Boundaries & Places, and Streets services. You can learn more about services on the ArcGIS Online Resource Center by visiting the Directory of Services. Select one and click to learn more about its source(s), update frequency, and more.

Updates and changes are also posted on the ArcGIS Online Services Blog.

Updated ArcGIS Online Services for Hurricane Ike

ArcGIS-Explorer-Team — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:33:00 GMT

Just a few days ago we published a blog post on the NOAA imagery services and ArcGIS Explorer maps available for download.

Those services are regularly being updated on ArcGIS Online, and whenever you open the map or layer (that you can download from the post above) you'll see the latest published imagery.

Here's what it looked like a few days ago:

And here's what it looks like today:

Comparing the two you can see that a lot of new imagery has been added to the mosaic.