In the Q & A that centers around UC, ESRI president Jack Dangermond answers user questions about the newest release of ArcGIS Explorer, which just became available for free download.

ArcGIS Explorer 900 makes it even easier to share geographic information with a wide audience, providing a highly visual and intuitive way to explore, share, and present your geographic information-ideal for making your authoritative GIS data available to people who aren't GIS experts.

However, Jack responds in the Q & A that its real power lies in the fact that it's part of an integrated GIS system; this means it's been engineered to work directly with ArcGIS Server and your existing data and services, allowing maps, mapping services, and geoprocessing tasks to be easily integrated and fused with local data and other Web content. Read more of Jack's answers about this anticipated release.

In a recent news release, Bern Szukalski, ArcGIS Explorer product manager says, "This release introduces some very big features. We're always learning from users what they want and need, and we have incorporated some compelling new features as a result. These include the ability to access shared maps, layers, and tools directly from ArcGIS Online; support for layer packages that enable ArcGIS Explorer to leverage state-of-the-art ArcGIS Desktop cartography; the ability to use maps in 2D or 3D; and presentation tools that let users share their geographic knowledge and communicate geographically."

Download it now for free. Users outside the U.S. should contact their ESRI international distributors.