Technical FAQs

ESRI have been working on this release for more than three years, and it's a very large release. Feedback from beta testers indicated that this is much bigger than a dot release and that it should be called ArcGIS 10. For ArcGIS 10, ESRI have integrated not only the work that has been performed in the base software but also initiatives in cloud computing and the Web.

No. For users who want to install ArcGIS 10 and ArcGIS 9.3.1 on the same machine, ESRI recommends using a virtualization tool (such as VM Ware's VM Workstation or Microsoft's Virtual PC) and install the new instance of ArcGIS on that virtual machine.

ArcGIS 10 is a major release including a large amount of new functionality. Below is a summary of the key features:

• User Interface - A New User Interface brings an enhanced user experience to improve productivity. Many windows are now dockable and can auto-hide. The menus are better structured, icons are revised and a new ArcCatalog window is embedded in ArcMap.
• Editing - The new ArcMap editing workflow allows symbol based editing by creating feature templates. These allow pre-attributed features to be added to the map. Users no longer have to add a feature then set attribution before the correct symbology is applied, they can now simply pick the type of feature required and it will be assigned the correct attribute values and symbol. Many other editing improvements exist including changes around snapping and the way in which the edit menus are accessed.
• 3D Editing (requires the 3D Analyst Extension) - The standard editing environment is now available inside both ArcGlobe and ArcScene, allowing for the creation and maintenance of z-aware GIS features. This includes start editing, stop editing, save edits, use of Undo and Redo functions, and other standard edit management tasks in 3D. The classic Snapping environment is also supported as are precision-creation options such as parallel, perpendicular, deflection, and absolute XYZ, plus creation and storage of vertical lines in the geodatabase.
• Attribute Tables - Now as a dockable window, it has a new toolbar to access functions giving quicker access to tools. Multiple tables can be opened and appear in a tabbed interface.
• Basemaps - This improves performance of background mapping by defining a read-only basemap that uses a new rendering engine to enable continuous fast redraw resulting in smooth panning and zooming. This makes use of your system's graphics processing unit to speed the rendering of images to be displayed
• Search - There's a new search window that allows keyword searching of data and tools. Also there's a symbol search option in the symbology options to allow quick retrieval of symbols for rendering.
• GeoProcessing - This now runs as a background process users can continue to use ArcMap while the process is running. There's also a new results window. You can also drag and drop geoprocessing tools onto the User Interface for quick access to your commonly used tools.
• ArcPy and Python - ArcGIS 10 has fully embraced Python as its language for automation. Desktop includes a new python window that can be used for simple and quick execution of geoprocessing tools, for experimenting and learning Python and accessing other Python libraries. The Python window is interactive and allows layers to be dragged from the table of content into the window to act as inputs for tools. ArcPy is a new site package for analysis, data management and map automation and is the successor to the arcgisscripting module. Data Driven Pages is a new feature for creating a series of layout images from a single map document and can be automated using python. This replaces the much used DS Map Book sample.
• Table of Contents - This now supports multiple views and has a new list by visibility option. This view shows only symbology for the features that are in your current visible map making it easier to identify what's displayed.
• Temporal Mapping - The map is now time aware. This makes is easier to make temporal maps. A time properties tab allows the configuration of time attributes. These can then be used to facilitate time queries and to animate the map by time using a new Time Slider tool. This also tied into a Time Aware graphing function.
• Imagery - Some of the tools from the Image Server Extension for ArcGIS Server have been moved into core desktop functionality. This allows mosaics of raster data to easily be created and managed using the actual files rather than by loading them into geodatabase or by creating a raster catalog, reducing the time taken to manage imagery data. A suite of Image Processing tools are now available as well to cover basic image processing tasks to reduce the need to use 3rd party image processing software. The image capabilities are also integrated into the Geoprocessing tools to allow automation of image data management and manipulation.
• Query Layers - It's now possible to define query layers that issue SQL statements to a relational database to access spatial and tabular data. These layers are read-only and do not allow update of data.
• Reporting - There is a new reporting capability that allows predefined templates to be implemented and reused.
• Map and Layer Packages - This is a convenient way to package up layers or map documents (MXD) plus data to share with other. It creates a compressed file containing the content (e.g. data and symbology) that can then be saved or uploaded to ArcGIS.com

A Feature Service has been added. This exposes access to vector feature geometries and attributes. A great benefit of feature services is the ability to expose feature editing through JavaScript, Flex, and Silverlight applications. Feature services are published from map documents, and the source datasets are required to reside in a single enterprise geodatabase.

A new Search Service allows you to index GIS content and folders throughout your enterprise and make them easily findable by users. Your intranet clients can then use the updated search interface in ArcGIS Desktop to connect to your search service and find useful content. They can then drag the results into their maps. Search services are most useful for scenarios where browsing to the data would be cumbersome because of the sheer volume of the data or the distribution of the data through many folders and geodatabases. They are designed for intranet use only. For outward publishing to the internet the GeoPortal Extension for ArcGIS Server is recommend.

The term Web APIs primarily refers to the JavaScript, Silverlight and Flex APIs for ArcGIS Server.

In addition to web editing available through the Web ADF at previous releases there is now a new type of editing. The new Feature Service mentioned above now allows editing to be performed using the Web APIs. These APIs use Feature Layers to access feature services through REST endpoints providing stateless, scalable editing to be performed. The edit functionality is more than just digitising features; it allows existing features to be moved, deleted, reshaped, split, merged and more. Attributes and tabular data can also be edited. A workgroup or enterprise geodatabase is required by the feature service to underpin this, and both versioned and non-versioned feature classes are supported.

The existing Web Mapping Application for the Web ADF has only had minor changes made to it. However there is now an out of the box Flex Viewer as well. Furthermore, the Silverlight API now provided templates from which you can develop applications (not quite out of the box, but certainly a help).

ESRI will continue to support the Java and ASP.Net developer with high quality frameworks for the development of Web applications on top of ArcGIS Server.

The only additions to the Web Mapping Application (created by ArcGIS Server Manager) are a zoom to specific scale tool and a zoom to x,y tool.

• Support for geodatabase relationships and stand alone tables. This means that you can use Identify and query tasks to optionally access related features from the geodatabase and directly from standalone tables.
• Stronger domain and subtype support. Results from query tasks Identify tool will display valid domain descriptions.
• Enhanced Java Web ADF (support for JSF 1.2, enhanced JavaScript libraries based on DOJO, performance improvements).
• The .Net Web Map Application based on the .Net Web ADF is enhanced with new out of the box tasks, performance improvements, and enhanced support for 64bit environments.
• The install has been optimized and enhanced allowing easier deployment of the services and web applications components, plus the ArcGIS Server Manager application to separate machines.

ESRI will continue to provide enhancements to the Web ADFs through service packs but more emphasis will be put towards the ArcGIS Web Mapping APIs.

Yes, there are a number of new key features around map caching. These are:

• Compact map cache - Groups of tiles can be stored in bundle files resulting in a smaller number of files be generated which results in using less space on the disk. The speed of cache generation will slightly improve, but the significant improvement is the time it takes to copy a cache from one machine to another. Original style caches (termed exploded) can still be used as well. Existing caches can be converted to compact caches.
• Mixed Mode - Allows different images types to be displayed in the same cache. This is helpful when displaying a raster cache on top of another raster cache. You can use JPEG for the tiles in the middle of the cache to keep your relative file size low while using PNG32 on the periphery of the cache where part of the tile needs to be transparent.
• Caches can be used as a raster dataset - Caches can be added into ArcMap or ArcGlobe as a raster dataset using the Add Data button. When used in this manner the cache isn't dependent on the map service and therefore you can use the cache while not being connected to the internet.
• Collaborative tools - New tools have been added for importing and exporting cache tiles to and from the cache directory. They are most useful for collaborative caching jobs where different organisations contribute tiles to one master cache. As long as caches use the same tiling scheme you can use these tools to:
  • Import a subset of tiles from the larger cache
  • Export a subset of tiles from a larger cache
  • Import or export an entire cache
• Default tile size change - The default tile size is now 256x256 pixels to match that of Bing and Google Maps.

The key new functions in Optimised Map Services include support for WFS, enhanced WMS support, publication and querying of standalone tables, query via joins and relationships, plus support for Maplex and Cartographic Representations.

The time-aware information is preserved and is accessible through the map service. You can use this information to change the display of your maps or perform temporal queries. The Web APIs include a Time Slider tool to help animate temporal maps.

Yes, they can be used in map service like any other map layer.

The capabilities of the Image Extension for ArcGIS Server remain almost the same as in previous versions. However, there are architectural changes. Previously it was a standalone product installed separately and then registered with ArcGIS Server. It has now been integrated into ArcGIS Server like the other extensions. The standalone install is still available at ArcGIS 10 to allow customers that have Image Server but not ArcGIS Server to upgrade.

There are probably many new GP tools that can be utilised by ArcGIS Server, but an important set to note are new tools that facilitate a 'Clip, Zip and Ship' model for data supply over the web.

Yes. Log files are now kept on each SOC machine and are maintained by the ArcSOCMon process. Offloading the logging to the individual SOCs is a more scalable approach than in previous releases where the SOM kept one log for all messages.

Query layer functionality supports all the database platforms that are supported by ArcGIS. The following databases and associated spatial data types are supported:

Yes, the enhancements include:

• Task driven for touch screen
• Improved Feature Attribution
• Picture view and capture
• Improved search
• Synchronisation updates
• Support for cartographic basemaps
• Can now deploy on windows
• Can dim applications
• GPS Streaming rather than averaging
• Repeat attributes
• Query builder rather than SQL input
• Field crew management capabilities
• Can integrate with ArcLogistics Navigator

Yes. There will be an application that will be downloadable from the Apple App Store. It will allow you to View Corporate and Online Maps, pick maps from a map gallery, query and analyse data, collect and report information.

There is also an SDK for developing custom iPhone applications. This will require a MAC computer for development and use of Objective C / Cocoa to build the native iPhone applications. The functionality available in the SDK should be equivalent to that in the REST based APIs. This means it will only support online applications, rather than disconnected applications.

ArcGIS Online is now ArcGIS.com. Although the name has changed you can still do everything you did before, and more.

ArcGIS.com changes the way users engage with online content. The website allows a user to search and browse for maps, services and applications provided by both ESRI and the User Community. The ESRI content includes everything that was previously available and more. Users can upload and share content and have the choice of whether their own content is publically available or only available to groups of invited users.

ArcGIS.com also allows users to create online Web Maps allowing them to bring together any map services available through ArcGIS.com or from their own ArcGIS Server map services. These web maps can be saved and shared with other users. Furthermore, there is now an online version of ArcGIS Explorer. This provides an online mapping application where users can not only bring together data content including previously created online web maps, but also enhance these by using the annotation tools and even create interactive presentation slides.

VB6 is no longer supported. Support for VB6 was dropped by Microsoft a long time ago. Extensions written in VB6 will need to be re-written for ArcGIS 10, using .NET or Java. VBA is still supported at ArcGIS 10, but this will be the last release. Developers are encouraged to move to Python, or .NET or Java depending on the functionality required.

Add-Ins are a new way to customise ArcGIS Desktop (not ArcGIS Engine). They are an easily deployable mechanism that doesn't require the COM registration as with traditional tools and commands etc. The traditional methods will still work though. Add-Ins do not cover everything that can be achieved using the traditional methods but a great deal of functionality can be accessed using them.

It is an API to allow developers to access the file geodatabase (both read and write) without using ArcObjects. This API is for c++. This will be released some time after ArcGIS 10.

At ArcGIS 10 ArcGIS has fully embraced Python as its language for automation. Desktop includes a new python window that can be used for simple and quick execution of GP tools, for experimenting and learning Python and accessing other Python libraries. The Python window is interactive and allows entities like layers to be dragged from the table of content into the window to act as inputs for tools. ArcPy is a new site package for analysis, data management and map automation and is the successor to the arcgisscripting module. Data Driven Pages is a new feature for creating a series of layout images from a single map document and can be automated using python. This replaces the much used DS Map Book sample. The ArcPy and Python workflows can be published as Geoprocessing Services using ArcGIS Server.

Search with ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Server, and ArcGIS Online is based on a small collection of metadata stored with the GIS resources (title, user tags, etc). Keep in mind that this new search capability is not designed to handle indexing and searching of formal metadata documents and that spatial search against GIS resources is not supported at this time.

• ArcGIS Desktop search - Desktop search allows every ArcGIS Desktop user to very quickly search across accessible network folders (shared folders) and databases.
• ArcGIS Server search - ArcGIS Server introduces a new search service that allows you to index and search GIS resources within your Enterprise in a centralized manner. The search service is designed to be used by ArcGIS Desktop users within an organization's intranet.
• ArcGIS Online search - ArcGIS Online provides a hosted catalog of information in which users can upload their own resources and create their own groups. The ArcGIS Online search is intended for organizations who want to share their data with the general public or within the organization via a group.

In addition, the GeoPortal Extension for ArcGIS Server allows users to quickly search GIS resources within the organization, via ArcGIS Online, or across other metadata catalogs.

ArcGIS Survey Analyst is an extension product for ArcGIS Desktop 9.3.1 and earlier (it will be deprecated at ArcGIS 9.3.1 and will not ship with ArcGIS 10). ArcGIS Survey Analyst has had two distinct parts: the Survey Editor and the Cadastral Editor. The functional capabilities known as the Survey Editor will no longer be supported in ArcGIS 10. Users who require these tools should continue using ArcGIS 9.3.1. The functional capabilities known as the Cadastral Editor and its Cadastral Fabric dataset are included in ArcGIS 10 (ArcEditor and ArcInfo) without a requirement to install or license any extension. The parcel editing functions have been greatly improved and are accessed through a new Parcel Editor toolbar in ArcMap. The Cadastral Fabric dataset has been enhanced and renamed the Parcel Fabric. ArcGIS 10 includes new geoprocessing tools to assist with migrating parcel data modeled as coverages or simple feature classes to a Parcel Fabric.

Note: The Parcel Editor toolbar will not be a component of ArcView. ArcView customers who have previously licensed ArcGIS Survey Analyst will need to migrate to ArcEditor or ArcInfo in order to use the Parcel Editor technology at ArcGIS 10.

Job Tracking for ArcGIS (JTX) has been renamed to ArcGIS Workflow Manager to better reflect the capabilities and usage of the software.

PLTS products are being consolidated to better meet the needs of the market place and others are being renamed to reflect new naming conventions. Changes are as follows:

• PLTS Foundation, PLTS MPS Atlas and PLTS Mapping Agency become ESRI Production Mapping
• PLTS Defense is now ESRI Defense Mapping
• PLTS Aeronautical has become ESRI Aeronautical Solution
• PLTS Nautical is now ESRI Nautical Solution

Product information and online help for ArcGIS 10 is available from the ArcGIS Resource Center - http://resources.arcgis.com