James Fee GIS Blog

Microsoft finally has added draggable routes to their Bing Maps service. ‘Bout time guys since Google has had it for over 2 years. That said I’ve been using Bing Maps more lately because I don’t trust the Google Maps layers (great API, horrible data). Is anyone going to host a Bing Maps Party?

No way, no how will I ever refer to Virtual Earth as Bing Maps for Enterprise.  I’m putting my foot down on this.

ArcGIS Code Challenge Winners Announced Looks like Alper Dincer and Matthew Petre are the big winners.  The mobile code challenge results are posted as well.  I suppose they announce this after the DevSummit so the winners don’t have to buy everyone beer. VBA and VB6 with ArcGIS: What’s the Story? First off I bet you [...]

So Microsoft has released a Silverlight map control to developers: Now, because we’re using Silverlight, .NET developers (all 6 million + of you) can leverage your skill set to build rich, killer apps that make your data bling and highlight media in a geo-contextual way as has never been seen before. VESL leverages all of [...]

Sure this was news last week, but it can’t hurt to revisit it.  ESRI has released an update to their JavaScript API and Google Extender to version 1.3.  Check those links to see what has been updated and make sure you update your pages to take advantage of the update: <link rel=”stylesheet” type=”text/css” href=”http://serverapi.arcgisonline.com/jsapi/arcgis/1.3/js/dojo/dijit/themes/tundra/tundra.css”> <script [...]

The word leaked out last week from the Developer Summit agenda and now ESRI has a webpage posted with the latest info on their latest API.  Yep, Silverlight.  The ArcGIS API for Microsoft Silverlight  is probably compelling for some .NET developers and we’ve seen some interesting work from IDV Solutions.  What is interesting is that it [...]

Google has a new tool that helps developers learn and test code for Google’s JavaScript APIs (similar to Microsoft’s VE Interactive SDK).  The interactive AJAX APIs Playgound has an easy interface that allows users to interact with Google’s JavaScript APIs (Visualization, Search, Language, Blogger, Libraries, Maps, Earth, Feeds, and Calendar).   Google also open sourced the API playgound so maybe we’ll be seeing [...]

Dave Bouwman has a great blog post on all the different choices available to ESRI centric developers for a web mapping front end.  Not a bad primer for folks still trying to figure out all the new options we have available for visualization.  

Those who use the JavaScript extensions for Google Maps and Microsoft Virtual Earth can now update their script tags that reference the API to 1.2.  The ESRI ArcGIS Server Blog has all the details. Virtual Earth example: <script src=”http://serverapi.arcgisonline.com/jsapi/ve/?v=1.2″ type=”text/javascript”></script>  Google Maps example: <script src=”http://serverapi.arcgisonline.com/jsapi/gmaps/?v=1.2″ type=”text/javascript” ></script> 

So I’ve got a (theoretical) simple internal website for a client that basically puts pushpins for their locations on a map. Since this is on their intranet we’ll have to pay approximately $10,000 to Google or Microsoft to license their products internally. This small company doesn’t have the kind of money (especially in this economy) [...]

I was just talking to someone today about web applications for ArcGIS Server 9.3 and they were surprised that I was using the Web ADF to create an application after my post earlier this week on the JavaScript API.  I feel like I need to clarify some things about that post.  It wasn’t so much [...]

I see that MapQuest now has an optimized iPhone site (HT APB) for all those people who still use MapQuest (though I’d guess most iPhone users would just assume use the built in Google Maps app). Since MapQuest is not using the iPhone App SDK I wonder if there is an API available for developers [...]

I find it interesting that most work I’m seeing these days is with the JavaScript API that ESRI released at ArcGIS 9.3. I assumed a couple months ago that people would really be looking at moving off of the WebADF (.NET or Java) for the JavaScript API and it appears that this trend is beginning [...]

For everyone  who keeps telling me that this “geospatial space” is boring these days, you have obviously not been paying attention.  Loads of great stuff has been been posted: Thanks to everyone who sent this link in (Bill, Dan, John, Barry, Alan, APB).  ESRI has compiled essays from their publications into a GIS Best Practices [...]

Brian Timoney has updated his Gulf Coast Energy Impact website with Hurricane Ike information.  It also looks like Brian has gotten a sponsor for his work, IHS (who many might better know as the publisher of this).

ISC keeps pushing the .NET web mapping front and has released MapDotNET UX Beta. MapDotNet UX Server has WCF-based web services and a WPF map and tile renderer. MapDotNet UX Studio includes advanced map design (XAML editing), support for shapefiles, SQL Server 2008 as well as ArcSDE ArcGIS Server and PostGIS and tile cache management. [...]

Brian Timoney put it perfectly,  ”agile mapping” is where we need to be.  His expertise in the energy sector, plus the ability to mix in some PostGIS and he can deploy a map quickly and effectively. Hurricane Gustav Energy Impact We were talking shop the other day and a couple of us lamented the need to have an [...]

ESRI and Microsoft announced that Virtual Earth would be available through the ArcGIS Online Premium Service a couple weeks ago and today Microsoft took that announcement one step further. Starting today you can license Virtual Earth UltraCam (proprietary) aerial photography without having to license the Virtual Earth platform. This is great for offline use, wrapping [...]

So what does it actually mean?  Adding Virtual Earth tiles to ArcGIS Desktop/Explorer?  First off, this isn’t a free service.  The ArcGIS Online Premium Service: Virtual Earth Maps Collection will cost you.  How much?  Not a clue.  I’m sure it will be at a price point that will make some jaws drop and others will [...]

I’m normally not a big blogger of press releases, but I know the crowd that reads this blog will be very interested.  I’ll follow up more later today with some thoughts about what this might mean for all of us. Microsoft Virtual Earth to Be Offered With ESRI’s ArcGIS Online Services