Content and all that

ArcGIS and the superlatives...

As per my last post, I had to double (actually triple) my output to ensure that I could generate enough interesting and useful content. This blog is as much a reminder for myself on new ideas, technologies and products as it is a soap box for my occasional rants. However, I have managed to work out a more sensible approach to writing pieces for it, so that I avoid repeating myself yet keep it interesting.

So what has been going on in my bit of the cloud and all things GIS? ArcGIS 10.1 is now out, offically. After much fan fare, the latest and greatest version of Esri Inc's GIS system, ArcGIS is now commercially available. The superlatives for this release are legion but suffice it to say,  it is the most significant release of this software in the last 10 years in my opinion. Where to start? 64- bit support for the server, linux support, postgreSQL support, performance improvements, rewritten cache engine, ArcGIS Runtime and of course, all things now point to online. This means that Esri Inc has firmly laid out its vision for the future and for ArcGIS, it is online and about sharing, collaboration and ease of use through a subscription service. Only a matter of time before you can pay to use ArcGIS on an hourly basis. 
 
There's also the relevant 10.1 AWS AMI and I am very excited to see the Ubuntu version this time, will be using this as soon as able as I love Ubuntu (and it's spin-off Mint) and run it at home.

About time too!

I am definitely looking forward to this Ubuntu version and I am inspired to try it out on my own local virtual machine too!

With the Queen's jubilee, one of my colleagues put together this interactive, intelligent map  and it was featured in various national and international media outlets.

Can you find your nearest beacon?

The interest generated by this map was huge and had millions of hits; since the site was hosted through Amazon Web Services - the server it was on scaled up automatically in response to the extra load. A beautiful model of on-demand, subscription services.