With the release of ArcGIS 10 coming up there has been an update of the ArcGIS Product Life Cycle documentation. The Product Life Cycle Support Policy is designed to help communicate to ESRI users the technical support resources available during a product’s life span and to provide advanced notification of planned changes to available support options. On the release date of ArcGIS 10: ArcGIS 9.3 and ArcGIS 9.3.1 will be moved into Extended support. ArcGIS 9.2 will be moved into Mature support. ArcGIS 9.1 will be moved into Retired status A number of Product Life Cycle documentation has...

ArcGIS Server 10 introduces some great enhancements when working with caches. Cache generation is not only faster but there are a number of new tools to help you manage large caches which also makes it easier to move. Some of these tools were touched on at the ESRI Developer Summit 2010 and for those looking at some of the more advanced topics around caching you can have a watch of the technical session from the ESRI Developer Summit 2010. This can be found here: http://www.esri.com/events/… With the introduction of these enhancements, I have been using ArcGIS Server 10 build our map service...

As we ramp up to the release of ArcGIS 10, being prepared for the latest enhancements and updates is important. To help with this, ESRI is running a number of live training seminars. This month two ArcGIS 10 tutorials feature highlighting Python scripting and imagery management. Using Python in ArcGIS Desktop 10 will air on Thursday, May 13, at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 3:00 p.m. PDT. The May 13 seminar will introduce Python scripting and its ability to automate common geographic information system (GIS) tasks and create tools with advanced geoprocessing capabilities, thereby increasing productivity....

The much anticipated ArcGIS API for iPhone has now been made available for download as part of a public beta. The ArcGIS API for iPhone enables you to build iPhone applications that utilize the powerful mapping, geocoding, geoprocessing, and custom capabilities provided by ArcGIS Server. The API consists of native Objective C libraries that can be used within the Xcode Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Other iPhone developer tools such as Interface Builder can also be used in your application development. There were a number of demonstrations and sessions at the ESRI Developer Summit 2010...

The latest version of the System Design Strategies document from Dave Peters is now available online. This System Design Strategies documentation was developed and maintained to share our system architecture design methodology and the fundamental principles that contribute to system performance and scalability. The System Design Strategies 26th Edition was released in August 2009 – the last PDF version of the complete document. The System Design Strategies content was published on the ESRI wiki.gis.com site in March 2010 – the first "living" online publication. The wiki...

The latest version of ArcNews is now available online. This issue features news on ArcGIS software, ESRI user stories, training opportunities, and event information. Look for these articles and more: ArcGIS in the Cloud Philadelphia Police Use GIS Tools for High-Tech Crime Mapping The Beacon of Hope Resource Center Maps the "New" New Orleans and Gives Residents the Tools to Map Their Own Parcels Pueblo County, Colorado, Grows Its Economy with GIS and the Principles of Economic Gardening to Help Local Businesses GIS Plays an Important Role in Managing China’s Yellow River...

ArcGIS Ideas has now been launched and is available for use. This was first talked about at the ESRI Business Partner Conference 2010. ArcGIS Ideas lets our customers get involved. You can suggest new products, promote favourite enhancements and interact with ESRI Teams. So how does ArcGIS Ideas work? A short video provides some insight. This can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/user/… Once you have logged in you can navigate to a particular product group. Here we see all the ideas associated with this product. You have to option of posting a new idea, voting for existing ideas or...

Earlier this week Mike Hogan provided us with a bundle of information around the new and improved Support Centre website which was to be launched. My post on this can be found here: http://geo.geek.nz/esri/… This new and improved Support Centre website has now been launched and is available for use. The Support Centre is now integrated within the new ArcGIS 10 Resource Centres. As more information is being made available on the resource centres the Support Centre essentially provides a pathway into these. Searching the Support Centre website now searches the updated ArcGIS 10 Resource...

The ArcGIS 10 Resource Centres are now available! This comes as part of ArcGIS 10 Prerelease which will be made available for download later today. The new look resource centres were talked about and showcased at both the ESRI Business Partner Conference 2010 and the ESRI Developer Summit 2010. The new resource centres not only provide an updated look and feel but also and introduction into arcgis.com, looking at ArcGIS as an online system rather than a specific product. ArcGIS is an online system for using geographic information everywhere – in desktop applications, Web browsers, and mobile...

Later this week ESRI will be launching a new and improved Support Centre website. Many are already familiar with the existing http://support.esri.com. The redesign will provide a much needed facelift with a new look and feel to bring it more in-line with the other ESRI websites. The new support gateway will highlight all the ways you can contact ESRI Technical Support for help. It will be Search-centric and more tightly coupled with the Resource Centers. It will provide all of the information that is relevant to you on a daily basis such as announcements, common issues and support resources. We will...