ArcGIS Explorer Build 1200 Now Available!

The latest version of ArcGIS Explorer has been released and is now available for download!

ArcGIS Explorer is a free virtual globe that is much more than just a fun and easy way to explore the world in 2D and 3D. You can use it to add your own data to your maps and combine it with free data from ESRI. You can also customize your maps by adding photos, reports, videos, and other information.

This latest version, ArcGIS Explorer Build 1200 comes packed with a bundle of updates and new features! These features are:

Updated Basemap Gallery

The ArcGIS Explorer basemap gallery has been updated with new ArcGIS Online content including World Imagery, World Streets, and World Topographic basemaps. Featured are the Bing Maps Aerials, Hybrid, and Roads, now available for free, unlimited use without additional licensing.

With the recent update to all ESRI basemaps, new tools make it easier for you to add and manage your basemaps.

The gallery is also dynamic, so new ESRI basemaps can be added and updated as soon as they are available. This ensures that you’ve always got access to the latest and greatest ArcGIS Online content.

New Analysis Gallery

You can connect directly to any ArcGIS Server and execute geoprocessing tools and models. Just enter the URL to an ArcGIS Server, choose from the tools you’ve published, and click to run it. The Analysis Gallery allows you to manage and share any of the tools you’ve added, making it easy to extend ArcGIS Explorer with advanced GIS capabilities.

The ability to carry out analysis in ArcGIS Explorer makes for a very powerful viewer. This functionality was included in the previous generation of ArcGIS Explorer Build 500, 550 but was left out at ArcGIS Explorer Build 900. Great to see this back. For those that didn’t know, you were able to access geoprocessing tools and models via the SDK. The new analysis gallery brings this to the UI.

Enhanced Symbol Management

You’ve always been able to add new symbols from files or from a URL, but now we’ve enhanced the Symbol Gallery to make it easier to manage your custom symbols. Have your own symbols you’d like to use? Just add them to the Gallery and organize, rename, and remove them as you choose. All symbols work in both 2D and 3D modes.

Many users have been asking about support around using your own images. Another great addition to ArcGIS Explorer Build 1200.

Fly Along

You’ve been able to fly along calculated routes between addresses, and now you can interactively add a line across any terrain to fly along it. Control your speed, observer distance, and observer angle. Play the animation, and stop or rewind at any time.

Loads More …

• Improved worldwide gazetteer, geocoding, and routing using Bing Maps.
• Enhanced layer package (*.lpk) support, including label support and new data types such as TINs, terrains, and VPF. The source and data location are shown in the map item properties.
• Optimized text and GPS (*.gpx) file import. The GPS import dialog allows you to choose from attaching to the surface or honoring the Z value obtained from the GPS device.
• Improved 2D and 3D symbol placement.
• The position display now includes support for decimal minutes and other coordinate systems (e.g., British National Grid). The scale bar has also been improved for greater accuracy.
• Faster 2D/3D mode switching.
• Faster graphics display, including dynamic surface draping.
• Connection status display.
• Right-to-left language support.
• The default map is now 2D, and uses the Web Mercator Auxiliary Sphere projection. As in previous releases, all other ArcGIS projections and transformations are supported, and data is projected on-the-fly as needed in both 2D and 3D modes.
• No API changes, all existing add-ins and custom code built using the ArcGIS Explorer SDK will continue to work without needing any modification.
• Support for space navigator (a 3D navigation device).
• New 3D speed check utility.
• Updated ArcGIS Explorer and ArcGIS Explorer Labs groups on ArcGIS Online.

Wow there are loads of other new features! The enhanced LPK support is great as this now includes label support and new data types, the faster 2D/3D switching mode is another great enhancement. It has been slow in the past switching between these modes so this really helps. The connection status is a good addition. I tend to often wonder what the status of of my connection to the server is. Faster graphics display is a much needed enhancement as well.

Also a note for those customers using ArcGIS 10:

For those experimenting with beta versions of ArcGIS 10, we will have another release of ArcGIS Explorer in conjunction with the ArcGIS 10 final release. That release will provide updates and support for new ArcGIS 10 features and capabilities.

Bernie will be detailing more of these new features in the coming weeks. Be sure to check them out here: http://blogs.esri.com/info…

ArcGIS Explorer Build 1200 can be downloaded here:

ArcGIS Explorer Build 1200 is a great follow up release from the very successfully ArcGIS Explorer Build 900. The guys have been hard at work and it’s great to see this is out and available for download. Well done