Tom Stickle, senior manager for solution architecture at Amazon, and Marwa Mabrouk, product manager for ArcGIS, discuss the benefits of using ArcGIS Server in the cloud.

The Light Grey Canvas basemap has now been updated with New Zealand coverage. This significant update provides nationwide coverage for a number of countries making it much more useful for thematic maps of subjects throughout the world.

The canvas basemap focuses attention on your thematic content by providing a neutral background containing minimal colors, labels and features.  Its reference layer sits on top of your thematic layers, providing geographic context and allowing your data to come to the foreground.

The most significant change in this release is that the canvas basemap now contains additional, useful coverage worldwide, and detailed nationwide coverage in nearly 50 additional countries.  This map was developed by Esri using NAVTEQ data for North America, DeLorme basemap layers, and Esri basemap data.

The canvas basemap also includes boundaries, city labels and outlines, and major roads worldwide from 1:591M scale to 1:72k scale.  Thematic maps of country data, major administrative units (states, provinces, counties, etc.) and some smaller geographies benefit from this change.

Light Grey Canvas Basemap Updated With New Zealand Coverage

Instructions provided describe how to create an ArcGIS.com WebMap using parameters within a URL. 

Several map services on ArcGIS Online have been updated. These are services that fall under (services.arcgisonline.com and server.arcgisonline.com).

If you have previously used any of the hosted map services and you experience issues while using them, try clearing your cache.

If you have feedback or comments, please post them to the forums at forums.arcgis.com.

Given that “cloud” has become one of the most used technology buzzwords of the decade, it’s not surprising that the Esri International User Conference 2012 is shaping up to offer an impressive number of cloud sessions on the agenda.

This year’s presentations are aimed at equipping the cloud-initiated with the information and answers you need to successfully implement cloud solutions.

You’ll also see an abundance of sessions about ArcGIS Online, aimed at exposing attendees to the variety of functionality present in Esri’s SaaS offering.  Some highlights include demonstrations about consuming external content to craft well-designed symbols and pop-ups; and how to move your on-premise desktop maps from ArcMap into an ArcGIS Online organizational account — a new offering which allows you to tailor ArcGIS Online to your business or agency.

The featured map this week on the Esri.com website is the Montgomery Botanical Center champion trees application. Here’s an overview of how easy it was to create this application, which required no programming, using ArcGIS Online web maps and easy-to-configure application templates.