CoastGIS’99: geomatics and coastal environment
from the Web at http:www.geog.byu.edu/gisonline/links/soft.htm, home of
Brandon Plewe's "GIS Online” Web site (Plewe, 1997). The server
products are often called Internet MapServers (IMS). The following
paragraphs simply indicate the type of facilities available in such
Web-enabled GIS packages. Reviews of new software and enchancements
to existing packages are commonly reported on the Web and in the
GIS press.
A distinction should be drawn between simple “point and click’’ data
viewers and systems capable of delivering true GIS (spatial analysis)
functionality, i.e. offering tools for interaction with the data and to
record/respond to user requests. Also, it is important to separate pure
image delivery services from the GIS tools provided by many vendors,
if only because the hype surrounding some of the new imagery services
coulcl lead the unwary (and inexpert) user ro believe that image
acquisition alone will solve their spatial analysis problems.
AutoDesk offered its Internet enabled GIS publishing suite since 1997,
including MapGuide, MapServer, MapAuthor and MapViewer, which
handle both raster and vector clata. They claim the software can clramatically increase the value of existing data investments . Environmental firms are a big user. Prices (given here for guideline purposes
only) are on the order of 5 000-7 000 Euro for networked MapGuide
(server and 25 users) including MapAuthor and some MapViewer use.
MapAuthor is 1 000 Euro one off and MapViewer is 40 Euro one off
(with full trial versions available from the Web; http:/ ' uriro.autodesk.com/).
ESRI MapObjects Internet MapServer (IMS) 2.0 and ArcView IMS are
available from the Web, http:/!www.esri.com/. MapObjects IMS adds the
ability to serve maps across the Internet to ESRI s existing MapObjects
software. It simplifies creating ancl serving dynamic maps on the Web.
The server-based software supports ArcExplorer clients and stanclard
Web browsers, permitting "Net surfers to use ArcExplorer to interact dynamically with maps or to download GIS clata from the server.
ArcView IMS is the Web-enabled extension to ArcView, permitting communication via the Web and includes the ESRI MapWeb-server extension and MapCafe (basic tools for browsing, exploring ancl querying
maps placed on the Web via ArcView IMS).
Intergraph introduced free GeoMedia Viewer in November 1998, which
permits Web users to access the extensive range of GIS products available
from Intergraph (see http://www.intergraph.com/infoseek/). Inrergraph
offers teaching via the Web on its Support Programme (htt://www.intergraph.com/software/support/) featunng customer forums and links to Oracle
and Microsoft training sites. The underlying technology is from GeoMedia Web Map 2.0.
MapInfo, MapXsite and MapXtreme Java Edition released in November 1998 claim to be “the first 100 per cent Java mapping server for the
Web” (Microsoft’s MapPoint 2000 is based on a MapXtreme engine
underneath - and Microsoft owns 25% of MapInfo). Trial versions are
available (http://www.mapxtreme.com/) and the full package costs on the order
of 25 000 Euro for a four-server license.
35
from the Web at http:www.geog.byu.edu/gisonline/links/soft.htm, home of
Brandon Plewe's "GIS Online” Web site (Plewe, 1997). The server
products are often called Internet MapServers (IMS). The following
paragraphs simply indicate the type of facilities available in such
Web-enabled GIS packages. Reviews of new software and enchancements
to existing packages are commonly reported on the Web and in the
GIS press.
A distinction should be drawn between simple “point and click’’ data
viewers and systems capable of delivering true GIS (spatial analysis)
functionality, i.e. offering tools for interaction with the data and to
record/respond to user requests. Also, it is important to separate pure
image delivery services from the GIS tools provided by many vendors,
if only because the hype surrounding some of the new imagery services
coulcl lead the unwary (and inexpert) user ro believe that image
acquisition alone will solve their spatial analysis problems.
AutoDesk offered its Internet enabled GIS publishing suite since 1997,
including MapGuide, MapServer, MapAuthor and MapViewer, which
handle both raster and vector clata. They claim the software can clramatically increase the value of existing data investments . Environmental firms are a big user. Prices (given here for guideline purposes
only) are on the order of 5 000-7 000 Euro for networked MapGuide
(server and 25 users) including MapAuthor and some MapViewer use.
MapAuthor is 1 000 Euro one off and MapViewer is 40 Euro one off
(with full trial versions available from the Web; http:/ ' uriro.autodesk.com/).
ESRI MapObjects Internet MapServer (IMS) 2.0 and ArcView IMS are
available from the Web, http:/!www.esri.com/. MapObjects IMS adds the
ability to serve maps across the Internet to ESRI s existing MapObjects
software. It simplifies creating ancl serving dynamic maps on the Web.
The server-based software supports ArcExplorer clients and stanclard
Web browsers, permitting "Net surfers to use ArcExplorer to interact dynamically with maps or to download GIS clata from the server.
ArcView IMS is the Web-enabled extension to ArcView, permitting communication via the Web and includes the ESRI MapWeb-server extension and MapCafe (basic tools for browsing, exploring ancl querying
maps placed on the Web via ArcView IMS).
Intergraph introduced free GeoMedia Viewer in November 1998, which
permits Web users to access the extensive range of GIS products available
from Intergraph (see http://www.intergraph.com/infoseek/). Inrergraph
offers teaching via the Web on its Support Programme (htt://www.intergraph.com/software/support/) featunng customer forums and links to Oracle
and Microsoft training sites. The underlying technology is from GeoMedia Web Map 2.0.
MapInfo, MapXsite and MapXtreme Java Edition released in November 1998 claim to be “the first 100 per cent Java mapping server for the
Web” (Microsoft’s MapPoint 2000 is based on a MapXtreme engine
underneath - and Microsoft owns 25% of MapInfo). Trial versions are
available (http://www.mapxtreme.com/) and the full package costs on the order
of 25 000 Euro for a four-server license.
35