hawaii pacific gis conference 2012: internet gis - overcoming challenges in deploying esri based...

March 5th, 2012

© 2012 Latitude Geographics Group Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overcoming Challenges Deploying Esri-based Mobile & WebGIS

Applications

Presenter:

James van Dyk, Latitude Geographics

2

• About Latitude Geographics

• What are some Challenges Building

ArcGIS Server Applications?

• What About HTML5?

• A Spatial Application Infrastructure

(SAI)

• Summary/Q&A

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• GIS software company founded in 1999

• ~65 employees in three offices (Victoria & Toronto, Canada,

and Rotterdam)

• Developers of Geocortex software

• We make customizable COTS software to help people get

more done with Esri server technology

• Razor sharp focus on Esri ArcGIS Server webGIS technology

• 600+ clients worldwide

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ArcGIS Server application

development is more complex

than in the ArcIMS days . . .

• Many ways to build web mapping

applications:

– Esri offers

Javascript/Flex/Silverlight/

WebADF/ArcGIS Online

• A proliferation of devices and

platforms

– Desktop/iOS/Android/Windows

Phone/Blackberry

– Which platform is best? And how

best to deploy to each?

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• Rapid technology changes

make it hard to keep up

– Sept./11: Microsoft

announces Windows 8

‘Metro’ browsers will

not support plug-ins

– Nov./11: Adobe

announces plans to

discontinue Flash Player

support for browsers in

mobile devices

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• Flash and Silverlight aren’t supported on all platforms

• Some users will have to download the plug-in first

Flex Silverlight JS/HTML

iOS

Android

Win. Phone

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• There is huge interest in the potential of HTML5 to

overcome some of these webGIS challenges . . . .

Why?

• Unlike proprietary plug-ins, HTML5 is an open standard . . .

and everyone is free to implement this standard

– Potential to remove cross-platform compatibility issues

• Most people speculate HTML5 will speed up the death of

Flex & Silverlight

• There are useful HTML5 features for web mapping

– Offline data storage (map data)

– Geolocation features

– . . .and more

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What are the drawbacks today?

• HTML5 is officially not scheduled to be

complete until 2022!

. . . but no one expects that to be the

case.

• Development tools are immature compared

to Flex & Silverlight

• Esri doesn’t offer an HTML5 API . . .and

may never

• Browser support for HTML5 varies

dramatically

– Test your browser at:

http://html5test.com

http://html5test.com/

10

39%

28%

22%

7%

3% 1%

Internet Explorer

Firefox

Chrome

Safari

iPhone / iPad (Safari)

Android Browser

0

20

40

60

80

100

Browser Popularity

Browser Usage on Latitudegeo.com Browser Support for HTML5 Features

http://caniuse.com

Accessed 30.12.2011

+ -

%

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• HTML5 should be viewed as a ‘living standard’

• Not if, but when.

– Not too early, and not too late … not all at once

• There will be significant trade-offs with an HTML5-only

strategy today

• Think Silverlight/Flex and HTML5

– Expect a mixed world for some time . . . .

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1. Write/maintain platform specific apps:

a) Javascript/Flex/Silverlight for a Windows platform

b) iOS (Objective C)

c) Android (Java)

d) Windows Phone 7 (Microsoft .NET)

OR

2. Use a Spatial Application Infrastructure (SAI) and write

web apps deployed through a browser

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A Spatial Application Infrastructure (SAI) uses an enterprise

design to build multiple, standardized mapping applications. It

reduces the tension of building targeted apps to each group of GIS

users, and the resources required to maintain those applications.

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Viewer

Application

ArcGIS

Server

Map Services

Custom

Code

Database Connections

Custom Tools

Security

Integration

Reports

Search

Workflows

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SAI represents a webGIS platform, not just ‘one-off’ viewers!

SAI Traditional Approach

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ArcGIS Server

Database Connections

Map Services

Security

Custom Tools

Integration

Reports

Search

Workflows

Custom

Code

Platform

Shared

Code

Silverlight Web App Flex Web App HTML Mobile App iPad Mobile App

SAI Software Platform

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• Applications are technology

agnostic/neutral (as much as

possible)

• Centralized management of

applications

• Minimize custom code

• Instead of putting business

logic into each individual

application, centralize the

business logic so it can be

shared and reused by other

applications

• Build targeted (or "task-driven”

applications), instead of an

overwhelming selection of

features and tools

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• There are more challenges today building

webGIS applications than just a few years ago . .

• HTML5 is a buzz word with plenty of hype . .

.and a solution that promises to eliminate some

development challenges

– Not a matter of if, but when.

• Think Silverlight/Flex and HTML5

– Plan a strategy for managing multiple

technologies

• Use an SAI approach to build standardized

applications through a common platform

– Endeavour to minimize the amount of custom

code for a particular client technology

• Don’t wait . . . starting building today!

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Learn more about HTML5 at:

www.geocortex.com/HTML5

Learn how to get started now with HTML5 at the following

webinar:

Getting Rolling in 2012 with HTML5 & Esri Technology

Thursday March 8, 2012 | 10:00 AM (PST)

Register at www.geocortex.com/HTML5

http://www.geocortex.com/HTML5

http://www.geocortex.com/HTML5