ArcGIS Online Sharing in Open Beta: Does this change geodata sharing?

ESRI has opened up ArcGIS Online sharing app into an open beta. Anyone can use the site but a ESRI Global Account allows collaboration and data sharing.

The bottom line is this is an ESRI focused portal for finding, sharing and using maps, layers and tools. You can find data published by ESRI or its users via a text search and add it to your ArcMap session or build an online map from it. As a member, you get your own content page where you can access local maps, layers and tools. You can keep them private or share them with everyone or just with a selected group or groups. You can read about ArcGIS Online in the ArcGIS Online blog or get a video demo from the site.

This is something ESRI has been alluding to for some time and I expect this offering to be launched more formally at the User Conference in a few weeks. So, does it change anything? It’s hard to say at this early point. I’ll suggest that its predecessors include the Geography Network and Geospatial One-Stop and its peers/relatives include things like GeoCommons and perhaps WeoGeo and VoyagerGIS. It could even be said to be related to ERDAS Titan and the iTunes store. Did you lose me on that last one?

As introduced thus far, ArcGIS Online seems to be 100% focused on sharing ESRI maps, data and tools. I did note that one can set up a different default tool to view the data (other than ArcGIS), but it was unclear what types of data are supported for sharing. It’ll be interesting to see how ArcGIS Online is presented to the larger GIS community with regard to other data types. Also interesting to contemplate: Will the large ESRI user community share its data (even with selected groups) via ArcGIS Online? Finally, how will ArcGIS Online work with state, country and worldwide efforts at data sharing? Would a city need/want/be expected to share its data via Geospatial One-Stop and ArcGIS Online? What about federal agencies? Will they need to be on those two portals and on Data.gov?

Update: TN GISers Praised for Helping FBI

Update: We received this from James H. Butcher, G.G., GISP, GIS Manager, Town of Collierville on his experience.

“I just read the blog entry concerning the article in the Commercial Appeal. As you suspected the request did come from the local office in Memphis, not from D.C. The request was for a topo map of an area in Perry County, TN near the Tennessee River. Since the agents were more interested in the terrain of that area a 7.5 minute USGS quad made sense. We were more than happy to help. So we obtained the required DRG and printed the number of copies they needed. The Tennessee Spatial Data Server ( http://www.tngis.org/ ) maintains a copy of all the DRG’s by County for Tennessee. I’m certain that most agents do not have the time to familiarize themselves with what resources are available to the geospatial community. I will give them kudos for having the forethought to contact members of the local GIS community for assistance. I’ve had some prior contacts with some of the agents in that office, so I guess that is what led them to call my office. We also go out of our way to assist and work closely with other Geospatial users in the region, a view shared by many of the GIS professionals in the Mid-South.

“For example, our regional GIS group is involved with a number of initiatives to improve contacts and data access for first responders and local law enforcement. As a group we encourage active participation in our regional users group MAGIC: Memphis Area Geographic Information Council and our State organization TNGIC: Tennessee Geographic Information Council. We also encourage participation in the GISP Program and joining national organizations such as URISA and ASPRS.”

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TomTom Shareholders Approve Rights Issue, Stock at 8 Month High

A few weeks ago TomTom announced plans to raise funds via two different routes: a private placement and a rights issue. The former occurred earlier this month. Today shareholder approved the rights issue, with shares priced at 4.21 euros. That bumped the stock up 7% to an 8 month high of 8.74 euros this morning (EDT).

Analysts now report there’s no danger of bankruptcy.

- Reuters

Quote of the Week

“Geography, for instance, was taught through Google Earth maps and no textbook.

Teachers complained that the software was not installed until late in the year and that satellite maps gave them little or no parameters for teaching social aspects of geography.”

- Jane Roberts writing in the Commercial Appeal about how the Memphis school system will be paying $10 million for textbooks in part to bring science teaching up to speed so that students meet new statewide requirements.

Voting Open for “Most Influential” in Geospatial

Directions Magazine solicited nominations from readers about individuals who will influence geospatial technology for the next five years. We now invite readers to select their three top choices from a short list of 22 individuals to determine the top ten.

Voting closes July 17.