Friday, July 31. 2009

Programmable Web Asks: Will ESRI's Free API Draw in GeoWebbers?

The site, which covers programing and APIs for the Web, got wind of ESRI's recent press release noting that even those without ArcGIS Server can now use the APIs for free. Adam DuVander suggests that now ESRI has removed the biggest criticism about about its Web offerings and asks if that means programmers will flock to ESRI's solution. He notes: "It’s not as clear for those not already an ESRI shop what it provides over Google, Yahoo or any other mapping provider."

I think that misses the point. ESRI didn't make the API available to pull in those who are using or considering using these other APIs. (If it did, it would have addressed the differences between its offering and those from Google et al.) It changed the terms to better serve its existing users, many many of whom are non-profits (and governments of various sizes) who will be unlikely to ever hold an ArcGIS Server license.

- Programmable Web

Posted by Adena Schutzberg in ESRI at 06:38 | Comments (4) | Trackbacks (0) |