The announcements out of Where 2.0 from John Hanke of Google and Jack Dangermond regarding integrating neogeography with professional GIS (perhaps not the best terms, but I'm confident readers understand) are quite a lot to digest. (Video available here.) But that's ok, both companies are resetting their visions with regard to the other, to data and to services and it's certainly time for that.

Here's the substance of the relevant announcements teased out of coverage from Where 2.0, where the two geotechnologists shared the stage yesterday.

- ArcGIS Server 9.3 (available in about 4 weeks, per Dangermond) will make its metadata service "scrapable" into KML and thus findable via Google's geographic search (once known as KML search). Further, ArcGIS Server will be able to publish not only that data as streaming KML (and GeoRSS) but also related services. Dangermond showed finding data from a Portland, Oregon service, visualizing it and then performing analysis, all from Google Earth. Said another way, all data and services served by ArcGIS Server could potentially be findable and usable in any Google mashup. Further, the resultant KML can be used in app that supports the OGC standard.

Senior executives from leading technology companies, speaking at our Location Intelligence Conference last week shared that the entire value proposition for spatial enablement is a "push" to the market rather than a "pull" or demand for the technology. Our editors ask: Are we doing an adequate job of selling the technology to more of the people that will eventually implement geospatial tools with other IT solutions.?Why is it still so hard? What are we not doing well? Will it take another "Google Earth" to push the technology deeper into corporate computing or a new crop of graduates to be more geospatially enlightened?

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The couple is the first recipient of the National Garden Clubs Inc. Special Flower Show Award recognizing "significant contributions to the Redlands Horticultural and Improvement Society's flower shows." This year's event was held at ESRI headquarters in the cafeteria.

- Redlands Daily Facts

ESRI is one of the proponents and is suggesting a stop at New York Street, near headquarters. The project if approved is envision to be funded by federal grants, an increased sales tax and private donations. The train would be completed in 2015.

- Press Enterprise

Update 4/3/08: This is the official word from ESRI:

ESRI is restructuring its Web services program to reflect our new technology and the relationships we are creating with a number of new technology partners. We are basically shifting our focus from geo-services for developers (the ArcWeb vision based on ArcIMS) to geo-services focused on helping ArcGIS end users and developers (based on ArcGIS Server). We will continue supporting ArcWeb users and the platform into the future, but we are shifting our emphasis to ArcGIS Server. Most people will see this as a kind of technology upgrade to a more modern platform for the Web 2.0 environment.

The new services are called ArcGIS Online and are already being used externally by ArcGIS Desktop users and as a foundation for ArcGIS Explorer. These services are divided into core services that are free to our desktop, explorer and server users, and premium services that will be priced similar to ArcWeb.

Regarding existing application operations built on ArcWeb, we will continue supporting the existing ArcWeb platform and customers for several years, while at the same time introducing new opportunities with the ArcGIS Server platform at 9.3. Existing customers can renew their ArcWeb Services subscription and buy more credits. New users can contact ESRI Professional Services to explore whether they wish to use ArcWeb or ArcGIS to develop their solutions. Our Professional Services division was involved in the ArcWeb Services implementations and will continue to build solutions on that platform.

The ArcGIS 9.3 platform will introduce many new and exciting opportunities. Further details will be provided as we complete this transition.

Update 4/1/08: ESRI replied to my query of 3/24/08 today saying essentially, "we'll get back to you."

The awards are for the "top 10 female leaders in San Bernardino and Riverside counties." Nine of the honorees are individual women associated with public and private organizations and education, but ESRI is listed as just ESRI, with no single individual noted. There are many talented women at ESRI; I had the privilege of working for and with a number of them.

- press release