John Calkin’s Top Ten Enhancements to ArcGIS 9.4 (#ESRIUC)

9. New User Interface – dockable windows; as windows come and go, the map does not have to redraw; Catalog Window allows user to sort and search on layers and then drag and drop them on the map
8. Tab browsing on tables
7. New Search tool to compliment “Add Data” catalog – search tool for layers using keywords – new capability for fast access
6. Reporting – save reports with selected sets
5. Geoprocessing in Model Builder – users can have access to a new pop up for tool tips without having to open up a tool; there is an “undo button” for the auto-layout selection; customization capability to access all of the functions
4. New Layers Tab – a smart legend that only shows features withing the current viewable maps; with a map location is changed, the symbology will “gray out” if they are no longer visible.
3. Ability to change symbols by search using key words like “green push pin”; no longer have to search through many many symbols
2. Ability to make temporal maps using time stamps for each map that has been created; also included is a tool bar to step through each of the temporal maps in the user’s selection
1. Fast Base Maps - Select map layers and drop them into a new "basemap" layer with continuous redraw and panning

What about a tenth? John says there is more to come.