Update: ESRI to Offer Free Location Data App

It’s out - came out before ESRI UC. More interesting? Esri did not write it; Sourcebits did. Here’s the Sourcebits page about it.

via @iphone_app_deve

—- original post 7/2/10—-

I just love the headline, from GovTech, clearly aimed at generic tech folks. The one from Computerworld blog is fun, too: “Cool iPhone app gives lowdown on any neighborhood.”

For those in GIS, I’d write:

ESRI Offer Business Analyst Online via iPhone App

The app has been submitted to Apple for approval, which is expected next week. Next platform? Maybe iPad or Android.

From GovTech:

Originally BAO was built with commercial realtors in mind. But ESRI sources said they realized the app would be useful for government agencies’ economic development initiatives, thanks to the wealth of demographic data the app can access. The company claims this data—which was researched in-house by ESRI demographers, statisticians and economists—sets BAO apart from other “here’s the stuff around you” type of applications.

From Computerworld:

What’s in it for ESRI? The GIS vendor sells the back-end infrastructure that delivers such data in a mapping context. By giving away the app, ESRI hopes to stoke demand for its GIS systems by creating markets for new types of applications that go well beyond traditional government uses, such as for wetlands and tax map overlays.

- GovTech