Update: ArcGIS for AutoCAD Available

Update: Don Kuehne (of ESRI, but posting as himself) offers his take and a link to an ArcNews article on the product.

—original post—-

I wrote about this “new product” from ESRI after seeing a demo at Fed UC in January. It’s available for download now; I expected to wait longer, but perhaps there was significant “demand” after the preview?

The product, as I noted in the earlier post delivers ArcGIS results “in the form of map service images.” The product is free, but to use it you need AutoCAD 2007 and ArcGIS Server 9.2. The key features listed on the ESRI site:

View one or more georeferenced ArcGIS Server map service(s) in AutoCAD.
Dynamically refresh the map services(s) with AutoCAD Pan/Zoom tools.
Identify features in the map service by picking locations on the map service image in AutoCAD.
Cut and Paste values from Identify dialog to Windows clipboard.
Toggle dynamic refresh of the map service On/Off.
Toggle visibility of map service On/Off.

That sure sounds like WMS sort of funcationality to me. (screen shot) Is based on WMS? Why not just use WMS? Why has Autodesk not put WMS support into AutoCAD? I guess because they want folks to buy Map 3D. (I’m ready to drop the 3D now, how about you?)  WMS support is in Autodesk Map 2007. I was “grabbed” at Autodesk World Press Day by a rep, so they were sure I’d seen it. Third parties have offered WMS support for AutoCAD and Map in the past including IME and GlobeXplorer, now owned by DigitalGlobe.

- SYNERGIS Blog
“(Sharing Your kNowlegde & Enhancing Resources in GIS) is a group of GIS Professionals, Managers and Students from Tompkins County and the surrounding area. ”
(No, I don’t know where Tompkins County is!)

What Journo saw at ESRI Fed UC

The Washington City Paper was also at the ESRI Federal User Group Meeting last week. He offers up some highlights and posts the attendence at 1,900.

One bullet:

• GISmos: Post-session talk turned to the improved infrared-mapping capabilities that enable the Roomba wireless vacuum robot to learn its owner’s floor plan for faster autonomous cleaning—a home version of robotic building-mapping systems discussed during the conference.

That’d be Sarah, the robot from PenBay Media. She’ll be with us at our Location Intelligence Conference in April. I too have described her as “Roomba”-like, though she’s better looking.

Podcast: Directions on the News - January 16, 2007

Fed UC: No Elephants in the Room

I recall a year or two ago when Google Maps/Earth were new and Microsoft was gearing up with Live Local/Virtual Earth. There was a discomfort in the GIS community as we tried to figure these new offerings out and consider their impact on our world. At this event I noticed, and several attendees mentioned to me, how calm things seemed. Google Earth was shown on stage and Microsoft’s products were mentioned. There seemed to be an unstated acknowledgement that these tools are part of the technology marketplace, even if they are not GIS per se and that that’s ok.

Fed UC: Hottest Thing on the Floor

I’d heard of GCS Research, or thought I had, but when Tyler Otto, a salesperson told me about it GeoMarc technology I realized I didn’t know the company - or the product. GeoMarc is technology to embed information in the pixels of an image, an invisible “watermark.” What sort of information? Ownership information to track use of rights restricted imagery. Links to external documents that store say the different image manipulations the image has been through.

And, get this, the “watermark” stays with the image even if its converted to another form or printed and scanned back in!

The technology is actually a few years old, but is just out in its second (more mature) release.