ESRI's newest release of ArcGIS Explorer is available for free download, providing a highly visual and intuitive way to explore, share, and present your geographic information. ArcGIS Explorer is a GIS visualisation tool that connects directly to a variety of ready-to-use ArcGIS Online basemaps and layers and enables users to add their own map services or local data. It can also be extended with users' existing geoprocessing tools. ArcGIS Explorer is designed to work directly with maps and layers authored using ArcGIS Desktop and published via ArcGIS Server or shared using layer packages. This release introduces some new features these include the ability to access shared maps, layers, and tools directly from ArcGIS Online; support for layer packages that enable ArcGIS Explorer to leverage ArcGIS Desktop cartography; the ability to use maps in 2D or 3D; and presentation tools that let users share their geographic knowledge and communicate geographically. Developers can use the software development kit (SDK) to build custom add-ins to extend the ArcGIS Explorer capabilities. Users can access continually updated basemaps and layers from ArcGIS Online, including Bing Maps for Enterprise imagery, streets, and hybrid layers. The new version also includes improved support for KML/KMZ files and "regionated" KML.
Contact Antionette McMaster, GIMS, Tel 011 238-6300, amcmaster@gims.com