Free ArcGIS App and API for Windows Phone Now Available
The Power of Mapping Right in Your Hands
Microsoft Windows Phone users can now access sophisticated mapping capabilities on their devices with the new ArcGIS for Windows Phone app. ArcGIS for Windows Phone extends the reach of a GIS from the office to the mobile web. The app lets users find, use, and share maps, as well as deploy GIS data and functionality on Windows Phone devices.
Browse and access a variety of maps using the ArcGIS for Windows Phone app.
ArcGIS for Windows Phone serves as a mobile gateway into the ArcGIS system to
- Explore and navigate maps.
- Find places and addresses.
- Query map layers and data.
- Collect, edit, and update features and attribute information while performing field data collection and inspection projects.
The free app can be downloaded directly from Microsoft's Zune Marketplace.
In addition to the free application, Esri has also released ArcGIS API for Windows Phone. Using the API, developers can build custom applications for Windows Phone devices. The API can be used to create interactive applications that combine mapping resources, such as maps, locators, and geoprocessing models, with Windows Phone technologies and frameworks, such as the application bar, controls, and location. It is available at no cost from the Esri Resource Center and includes a detailed blog, forum, samples, and support. The API is built on the Silverlight framework of the Windows Phone application platform, which includes existing Microsoft tools and technologies, such as Visual Studio and Expression Blend. Developers already familiar with Silverlight will be able to create new applications for Windows Phone without a steep learning curve. ArcGIS API for Windows Phone and ArcGIS API for Microsoft Silverlight/Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) have the same architecture; therefore, users can reuse application logic in ArcGIS applications built for Windows Phone, web, and desktop applications.
"This is a very exciting development for the Microsoft developer community," says David Stampfli, technology architect at Microsoft, "because it allows us to use the tools that we're already familiar with to build a new class of applications for Windows Phone quickly and easily. The capabilities of ArcGIS API for Windows Phone are truly impressive and will allow developers to tap into the full power of the ArcGIS platform."
ArcGIS API for Windows Phone enables users to go beyond basic mapping. For example, users can
- Develop applications that use their own authoritative data.
- Display data on an ArcGIS Online or Bing Maps basemap.
- Add graphics and markups to a map interactively.
- Search for features or attributes within GIS data and display the results.
- Execute a GIS model using ArcGIS Server and display the results.
The API is designed to work with and use web services available from ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Online. Developers and Esri partners can easily build applications that work with their own published web services and use the API to create applications that can be deployed within their enterprises or to the public via the Marketplace.
To learn more about the ArcGIS for Windows Phone app, visit esri.com/windowsphone. To download and begin building custom applications using ArcGIS API for Windows Phone, visit the ArcGIS Resource Center.
