Collaboration among GIS users is crucial. The distributed nature of GIS has many implications for interoperability between GIS organizations and systems with respect to data management, hardware environments, deployment of application logic, Web services integration, and openly documented application programming interfaces (APIs) and documented XML data schemas. ESRI has addressed interoperability comprehensively by implementing a variety of standards, strategies, and techniques in ArcGIS.
ESRI Interoperability Strategies
Presentation
Support GIS access using any client and device including emerging "rich clients."
Services
Support broad Web and IT standards (e.g., XML, SOAP) as well as focused GIS standards (e.g., OGC). Also, share and openly publish key ESRI protocols.
Application Logic
Enable common GIS logic to be deployed anywhere and used with industry standard APIs. Also, build direct application bridges for selected systems.
Data
Directly use, as well as translate to and from, any GIS format. Openly support any viable DBMS or file system. Publish key GIS formats from ESRI. Provide comprehensive API to ESRI data sources. Compile and share common data models.
Platforms
Platforms are expanding—in addition to hardware and operating systems, they also include web servers, databases, and application frameworks. ESRI intends to support a comprehensive platform environment for both vendor-based systems (e.g., Windows—.NET–SQL Server; Sun–Java–Sun ONE, and IBM–Websphere–DB2) as well as open source systems (e.g., Linux–Java–Apache).
ArcGIS was designed and engineered with interoperability in mind.
ArcGIS is designed and engineered with interoperability in mind. Here are a few examples.
ArcGIS supports the storage and management of geospatial data within multiple and heterogeneous DBMSs.
Because ArcGIS operates in a heterogeneous computing environment that includes Windows, Linux, Sun Solaris, and various types of mobile devices and Web browsers, it can connect to and work with information on many central DBMS servers across a range of platforms. ArcGIS is enabled for grid computing, which scales well in blade computing frameworks.
ArcGIS users can deploy GIS logic such as mapping, editing, and geoprocessing, anywhere—the traditional workstation desktop environment, embedded in custom applications, running on mobile devices, or managed in a server environment.
Users can deploy GIS as Web services that use open and interoperable standards such as WMS, WFS, ArcXML, and SOAP. These Web Services can act as services to other GIS applications and can be integrated with other standards-based IT applications such as ERP and CRM software.
ArcGIS supports open and documented APIs for C++, .NET, Java, and COM. Developers can access, update, and use all GIS functions.
ArcGIS supports a fully documented XML-based exchange for geodatabases. The complete information model for the geodatabase is openly published as an XML specification for programmers.
ESRI supports efforts promoting GIS standards and adheres to industry standards and commonly adopted practices that meet the fundamental requirement for interoperability. By addressing a larger vision of interoperability that encompasses far more than just data formats and GIS-based Web services protocols, ESRI is helping GIS become an integral part of mainstream IT.
