The last few months have seen an upsurge of visibility in spatially aware applications from the newspaper to the Web to the Weather Channel to kids' computer classes and more. These applications have received a lot of press and are truly exciting; they show the power of simple but intuitive visualization through spatially enabling information.

EDN Web site is regularly updated with new content and announcements.

Esri is excited to see the ArcGIS platform develop as a foundation for building spatially aware systems. Esri invites developers—whether new to GIS or seasoned veterans—to learn more about ArcObjects, the foundation of Esri's platform. Subscribing to the Esri Developer Network (EDN) is a great way to learn. Bundled together is all that is needed to build GIS capabilities into an application.

EDN is an annual subscription-based program that provides developers with the software and resources needed to build a wide range of custom GIS solutions. The objective of the EDN program is to provide developers with tools that increase productivity, reduce the cost and complexity of doing GIS development, and provide maximum opportunities for developers on the ArcGIS platform.

Components of EDN include the EDN Software Library (ArcGIS Server, ArcIMS, ArcSDE, ArcWeb Services, and ArcGIS Engine) licensed exclusively for development and testing, a comprehensive online documentation library, and the EDN Web site.

The EDN Web site's purpose is to facilitate building a global community of GIS developers. The Web site provides an easier way for the Esri development teams to share information, such as code samples, technical articles, user forums, media clips, and e-mail alerts, with subscribers. The site also promotes peer-to-peer sharing.

New on the EDN Web Site

In July, several new sections were added to the EDN Web site.

The Esri International User Conference is the main event for users to showcase applications they are building with ArcGIS products, as well as the venue for Esri staff to meet with users and present future plans. To help users navigate the vast number of sessions that were geared to developers, Esri created a new UC 2005 tab on the EDN Web site. This new area features a list of developer-oriented activities that were held at the conference, a threaded comments section, and a section for bloggers covering the conference.

Also new, EDN Java Central is a dedicated area for Java GIS developers. Initially, much of the content on this page will be aimed at those who are new to the ArcGIS platform and its Java API. Java Central will evolve into a single place for EDN developers at all levels to access the complete spectrum of Java resources and documents available.

There are many more new features on the EDN site. Please visit edn.esri.com to subscribe to the network, get the software library, and begin development.

To learn more about EDN, visit www.esri.com/edn.