Esri's ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension introduces a revolutionary technology at release 9 that enables users to manage and visualize, from a local or global perspective, extremely large sets of three-dimensional geographic data. These capabilities are available as part of ArcGIS 3D Analyst 9 in a new desktop application called ArcGlobe. ArcGlobe provides the capability to seamlessly interact with any geographic information as data layers on a three-dimensional globe.

Leveraging extremely efficient and highly optimized data retrieval and display techniques, ArcGlobe provides seamless and fast access to virtually unlimited volumes of geographic information. These breakthrough capabilities mean that ArcGlobe can easily and intelligently handle raster, vector, and terrain data sets representing data from local to global scale with performance exceeding traditional two-dimensional mapping.

As an extension to the ArcGIS Desktop products, ArcGIS 3D Analyst allows users to leverage the GIS analysis tools available in ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo to perform geoprocessing tasks in a 3D environment. Using standard interactive mapping tools, users can also pan, query, and analyze data at any scale, or they can zoom right into their local area and view very high-resolution spatial data, such as parcels or detailed aerial photographs, of their area of interest.

With ArcGIS 3D Analyst 9 and ArcGlobe, users can

• Use all types of geographic data including vector data (e.g., buildings, parcels, roads, power lines, water hydrants, and soils) and raster data (e.g., digital elevation models [DEM], satellite imagery, digital orthophoto quadrangles [DOQ], and aerial photography).
• Manage and navigate through extremely large databases (terabytes).
• Extrude two-dimensional representations to three dimensions.
• Create three-dimensional fly-through animations.
• Perform analyses such as overlay, viewshed, and buffer.
• Use GIS tools and functions in a 3D environment.
• Apply various data layer effects such as transparency, lighting, shading, and depth priority.
• View multiple perspectives simultaneously.

ArcGlobe is a revolutionary technology that will change the way we view the world. Data is the key to this system, and ArcGlobe offers the following:

• Included Data—ArcGIS 3D Analyst 9 with ArcGlobe includes a series of base data giving users immediate access to data of the entire world including elevation data, data for bathymetry, and detailed natural color global imagery at 150-meter resolution. Several additional higher resolution samples will also be provided.
• ArcGIS Supported Data Formats—Vector and raster data formats supported by ArcGIS can be integrated into ArcGlobe including shapefiles, coverages, and the geodatabase. ArcGlobe also supports specialized three-dimensional models, such as the MultiGen OpenFlight and the 3D Studio formats, to allow more realistic representation of three-dimensional features.
• Support for Extremely Large Data Sets—ArcGlobe utilizes an intelligent scale-dependent paging mechanism enabling it to seamlessly manage extremely large data sets. Data is loaded in and out of memory as required. When viewed from a distance, data is generalized, but as the observer moves in closer, full detail is exposed. Intelligent data handling eliminates display freezing and reduces the use of system resources.

ArcGlobe is an application within ArcGIS 3D Analyst 9 similar to the ArcScene application. ArcGIS 3D Analyst 9 adds support for true three-dimensional symbology to enhance scientific visualization and real-world simulation. Style libraries are included with the release of ArcGIS 3D Analyst 9 to give users a variety of real-world symbols to choose from including houses, cars, street signs, structures, and plants. These symbols are available in both 3D Analyst applications, ArcScene and ArcGlobe.

For more information on ArcGIS 3D Analyst and the ArcGlobe application, visit www.esri.com/3danalyst. Outside the United States, contact your local Esri distributor.