Creating an ArcGIS web application (.Net tech)

For Whom: Who have little knowledge of ArcGIS and familiar with C# and ASP.net technologies.

I will elaborate the topics in following flow:

Software Needed & Installation Requirements.
Configurations.
Prerequisites.
ArcGIS template based application.
Raw customized .Net application.
Other technology options & tools available in market.

Well, lots of topics lets start eating with the not so hot but the tasty part of the pasta i.e. "Software Needed".

Software Needed & Installation Requirements:

Version depends on your choice. I am using ArcGIS 9.3 here:
ArcGIS 9.2 supports programming in MS Visual Studio 2005.
ArcGIS 9.3 supports programming in MS Visual Studio 2008.
ArcGIS 10 supports programming in MS Visual Studio 2010.

So you need:

• ArcGIS Server 9.x or above.
• ArcGIS Server Web ADF Runtime for the .NET Framework (no separate downloads. It comes with ArcGIS server licensed version only).
• Microsoft .Net framework 2.0 or above.
• Microsoft Windows Server 2000/2003/2008/2010 or above.
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional (SP1 or above) or later.
• Browsers e.g. Chrome, IE, Firefox etc.
• Microsoft IIS 5.0 and above
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005/ 2008/ 2010 or above. (I had used 2008).
• AJAX Control Toolkit.

Note: All ArcGIS installations need uninstallations of any previous versions ArcGIS softwares. The installation takes 1500 MB disk space and 176 MB of system drive space. I had taken the installation of ArcGIS Server (not WebADF) on a different machine having MS Windows Server 2000 installed. Rest installations are on my machine (MS Windows XP SP3).

For more information about requirements refer to link:

http://resources.esri.com/help/9.3/arcgisserver/install_gds/dotnet/Step_1__Verify_sys_reqs.htm

http://resources.esri.com/help/9.3/arcgisserver/install_gds/dotnet/Installing_ADF.htm

Configurations:

I had left the server configuration for the sake of focus to web application development only. But broadly, you need to have SOC (Server Object Container) and SOM (Server Object Manager) user accounts configured at Server.

After WebADF installation the Visual Studio will show the "Web Mapping Application" a.k.a. WMA template in its "New Website" box.

Also, check out for the toolbar which show you the ArcGIS Web Controls (if not then add it in Visual Studio).

Prerequisites:

If you want to use your own data, you should have a folder consisting of layer data in .mxd format. Take a note that this folder will be on the server machine and it need to be a shared folder. If you have data in other formats like .tab etc. Use ArcMap or other tools for making an ArcGIS project and then having conversion of data to .mxd format with you. For e.g. have a look at the image below which shows you sample data consisting of .mxd project files.

Data Layers for Map

You need to make a map service by using this data through the ArcGIS Server Manager.

ArcGIS template based application:

Start MS Visual Studio. Go to File >New Website and select the "Web Mapping Application" template.

It may show you ready to run customized template with common tools and toolbars configured for you. It may show a dialog box like:

Click "NO" on this dialog box as we would be running the application on .Net framework 2.0 only here. However if you need to switch to higher versions of framework act accordingly. The solution explorer will look like:

Right click on "Default.aspx" and set it as start page. The design view of "Default.aspx" would be like as below:

Default.aspx design view.

It displays control like TOC (Table of Contents which actually display open layers and checkbox to switch them on/off), Map window which will display the map configured, basic function toolbar for the purpose of zoom in/out, pan, scale, overview map, info etc. I think they pretty much solve the requirements of most of the web gis applications.

Also, the most important control (manager) is there viz. MapResource Manager. Without configuring it, you may end up in errors like "The Map Resource Manager does not have a valid Resource Item". Obviously, we need to define what map we wanna show in the window.

So as to configure the "Map Resource Manager", hover on it you may look the smart menu arrow. Click on "Edit Resources" from the menu shown as below:

Click on "Add" button. Configure the "Definition" field by clicking on the ellipsis in that field. You may end up in a dialog box like:

So, now you have a choice menu for selecting the map service type. If you have your own service running on server (service creation in my different post kindly refer to it) then select "ArcGIS Server Internet" from the drop-down menu and in the "Data Source" field enter the url for the service. In case you wanna use sample server provided by ArcGIS then also select "ArcGIS Server Internet" and in the "Data Source" field enter this url: 

"http://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/services".

Now on clicking the ellipsis button of "Resource", it may show you a dialog box of the services provided by the server as below:

Select the service you want and click on "OK" to close the dialog box.

Click further "OK"s to close the "Map Resource Definition Editor" dialog box and the "Map Resource Collection Editor" dialog box respectively.

Run the application and yeeeaaahhhhh you had got your web GIS app ready.

Browse through the tools and customization to make your required formats.

Yes there is one more way of making the customized application and generating the code automatically. It is through the server portal itself. Collect all the files generated and start coding on it.

Raw customized .Net application:

Starting with selecting the File >New Website. But now choosing a normal "ASP.Net website" or "Empty Website" as the case may be. 

From the "ArcGIS Web Controls" in the toolbox, add the "Map" and "Map Resource Manager" controls to your aspx page as shown below:

In the properties of "Map" control look for "Map Resource Manager" property and set it to the manager(which you had already added) selecting it from the drop-down.

Now, checking for the "Map Resource Manager" control, we do the same configuration setting as discussed above. Set the Type, Data Source and Resource for the control.

Run the application and hurray the map application is ready. Well, I know this is just the map implementation without any toolbar and any other formatting or tools. But I suppose you may go with that in a more detailed chapter possible in some other post of mine or on adding controls discussed on ArcGIS portals.

Other technology options & tools available in market:

ArcGIS provides other technology options too for the development purposes. It through Java and Flex. You may develop applications using Web ADF for Java too. Also, it provides you API's for JavaScript, Flex and Silverlight.

Use following link to reach there:

http://resources.arcgis.com/content/arcgisserver/web-apis

Download and take help of various sample websites for their implementations.

Other tools available in market for GIS development; truly said are many including:

• SuperGeo
• MapInfo
• Microstation etc.

But my referral and priority goes to ArcGIS for its superb support, customized interface, usability and dependable architecture.

Wait for more post of mine on ArcGIS development (like creating Map Service etc.) soon.

Till then Enjoy development!!

New social networking initiative

Dear Folks,
Let's welcome Google+. Totally vibrant and innovative approach from Google as always.
It's a platform for new dimension in social networking. No confrontations. Just easy to have five houses of human networking i.e. Cirlces, Hangouts, Instant upload, Sparks, Huddle.

Where circle gives you group (enCircle) your contacts like in real life, Hangouts gives you live f2f discussions and chattery. Instant upload gives you at the instant uploading of photos from your mobile as you take them and store them on your private album on Google. You may specify your sharing criterion. Sparks gives your instant status, your thoughts, whereabouts, likes etc. Huddle gives you the functionality of group chat. You may decide to bunk the lecture in a group :).

To explore more go to http://plus.google.com/ and login through your google account.

Hope to hear from you all soon.
Astalavista,
Abhy

Telecom Towers Infrastructure Modification

Theme:
This post is regarding the modification of the telecom tower designs for more signal coverage and lower expenditures on tower implantation in urban areas.

Idea:
All the inputs are given from my personal studies in various telecom companies.
In urban areas, normally the tower implantation distance is taken as approx 300-400 meters.
If the tower height is increased and using signal amplifiers the signal strength can also be increased covering more area.

Revolution:
The number of tower implantation can be reduced up to an extent and which is cost specific as a single tower costs around 3 million INR. Also, because of signal amplification good signals can be provided to the users.

IF ANY SUGGESSTIONS ARE THERE OR IF THERE IS ANY FULL REJECTION OF THE CONCEPT PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST AS THIS IS BASED ON PERSONAL STUDY AND YES I AM NOT AN ELECTRONICAL OR CIVIL ENGINEER. :)

Microsoft 32 bit Windows Version History

I was looking through the release dates of Microsoft's 32-bit and 64-bit Operating systems little earlier. Following are the details:

Product Name / Version No. / Release Date
Win NT 3.1 // 3.1 // July 1993
Win NT 3.5 // 3.5 // September 1994
Win NT 3.51 // 3.51 // May 1995
Win NT 4.0 // 4.0 // July 1996
Win 2000 // 5.0 // December 1999
Win XP // 5.1 // August 2001
Win Server 2003 // 5.2 // March 2003
Win Vista // 6.0 (Build 6000) // January 2007
Win Server 2008 // 6.0 (Build 6001) // March 2008
Windows 7 // 6.1(7600) // October 2009

CONGRATS ISRO!!

We have found bisleri and coke bottles on moon..Just kiddin.
Recent discovery of water particles on moon had became a large leap which will take mankind to further discovery of many hidden facts and new inventions. This surprising finding has come about through the ingenuity, perseverance and international cooperation between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Hail India..It is a work of human not belonging to any particular country but to whole mankind. Congrats the sci-community for the great achievement.

IBM blasts off with ThinkPads in space

When the space shuttle Endeavour blasts off tomorrow, astronauts aboard will be equipped with IBM ThinkPad notebooks for the 11-day mission.

This isn?t the first time that the portable computers have been put to work in space. In 1993, NASA astronauts used an IBM portable during a mission to repair the crippled Hubble telescope. But their increased use in space missions and on international space stations demonstrates the versatility of portables in space.

For its part, IBM is trying to get as much public relations value out of the mission as possible, especially as the company plans to introduce a series of new products next month.

IBM has been touting what it calls the ?edge? of the network, or EON, as a guiding principal behind all its future PC products. Big Blue in February plans to rebrand its PC line and introduce simpler models, including one built around a LCD display.

Taking a page from science fiction, IBM plans to show off prototypes of a new portable, a wearable PC based on the ThinkPad 560. The U.S. Army is currently testing the wearable PC, and NASA reportedly has expressed some interest in using the technology.

Portables on space missions make a lot of sense, International Data Corp. analyst Roger Kay said. By relying on portable notebooks instead of installed PCs, NASA can spread its computing power and apply technology to specific tasks.

"I wouldn?t mind having my ThinkPad floating there next to me ready for whenever I want to use it," Kay quipped.

The shuttle?s notebooks don?t exactly float freely, but are held down by Velcro strips so astronauts aren?t injured by a flying PC. Keeping in mind that shuttle astronauts work in zero gravity, it is not unusual for portables to be attached to the shuttle?s wall or ceilings.

Three varieties of ThinkPads will be used on the mission. The crew will rely on several ThinkPad 760XDs as a general-purpose Payload and General Support Computers, "or PGSC, a good NASA acronym," said Andy Klausman, a staff engineer with Houston-based United Space Alliance, a contractor for the space shuttle.

Those units will primarily be used for email, sending files back and forth between the orbiter and the ground, displaying a world map with the shuttle?s current location, and tracking where gear is stowed.

A ThinkPad 755C will collect data from a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver during the shuttle?s ascent into space and re-entry. NASA eventually plans to incorporate GPS features into the shuttle?s navigational system.

Endeavour?s main mission will be one of radar topography, for which it will in part rely on ThinkPad 760Es. Two separate antennas separated will collect radar images to formulate three-dimensional maps of the earth.

One of the frequent problems for the portables is the effect of space travel. While the notebooks generally survive the ride into orbit, other things can potentially go wrong.

"The notebooks are not designed for space flight, so we have to be aware of the impact the environment can do, such as radiation hitting the memory and changing it," Klausman said. "That happens every flight."

So far radiation has not seriously compromised data collected on missions, but the potential for problems is one reason why NASA doesn?t use the IBM portables for critical operations.

NASA also locks down the power supplies, so the crew doesn?t accidentally kick them loose while they are floating around the shuttle space.

The notebooks are attached to a local-area network on the shuttle and connect remotely to a NASA computer for data transfer, sending email and transmitting other information. NASA eventually plans to use wireless networking. All the notebooks run Windows 95 with tentative plans to switch to Windows NT.

Some of the ThinkPads are equipped with videoconferencing equipment, which is used by medical personnel as well as families on the ground to talk with astronauts in space.

The International Space Station, which is partially constructed and tentatively scheduled to become operational later this year, also carries IBM ThinkPads. U.S. and European astronauts also left at least three ThinkPad 750Cs on the now defunct Russian space station Mir.

The space shuttle was originally scheduled to launch today, but was postponed due to computer problems and poor weather conditions in Florida, according to CNN.

By Joe Wilcox
Staff Writer, CNET News

LIMIT OF COMPUTERIZATION w.r.t. Security Breaches

What to you think about the limit up to which computerization take place?

Reason:
If every thing like power supply; your daily work starting from
bathing, brushing your teeth to sleeping; id cards; studies;
transportation; biological activities; financial information; top
secrets; emergency help services etc. then in view of the scene of
internet security breaches it may prove fatal.

You may take the practical demonstration in the movie Die Hard 4.0...

Give your comments.

E-Elections

Election process can be automated by providing the voting facility on
Internet.


Situation:
Lots of youth force is indulged in many projects abroad or the individuals who are not in their constituencies. These votes are lagged behind and are not counted which may affect a country's future.


Idea:
This process can be automated by providing this facility on internet.
Need of a id is there, which presently can be fulfilled by PAN / UID. Just
the user had to log in and cast his/her vote by using his PAN / UID and
voting is done.
Benefits / Revolution:
1.) Time saving.
2). No security expenses (physical personnel deployment at booths) incurred.
3). Reach to every person in any area (in country / abroad).
4). More votes can affect the election results.
5). Save revenue incurred on security, voting arrangements, EVM(s),
counting arrangements.
6). No need for voting holidays.
7). Election counting can become much faster.
Although this automation is not affective for the whole voting thing
but still affects a lot of things.

BRAINOLOGY

Its neither a concept nor an invention but what I think its a divine
process which elaborates the masterpiece of god's creativity. I am talking
about brainology.

Situation:
Don't confuse with the term as you may not find it in dictionary. Just
suppose if I ask you to close your eyes and then ask you to touch your
middle finger or your right eyebrow or your left ankle or your left
thumb or your left little finger's nail or your right eyelash. You are
at all times be able to make the difference in the touch made. Also,
you may only touch the asked portion of your body.

Idea:
What I had concluded from this is that brain is acting like a powerful
supercomputer which is depended on many analysis, calculations and
many logical combination which helps it to give the solution to the
query made to it. If you are asked to touch your little finger of your
left hand by closing your eyes you may definitely touch the same
without any mistake. Eyes had nothing to do with it. But it is always
not correct with the other objects like if I ask you to touch a pencil placed on a table
with your eyes closed you may get it touched wrong. Well the
thing which is coming in gyst is that if you are having proper,
structural, logic, analytical knowledge of anything you may not need
visual understanding or information you may just recognize it by the
calculations same as your brain does. Even you may try by moving your
hand and try to touch any part keeping your eyes closed, still you
touch the right thing. Means that your brain knows that at what time
your finger comes at what place so that your other hand can go to the
definite position to touch the part asked. All is calculation performed.

Revolution:
Now can you think of a vehicle or a aircraft without a cockpit or a
driver's seat or you may now think of a machine which may take care of
your daily routine work without making you indulge in it. Just think
and yes do not forget to act...