ESRI - User Conference 2008 - San Diego - Part 2

Sorry... I've been so busy with work... forgot to update this blog. Got some emails asking me on more updates for the ESRI UC. I really had some memorable experiences during the UC... and it was quite fun.


I reached the conference centre and surprised to find everything seems orderly. In a strange way... everyone knows where to go too. I passed so many coffee corners (with long silent queues)... thought prob the plenary might be boring and ppl really need to keep themselves awake with coffee. Reached the hall to find an ocean full of people... this GIS community is really huge. I felt a tinge of pride and some consolation ... so many people in my industry... never really imagined so many ppl interested in GIS.


I found a seat a few rows in front of the stage... the seats were close and small... but at least I get to see the whole show closer. I think the San Diego weather helps too... everyone seems comfy in their summer clothes... some in shorts ... many in their ESRI t-shirts. I was in my usual jeans and rock t-shirt... should have brought a baseball cap tho.



With a short intro music... Jack arrived! No time to waste I suppose. He tends to tilt his head to the side when talking... prob in anticipation for some crowd challenge or challenging the crowd to react. He made a good long speech... introduced new functionality and capabilities. He cracked some jokes too... and I was surprised GIS people laughing... we do have a sense of humour after all. Phew!

Technically, I think the 9.3 release is more for the server side enhancements ... the Desktop version is quite cool but ArcGIS Server upgrade is what the buzz is all about. Shared Applications, Web 2.0, Flex API, JavaScript API, 9.3 ArcGIS Server Manager enhancements and ArcSDE improvements caught my attention the most. I think we still have a long way to go before web applications can replace desktop software but the advent of Mashup Applications and integration of multiple web services.... allows for better information dessemination and solves a lot of enterprise integration. GIS is now definitely in the mainstream IT arena and gone are the days I use to spend time in university labs experimenting and prototyping.