I was at the Esri International Partner Conference and Developer Summit last week in Palm Springs in sunny California! Apart from not getting enough good food as a vegetarian, the event was fantastic! There were several technical tracks and two really engaging plenary sessions through the week. On reflection, there were 3 main themes that emerged from the conference this year
ArcGIS is now a Platform
Over the last few years, we have been talking about the growth of ArcGIS into becoming a platform for GIS and there has been work ongoing to bring all the pieces of ArcGIS technology together. At the conference this year it was very evident that we have moved to being a Platform for GIS, rather than individual bits of software. ArcGIS is now a Location Platform that can enable businesses to leverage the power of geography, regardless of which industry they belong to.
3D will be available across the platform
Building on the Platform story, we will also see 3D being rolled out across the platform. You will be able to view and consume 3D content on Desktops, Web Browsers and Mobile devices. This is very exciting, as it builds on the great work that CityEngine does in the desktop world and takes it to everyone out there.
JavaScript will become the main Web development tool for Esri
While this was clear before the conference with the announcement last month, this was stressed throughout the conference. One of the best bits about the JavaScript API was the announcement about the Web Application Builder for JavaScript. This will allow a non-developer to create amazing JavaScript applications, for those who have used the Flex and Silverlight builders the new one is based on the same principles.
So, all in all, a great week in Palm Springs, with plenty of new technology and ideas to look forward to this year!