A collection of various GIS related links, information and other GIS blogs.

Showing posts with label Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tips. Show all posts

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Looking for a Park in the City of Poway?

There are quite a few parks within the City of Poway.
Here’s a map of them to aid you in locating where to go for a walk, or party, or dog walk, or whatever.

Want to make a map with your topic of interest on it, and use it in your web site? It’s easy!
Esri continues to update and expand ArcGIS.com with new features and functionality. Lots of great stuff there now, and more continues to be released every few months – you can do things like the embedded maps you see on this blog, and all for free!

A nice feature is drag & drop of CSV files to create “dots on a map” – this is how I got the Poway Parks on the map below. This functionality was recently upgraded to allow for your CSV file to be stored online in the location of your choosing – and when updates happen to that online file, they are reflected on your map without you having to reload & re-symbolize the data! Very nice.

When you are creating your map with the ArcGIS.com map viewer your searches will now be more relevant – it used to be that a search for “fire” brought back a LOT of layers to dig through, many from other states, or around the world. Interesting, but generally not very useful when building a map view focused on a single city. Well, the December 2011 ArcGIS Online update added Spatial Search. So now when I am zoomed into Poway and I search on “fire” – I get a much more relevant list of map services returned to me.
Also be sure to check out the bottom of that post because it has some information on ArcGIS Online subscriptions. More on this in the next few months,

Also remember that the maps you create and share with ArcGIS.com can be used in multiple ways. Below is an example of how easy it is to embed a map. But I could have also chosen to use this map as a web application. Check it out: http://bit.ly/vF0c2I 
A new feature in a recent update was the ability to share a map, select one of the ArcGIS.com map app templates, and then actually publish that map into the ArcGIS Online cloud! This is fantastic for community groups or agencies that don’t have a public facing ArcGIS Server box, but want to be able to share information publically. More and more important these days for public agencies looking to increase transparency into their data and work. Feel free to ping me if you want to do this but aren’t sure where to go.

I highly recommend keeping an eye on the ArcGIS Online Blog – it is updated often with tips & tricks as well as announcement and descriptions on updates as they occur. There’s a lot to keep up with Enhanced HTML5 support, KML support, enhanced sharing, more symbols & symbol search, support for secure ArcGIS services (this is huge for many agencies),


View Larger Map

Have fun in Poway! Be sure to also visit the city web site.

Also – let me know about maps you are creating and embedding, or that you publish with an ArcGIS.com template. I’ll highlight it here on my blog!

Happy mapping!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Some ArcGIS 10 Tips from Crystal Dorn

Not everyone gets to spend time in Palm Springs at the ESRI Developer Summit (on Twitter @ESRIDevSummit and follow Hashtag #devsummit). Included in that group with you and me is Crystal Dorn from the CA/HI/NV Regional Office (on Twitter @CrystalDorn).

One thing we have seen year after year is that clients love to see Crystal’s Usability Tips & Tricks demos at meetings and conferences. So when she told me she was going to Tweet some tips from ArcGIS 10 (#ArcGIS10) I decided that I would RT them out as well. And for you folks not on Twitter for whatever reason, I thought it might be nice to gather them all up in one blog post too! So here you go…

@CrystalDorn: Love it! Searching for symbols super easy & faster, e.g. "Hazmat RED" lists all hazmat red symbols! #ArcGIS10 

@CrystalDorn: Select by Lasso on the new Selection Tools where have you been my whole ArcMap life? Sometimes it's the little things! #ArcGIS10

@CrystalDorn: ArcMap Table container window lets attribute table be docked side-by-side or opened via tabs - great feature! #ArcGIS10

@CrystalDorn: Woohoo can change edit sketch (vertex, segments, etc.) symbology now in Editor options! #ArcGIS10 

@CrystalDorn: ...and can select multiple vertices! New Edit Vertices toolbar will be a popular feature of #ArcGIS10 

I think Crystal is on the road tomorrow, so probably no new tips. I’ll keep an eye out though, and if she starts up again I will RT and post them here.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

DEPRECATION PLAN FOR ARCGIS 9.3.1 AND ARCGIS 9.4

It is time to start thinking about your back-end systems and development environments and OS’s and…

New document just released to the ESRI Support pages that discusses platform changes at the current 9.3.1 release, and the next release – 9.4.

It will be interesting to see what parts of the changes at 9.4 get the most interest (Noise? Worry? Joy?) from clients, and also in the social networking realm – especially Twitter.

See Technical Article 37113 for more details.

Friday, May 22, 2009

What’s a GIS Developer To Do @ UC??

Are you a GIS Developer (or hope to be one when you grow up?)?

Are you going to be at the User Conference this year?

Are you looking at the ginormous UC agenda and getting eye strain?

Not sure what to search for in the Online Agenda?

Fear no more – your friends at the ArcGIS Developer Blog have done the heavy lifting for you!

They have boiled down the agenda and come up with this Road Map for the 2009 User Conference, focusing on workshops and sessions that are focused on topics that you, as a GIS Developer, might be interested in. Looks like they missed the Thursday Night Party and the Map Gallery Opening – but you all don’t care about those social events do you?  =)

Hope you have a great time at the UC – tons of fun and a lot to learn.

ArcGIS Developers: Road Map for the 2009 User Conference

Map Templates Resource Center

You might be interested in reviewing what is now available at the ESRI Resource Centers Map Template Gallery.

As described in this blog post on the Mapping Center blog, these templates are not simply an MXT as you might expect. These templates are ZIP files that include an example map (.MXD) so you can see how a map was made, some sample data so you can see the structure of the data, and documentation as well so that all levels of GIS users will know where to start and what tasks are needed. Some of the templates will also include things like GP tools/models or maybe an example web app and code.

Take a look – currently I am seeing templates for Topo at varying scales, Geologic, Street Map, and Reference Map. Hopefully we will see all of you out there in the Community begin to add your template examples as well!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Tweet Tweet

Been using Twitter now for a few months. “Micro-Blogging” yet so very different from a blog. Been through a few desktop applications to better my Twitter experience, but was still using http://twitter.com when out and about on my Windows Mobile device. I knew there had to be something better.

Where to turn? To Twitter of course! I had seen folks Tweeting about different applications for the Blackberry – then did see a series of Tweets about Windows Mobile – this is where I learned about Twikini.

So I grabbed the beta and liked it right away. Easy to use, and code updates often with new features. I’m really liking it. Be sure to check out the menus as there are lots of features in there. Also see the main features here.

You can even add your location information to your Tweets:

image

If you are on Twitter and have a Windows Mobile device, I recommend that you take a look at Twikini. Oh ya – if you are interested in following me, I am @Tim_Craig

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Tips for Mapping Shorelines

A recent “Ask a Cartographer” question dealt with mapping shorelines to look like the styles found in old-time maps like the example below.

Trees

This Mapping Center post covers multiple ways to symbolize vector and raster data. Good details and lots of graphics.

See the full post here.

What’s the Story on VB6 & VBA ESRI?

I’m glad you asked!

We have been talking about Microsoft dropping support for VB and VBA for some time, but it looks like this was still new news to a lot of folks at the #devsummit.

So here’s some updated information, specifically looking at the 9.3.1 and 9.4 releases and beyond.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Symbolizing Trees – ESRI Mapping Center

[ This is a little bit different – how to symbolize a stand of trees in ArcMap and have a gradation of colors going through the stand. The result is pretty interesting. ]

http://tinyurl.com/cqttyy

Trees

We recently got this in an email from an ESRI colleague:

"I went to TOSCA's (The Oxford Seminars in Cartography) Field Trip last night in the Christ Church Library. There were lots of 16th and 17th century maps to be seen. One of the most striking was Frederick Young's Plan of the Parish of Hawkhurst (1818). The way the small woods are depicted and symbolised is fantastic. The symbology of the bushy tree is graded from yellow/brown to green. Can we do this in ArcGIS?"

You can see what he is talking about in this excerpt from the map:

Trees

It seemed to me that it might be possible to do this with point features and a modification of some symbology shown in one of our earlier blog entries called Restricted Color Ramp. The trees in this example are point features that were symbolized using character marker symbols. These multi-layer symbols were defined using the ESRI US Forestry 2 font. The top layer is a dark green outline and the bottom is a green fill. We locked the top layer so its color wouldn’t change but for the fill we used a color ramp to give each tree a slightly different color green so that it would look more realistic. In the blog entry, we describe how you can restrict the range of colors that are used from the color ramp. This was done to make sure that the trees were all in the hue of green with different saturation and value levels.

Read the rest in the full post at: http://tinyurl.com/cqttyy

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

What I wish I had known about ModelBuilder before I started using it – ESRI Mapping Center

[ This is a nice list of things (13 of them) you might not know about ModelBuilder that will make your life easier when using it. Always nice to have Tip & Tricks in one place to find!  - full post at: http://blogs.esri.com/esri/arcgis/2009/02/20/10-things-i-wish-i-had-known-about-model-builder-before-i-started-using-it/ ]
We’ve been compiling a list of "What I wish I had known about ModelBuilder before I started using it". Here are a few things that made the list:
  1. Create personalized tools in ModelBuilder: Until a few days ago, I thought the ModelBuilder editing window (the one that you access when you right click a model that you made adn select Edit) was the only environment I could interact with. For years, I dragged and dropped folders and features into the tools of the ModelBuilder editing window before clicking the black triangle to run the processes. Recently I discovered that ModelBuilder is the editing environment to create a custom tool from existing tools and personalized parameters and conditions. But then when you double click the tool in the ArcToolbox window, you get right into the user interface for the tool.
  2. Controlling the flow: Setting preconditions and parameters in ModelBuilder guarantees that the geoprocessing operations will run in the correct order. For example, I wanted to create a tool that projected a dataset into a new personal database, which I set as a parameter of my model. Before projecting the feature dataset, the new personal geodatabase had to be created. I relayed this information to ModelBuilder by right clicking the Project tool and setting the new personal geodatabase as a precondition. I also had several other parameters in my model, including a coordinate system and a geographic transformation method. Since the geographic transformation depends on the selected coordinate system, I set the coordinate system as a parameter before I set the geographic transformation method as a parameter.
  3. In-line variable substitution: In-line variable substitution is useful if you have a model parameter that serves as a precondition to another process in your model. Using the example above, I wanted to create a tool that projected a dataset into a new personal database, which I set as a parameter. The name and location of the new personal geodatabase is only defined when the model is run, so I had to use in-line variable substitution to parse the processes together within the same model. With a precondition set on the new personal geodatabase, the output notation for the projected dataset is %new personal geodatabase%\ProjectedDatasetName. Note that the new personal geodatabase name is enclosed with the percent signs (%new personal geodatabase%).
  4. Editing tool documentation: The tool and parameter descriptions for a model can be edited in ArcMap by right-clicking the model and selecting Edit Documentation. You can add as much information about the tool/model as you like. The most useful documentation for me is the Abstract and Parameters Dialog Reference. The Abstract allows you to fill in information about what the tool does. The Parameters Dialog Reference allows you to fill in information about the parameters and can be populated by selecting Dialog Reference under the parameter name. You can then click one of the icons to add paragraphs, links, illustrations, code and formatting options. You can also documentation for the parameter by right clicking the tool in the Model Builder window and selecting Edit Documentation. Remember to click Finish or OK when you are done editing. Now, when you double-click your model, you will see the Abstract and the content that you added for each parameter of the model.
  5. Model environments and overrides: There are three places to where you can set your model Environments. One is at the ArcToolbox level, another is at the model/tool level, and the third is at the process level. The Environments setting at the process level in ModelBuilder will override the Environments setting at the model/tool level. The Environments setting at the Model/Tool level will override the default at the ArcToolbox level. This gives you the flexibility to define general Environment settings for the majority of processes in your model, but tailor specific settings to specific processes
  6. Current workspace: This is the directory from which inputs are taken and into which outputs are placed. If you set this (right click the tool in ArcToolbox, click Properties, click on the Environments tab, click General Settings, click Current Workspace and point to the directory you want to use), then your tool will automatically point to the same directory every time so you don’t have to keep navigating to the location. When I create a new tool, I also create a "Tooldata" folder in the directory that stores my tool. It contains some sample data which, when I set it as my Current Workspace, is used as input and it is where the outputs of the model will be placed. That way the tool knows where the data for inputs and the location for outputs should be.
  7. Intermediate data: When you run a model, output data is created for each process in the model. Some of the data created is of no use after the model is run since it was only created to connect to another process that creates new output – this is called “intermediate data”. To set a data variable to be intermediate, right-click the data variable and check the option to set it as intermediate data. If it is intermediate data, it will be written to the scratch workspace.
  8. Scratch workspace: This is the directory for temporary storage of execution results that are created with an auto-generated name. As with the Current Directory, when I create a new tool, I also create a “Scratch” folder in the directory that stores my tool and the Tooldata folder. I set this as my Scratch Workspace. That way the tool knows where the temp files should be placed. This way I can easily delete them or use the model to delete them when I am done with the processing.
Hit the site to view the rest – 13 total when I posted this (link updated July 7, 2012): http://blogs.esri.com/esri/arcgis/2009/02/20/10-things-i-wish-i-had-known-about-model-builder-before-i-started-using-it/

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Opening the Landsat Archive

[ I thought some folks out there might find this of interest in case they weren’t notified ]

Electronic access to the entire USGS Landsat 7 archive, enabling users to download standard-format scenes at no charge, has been an amazing success, with over 225,000 scenes downloaded since October 1, 2008.

Previously acquired imagery from Landsat 1 through Landsat 5, is also now available for download at no charge using the same standard processing format. Processing parameters and other details about the products can be found at http://landsat.usgs.gov/products_data_at_no_charge.php

<http://landsat.usgs.gov/products_data_at_no_charge.php> .

Previously offered USGS Landsat products with customer-defined options, including media, are no longer available.

Newly acquired Landsat 7 ETM+ SLC-off and Landsat 5 TM images with less than 40 percent cloud cover are automatically processed and made available for immediate download. Imagery with greater than 40 percent cloud cover can be processed upon request. Once the requested scenes are processed, an email notification is sent to the customer with instructions for downloading. These scenes will then become accessible to all users.

Landsat data can be searched, downloaded, or requested from GloVis or EarthExplorer. High demand for this data may result in slow search performance and processing times, which typically range from 1-3 days for Landsat 7 ETM+ and some Landsat 5 TM data and 3-4 weeks for Landsat

1-5 MSS, Landsat 4 TM and some Landsat 5 TM data. Please contact Customer Service at custserv@usgs.gov with any comments or questions.

Landsat scenes can be requested and downloaded from Glovis (http://glovis.usgs.gov <http://glovis.usgs.gov/> ) or Earth Explorer (http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov <http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/> ).

Monday, February 09, 2009

Do You Know Your Training ROI?

By Suzanne Boden, Program Coordinator, ESRI Educational Services

Faced with daily media reports of grim economic news, many organizations have cut or eliminated nonessential spending. Often, staff training becomes one of the first casualties. The reasoning may be that training, like a store-bought latte, is considered a luxury that can be done without in lean times.

Undoubtedly, fiscal belt tightening is in order for many of us, at least for the near term, if not the long haul. However, forward-thinking organizations consider relevant training an investment, not a luxury. Similar to a flu shot, training for GIS staff can reduce the likelihood of a high-impact illness (i.e., operational breakdown) down the road, when you least need or expect it. Having a cadre of well-trained staff does not guarantee that nothing will ever go wrong with your GIS program or the business operations that rely on the GIS, but training does instill a measure of confidence that your program is healthy.

Gaining a Return on Instruction

Is it possible to define a training return on investment (ROI)? Or, perhaps we should think in terms of return on instruction. Typical ROI analyses are complex and require many different data from several points in time. Below are some training benefits that, while they have not been measured scientifically for this article, are supported by strong anecdotal evidence based on what our customers tell us. Training will

  • Increase staff efficiency. It is not uncommon to hear students who have learned a single software task in an ESRI instructor-led class excitedly claim they will now save hours on the job.
  • Raise staff productivity. A natural result of increased efficiency, productivity increases when tasks are completed more quickly. More tasks can be completed in less time.
  • Increase staff knowledge. This benefit may seem obvious, but knowledge is more than the sum of the topics covered in a class. Knowledge is the synthesis of different concepts and skills learned over time, which enables a person to recognize and act to prevent errors and reduce liabilities.
  • Lead to new business opportunities. Again, this benefit is a natural extension of the previous benefit. When your employees are well trained, they are free to be creative and see possibilities for information products and workflows that may not have been apparent before the training. Interacting with peers in class by exchanging ideas and experiences certainly helps realize this benefit.

Lee Hartsfield is the Tallahassee-Leon County GIS (TLC GIS) coordinator. Last August, ESRI recognized the work of TLC GIS with the 2008 Special Achievement in GIS Award. Hartsfield sees benefits from hosting ESRI instructor-led courses together with other agencies to jointly train their staff and share costs.

"We have built relationships that are called on time and time again to share knowledge and experience," says Hartsfield.

Invest in People Who Work with GIS

Training is not a cure for an economic crisis, and it will not save a GIS program that has systemic flaws. It can, however, help bolster the bottom line in the long run. Especially in lean times, investing in the people who work with GIS is a good strategy for earning the organizational benefits expected from the GIS.

For Darren Rozenek, GIS administrator for the City of Akron (Ohio) Public Utilities Bureau, ESRI training was invaluable when the city decided to migrate its old shapefile-based system to an enterprise ArcSDE geodatabase.

"With a more effective and streamlined workforce, the city of Akron GIS program is positioned to take full advantage of the GIS technology and fully support the needs of our city and its citizens in the future," Rozenek says.

Read the full article: http://www.esri.com/news/arcwatch/0109/training-roi.html

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Mapping Center : I remember making this feature class...I wonder why?

 

I remember making this feature class...I wonder why?

Have you ever wondered where a feature class came from as you've browsed over one of your geodatabases in ArcCatalog? I think most of us have, and probably more often than we'd like to admit. In the example shown here to the left, I made these datasets a few weeks ago, and I have no idea what "GN" means, and if or how I selected, simplified, or dissolved the data.

There are a couple of things we can do to avoid that puzzled feeling: standardize your feature class naming convention; standardize your geoprocessing.  With the naming convention, I started doing the right thing here, but failed to follow through and leave myself the necessary clues. The data in the image above was also the result of a complex workflow, so rather than start with that, let's cover the basics. 

Use Standard Feature Class Names

My example here fell apart because I was using the framework for a standard naming convention, but my naming convention  wasn't entirely standard. The framework that I was using creates feature class names based on who first published the data, and then what the data represents.  So, NHD_Flowlines means I got the data from NHD (USGS National Hydrography Dataset), and the data represent stream flow lines.

Second, while my example started off with a good name, I had not developed a standard convention for any of the processes that I ended up doing to my NHD_FlowlinesPlus dataset to produce my cryptically named datasets.  Before I explain what I should have done, I'll share the standard naming conventions I use:

  • Scale: _24K, 100K, 250K, 1M, 2M:  The first example means the data are either captured or generalized to be at a resolution appropriate for 1:24,000 scale maps.  The 1M means 1:1,000,000.  This is a relatively good convention; I say relatively, because the meaning is map product and data-production specific.  The product in this case is an on-screen map, and I use different data production methods from that which I would use for a printed map.
  • Mapping Purpose: _lab _sym, _master:  This refers to how I use these data in a map. If it is for labeling only (_lab),  for symbology only (_sym), or a dataset that I use to derive cartographic data, (_master). The context I have found most useful to use these abbreviations is ArcGIS Server, my goal there is to optimize the data to the greatest extent possible to improve drawing performance.  I covered how to set that data up in a recent blog entry on tips for improving drawing performance.
  • Vintage: _03, _07, Mar_08, Jun_06, etc.:  This is just a two-digit year so I can tell when data are captured. For imagery, it's useful to add at least the month or even the capture date to the name as seasonality often carries significant meaning.

Read More: Mapping Center : I remember making this feature class...I wonder why?

Mapping Center : Color ramps reorganized

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 6:00 AM - Jaynya

Color ramps reorganized

We recently made some changes to the color ramp styles on Mapping Center under the ArcGIS Resources tab. You will now find a single ZIP file that contains a variety of color ramps. Our purpose in reorganizing the color ramps was to make it easier to find and use the color ramps.   The way we did that was to organize all the color ramps of a particular theme into a separate style file.  Then we gave each of the style file a name that better describes the purpose of the color ramps.

The .zip file contains color ramps for the following:

  • Desert environments
  • Hypsometry (elevation) developed using Imhof’s guidelines in Cartographic Relief Presentation
  • Special cartographic effects (like the park boundary used on the Crater Lake National Park map)
  • Special events (fire, global warming)
  • Water bodies
  • Water dynamics (water currents – direction and velocity)
Click on any of the images below to see a full-size version of the contents of each of these styles:

 Desert Color Ramps - Click to see full size Effects Color Ramps - Click to see full size Events Color Ramps - Click to see full size

               Desert                               Effects                                  Events

Read more: Mapping Center : Color ramps reorganized

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Mapping Center : "Angeles River, Los"

[ From the ESRI Mapping Center ]

"Angeles River, Los"

Making maps with data that were never intended for mapping has it's challenges. One of them is trying to use the names from GNIS (Geographic Names Information System) (U.S. Board on Geographic Names).  Even when someone has gone to the effort of assigning these names to GIS features, the way the names are formatted can create problems.  In the case of the GNIS, the names were formatted for an old-style (i.e., pre-modern search engine) alphabetical index that you could visually scan like a gazetteer in an atlas.  The result is that there are entries like "Great Salt Lake, The" or "Grande, Rio" which need reformatting in order to look correct on a map. 

As a general rule if a name in the GNIS, or data compiled with GNIS names, has a comma, then it needs to be edited.  Rather than manually edit each of those names, I felt it would be handy to have something to automate that work. So I wrote a field calculator statement that you can download to do the job.  It gets the portion of the name after the comma and moves it to the front of the string, and removes the comma.

Be careful, first select by attribute all the features that have a comma in the name; minimally it will save time:

"GNIS_Name" LIKE '%,%'    (this is using the correct syntax for file geodatabase format)

Once the features are selected, verify that you have no unexpected commas.  Then while that selection is still applied, calculate the field by loading the FlipAroundComma.cal file that is inside the ZIP file in the hyperlink above.

The result will help your maps look more professional. 

Mapping Center : "Angeles River, Los"

Friday, August 15, 2008

Mapping Center : How to scatter stacked or clustered marker symbols for point features

 

How to scatter stacked or clustered marker symbols for point features

Point Disperse OptionsOne of the most frequently recurring topics on Mapping Center is what to do with stacks or clusters of point features on maps. In August 2007, I wrote a blog posting on how to use Maplex to display coincident points, and this worked for some scenarios, but not all.

New with 9.3 is a tool called Disperse Markers; it's in the Cartography toolbox, in the Symbolization Refinement toolset.  The only caveat to using this tool is that your data need to be stored in a geodatabase because the tool works on representation symbology. This will be easier for many map makers, and it will work for more scenarios than the Maplex solution did.

Here is the basic procedure:

  1. Symbolize your point features.
  2. Convert the symbology to representations.
  3. Run the Disperse Markers tool with your point representation layer as the input.

Here is an example of my results...follow the link below for the full post and more information...

Mapping Center : How to scatter stacked or clustered marker symbols for point features

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Mapping Center : Symbolizing a tree canopy

Symbolizing a tree canopy

Not too long ago we received a question on Ask a Cartographer about symbolizing polygons with a scalloped edge (like the old ArcInfo hardwire line symbol). Hoping to do better (scallop lines were a nice idea, but they didn't always turn out as good as I would have liked, so I rarely used them), I started experimenting with the options in representation symbology. I'm happy to report that there is a better solution.

I had some vegetation polygons from a project my team had worked on a few years ago so I copied those polygons into a new file geodatabase, added them to my map, and immediately converted their symbology to representations with out changing the  original randomly applied symbols.  By the way, I'm finding that I use those steps more often now that I'm becoming more familiar with the representation symbology user interface, rather than trying to symbolize my data using the old symbols, and then fine-tuning the resulting representation symbols.

Read the full article: Mapping Center : Symbolizing a tree canopy

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Vista? 64-bit? Remote Desktop? ESRI License Manager a pain? Help is on the way.

If you use ArcGIS Desktop Concurrent Use and you are a Vista user, or running a 64-bit environment, or have users trying to use Remote Desktop - you might really be looking forward to ArcGIS 9.3 when we upgrade the License Manager software.

The upgrade will be to Macrovision's FLEXnet Publisher v11.4.

OK, so that's good news.

 

What is even better news? You can get it today!

You can download this upgrade today and use it with your 9.2 environment. I have it running on my laptop.

Here's the direct link to the Support Center:
http://support.esri.com/index.cfm?fa=downloads.patchesServicePacks.viewPatch&PID=43&MetaID=1394