Gartner: The 40-Hour Workweek Era Is Ending By 2015, there will be more workers who interact with technology, but they'll be working a whole lot less hours each week, finds a Gartner research report released on May 30. Gartner argues that three of the four traditional pillars of work—the living wage, long-term relationships with loyal employers, and government- or company-provided pensions—have already gone the way of the dinosaurs, leaving only the 40-hour workweek. But this, too, is not long for the employment economy, the report said. Societal views on primary wage-earner and caregiver roles, as well as on retirement, are in the midst of changing, taking with them the de facto 40-hour work week. Individuals are already reconsidering its pervasive influence, the report argues, and the dialogue is becoming increasingly political. Those most affected are at the helm. Retiring Baby Boomers, working-age mothers and Generation X workers are seeking a more fulfilling work/life balance, and the traditional workplace structure is holding them back. The report said that no longer will the workplace be dominated by single bread-winners who expect to retire at the end of their working life, and that businesses need to reckon with this trend. "When people in these demographics have marketable skills, employers will find it difficult to ignore their requests for more flexibility," said Brian Prentice, research director of emerging trends and technologies at Gartner, in a statement. "The additional pressures of an aging population and skills shortages will lead to the adoption of digital free agency and flexible work structures as social, political and business necessities." The effect of these changes will be felt throughout the employment life cycle. Organizations will be forced to redefine existing roles as well as craft new ones based on what can be realistically achieved in half the traditional workweek. The report suggests that rather than adopt a draconian measure of cutting in half the working hours of all employees, employers that create 20-hour job descriptions will be in the best place to attract and retain the most qualified workers. "The 20-hour-per-week job description is a relatively simple way of addressing a growing problem without radically restructuring well-established management models," said Prentic. ...

From a New Language to a Common Approach - Dangermond's Message for ESRI UC 2007 By Joe Francica , Editor-in-Chief and Vice Publisher, Directions Magazine June 21, 2007 As I approached the ESRI UC this year I wondered, what would Jack focus on in 2007? After nearly 40 years in the business, Dangermond still shapes the discussion, not only for his customers but also for a broader community of geospatial professionals. In 2007, he seems to have moved the theme he emphasizes often, "GIS as an emerging language," to "GIS as rich data model" with "modeling" being the operative term. This year he is emphasizing the results of GIS, the work of GIS, the technology advantage of GIS. His main point: GIS is the essential tool in business process improvements and best practices. "To classic geographers, (GIS) is just this mechanical thing. No, I don't think so. GIS is to geography what the telescope was to astronomy," said Dangermond. There was a greater emphasis on obtaining "results" in his remarks offered as part of the Senior Executive Summit (SES), a day-long seminar of high-level invited attendees. This was an audience that wanted substance and Dangermond delivered with examples from ESRI customers who implemented GIS solutions:

• Cook County Housing - increased the number of inspections by 33% to 25,000 inspections per year
• Nashville Electric - with 100 calls per day, demonstrated a 23% increase in service calls
• San Diego Paratransit - provided 20% more trips per hour
• Monarch Beverage - with 300,000 deliveries per year, recognized large savings in operations that were mission critical to the business

"GIS at the macro level, and the many organizations that are using it, is starting to guide human action and the evolution of the planet itself," said Dangermond. "GIS is becoming more real-time. It is giving a common operational picture. Where are my field workers when I need them?"

Alameda County Prepares New Online Mapping System By : Michael Singer : 6/26/07 Alameda County officials are putting the finishing touches on a project that would combine several county, city and public service maps to allow department staff and eventually residents to customize and view them over the Internet. Similar to online mapping software such as Google Maps and MapQuest, the county’s planned Enterprise Geographic Information System or E-GIS for short — uses aerial photography as the map’s baseline of information. From there, an overlay of detailed street maps, regional boundaries, parks, facilities, community based organizations, and other county services can be added. Various county services such as the Fire Department and Public Works, as well as cities such as Oakland, Hayward and Fremont already have computergenerated map systems in place. The county’s plan would use the E-GIS system to link these individual and non-connected maps together into a larger interactive computer program. Dave Macdonald, the county’s Director of Information Technology and Registrar of Voters, said the program has already been funded through Alameda County’s Information Technology budget. He expects the process will be complete in time for the February 2008 Presidential Primary. “Public Works started the process a couple of years ago when they made their own computer maps, and now the IT department is getting involved. It is hard to say where it will end up in a few years,” Macdonald said. But what’s the benefit of a municipal- sponsored project over a commercial application like Google Maps? Primarily available to internal county offices, the goal is to eventually make some of the maps available to the general public. For example, with a few mouse clicks, homeowners could ultimately see the basic information about their parcel of land as well as access (through a Web site) all the relevant documents such as building permits that pertain to that property.

ESRI's ArcGIS 9.3 - Overview of Enhancements: By Joe Francica, Editor-in-Chief and Vice Publisher, Directions Magazine

ArcGIS ArcGIS 9.3 is being incrementally released in a series of service packs with emphasis on refining and improving workflows; the bulk of the product is to be released next year. These packs will include ways to improve "geographic science" such as using Gaussian geostatistical simulation and rich error messaging, and improving mapping and labeling, scripting, modeling, and WYSIWYG graphic editing. Below are some of the additions shared during the ESRI User Conference. ArcMap Label placement for contour maps will better match what users of USGS quad sheets expect. In particular, the contour elevation labels appear on the major contour intervals and do not overprint the line work. The new release introduces WYSIWYG editing for line work and improvements will be made to street number placement, support for Asian language characters, multiple view windows, labeling on 3D services, the speed of import of Web services, tracking in 3D, textured COLLADA and schematic diagramming. ArcGIS Server ESRI believes that CIOs are increasingly dealing with GIS and that server-based GIS is used in most major cities around the world. Key priorities focus on the high bar set by IT departments, including systems that are:

1. reliable and recoverable
2. interoperable and scalable
3. highly secure
4. deployable to the non-GIS specialist

Key enhancements for ArcGIS Server include:

1. printing updates to enhance graphic output, also known as "pretty maps"
2. map tips that provide "mouse over" access to attributes
3. support for Web Feature Service (WFS), Web Coverage Service (WCS) for raster, Simple Feature KML and GML
4. spatial data management and cartographic capabilities for AutoCAD users with the new product "ArcGIS for AutoCAD" which is available now in ArcGIS 9.2
5. REST API and Java Script API support
6. caching to enhance Web application performance
7. security for Web applications and services, allowing users access based on Windows authentication
8. support for PostgreSQL, Oracle Express and DB2 (z/OS)
9. a mobile client built on the Windows Mobile platform

There's more to the article...

GovCon - GIS Book: New ESRI Press Book Teaches GIS To Marketing And Business Students And Professionals: Learn to use geographic information system (GIS) software as an analysis tool to conduct business and marketing research in GIS Tutorial for Marketing, a new book by ESRI Press. Businesses of all types and sizes increasingly recognize the value of using geospatial analysis to help make decisions such as selecting sites for stores and warehouses, analyzing market areas, managing sales territories, and planning service and sales routes. GIS Tutorial for Marketing trains students and professionals on how to use ESRI ArcGIS 9.2 software with the appropriate data to accomplish those types of analyses and planning strategies. Scenario-based tutorials teach readers how, for example, to use ArcGIS 9.2 to create a targeted promotional campaign, plan a merchandising strategy, and develop an integrated marketing communication program."

Universal Mind Teams with ESRI and Adobe to bring rich user experience to the GeoWeb: Rich Internet applications a key future strategy for distributed GIS Westfield, Massachusetts (June 22, 2007) – Universal Mind Inc. today announced it will team with ESRI and Adobe to create a new generation of rich Internet applications (RIAs) that leverage ESRI’s enterprise GIS platform and Adobe® Flex™ software to make geographic analysis and access easy and ubiquitous. Increasingly, the web is becoming geographically enabled, and GIS is playing a much broader role in delivering business intelligence and analysis to the larger community of business and non-professional users. As a result, GIS has grown into an integral component of enterprise applications supporting critical and real-time decision-making across a broad spectrum of industries and markets. Universal Mind, ESRI and Adobe are collaborating on a new generation of web-enabled GIS applications that leverage the best user experiences and technology from Adobe to bring a rich interactive GIS experience to every Internet browser. The goal is to provide distributed collaboration and interconnection with dynamic, continuous GIS content that ensures a more meaningful understanding of geographic impacts and influences, together with fast, natural and intuitive interaction.

“This effort is part of ESRI’s strategic vision for bringing geographic analysis and data interpretation to any device, anywhere within the GeoWeb with unprecedented immediacy and ease of use” says Jack Dangermond, President ESRI. “These are three great companies that share a common view of the importance of sharing critical information using its geographic context and enabling geo-enhanced decision-making.”

“We are excited to see Universal Mind embrace Adobe Flex and ESRI’s GIS platform in the creation and delivery of its new Web-enabled GIS application,” said Michele Turner, vice president, Platform Business Unit at Adobe. “Through the combined solution, Universal Mind is making geographic analysis data more accessible and easy to use, allowing business professionals and government decision makers to quickly and efficiently utilize geographic information to help solve critical issues.”

Adapx Introduces Software that Enables Digital Pen and Paper with ESRI GIS Mapping Software: Friday, 22 June 2007 New Human-Centered Data Collection System Allows Personnel in the Field to Communicate with Map Annotations, Drawings and Field Journals SAN DIEGO-- In a development with significant benefits to organizations dependent on accurate geospatial communications from personnel in the field, Adapx (pronounced "Adapts") today revealed a new software product call Mapx - a fully integrated software solution that enables digital pen-and-paper-based data collection with ESRI ArcGIS mapping software. Adapx announced the new integration at the annual ESRI User's Conference, where the software was showcased during ESRI President Jack Dangermond's main stage address and during the plenary session. "The Adapx extension to ArcGIS is an excellent example of an innovative technology that can capture data during a lively exchange of information," said Jack Dangermond, ESRI President. "People can draw on a map the way they have for centuries, and the information is captured in the pen. When the pen is docked into a USB port, the geodatabase is automatically updated."

ArcGIS Server Development Blog: "The ArcGIS Server Development blog has moved. It can now be found at: http://blogs.esri.com/Dev/blogs/arcgisserver/"

ArcGIS Explorer Blog: "Explorer at User Conference Plenary An excellent write-up on one of the demonstrations performed during Jack Dangermond's opening plenary at the 2007 ESRI User Conference this morning appears on the ESRI User Conference Blog. The post, titled Integrating Online Geospatial Services Delivers Superior Visualization and Information, details the use of ArcGIS Explorer and ArcGIS Online. The write-up includes several screenshots of what was shown."

ESRI UC Blog: "ESRI UC Blog"

ArcGIS for AutoCAD: "ArcGIS for AutoCAD is a free application that installs on top of AutoCAD 2007 and provides access to the results of all of the GIS mapping and geoprocessing capabilities performed by ArcGIS in the form of map service images. This application accesses dynamic georeferenced ArcGIS Server map services and displays them in the AutoCAD drafting environment. The included Identify tool gives users the ability to access feature attributes stored in the underlying GIS data sets. ArcGIS for AutoCAD leverages the ESRI tool set and geodatabase. The cartographic and computing power of ArcGIS is provided to the CAD user without the overhead of data management or the complexities of dealing with conversion and translation or thematic visualization of data. All vector, raster, and imagery formats that ArcGIS Server supports can be viewed in the CAD environment."

Developer Summit Podcast Preview: ArcGIS Server Geoprocessing (Deep Dive) Art Haddad, Sentha Sivabalan, and Nathan Warmerdam, ESRI, preview their technical session for Web developers at the upcoming ESRI Developer Summit.

Web-based Help Gateway - ESRI Support: "Web-based Help Overview ESRI provides Web-based help systems for the products listed below. Web-based help is an up-to-date version of the help system that was shipped with the product; new information has been added and existing topics have been updated as necessary. If you can't find what you're looking for in the help system that shipped with your product, try looking here." This is your one stop for access to web-help for ArcGIS Desktop (9.1 and 9.2), ArcGIS Explorer, ArcGIS Server, ArcIMS and ArcWeb Services.

Earthwatch and Starbucks Benefit Coffee Farmers in Costa Rica: -- and use GIS to help do it! Newswise — Earthwatch Institute, the world’s leading environmental volunteer organization, and Starbucks Coffee Company are proud to announce the extension of their partnership that brings Starbucks partners (employees) and customers together on Earthwatch environmental expeditions. The 2007 project will focus on conducting scientific research designed to benefit a cooperative of 2,600 coffee farms in Costa Rica. Partners and customers with a taste for adventure can participate in this different kind of Starbucks Experience, at the source of the bean, and do good deeds for the environment. This summer, eight partners and 20 customers will have a chance to join special Earthwatch expeditions at CoopeTarrazú, a coffee cooperative in central Costa Rica. These Earthwatch volunteer teams will use GIS (Geographic Information System) technology to provide a broad scale analysis of factors important to a farmer – including soil erosion and water quality. This program is the first component of Starbucks’ $1.1 million, three-year commitment, representing the growing partnership with the Earthwatch Institute that began in 2000.

ArcGIS Online - free base data, anywhere in the world! Don't have some base data? Just starting your GIS and only have a few layers? Working on a project outside of your regular area? For these and many other reasons you should be interested in ArcGIS Online. These are high-performance 2D and 3D web services and layerfiles for direct access by ArcMap, ArcGIS Explorer, ArcGlobe, ArcReader or ArcCatalog. These data services will continue to be enhanced and will be updated as new data become available - so you no longer have to worry about keeping your base data up to date!

Events - 2007 ESRI Developer Summit: ArcGIS Server Code Challenge Share your creativity and expertise with the GIS developer community by submitting your original code sample to the ArcGIS Server Code Challenge. Submit an original ArcGIS Server 9.2 code sample that represents a best practice or creative solution of a simple task, tool, or spatial query fromQuick Links your current project. Custom ArcGIS Explorer Tasks qualify if they are associated with an ArcGIS Server 9.2 solution. Entries will be judged by the developer community based on creativity, applicability, and originality of the code sample. The first 15 applicants to submit their code samples and submission forms will be eligible to receive the book Agile Development with ICONIX Process: People, Process, and Pragmatism. Official Rules Prizes Prizes will be awarded as follows: First Place—one Trimble Recon® GPS XB Edition bundled with ArcPad software Second Place—one Microsoft Xbox 360™ Third Place—one Microsoft Zune™"

ArcGIS Desktop 9.2 Functionality Matrix - White Paper: "Summary: This brochure compares the benefits of ArcReader, ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo. It folds out into a poster."

What's New in ArcGIS Desktop 9.2 - White Paper: "Summary: This brochure offers a brief overview of 9.2 extension updates, new tools, and enhancements."

ArcGIS Server 9.2 - Help for .NET and Java - Your most up-to-date place to access Help for ArcGIS Server.

ArcGIS Desktop Help 9.2 - This is the place to be for the most current version of Help for ArcGIS Desktop 9.2