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What's New in 9.3

ArcGIS 9.3 is engineered for interoperability to enable users to easily integrate their geographic information throughout the organization. It includes enhanced and new support for Web standards, including the new OGC Keyhole Markup Language (KML) 2.2 standard.

Enhanced and New Support for OGC WMS
In ArcGIS Desktop, new support has been added for accessing WMS 1.3.0 services. WMS services can be expanded to drill into specific layers and layer collections you want to work with and dragged directly into your map or globes. Also, a new command enables you to add WMS legends to your map as a graphic.

ArcGIS Server support has been enhanced for both the ISO-certified 19128 WMS standard and the OGC styled layer descriptor (SLD) specification.

Enhanced Support for OGC WFS
At 9.3, ArcGIS Server supports WFS 1.1, the simple features profile of GML, and Transactional WFS (WFS-T) 1.1. This allows any GIS client to carry out transactions against geodatabases using the WFS-T service published by ArcGIS Server.
Support Added for OGC WCS
New support has been added for the OGC WCS standard. The ArcGIS Desktop enables users to expand the server to see all the individual WCS services it contains, and ArcGIS Server allows users to publish any raster data type as an OGC WCS 1.0, 1.1, or 1.1.1 service. Using the WCS specification:
  • Clients can get subsets of the data.
  • Clients can request server-side resampling of the data.
  • Geoprocessing models that consume WCS services can be published.
Enhanced Support for KML
ESRI continues support for KML and has extended this to include the OGC specification of Keyhole Markup Language (KML) version 2.2. In ArcGIS Desktop 9.3, tools are included that enable you to quickly convert maps and layers to KML. This makes it easy to use your data with any client capable of reading KML including ArcGIS Explorer, Google Earth, and Google Maps.

ArcGIS Server maps and image services can automatically generate a network link that can be accessed via a URL.

  • Services can easily be integrated into Web maps
  • Services available can be browsed and displayed in ArcGIS Explorer, Google Earth, or any other application that directly supports KML.
  • URLs to services can be embedded directly on your organization's Web site.
  • Service metadata will be indexed by search engines (e.g., Google, Yahoo), allowing services to be found simply by doing Web searches.
Support Added for COLLADA
  • ArcGIS 9.3 includes support for the COLLADA file format. ArcGIS users can leverage COLLADA files in ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Server as well as display more realistic 3D models.

What's New in 9.3 for Interoperability

Adobe PDF Support
The quickest way to share the maps you create in ArcMap with the rest of the world is to simply export them to PDF. You can send the files by e-mail or put them on Web pages.

The PDF export function in ArcMap has been enhanced so that Adobe Reader users can customize maps by turning layers, group layers, or individual members of group layers on and off.

At 9.3, PDFs exported from ArcMap can also include feature attributes that people can access interactively using the Object Data tool in Adobe Reader.

Operating Systems
ArcGIS is supported on Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, Windows Server 2003 and 2008 (32 bit and 64 bit), Linux, and Solaris operating systems. At 9.3, ArcGIS is certified to run on the Intel and AMD 64-bit processor families.
Database Management Systems

Support for Microsoft SQL Server 2008
ArcGIS 9.3 supports storing vector geometry in either of the two new spatial types, Geography and Geometry, in Microsoft SQL Server 2008.

Support for Oracle
Enterprise ArcSDE 9.3 technology supports Oracle XE, Oracle9i, Oracle 10g, and Oracle 11g.

Support for PostgreSQL (Open Source DBMS)
The open source RDBMS PostgreSQL is now supported by Enterprise ArcSDE.

  • Enterprise geodatabases can be implemented on PostgreSQL with full support of the geodatabase data model.
  • Vector geometry can be stored in either the ESRI spatial type or PostGIS Open Source spatial type.

Support for IBM DB2 and Informix
ArcGIS 9.3 supports DB2 z/OS in Enterprise ArcSDE and also includes Informix enhancements for text search DataBlade module products.

New REST and JavaScript APIs

These APIs dramatically simplify your development experience and enable you to deliver fast and user-friendly mashup GIS Web applications. The JavaScript libraries also let you embed ArcGIS Server maps, geocoding, and geoprocessing services into Google Maps and Microsoft Virtual Earth.

Data Interoperability

At 9.3, ArcGIS Data Interoperability has been updated to FME 2008, the latest FME developed by Safe Software. This new version of FME includes improvements to the existing software and new functionality for better usability and productivity.

New and Improved Support for Formats and Transformers
  • Improved support for existing formats
  • New formats such as industry foundation class (IFC) Standard for the Exchange of Product (STEP) files, CityGML, LandXML, GeoRSS, Trimble JobXML, Autodesk 2007 (DWG/DXF), and Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM)
  • New transformers-more than 35 additional transformers that can be utilized in existing or new extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) processes

Workbench Usability Enhancements

Workbench, the graphical authoring environment used to build Data Interoperability ETL processes, has several usability enhancements including the following:

  • A new Overview window lets you view your entire ETL workspace at a glance and provides easy navigation to different parts of the workspace.
  • All windows displayed in the Workbench interface can now "float" independently of each other and the Workbench window frame.
  • The transformer gallery is now customizable. You can create your own folders and store your favorite transformers for quick access. These folders are saved so you can share them with other users in your organization.
  • An Update Feature Types option has been added, which is very helpful when data changes during or after the creation of a spatial ETL tool. Using this option updates the entire workspace at once rather than your making the changes manually throughout the workspace.