ArcGIS 10 GDBT

Those organisations out there that are Monitoring and Reporting on their Corporate GeoDatabase, may be interested to know that the GeoDatabase Toolset (GDBT) has just been released for ArcGIS 10.

Head to the ESRI GDBT Site to access further information.

ArcPad 10 Performance Tips

You might have seen a post that I did back in July (ArcPad Drawing Speed), which compared the drawing times of different datasets using ArcPad versions 7.1, 8.0 and 10.0. This research backed up the claims made by ESRI that version 10 has significantly improved performance over previous releases.

There are a few reasons for this. One of which is a new spatial index that is built in AXF files generated using the ArcPad Data Manager Tools for ArcGIS 10. Unfortunately, if you are still using ArcGIS 9.3, the Data Manager Tools have not been updated, and therefore, you will not receive the new indexing.

There is however a way around this:

1. Generate your AXF file using either the ArcPad Data Manager tools for ArcMap, or ArcToolbox tools
2. Open up the AXF file in ArcPad 10
3. Open the Table of Contents, and open the layer properties of the layer you want to index
4. Switch across to the Attributes page
5. You will notice that the check box next to the Geometry field will be unchecked. Click it to build the index.
6. Click OK on the Layer Properties, and OK on the Table of Contents dialog

The indexing will be applied to that layer, in that AXF from that point on (i.e. you do not need to repeat that process each time you start up ArcPad, unless you generate a new AXF file).

Some points to note are:

• The above is only applicable to line and polygon layers
• The indexing can only be read by ArcPad 10. It will not be used in 7.1 or 8.0

Height Enabling ArcPad

Height enabling features (i.e. collecting 3D x,y,z positions) in ArcPad is simple. You just need to make sure that you have (1) your data set up correctly; and (2) correctly configure your hardware.

Configuring your data

When creating a shapefile or feature class, you must specify that you want to z enable it. From within ArcGIS, this is simply a matter of selecting the "Coordinates include Z values. Used to store 3D data" option on the first page of the "Create new feature class" dialog.

In ArcPad, when creating a new shapefile, you should select the feature type as "PointZ".

Unfortunately, there is no way of z enabling a pre-existing, non z enabled feature class. You must create a new one, import the fields from your previous feature class, then import all of the features across. In this case, any features already captured will not have valid z values. You will need to update these.

Any features from these datasets that are collected within ArcPad will automatically be assigned a z height value at the time of creation. If you digitise a point, a z height of 0 will be assigned. You can easily change this value manually via the geometry page of the edit form if required. If you capture the features using a GPS or laser rangefinder, then provided they are configured correctly to output height coordinates, then these will automatically be assigned to the feature.

Configuring your hardware

This part will probably either be very easy, or a little bit tricky. Basically what you want to do is to make sure that whatever hardware you are using (GPS, laser rangefinder) is outputing data that includes height information. Most GPS units will do this by default. So unless you have gone in to your GPS and altered the messages that are being sent from it, you should be pretty right. If you have played around with the GPS, you will need to dig out your manual and make sure that the height information is being exported correctly.

With laser rangefinders, it should be as simple as making sure that some form of height measurement is being read and exported to ArcPad. For example, you should read the slope distance and inclination to the target. If you export only the bearing and the horizontal distance, then ArcPad has no way of knowing what the change in height from your position to the target actually is.

Accessing the height information

Accessing the height of your points from within ArcPad is also simple. When you create or edit a point, you can switch to the Geography page, which will show the coordinates of the point (including the z height). If you have a line or a polygon layer, it will list all of the coordinates of all of the vertices of that feature.

You can do the same when identifying a feature.

From within ArcGIS, it is not quite so simple. You must add the feature class to ArcMap, start an edit session, use the Edit Tool from the Editor toolbar (the black arrow), double click the point, then open the "Edit Sketch Properties" window. This will list the X, Y, Z coordinates of the selected point (or vertices of a line or polygon).

Another way of viewing this information is to add a float (or double) field to the feature class, then use the "Calculate Geometry" tool in the table view in ArcMap, to calculate the z coordinates of each feature and store that to a field.

ArcGIS & ArcPad 10 SP 1

ArcGIS Version 10 Service Packs have been released.

Donwload the ArcGIS 10 (Desktop, Engine & Server) here.

Download the ArcPad 10 SP1 here. (It is a full ArcPad install)

ArcPad Data Manager Toolbar: Select Picture Options (ArcGIS 10)

The ArcPad Data Manager toolbar within ArcGIS 10 has an extra page available during the Get Data for ArcPad (Check Out) process. Within this page the user can identify the picture field(s) within the dataset(s), and also define the location where pictures will be stored during the Get Data from ArcPad (Check In) process.

When field data and photos have been collected in the field and then imported back into the ArcGIS/office environment using the Get Data from ArcPad (Check In) tool, the Picture field(s) are populated using the predefined folder location for Pictures and the name of the image (e.g. D:\MyPhotos\Pictures_0001.jpg).

When identifying a point in ArcMap, the ArcGIS 10 dialog lists the point attributes, with the hyperlink function automatically enabled for Picture fields where an image exists. The user can simply click on the Picture field path and the image will be displayed on screen.

ArcPad Check Out Problems

When you check data out for use in ArcPad, the AXF file that gets generated is stamped with the source Geodatabase. This means that when you go to check that data back in, the ArcPad Data Manager for ArcMap and the ArcPad Geoprocessing tools know where the data needs to be uploaded to.

This works really well, because you do not need to place the AXF back in to the same folder that it was checked out to (as you did with previous versions of ArcPad that used shapefiles). The drawback to this is however, when the source workspace is moved: ArcPad has no way of knowing where to put the field edited data.

The simplest way of finding where the Geodatabase should be, is to load the AXF into the ArcPad Data Manager in ArcMap. The source workspace is listed on the form:

If this workspace has a really long path however, you will not be able to see the full path. The other way to find the source workspace is to view the AXF Transaction Log that is stored within the AXF (in the AXF_Properties table). To do this:

1. Open the AXF in Studio
2. Start a command window
3. Copy the SQL statement below, paste it into the window and execute it.

SELECT CONVERT(nvarchar, XML)

FROM AXF_PROPERTIES

WHERE NAME='AXF_TRANSACTION_LOG'

You will see a whole lot of text, which at first may just look like it is in Swahili or some other foreign language, but if you look closely, it is actually XML. The first tag that you will see is CHECKOUT. The third attribute of this tag is 'workspace': the value of this attribute is the source Geodatabase that the AXF was originally generated from.

This is the location that you will need to move the Geodatabase to (temporarily) to allow you to check the data back in.

Application Builder Training - Melbourne - 11 November

RIA Mobile GIS will be holding an ArcPad Application Builder Training Course in Melbourne on Thursday the 11th November. The course will be held in the CBD (venue to be confirmed), using ArcPad Version 10.

To register your interest, please fill out the Registration Form from our web site, and return it to us.

Be quick: Numbers are limited, and early bird discounts apply!

Getac E100A Tablet Release

For Mobile GIS users interested in tablet technology, the Getac presents an update on the E100 tablet, the E100A.

The E100A has substantially increased the E100 memory components; doubling the processor from 800MHz to 1.66 GHz,upsizing from 1GB RAM to 2GB RAM and the previous Hard Disk Drive is now a 80GB Solid State Drive.

Manufacturer confidence in the Getac product is shown in the 5 year standard warranty. The E100A will be available soon, contact us for more information.

ArcPad 10 Training - Perth

The popular Using ArcPad training course has been scheduled for Wednesday the 22nd of September in Perth.

Further information on the course can be viewed at the RIA Mobile GIS website here.

RIA Mobile GIS run scheduled and onsite training courses for ESRI software throughout Australia, please contact us if you would like to register your interest for any future training courses.

Handy AXF Export Tools in ArcPad 10

For anyone who missed it, an interesting post was added to the ArcPad Team Blog, explaining some new ways that you can export data directly from the AXF file using ArcPad Studio (version 10). These tools allow you to export from a feature class or table to:

• Shapefile
• DBF
• Microsoft Excel
• Adobe PDF

Exports to PDFs can be done in two ways: creating a new document, or appending to an existing document. Further information can be found here.

ESRI Mobile GIS Offerings

To clarify the current the ESRI Mobile GIS product offerings are:

• ArcPad - ArcPad 10 is designed for Windows and Windows Mobile devices.
• ArcGIS Mobile - ArcGIS Mobile 10 is for Windows and Windows Mobile devices.
• ArcGIS for iOS - Apple iOS devices - iPod (Touch), iPhone and iPad.
• ArcGIS for Windows Phone (Under Development) - Windows Phone 7 Devices.
• ArcGIS for Android (Under Development, according to the UC 2010 Q&A) - Android OS devices - Smart Phones other Android devices.

Update to the Update

Wow, ESRI sure are making some moves in the Mobile GIS space. There is already an update to my Updated ESRI Mobile Applications, and hence an update to the update on the Mobile Trends Post.

ESRI have added some information to their Mobile GIS site covering the ArcGIS for Windows Phone offering.

ArcGIS for Windows Phone 7

The solution is coming! It will include an application for use on Windows Phone devices and an API that enables developers to create their own applications.

We will keep you posted with regards to the release of both the Windows Phone and Android solutions.

ArcGIS 10 Licencing

ESRI have changed the software Installation, Authorisation and Licencing process for ArcGIS 10.

The software product Downloads and Authorization is all controlled through the New ESRI Customer Care site. The Login to the Customer Care is with your ESRI Global Account.

Resources for Authorisation and Licencing ArcGIS 10 can be found at:

• The ESRI Australia site in the ArcGIS 10 FAQ area.
• The ArcGIS Desktop 10 Resource Center, under the Install and Authorize area.
• The ArcGIS Server 10 Resource Center, under the Install and Authorize area.
• ESRI have also released a White Paper detailing the ArcGIS 10 Licencing Concepts and Strategies (PDF).
  

ArcPad 10 Splash Screen

In ArcPad 10, the welcome (splash) screen has been revamped to simplify the process of loading up a map, and starting data collection in the field. With a single click, you can:

• create a new empty map
• create a QuickProject
• open an existing map
• open the previous map used

If you want to repeat the same action each time, you can select the "Set as default and don't ask again". In doing this, you will not see this welcome screen again (unless you activate it from the Options menu).

This is all well and good if you want to perform one of these actions at startup, but what if you don't? In a number of our customised applications that we write, we want to start with an empty map, and then load all of the applicable data into the map via code. The logical thing to do was to use the "New Map" option. Unfortunately this action was activated after the loading of applets (where the function to load required data was called). Hence, you got a message saying "Do you want to save your map?" every time it started up.

The workaround that I came up with was to use the timer. Once the applet loads, set a timer for 3 or 4 seconds to allow the "New Map" action to be called, then load the data. This worked ok, but it added a few extra seconds to the startup time. The best solution turned out to be an undocumented feature of ArcPad: adding "/nosplash" parameter to the ArcPad shortcut. This prevents this dialog from ever appearing, leaving the desired outcome of no action at startup!

To add the "nosplash" parameter (desktop):

1. Right click on the ArcPad shortcut, and select "Properties"
2. Switch to the Shortcut tab
3. Under the Target path, add /nosplash to the end (make sure you put a space after the final ")
4. Click OK

To do the same on Windows Mobile, the easiest way is to customise the ArcPad Today toolbar. More info on this can be found in the Help document.

MS Word Tip #2

Those annoying hyperlinks in Microsoft Word have struck again! This time, we were trying to find a simple way to change all visited links back to unvisited; i.e. from purple back to blue. Should be easy, I know, but it isn't.

Here is one way that I found:

1. Click the "Word Button" (Office 2007)
2. On the Word Options dialog, go to "Advanced"
3. Scroll to the very bottom, and select "Web Options"
4. Switch to the "Files" tab
5. Uncheck "Update links on save"

Whilst this doesn't stop the hyperlinks from turning purple, if you close down the word document and re-open it, the link will be set back to blue. Again, nothing at all to do with Mobile GIS, but it may come in handy one day!