alta4 beta-blog

It’s that time again. The beta for the next HTML ImageMapper version is released. This version is focused on Google Earth and the new kml export.

We invite you to take part in the beta program.

1. Download the beta version and install the software. Follow our installation guide.

2. Test the HTML ImageMapper NG2 beta and report any improvement suggestions or problems straight to our developers through the bug-report-system. If you registered your e-mail address, we would be happy to keep you informed about the status of your suggestions. Anonymous access is possible with the username and password being “anonymous”.

3. Your opinion matters to us. We would welcome an entry in the product category of the alta4 online forum.

With the latest version of the HTML ImageMapper we open the gate to Google Earth for your GIS projects. The predecessor version HTML ImageMapper NG already made it possible to export maps from ArcMap, as simple tiles and integrate them into Google Earth. HTML ImageMapper NG2 beta on the other hand, converts your ArcMap map with interactive layers and all the attribute data. It’s your joy as the author to have all the design possibilities, without the need for a lot of technical know-how.

You determine which layers become interactive. Factual information such as nature protection intelligence or road use information becomes available to the user by a simple mouse click. KML labels and the describing snippets can be arranged individually. You design the pop ups to every clickable object with the template editor. Continuous text or HTML formatting, give the attribute information proper readability. Photos and links to external websites can be integrated just as easy.
Thematic information such as pollution or election results can be visualized in 3D.

As an alternative to exporting your layers as clickable vector data you can export all layers as grid data. That way you conserve the exact graphic illustration from ArcMap and you are able to use the cartographic characteristics of ArcGIS in Google Earth.

HTML ImageMapper optionally writes your data in a kml or kmz file. You can access the data by double-clicking in the file explorer in Google Earth and it will automatically be integrated.

The improved batch processing in the new version makes updating of already published projects a lot easier.

Give it a try. We are looking forward to your feedback.

- The developing team -

AGS PerformanceTool is aimed at providing the server administrators assistance for measuring the performance of a map service published in ESRI ArcGIS Server.

When a map service is published and made available to users, it is required to serve maps in a speedy fashion. Nobody wants to click and wait for 5 minutes to get a map in the screen. So it is extremely important for the map service to be a fast one.

Apart from hardware issues, the performance of a map service primarily depends upon the quality of MXD file used for it. Combination of layers and their visibility in different scale levels drive the performance. So administrators may often be in need for knowing

the speed of rendering of individual layers, in order to optimize the performance. AGS Performance Tool does just that.

Using this tool, a user can connect with a specified map service and find out the times for rendering map image. He can select different scales of image as per his requirement. It is also possible to select different layers of the MXD file. After testing, the user gets a PDF file containing the result of test. It contains detailed information for each layer, for
example, the minimum, maximum, average and median time for rendering image.

After testing, the user can find out which layer is taking more time at which scale level
and then address the issue accordingly by changing settings in MXD file. At the end, it can drastically improve performance of the map service using that MXD file.

Features of AGS Performance Tool:

1. Measuring performance of map services published in ESRI ArcGIS Server.
2. User can decide image settings (for example height, width, type).
3. User can decide the number of iterations, based on which the average, minimum, maximum and median times will be calculated. For example, if a user provides 10 as number of iteration, then 10 images with the given setting at each selected scale level will be generated and then among these 10 image generation times, the average, minimum, maximum and median times will be calculated.
4. Selectable scale levels (starting from 10,000,000 to 1,000).
5. Selectable layer list (visible layers in MXD file). User can select which layers he wants to calculate time.
6. Possibility to genereate image separately for each selected layers or generate one image using all selected layers togehter or both.
   

Kick on “download” in the menu above to download AGS PerformanceTool beta.

Use our bug tracking system to adress your ideas directly to the developers. We are happy to keep you updated about the status of your suggestions and will inform you about releases of updated beta versions.

We would like to thank you in advance for joining the AGS PerformanceTool beta program and are looking forward to your feedback.

Enjoy!

Rezwanul Kabir, Developer, alta4 Geoinformatik AG

After thorough testing from the beta community, improvements on the stability of the software and a modified setup, the alta4 developers now present a second beta version of HTML ImageMapper NG - AJAX.  The alta-team dealed with the entries into the bug-tracking system and included them into the developing process and implemented quite a few into the second beta version.

We once again would like to ask YOU to take a critical look at this new version and communicate problems and ideas directly to our developers using the bug tracking system.

We would like to thank everybody joining and contributing to the beta program so far and hope to receive your feedback for the second beta version as well.

Stephanie Müller, alta4 Geoinformatik AG (Marketing)

We are pleased to announce the HTML ImageMapper NG - AJAX beta program. We would like to invite everybody to take a first look at our new software and address any comments and suggestions to the developers. The beta version can be downloaded immediately.

Friends of previous versions will be pleased to hear that the ThemeBrowser is back in HTML ImageMapper NG - AJAX. Themes can be created from each data frame. This feature gives you the possibility to overlay several cartographic presentations, e.g. satellite imagery and topographic maps of the same map extent. The authoring system has been thoroughly redesigned and presents itself with an intuitive user interface. The definition and use of predefined style sheets has been improved. Also the selection of the map extent has become easier than in previous versions. You will now use a frame indicating the map area you would like to process with ImageMapper.

The new implemented tile generator creates ArcGIS 9.2 Server compliant map tiles independently from any ImageMapper project. Another extension of the functional range is the kml export: HTML ImageMapper creates a ground overlay as a kml-file to integrate easily into Google Earth.

Also known from a previous version is the batch function. It allows to automatically start the HTML ImageMapper processing and publish the map - a very interesting feature for everybody who is working with regularly changing data.

Klick on “download” in the menu above to download HTML ImageMapper NG - AJAX beta and test the software.
Feedback and comments are very welcome. Please use our bug tracking system to adress them directly to the developers.

Stephanie Müller, Marketing

We are pleased to go into the next round of the public GPS PhotoMapper NG beta program. GPS PhotoMapper NG beta2 can immediately be downloaded. Most notable development is the support of the new file format file based Geodatabase. The alta4 developer team ties up to the new standard introduced with ArcGIS 9.2 and ensures the compatibility of GPS PhotoMapper NG to previous software versions.
The File Geodatabase ensures high performance and allows a much larger file size than the previous Personal Geodatabase.
Photo layers created with a previous version of GPS PhotoMapper can be imported with GPS PhotoMapper NG. You as the author decide wether the layer will be converted into a File Geodatabase or kept in the Personal Geodatabase format.

Klick on “download” in the menu above to download GPS PhotoMapper NG beta2 and test the software until 15th June 2007.
Feedback and comments are still very welcome. Please use our bug tracking system to adress your them directly to the developers.

We are pleased to announce the GPS PhotoMapper NG public beta program.

With GPS PhotoMapper NG the alta4 developer team takes off into the next generation of geoimaging. Based on the modern .NET technology and with completely reworked control elements the new GPS PhotoMapper NG is clearly structered and user friendly . 
Data management and photo handling in the table of content has never been so easy. Photo viewing with mouseover functionality and tool organization in a context menu makes the handling easy and intuitive.

The new features:

• completely reworked user interface
• add photos by drag & drop
• import selected attribute data from EXIF header
• add photos to existing shapefiles
• view photos by mouseover function

To be able to provide you our customers the best possible product we would like to ask you to contribute to the developing process by joining the public beta tester program.
The beta version runs under ArcGIS 9.2 only and can be tested until 2007/06/15.

Kick on “download” in the menu above to download GPS PhotoMapper NG beta.

Use our bug tracking system to adress your ideas directly to the developers. We are happy to keep you updated about the status of your suggestions and will inform you about releases of updated  beta versions.

We would like to thank you in advance for joining the GPS PhotoMapper NG beta program and are looking forward to your feedback.