The document discusses the history and principles of web GIS using Esri products. It describes how Esri has evolved its web GIS capabilities from early desktop-based systems to modern web services-based approaches using REST and SOAP. Key aspects covered include Esri's ArcGIS Server for publishing map, geodata, and other services; the REST and SOAP APIs for accessing these services; and examples of web and mobile applications built with Esri's JavaScript, Flex, Silverlight, and mobile SDKs.

1. The Practical Aspects of Web GIS
using ArcGIS Server
David Crosby – Esri
Jeff Smith – Esri
Garima Vyas - Esri

2. Goals
• Esri product history and history of web GIS
• Esri model for GIS on the web
• What are web services?
• REST and SOAP
• Esri APIs
• Samples and Demonstration

3. Web GIS – Principles and Applications
• Esri Press book by Pinde
Fu and Jiulin Sun
• Published November 2010
• Available at Amazon.com

4. Esri Web Product History
• ArcView IMS Late
• MapObjects IMS 1990’s
• ArcIMS – early 2000 (SDE and Shapefiles)
- The START of Esri web collaboration with IMS services
• ArcGIS Server – around 2005
• Grown parallel to technology
• ArcIMS Used ActiveX, Cold Fusion, servlets
• ArcGIS Server takes advantage of SOAP, REST

5. Web GIS
• Historically, GIS was mainframes, then servers and
desktops – this was expensive!
• The web is an ideal platform for GIS
• The web allows for collaboration
- Data, maps, models, computing power!

6. Mashups
• Discover and search online
• Mix content from different sources – through
SERVICES!
• Not available? Make your own content and add to
others to create value-added applications
• Most important thing is make data available for
others

7. 1. Web Services – the Esri Approach
Source: Web Applications, Principles and Applications, Esri Press 2010

8. What are web services?
 A method of communication between two electronic devices
exposed over the Internet
 Clients consume remote objects and functionality
 Examples:
- Data Providers: Yellow pages, search engine
- Service Providers: Credit card authentication
- GIS: map, locator, geodata, feature…services

9. How do web services work?
 Two primary architectures: SOAP and REST
 Requests and responses are made via HTTP protocol
 Example of a typical request/response
HTTP Request
Web Service
Web Service
Client
HTTP
Response

10. What is SOAP?
 Simple Object Access Protocol
 XML-based protocol for accessing a web service
 Language and platform independent
 Messages are negotiated and transmitted via HTTP
 Used in Web ADF in Server Manager web applications

11. Sample SOAP Message
HTTP Protocol
SOAP Document POST /InStock HTTP/1.1
Host: www.example.org
HEADER (Optional) Content-Type: application/soap+xml; charset=utf-8
Delivery Info. Content-Length: nnn
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<soap:Envelope
BODY xmlns:soap="http://www.w3.org/2001/12/soap-envelope"
soap:encodingStyle="http://www.w3.org/2001/12/soap-
Method Parameters
encoding">
<soap:Body xmlns:m="http://www.example.org/stock">
<m:GetStockPrice>
<m:StockName>IBM</m:StockName>
</m:GetStockPrice>
</soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>
http://sampleserver1.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/services?wsdl

12. What is REST?
 REpresentational State Transfer
 Not a language, rather a design pattern
 Services are exposed as resources
 Resources are available on the web over HTTP
 Client addresses resources via a URL

13. REST principles
 Addressable resources are referenced via a URL
(usually referred to as the noun)
 Representations of these resources are returned in
various formats, e.g. json, html, xml, etc.
 Resources have operations such as PUT, GET, POST,
and DELETE (usually referred to as verbs)

14. ArcGIS Server REST API
 Web interface to ArcGIS Server services
 Resources and operations exposed via URLs
 Server catalog is a well-known endpoint
 A simple view of your ArcGIS Server
- .NET = http://<host>/arcgis/rest/services
- Java = http://<host>:8399/arcgis/rest/services

15. ArcGIS Server REST API example
• Examples
http://sampleserver1.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services
http://sampleserver1.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/Specialty/
ESRI_StatesCitiesRivers_USA/MapServer/export?bbox=-125,6.9,-
66.1,66.8

16. SOAP and REST Requests
SOAP Request:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<soap:Envelope
xmlns:soap="http://www.w3.org/2001/12/soap-envelope"
soap:encodingStyle="http://www.w3.org/2001/12/soap-encoding">
<soap:body pb="http://www.acme.com/phonebook">
<pb:GetUserDetails>
<pb:UserID>12345</pb:UserID>
</pb:GetUserDetails>
</soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>
REST Request:
http://www.acme.com/phonebook/UserDetails/12345

17. SOAP vs. REST?
 REST is lightweight whereas SOAP has more XML
markup
 REST potentially easier to implement
 REST is generally more agile with development
 REST does not require toolkits to build
 SOAP adheres to rigid type checking
 *Ultimately, they are both web services and that is
what counts!

18. ArcGIS APIs
• Web APIs
- ArcGIS API for JavaScript
- ArcGIS API for Flex
- ArcGIS API for Silverlight
• Device APIs
- ArcGIS Mobile SDK – Windows Mobile Phones and
Pocket PCs.
- ArcGIS API for iOS
- ArcGIS API for Windows Phone 7 (newer technology)
- ArcGIS API for Android

19. Web Application Examples
• ArcGIS Javascript API - Summit Map
(2009 ESRI Mashup Challenge Winner)
• ArcGIS Flex API - DTSAgile Exec Mashup
(2010 ESRI Mashup Challenge winner)
• ArcGIS Silverlight API - Silverlight Showcase

20. Web Application Demo
ArcGIS Viewer for Flex

21. Thank you!
Questions?