This document discusses two ArcGIS applications deployed in the cloud by the Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team (FHTET). A public Forest Pest Conditions Viewer application allows users to explore forest pest impact data. A secured Disturbance Mapper application uses remote sensing data to identify disturbed forest areas and enable analysis of the causes and effects of disturbances. Both applications were built with ArcGIS Server 10 and deployed to Amazon Web Services for scalability and convenience.
This is the presentation of the project we did as a part of our final year project. We have developed a utility management system for a housing company using web GIS. Please feel free to contact in case of any queries.
Navteq Developer Days presentation that illustrates how to build a complete cloud-based mapping solution. A mobile app is used to monitize the platform by allowing customers to check-in (similar to foursquare).
Leveraging ArcGIS Platform & CityEngine for GIS based Master PlansEsri India
Sustainable, scalable and future ready urban development is one the key priorities in India as well globally. Major government programs i.e. Smart Cities and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) aim to build foundations to achieve this.
For any planned development, master plan is a starting point. A master plan provides a long term blueprint that guides the sustainable planned development of the city. Use of GIS for master planning is not new. GIS-based Master Plans will help in different types of urban planning exercises, e.g. preparation of development plan, zonal plan, utility plan, infrastructure plan, etc. Even Smart City program and AMRUT programs mandate use of GIS for master plan creation.
ArcGIS is a complete platform for end-to-end city planning, design and management. The webinar illustrates how ArcGIS Platform and 3D capabilities of CityEngine provides a complete set of tools for end-to-end GIS based master plan creation and updation.
Government has huge amounts of information but how can this be effectively managed and delivered through the web? This session will ‘lift the lid’ on web mapping technology and identify some of the key issues that must be addressed to achieve a successful outcome.
The NSW government SIX Viewer web mapping portal will be used as a case study to demonstrate how terabytes of data can be integrated and delivered via the Internet.
The presentation on 'Cloud Computing for Libraries' helps understand the basics of cloud computing, its necessary in libraries, trends in library automation, important service providers of cloud computing and required components for implementing the same.
This is the presentation of the project we did as a part of our final year project. We have developed a utility management system for a housing company using web GIS. Please feel free to contact in case of any queries.
Navteq Developer Days presentation that illustrates how to build a complete cloud-based mapping solution. A mobile app is used to monitize the platform by allowing customers to check-in (similar to foursquare).
Leveraging ArcGIS Platform & CityEngine for GIS based Master PlansEsri India
Sustainable, scalable and future ready urban development is one the key priorities in India as well globally. Major government programs i.e. Smart Cities and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) aim to build foundations to achieve this.
For any planned development, master plan is a starting point. A master plan provides a long term blueprint that guides the sustainable planned development of the city. Use of GIS for master planning is not new. GIS-based Master Plans will help in different types of urban planning exercises, e.g. preparation of development plan, zonal plan, utility plan, infrastructure plan, etc. Even Smart City program and AMRUT programs mandate use of GIS for master plan creation.
ArcGIS is a complete platform for end-to-end city planning, design and management. The webinar illustrates how ArcGIS Platform and 3D capabilities of CityEngine provides a complete set of tools for end-to-end GIS based master plan creation and updation.
Government has huge amounts of information but how can this be effectively managed and delivered through the web? This session will ‘lift the lid’ on web mapping technology and identify some of the key issues that must be addressed to achieve a successful outcome.
The NSW government SIX Viewer web mapping portal will be used as a case study to demonstrate how terabytes of data can be integrated and delivered via the Internet.
The presentation on 'Cloud Computing for Libraries' helps understand the basics of cloud computing, its necessary in libraries, trends in library automation, important service providers of cloud computing and required components for implementing the same.
GEOCIRRUS delivers spatial information, tools and applications to help you make better decisions. Stream content, analyse patterns, solve problems and share your ideas and maps, all from your web browser or mobile device. For more information, please contact us. GEOCIRRUS, 2/33 Waterloo Rd, Macquarie Park, NSW 2113, Phone: 02 8879 1600, http://www.geocirrus.com
This presentation was given at Association for Geographic Information (AGI) 'GeoCommunity '11' Conference on 22-Sep-2011.
The AGI is the UK Geospatial Membership Body.
"Cloud-Enabling GIS for Conservational Collaboration"
Abstract
As higher-level GIS capabilities rapidly move to the Web, or ‘the Cloud’ as it is increasingly being called the possibilities for a seamless, integrated GIS collaboration environment become a reality for all. One group that can especially benefit from ever-decreasing set-up, infrastructure and maintenance costs are Non-Government Organisations (NGOs). One such NGO with a GIS strategy to become fully ‘Cloud-Enabled’ is Amigos de Iracambi - a Brazilian non-profit organisation whose mission is to work with the community to make the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources in the Atlantic Rainforest more attractive than its destruction.
Deflect Praise, Take The Blame | Balaji Gopalan | ProductTank Toronto Product Tank Toronto
We are excited to have Balaji Gopalan, talk to us about deflecting praise and taking the blame when it comes to product management - one of the principles in the Manifesto.
Balaji is an experienced and well-known member of the Toronto technology community. Building off his extensive career in Product Management at companies such as BlackBerry (where he launched and built the initial roadmap for BlackBerry Messenger, and where he mentored many local business leaders), D2L, Nymi and EventMobi, he created and now teaches the Intro to Product Management course at Brainstation, a unique 30-hour curriculum that extends from product culture to customer research to product development to roadmap management.
Balaji is now a passionate advocate and active member of the Toronto entrepreneurial scene, as co-founder and CEO of healthcare app enabler company MedStack, member of the selection committee at the Ryerson DMZ and advisor and mentor to a number of local startups.
Thanks to our generous sponsors: The Working Group (TWG), Hover, and LoyaltyOne.
---------------------------------
Join us in the #toronto channel on Slack: http://slack.mindtheproduct.com/
GID Reform in the DSM-5 and ICD-11: a Status Update Kelley Winters
A presentation I prepared for the 2013 Philadelphia Transgender Health Conference, but did not have the opportunity to attend. Summary of recent changes to gender related diagnostic categories in the DSM-5, published last month by the American Psychiatric Association, and proposed changes for the ICD-11, scheduled for publication in 2015 by the World Health Organization.
This slide set was delivered at the Association of Geogrphic Information to recruit Alpha testers to "MapMarvel". It covers disruptive technology, the emergence of cloud based applications and how incumbent businesses are missing the point. MM provides the tools to make Cloud based GIS a reality for everyone...
Cloud 9: Nine Reasons to Take the Cloud Seriously_White PaperNewton Day Uploads
Private sector businesses and Government departments around the world are under pressure to achieve the improbable - deliver improvements in the quality of services to citizens while finding sizeable cashable efficiency savings. Cloud computing is a paradigm shift in the way information management systems are architected and is heralded as the saviour of IT budgets. So what are the practical operational advantages of Cloud technology?
This paper examines nine very good reasons why it makes sense to take cloud computing seriously.
INIA- CISA: Análisis de las amenazas en la fauna silvestreEsri
El Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal del Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria utiliza la tecnología SIG para una mejor comprensión de las amenazas a las especies silvestres y su asociación con las actividades humanas
In his public lecture, Christian Timmerer provides insights into the fascinating history of video streaming, starting from its humble beginnings before YouTube to the groundbreaking technologies that now dominate platforms like Netflix and ORF ON. Timmerer also presents provocative contributions of his own that have significantly influenced the industry. He concludes by looking at future challenges and invites the audience to join in a discussion.
GridMate - End to end testing is a critical piece to ensure quality and avoid...ThomasParaiso2
End to end testing is a critical piece to ensure quality and avoid regressions. In this session, we share our journey building an E2E testing pipeline for GridMate components (LWC and Aura) using Cypress, JSForce, FakerJS…
GraphSummit Singapore | The Art of the Possible with Graph - Q2 2024Neo4j
Neha Bajwa, Vice President of Product Marketing, Neo4j
Join us as we explore breakthrough innovations enabled by interconnected data and AI. Discover firsthand how organizations use relationships in data to uncover contextual insights and solve our most pressing challenges – from optimizing supply chains, detecting fraud, and improving customer experiences to accelerating drug discoveries.
Goodbye Windows 11: Make Way for Nitrux Linux 3.5.0!SOFTTECHHUB
As the digital landscape continually evolves, operating systems play a critical role in shaping user experiences and productivity. The launch of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0 marks a significant milestone, offering a robust alternative to traditional systems such as Windows 11. This article delves into the essence of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0, exploring its unique features, advantages, and how it stands as a compelling choice for both casual users and tech enthusiasts.
zkStudyClub - Reef: Fast Succinct Non-Interactive Zero-Knowledge Regex ProofsAlex Pruden
This paper presents Reef, a system for generating publicly verifiable succinct non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs that a committed document matches or does not match a regular expression. We describe applications such as proving the strength of passwords, the provenance of email despite redactions, the validity of oblivious DNS queries, and the existence of mutations in DNA. Reef supports the Perl Compatible Regular Expression syntax, including wildcards, alternation, ranges, capture groups, Kleene star, negations, and lookarounds. Reef introduces a new type of automata, Skipping Alternating Finite Automata (SAFA), that skips irrelevant parts of a document when producing proofs without undermining soundness, and instantiates SAFA with a lookup argument. Our experimental evaluation confirms that Reef can generate proofs for documents with 32M characters; the proofs are small and cheap to verify (under a second).
Paper: https://eprint.iacr.org/2023/1886
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Unlocking Productivity: Leveraging the Potential of Copilot in Microsoft 365, a presentation by Christoforos Vlachos, Senior Solutions Manager – Modern Workplace, Uni Systems
Pushing the limits of ePRTC: 100ns holdover for 100 daysAdtran
At WSTS 2024, Alon Stern explored the topic of parametric holdover and explained how recent research findings can be implemented in real-world PNT networks to achieve 100 nanoseconds of accuracy for up to 100 days.
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
Removing Uninteresting Bytes in Software FuzzingAftab Hussain
Imagine a world where software fuzzing, the process of mutating bytes in test seeds to uncover hidden and erroneous program behaviors, becomes faster and more effective. A lot depends on the initial seeds, which can significantly dictate the trajectory of a fuzzing campaign, particularly in terms of how long it takes to uncover interesting behaviour in your code. We introduce DIAR, a technique designed to speedup fuzzing campaigns by pinpointing and eliminating those uninteresting bytes in the seeds. Picture this: instead of wasting valuable resources on meaningless mutations in large, bloated seeds, DIAR removes the unnecessary bytes, streamlining the entire process.
In this work, we equipped AFL, a popular fuzzer, with DIAR and examined two critical Linux libraries -- Libxml's xmllint, a tool for parsing xml documents, and Binutil's readelf, an essential debugging and security analysis command-line tool used to display detailed information about ELF (Executable and Linkable Format). Our preliminary results show that AFL+DIAR does not only discover new paths more quickly but also achieves higher coverage overall. This work thus showcases how starting with lean and optimized seeds can lead to faster, more comprehensive fuzzing campaigns -- and DIAR helps you find such seeds.
- These are slides of the talk given at IEEE International Conference on Software Testing Verification and Validation Workshop, ICSTW 2022.
Full-RAG: A modern architecture for hyper-personalizationZilliz
Mike Del Balso, CEO & Co-Founder at Tecton, presents "Full RAG," a novel approach to AI recommendation systems, aiming to push beyond the limitations of traditional models through a deep integration of contextual insights and real-time data, leveraging the Retrieval-Augmented Generation architecture. This talk will outline Full RAG's potential to significantly enhance personalization, address engineering challenges such as data management and model training, and introduce data enrichment with reranking as a key solution. Attendees will gain crucial insights into the importance of hyperpersonalization in AI, the capabilities of Full RAG for advanced personalization, and strategies for managing complex data integrations for deploying cutting-edge AI solutions.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 6DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 6. In this session, we will cover Test Automation with generative AI and Open AI.
UiPath Test Automation with generative AI and Open AI webinar offers an in-depth exploration of leveraging cutting-edge technologies for test automation within the UiPath platform. Attendees will delve into the integration of generative AI, a test automation solution, with Open AI advanced natural language processing capabilities.
Throughout the session, participants will discover how this synergy empowers testers to automate repetitive tasks, enhance testing accuracy, and expedite the software testing life cycle. Topics covered include the seamless integration process, practical use cases, and the benefits of harnessing AI-driven automation for UiPath testing initiatives. By attending this webinar, testers, and automation professionals can gain valuable insights into harnessing the power of AI to optimize their test automation workflows within the UiPath ecosystem, ultimately driving efficiency and quality in software development processes.
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into integrating generative AI.
2. Understanding how this integration enhances test automation within the UiPath platform
3. Practical demonstrations
4. Exploration of real-world use cases illustrating the benefits of AI-driven test automation for UiPath
Topics covered:
What is generative AI
Test Automation with generative AI and Open AI.
UiPath integration with generative AI
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Communications Mining Series - Zero to Hero - Session 1DianaGray10
This session provides introduction to UiPath Communication Mining, importance and platform overview. You will acquire a good understand of the phases in Communication Mining as we go over the platform with you. Topics covered:
• Communication Mining Overview
• Why is it important?
• How can it help today’s business and the benefits
• Phases in Communication Mining
• Demo on Platform overview
• Q/A
Securing your Kubernetes cluster_ a step-by-step guide to success !KatiaHIMEUR1
Today, after several years of existence, an extremely active community and an ultra-dynamic ecosystem, Kubernetes has established itself as the de facto standard in container orchestration. Thanks to a wide range of managed services, it has never been so easy to set up a ready-to-use Kubernetes cluster.
However, this ease of use means that the subject of security in Kubernetes is often left for later, or even neglected. This exposes companies to significant risks.
In this talk, I'll show you step-by-step how to secure your Kubernetes cluster for greater peace of mind and reliability.
Threats to mobile devices are more prevalent and increasing in scope and complexity. Users of mobile devices desire to take full advantage of the features
available on those devices, but many of the features provide convenience and capability but sacrifice security. This best practices guide outlines steps the users can take to better protect personal devices and information.
National Security Agency - NSA mobile device best practices
GIS in the Cloud
1. technology Online
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capabilities GIS in the Cloud
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2. Table of Contents
Introduction 1
What Is Cloud Computing? 3
Cloud Service Models 5
Cloud Benefits 7
Public versus Private Cloud 9
Risks in the Cloud 11
ArcGIS and the Cloud 13
Case Study: From Design to Deployment 17
Case Study: Cloud-Based Routing Software
Is What the Doctor Ordered 27
i
3. Introduction
Cloud computing is rapidly emerging as a technology trend that almost every
industry that provides or consumes software, hardware, and infrastructure can
leverage. The technology and architecture that cloud service and deployment
models offer are key areas of research and development for geographic
information system (GIS) technology.
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4. What Is Cloud Computing?
Although there are several variations on the definition of cloud computing,
some basic tenets characterize this emerging environment. Cloud
computing furnishes technological capabilities—commonly maintained off
premises—that are delivered on demand as a service via standard Internet
protocols. For public cloud services, since a third party provides access
to the applications and infrastructure, consumers of public cloud services
do not own the assets in this cloud model but instead pay for them on a
per-use basis. In essence, they are renting the physical infrastructure and
applications within a shared architecture. Cloud offerings can range from
data storage to end-user web applications to other focused computing
services.
One critical difference between traditional and cloud computing is the
scalable and elastic nature cloud computing provides. Instead of a static
system architecture, cloud computing supports the ability to dynamically
scale up and quickly scale down, offering cloud consumers high reliability,
quick response times, and the flexibility to handle unpredictable traffic
fluctuations and sporadic demand. Cloud computing also supports
multitenancy, providing systems configured in such a way that they can
be pooled and shared by many organizations or individuals. Virtualization
technology allows cloud vendors to convert one server into many virtual
machines, thereby eliminating client-server computing with single-purpose
systems. This maximizes hardware capacity and allows customers to
leverage economies of scale.
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5. Cloud Service Models
Three core options compose the service models within the cloud computing
environment.
Each service category can be leveraged independently or consumed
in combination with other service tiers.
Software as a Service (SaaS) comprises end-user applications delivered as a
service rather than as traditionally installed, on-premises software. The most
commonly referenced example of SaaS is Salesforce.com, which provides
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6. a customer relationship management (CRM) system accessible via the
Internet.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides an application platform, or
middleware, as a service on which developers can build and deploy custom
applications. Common solutions provided in this tier range from APIs and
tools to database and business process management systems to security
integration, allowing developers to build applications and run them on
the infrastructure that the cloud vendor owns and maintains. Microsoft's
Windows Azure platform services are often referenced as PaaS solutions at
this middleware tier.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) primarily encompasses the hardware
and technology for computing power, storage, operating systems, or
other infrastructure, delivered as off-premises, on-demand services rather
than as dedicated, on-site resources. Examples include Amazon Elastic
Compute Cloud (EC2) and Rackspace, among many others.
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7. Cloud Benefits
Cloud computing provides opportunities for organizations to become more
cost-effective, productive, and flexible to rapidly deliver new capabilities.
The pay-as-you-go pricing model is often quite flexible when renting cloud
applications or infrastructure, allowing prospective cloud clients to "try
before they buy," while existing cloud consumers can pay in advance to take
advantage of volume discounts and satisfy budget forecasting requirements.
Renting assets shifts the duty of maintaining on-premises data centers to
the cloud vendor, alleviating the customer's responsibility for software and
hardware maintenance, ongoing operation, and support.
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8. Ideally, cloud adopters should be confident that they are consuming state-
of-the-art systems that are highly reliable and flexible enough to handle
large traffic fluctuations. The burden, then, is on the vendor to scale and
continually reinvest in the on-demand IT architecture and service so that
consumers are consistently provided with a robust, updated solution.
Moving parts of the corporate data and computing center to the cloud also
reduces the amount of fragmented infrastructure, driving down
up-front capital spending. As monies are reallocated to be invested in
core business, other initiatives could be launched to provide direct value
to customers and employees, giving the organization a competitive
advantage.
With increasing outsourcing and offshoring, leading to the creation of a
global workforce, team productivity depends on the power of networks and
the Internet as a common platform. As such, cloud services are available
24/7, accessible from any browser on any device regardless of time zone.
This provides faster, easier access for workers to do their jobs, allowing
competitive differentiation for the organization and, likewise, retaining and
attracting valuable and talented staff.
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9. Public versus Private Cloud
There are several types of cloud computing deployment scenarios. The
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is emerging as the
preferred provider of the de facto definition of cloud computing and the
distribution models, seen here with some Esri examples.
Some organizations, concerned about security, may opt for a private cloud
or a hybrid deployment model.
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10. Public Cloud The public cloud is what is most commonly being referred to when
discussing cloud computing, where the infrastructure and applications are
owned by the organization selling cloud services.
Private Cloud Since many traditional vendors and users are not quite ready to jump
into public cloud computing or are restricted from doing so, the cloud
service tiers are replicated within a private cloud environment, behind the
firewall, on-premises, and maintained within the parameters of the host
organization.
Hybrid Cloud Many believe that the sweet spot for cost optimization in an organization
will be found in a delicate balance of public, or community, and private
clouds.
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11. Risks in the Cloud
Despite cloud computing's many benefits, it's important to be aware of the
risks and concerns when doing business in a cloud architecture.
Security and privacy are two of IT professionals' top concerns when
considering moving to the cloud as either a vendor, broker, or consumer.
Typical security and privacy examples include data storage and transfer
protection; vulnerability management and remediation; personnel, physical,
and application security; data privacy; and identity management.
Depending on your industry, customer base, or public or private organization,
compliance requirements must be met and secured. Some compliance
concerns include business continuity and disaster recovery; security standards
(ISO 27001); logs and audit trails (eDiscovery); and specific standards and
governmental compliance requirements such as Sarbanes Oxley, Payment
Card Industry (PCI), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (HIPAA).
There are specific legal concerns when providing cloud services and,
subsequently, consuming them. These revolve around liability and recourse,
intellectual property issues and terms, as well as vendor transparency
regarding location of recovery data centers. When relying on an Internet
service, there is always a question of availability and the peak-load capacity
that the vendor can carry. For example, current and prospective customers
can scrutinize the uptime (and downtime) of Amazon Web Services and
Google App Engine through CloudStatus.com to determine how healthy the
services have been, monitoring their track record of service failures, latency,
and throughput. There have been instances of outages, for instance, with
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12. Amazon Web Services and Google, and they should serve as reminders to
be vigilant and cautious in the on-demand marketplace.
Finally, as of yet, there are no standards to ensure interoperability or free
movement between cloud providers. As such, cloud consumers should also
be aware of vendor lock-in when moving forward in the cloud ecosystem.
When consuming cloud services, clearly it's important to recognize
the potential hazards and risks ahead, as with any new or existing IT
investment. Concerns about security, inquiries around the provider's
maturation in an incubating industry, reliability, and regulatory issues are
all topics for discussion and clarification in a service-level agreement
(SLA). Although they are not a guarantee, to better ensure delivery of
best practices in the cloud, SLAs with the cloud vendor are recommended
when consuming cloud services. Realistically, these concerns are not
too different from those that one would have choosing any third-party
provider or service. As barriers to entry into cloud computing continue to
fall away, confidence in cloud vendors will be established through repeated
successful experiences, testimonials, and proven reliability with respect to
operating procedures and performance.
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13. ArcGIS and the Cloud
Esri considers cloud computing and technology important in the development
and vision of the ArcGIS platform. Several options are available for companies
that want to improve productivity and efficiency while reducing expenses and
freeing up valuable IT resources to concentrate on newer business initiatives.
Cloud-based content, servers, and applications provide cost-effective and flexible
opportunities for organizations to deliver and consume GIS content and services.
GIS services are available in the cloud so that ArcGIS users and developers
can access ready-to-use maps including imagery, topography maps, and
street basemaps as well as task services such as routing and geocoding
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14. services for North America and Europe. For more information, visit ArcGIS
Online.
ArcGIS Server can be deployed in the cloud via the Amazon EC2 so that
organizations and developers can publish and quickly deploy custom GIS
mapping applications within minutes. For more information, visit ArcGIS
Server in the Cloud.
GIS Software as a Service provides focused, cloud-based clients and
applications that easily solve complex business problems using GIS tools
and data but don't require GIS expertise to use. For more information, visit
ArcLogistics, Business Analyst Online (BAO), or Community Analyst.
More mobile GIS services are coming to the cloud soon so that an
organization's field staff, business professionals, and consumers can
access GIS capabilities and data using nearly any mobile device. For more
information, visit ArcGIS Mobile.
With ArcPad, users can take advantage of the ArcGIS Server ArcPad
extension to send edits back to the enterprise geodatabase directly from
the field. Edits from ArcPad can be enabled on top of the ArcGIS Server on
Amazon EC2 Amazon Machine Image (AMI), which is preconfigured with
SQL Server Express. Optionally, if more space for your editable features is
needed, ArcPad edits can be synchronized to the Enterprise Geodatabase
AMI, also available with ArcGIS Server on Amazon EC2.
Esri has been providing Software plus Services (S+S) for some time,
allowing customers to leverage their on-premises solutions with on-demand
services. Esri's ArcGIS Online map and GIS services provide S+S users
with immediate access to cartographically designed, seamless basemaps
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15. to which they can easily add their own data in an Esri on-premises product.
As a community cloud, the ArcGIS Online Content Sharing Program
enables users and organizations to contribute geographic data content.
Leveraging Amazon's EC2 and Simple Storage Service (S3) compute and
storage services allows Esri to host the content and provide access 24/7.
ArcGIS Explorer users can consume ready-to-use basemaps and layers
from ArcGIS Online services in the S+S model. Also, ArcLogistics provides
software and access to online services that help you create optimal vehicle
routes and schedules.
As cloud computing continues to move farther into mainstream IT to
become a convention in business, Esri will continue to offer solutions to
allow customers and prospects success in the cloud.
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16. Case Study
From Design to Deployment
ArcGIS 10 Apps in the Cloud
By Brian Noyle and Dave Bouwman, DTSAgile
Historically, the Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team (FHTET) has
collected and analyzed data describing the effects of major forest pests on
the landscape and disseminated this information through an annual hard-copy
report. This article describes a custom application the team deployed to the
cloud to make this information available to a wider audience.
While GIS and hard-copy maps play a role in the preparation of the FHTET
report on the effects of major forest pests, this static report does not fully
leverage the data exploration and analysis tools available from today's
GeoWeb applications. A current software development initiative is using
ArcGIS Server 10 and the Flex API to create a series of rich Internet
applications (RIAs) facilitating the distribution of information on forest health
to a variety of audiences. In addition, the FHTET team elected to use this
initiative as a test bed for assessing the ease and speed with which custom
applications can be deployed to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud with
ArcGIS 10 for greater scalability and convenience.
Given the richness of the FHTET data and the desire for novel user
experience (UX) elements in the applications, FHTET has elected to
pursue a fully custom web implementation based on Esri ArcGIS Server
10 and the Flex API with many custom widgets and extensions of the
DynamicMapServiceLayer. We have based our implementation on our
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17. considerable experience in customizing Esri's Flex Starter Kit to produce
a template that will now serve as the starting point for many Flex-based
applications leveraging ArcGIS Server 10.
Bar charts prominently displayed across the bottom of the map show the acreage
and number of counties affected by each pest.
The Forest Pest A FHTET Forest Pest Conditions Viewer public application
Conditions (fhtet.dtsagile.com/fhtet/Flex/FPC#) was first developed to help public
Viewer users explore the impact of many forest pests for different forest service
regions. The quantities and types of pests displayed in the Flex application
can be configured by each forest service region so that users can see the
"top" pests for a given region, based on the decisions and experience of
forest health professionals.
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18. Because the application is designed primarily as a data exploration tool,
only minimal interaction is required of the user. Once a region, state, or
county is selected, the application makes a service call to get updated data
as JSON and renders the results for the user. Region and county selection
can be done on the map or from pick lists in the search pane located on the
left side of the page. Bar charts prominently displayed across the bottom of
the map show the acreage and number of counties affected by each pest.
Data summaries and links to external information are also provided in the
dockable left pane. A function that generates a chart showing pest damage
trends for all years in the system is included in the tabular data summaries.
Users can also view information on specific pests, generate preformatted
pest reports, and export raw data in CSV format.
The Disturbance In addition to the public data explorer, FHTET has deployed a secured
Mapper Disturbance Mapper Application designed to use remotely sensed data
for detecting the presence of pests in the landscape. The application is
targeted at individuals who perform statewide and regional flight planning
for aerial pest surveys. Its goal is optimizing flight planning and reducing
total costs for aerial pest surveys by allowing planners to target areas of
interest through map exploration in a web browser.
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19. Pest incidence trend charts and information on individual pests are available from widgets in the FHTET public viewer.
Areas of interest for pest surveys are identified based on change detection
data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
preprocessed imagery. Custom map layer extensions for extending
the DynamicMapServiceLayer have been implemented that allow flight
planners to adjust threshold settings on the change detection imagery
to view differences in forest green-up and senescence that signal the
presence of tree stressors.
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20. Migrating to the As this article was being written, Esri announced the availability of a cloud-
Cloud: It's as based solution for ArcGIS Server. Based in the AWS cloud, this deployment
Easy as . . . option provides Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) preloaded with
ArcGIS Server for Esri customers who want quick deployment, scalability,
and flexibility in their GIS infrastructure.
What do we—as architects and developers—need to know to be ready
to deploy our custom ArcGIS Server apps to the cloud? The first thing
you need to know is that the process is just plain easy and will require
just a few tweaks of your normal deployment patterns for custom apps
built against ArcGIS Server. The accompanying diagram maps major
system components in a typical example of an ArcGIS Server solution
to major system components used in an ArcGIS Server 10/AWS cloud
implementation.
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21. Migration of an On-Premises Application to the Cloud
Once an ArcGIS Server 10 AMI has been launched in the Amazon
cloud and sufficient storage space has been purchased and configured,
the deployment of an on-premises application to the cloud is very
straightforward. After RDP-ing [i.e., using remote desktop protocol] to the
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22. running AMI, the developer simply pulls in the deployed application (via
FTP or using copy/paste for small items) and updates any configuration
settings.
The DBMS instance (Microsoft SQL Server in our example) supporting the
application is detached from the on-premises deployment database server,
copied to the AMI, and reattached as a SQL Server Express instance (still
well under the 4 GB size limit).
In our deployment of this application, we split our geodatabase into
operational and base layers. Base layers that do not get edited are stored
in a file geodatabase on the AMI, guaranteeing acceptable performance,
while operational layers that are editable are stored in an instance of
ArcSDE Workgroup on SQL Server Express.
Forest Disturbance Mapping Using Custom Map Layer Implementations
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23. Finally, any map documents required to support the ArcGIS Server map
services are copied to the AMI, and the data sources are reset to reflect the
new data locations. It is really just that easy and straightforward.
What about That Some readers may be asking themselves why our migration story splits a
Data Thing? perfectly good enterprise geodatabase running against SQL Server into a
file geodatabase and workgroup instance of ArcSDE. The answer is that
enterprise geodatabases are supported by another type of AMI in the cloud.
For our test bed project, another AMI meant more money. In addition, the
enterprise geodatabase AMI is PostgreSQL based. While the migration
process does not involve any magic, it would have required a little more
time and effort to get our tabular data in there, so we elected to store static
layers in a file geodatabase to guarantee acceptable performance and
store editable layers in a workgroup ArcSDE instance running against
SQL Server Express on our existing AMI, which was safely under the 4 GB
file size limit. There are no tile caches used in this test bed deployment.
Conclusion The cloud-based deployment available under ArcGIS 10 is sure to present
an excellent option to organizations that have wished for more scalability
and flexibility in their existing ArcGIS Server infrastructure. Our experience
to date has shown us that, for organizations where rapid deployment is
critical, ArcGIS Server AMIs can be deployed in approximately
20 minutes (exclusive of the time needed for data and application loading
and configuration). The ability to create additional AMIs from an already
configured instance, when coupled with the Amazon Load Balancer, means
that gaining capacity rapidly when necessary is a real benefit of this new
development in the Esri product stack.
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24. This scalability on demand, when viewed against the backdrop of the
typical software and hardware procurement process in many organizations,
is a very real benefit. Furthermore, the flexibility this provides to
organizations, through the capability to deploy this additional capacity on
demand—rather than having multiple ArcGIS Servers sit idle awaiting the
next emergency response event or natural disaster—reinforces this benefit.
About the Authors Brian Noyle, originally trained as a global change biologist and tundra
botanist, has nearly 10 years of experience as a GIS software developer
and architect. His professional and technical interests are primarily focused
on moving clients toward more standard architecture and development
practices and patterns to facilitate a closer integration of GIS with the
standard IT enterprise. Noyle has extensive experience in full software
life cycle management with a focus on delivering through Agile project
management methods.
Dave Bouwman has been designing and developing GIS software for
the last 12 years, with projects ranging from small websites to statewide
enterprise forest management systems. Over the last few years, he has
been leading a team of developers in the pursuit of great software built
in a sane manner. The combination of an Agile process with pragmatic
development practices taken from extreme programming has led to a highly
optimized methodology of creating solid software.
(Reprinted from the Fall 2010 issue of ArcUser magazine)
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25. Case Study
Cloud-Based Routing Software Is What the Doctor
Ordered
Home Medical Equipment Company Saves Time and Fuel, Improves
Scheduling and Customer Windows
Based in Sunnyvale, Texas, Shalem Medical Supply services a multitude of
health care patients, including those who are on hospice and home health,
as well as several medical facilities. The company provides durable medical
equipment and supplies, with delivery trucks running 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week. Shalem employs around 25 people and has three locations: Sunnyvale,
Fort Worth, and Houston.
As the company grew and took on new patients, the complexity of getting
equipment and supplies delivered in a timely manner had grown next to
impossible.
"We were lackluster in efficiency, and it was difficult to maintain accountability,"
says Zach Paton, operations manager with Shalem. "We had no time frames
whatsoever. It presented some very serious challenges."
Shalem realized that it needed to find a vehicle routing and scheduling
solution that would help manage daily deliveries.
"We were looking for a software system that you could manipulate in real
time and update during the day, and a lot of the systems just didn't offer that,"
Paton adds.
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26. After a review of several vendors, Shalem chose ArcLogistics, thanks to the
solution's cloud-based deployment model, cost, and ability to interface with
the inventory management software.
A Competitive Depending on the day, each Shalem
Industry office could have up to 10 vehicles in
the field, making anywhere from 15
to 25 deliveries. In a business that is
growing due to aging baby boomers
and the social acceptance of health
care taking place in the home, Shalem
realized that its outdated procedures
would cost it in the long run if the
Patients waiting for vital medical aids from Shalem
booming industry continues to see are now provided with tighter time windows.
consolidation of smaller home medical
equipment providers.
"In this industry, everybody is looking to get it quick, because we're
dealing with a multitude of illnesses and disabilities," says Dennis Morgan,
operations manager.
Morgan works with the Shalem dispatchers, monitoring where the drivers
are; where they're headed; and the amount of stops and deliveries they
have to make that day, including any last-minute additions.
"We may start our day with each driver having 12 stops," he says, "but
by the end of the day, there may be 10 to 12 more tickets added to our
routes."
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27. Prior to acquiring ArcLogistics, Morgan says
the company was constantly rearranging
routes and providing very large time windows
to customers, which was hurting Shalem
competitively. Shalem employees would joke
about their time windows being in the realm
of, "We'll be there sometime between noon
and 7:00 p.m." Since the implementation of
ArcLogistics, the routing software has helped
reduce time windows to two hours.
Did the Drivers A concern many have when considering At each stop, ArcLogistics Navigator helps
Revolt? routing and scheduling software is whether drivers reach their destinations according to the
streets selected and sequence established in the
or not dispatchers and drivers will accept route plan.
the software. In many cases, these are
professionals who have spent years learning their local street networks and
customer needs and establishing processes to help get the job done.
Morgan said initially his drivers were against following the plan established
by the software. At first, early routes were suggested, then drivers were
able to run their routes according to their old ways and compare the two
when they got back.
"They were out there three hours longer [with the older routes]. And you
can track them and see," Morgan says. He explains that eventually, the
drivers came around when they realized the route plans created with
ArcLogistics would get them back to base sooner. There were a few drivers
who had issues, especially when it came to the touchy subject of overtime.
However, Morgan and Shalem came up with a bonus system. The drivers
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28. realized they were driving around 50 fewer miles per day, which began to
add up dramatically, resulting in significant cost savings for the company.
Morgan would reiterate to the drivers that if they saved on fuel and
maintenance, that meant the potential for more money in the employees'
pockets, not to mention job security in an unstable economy.
"We've got some mature drivers who have been in the business for a
while," says Morgan. "And once you sit down and explain to them, yeah,
maybe you're not getting 10 hours overtime, but with the time we're saving,
it's going to allow the company to put more money in your pocket and give
you a bigger hourly raise or be able to give bonuses."
Route solvers, street data, and imagery are now all accessed via the cloud, making the solution
affordable for midsize operations like Shalem.
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29. Immediate ROI "Our overtime costs dropped by at least 20 or 25 percent. It's decreased
our fuel consumption and maintenance costs on the vehicles at least 10 or
15 percent, if not more than that," says Paton, who runs a daily report for
the stops made, which includes the mileage that's driven and the fuel costs.
Since using ArcLogistics, the first thing he noticed was the big drop in total
mileage driven. He estimates a mileage decrease of around 10 percent just
in the first week the solution was put in use.
"You will see your money is being recouped right away in maintenance,
gas, [employee] hours, and the whole ball of wax. It's something that I
would advise anyone that's going into a business where you're going to
have multiple vehicles to look into it," Morgan says.
For more information, contact Zach Paton, Shalem Medical Supply (Web:
www.shalemmedical.com).
(Reprinted from the Fall 2010 issue of ArcNews magazine)
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31. About the Author
Victoria Kouyoumjian is an IT Strate-
gies Architect at Esri focusing on
emerging technologies and trends,
such as open source, social media,
and cloud computing, to name a few.
For questions or comments, contact
her at vkouyoumjian@esri.com and
follow her on Twitter @VKouyoumjian.
Since 1969, Esri has been giving customers around the world
the power to think and plan geographically. The market leader in
geographic information system (GIS) solutions, Esri software is used
Contact Esri
in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide including each of the
200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, 1-800-GIS-XPRT (1-800-447-9778)
more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 5,000 Phone: 909-793-2853
colleges and universities. Fax: 909-793-5953
info@esri.com
Esri applications, running on more than one million desktops and
esri.com
thousands of Web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for
the world’s mapping and spatial analysis. Esri is the only vendor that 380 New York Street
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Internet platforms. Visit us at esri.com.
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