28 April 2008, 9:10pm
Redlands, California—Attendees at the 2008 ESRI Business GIS Summit, held April 27–30 in Chicago, Illinois, had the opportunity to explore ESRI's new ArcGIS Business Analyst Server solution. Longtime ArcGIS Business Analyst users are familiar with using geographic information system (GIS) software to analyze markets and competition, evaluate new and existing locations, and perform customer analytics. However, professionals can now use ArcGIS Business Analyst Server to provide the entire organization with powerful GIS-enabled workflows, models, and analyses—all via simple browser-based interfaces.
With ArcGIS Business Analyst Server, users can establish geographic decision-making models and processes that are accessible to anyone in the company. Instead of constantly creating paper maps, ArcGIS Business Analyst Server is used to empower colleagues with access to corporate data, additional demographic data based on a place of interest, and workflow templates consisting of geographic analysis parameters.
"The commercial sector has recognized how much geography is at the heart of business today," says Simon Thompson, commercial business industry solutions manager, ESRI. "ArcGIS Business Analyst Server provides a reliable, accessible software platform that enables companies to build the geoextended business solutions they need. Summit attendees learned firsthand just how much value this can add to their daily operations."
By integrating the world-leading GIS server software with the highest-quality demographic, business, shopping center, and street data, ArcGIS Business Analyst Server delivers
· Browser-based access to geographic analysis
· Lower cost of ownership through centrally managed, focused, business geointelligence applications
· Cross-platform deployment
· Integration with other enterprise systems
· The ability to create custom applications and services for browser, desktop, mobile, and enterprise deployments
Listen to an ArcGIS Business Analyst Server podcast by Bob Hazelton, product manager, ESRI. Hear him discuss how this latest addition to the Business Analyst product suite improves and simplifies the way a business analyzes its market, customers, and competition. To learn more about ArcGIS Business Analyst Server, visit www.esri.com/baserver.

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In previous editorials in this magazine I have touched on various SDI issues, especially now that the pan-European SDI has achieved a legally mandated status within the European Union's 27 Member States. Yet I fear that the Geographic Information community - or communities, for there are many - continue to… More…
Roger Longhorn