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I started using ArcIMS when it was still in beta, in November
of 1999. Since then, ArcIMS has come a long way. I beleive that it is quite possibly
the best internet map server being developed today [Scott's note: not
true anymore with the advent of ArcGIS Server, Open Source GIS and Mapping APIs].
It's very customizable using:
HTML and Javascript in the HTML client, ASP and COM using the ActiveX connector,
ColdFusion using the ColdFusion connector and Java in the Java Connector. It's pretty
fast (especially if one of the connectors is used since all processing is done server-side),
it comes with a number of tools and new tools can be created easily using development
languages, and it accepts a number of different file formats.
My current position is as a Senior GIS Consultant with one
of the largest multinational Engineering firms, Earth Tech, Inc . This position has given me an opportunity to explore other areas of ArcIMS including
the ActiveX connector and using ArcObjects as Middleware. This position includes
some new and exciting opportunities for me to explore in the web mapping realm.
Many of these projects are defense based, an exciting area in GIS right now.
One of the most interesting projects I worked on included a system for collecting
data in the field and displaying this information in an ArcIMS website. I used the
ArcPad Application Builder to collect the information, used a Visual Basic app to
synch the data with SDE, then used ArcIMS to display the data. I've also had
the opportunity to hone my other GIS development skills in this position including
ArcObjects development, database design and .NET programming.
My previous position was as a Consultant with a national
e-business firm, Idea Integration . As the ArcIMS lead developer, I developed
many sites for various clients. These sites ranged from Site Analysis to utilities
to government. The sites were developed with various technologies (Java, ColdFusion,
Active Server Pages, JavaScript, SDE, Oracle, Sybase, etc.), Web Servers (IIS, iPlanet),
and on various OS's (Windows 2000, NT and Solaris). See my resume for more detailed
explanations of what I have done.
I also created multiple sites for a large telecom, Level(3)
Communications, and one site for a state agency as an employee for Parsons Brinckerhoff,
Inc. For Level(3), all of the sites were intranet sites. I used ArcIMS on a UNIX
(Solaris) server. SDE and Oracle8i were used to store all of the data, including
all of the GDT landbase (roads, rivers, lakes, institutions, railroads, etc. for
the entire U.S.). I acted as the SDE administrator (as well as being the webmaster).
MrSID images were used on these sites to help visualize the landbase. I used the
Apache Web Server
with JServ. About 30 layers with millions of records of data were used in each of
the maps. These sites were used to track the status of the network that the telecom
was constructing, and to track other information including metro networks, tax districts
and sales information. Tools were added to the websites to enhance the clients capabilities,
including reporting and line traversal tools. These websites are what got me started
with using ArcIMS and I'm most proud of the work I did there. If I could go back
and redo it, I would, because being my first websites, they aren't the best work
I've done and I know I could do a better job today. But, I'm proud of what I did
because I did develop some pretty complicated sites, I helped get GIS integrated
in this company, and I still get high regards from consultants and others that have
worked with this company.
Some of the more interesting sites I developed for Level(3):
- An equipment tracking application that tracked the location and status of field
equipment. I developed scripts that downloaded a CSV file of location and status
every night. These were then converted into point locations and imported into SDE.
The website displayed the update date, showed different icons for different types
of equipment, provided links to pictures of the equipment, and displayed information
about fuel level, man hour usage and so on. The construction managers were once
able to use the site to track a field worker that "borrowed" a tractor.
- An application that displayed a radius around a break in the communications line
and performed line traversal. Information was extracted from another intranet site
and fed to a Java servlet I developed. This servlet found the location of the two
substations supplied by the other application. The servlet also received the distance
from each substation that the break occured. The result was an approximate location
for the break (within 40 feet). The servlet then generated coordinates for a circle
and passed them to ArcIMS. ArcIMS used these coordinates to zoom to the location
and draw a red circle around the possible break location. I used an early version
of the Java connector for this and used Java with AXL to find the coordinates of
the line. With this info, I was able to traverse the lines to find the approximate
break location.
- I started developing an inside plant application. This application used the Java
viewer and allowed the user to see inside plant plans and select, edit and update
rack information. Java servlets were used for attribute updating.
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