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Mobile Tech Articles

  • Turn Popups On/Off in ArcGIS Online Webmap via Javascript API Web Application

    • We split our mobile ArcGIS Online between Javascript and Flex. The link below is an nice solution we thought worth linking to using the Javascript ArcGIS API: http://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/48864/turn-popups-on-off-in-arcgis-online-webmap-via-javascript-api-web-application

  • Flex ArcGIS – Preventing ApplyEdits() after Editing using Editor

    • Thanks yo_haha on Esri Flex API forum

  • Mobile Flex testing iOS & Android for Internet Access

    • We are building cross-platform mobile ArcGIS Online apps in Mobile Flex. Much of our early development was done testing on Android, this was mostly due to the restrictions on iOS (provisioning files and UUID’s). One key part of a number of the apps we have built is testing for Internet access. It was no great more »

  • Mobile Flex & iOS File Sharing

    • We are about to turn our attention to generating an iOS version of our offline editing ArcGIS Online app. There are steps needed to enable the push of a tpk to an iPad. The following links provide a guide: Apple Guide Mobile Flex Guide Esri Guide

  • Mobile ArcGIS Online Editing: Attaching Photos to Features

    • We find out new cool things every day about ArcGIS Online. In a recent blog post we walked through setting up a hosted feature service in ArcGIS Online, and making that service editable. Our interest is in iOS and Android online offline data collection apps. One request we often get is can we add images more »

  • The New Age of Employee Autonomy

    • Just read an excellent rant from Ernie Miller (link below). It is well worth a read. Thought is worthwhile reprinting his lessons learned: 1) “Job security” is a myth created by big companies to trap you in a boring and unchallenging job. You will sign an employment-at-will agreement at every job you take. 2) Being more »

  • Editable ArcGIS Online Hosted Feature Services

    • Hosted feature services in ArcGIS Online are an important part of Esri’s new mapping platform. Now you can publish a shapefile, for example, to your ArcGIS Online account and make it an editable feature layer. So no need for an ArcGIS Server instance. We are developing an online/offline data collection and editing mobile application. Below more »

  • Esri Code and Javascript Frameworks

    • A quick note on Ember. Described as: “Ember is a JavaScript framework for creating ambitious web applications that eliminates boilerplate and provides a standard application architecture.” Ember was praised by Zendesk at this link: http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/30/why-enterprise-apps-are-moving-to-single-page-design/ Its a framework we are investigating internally. Esri Github Excited to see this new code share from Esri: “We’re excited more »

  • Hosted Feature Layers in ArcGIS Online

    • Feature Layers are an important part of ArcGIS Online. Other than ArcGIS Feature Server endpoints, data published to ArcGIS Online is converted to a Feature Layer. So add your shapefiles and csv’s to a web map you are about to publish and on the fly they are converted. What’s actually going on in the background more »

  • ArcGIS Online – A Guide to Hosting Web App Templates

    • One of the many nice things about ArcGIS Online, is the ability to host Web App templates on your own server. We thought is worth walking through he steps of how this is done. Step 1 – Log into your ArcGIS Online account and publish a web map Step 2 – In the web map more »

  • Mobile ArcGIS Online – Offline/Online Editing Demo & Those Pesky Feature Layers

    • We have been developing mobile ArcGIS online maps for some time. Editing has been at the forefront of our recent work. Many of our clients are looking for tools which allow mobile workers to edit features (add, edit, delete) while in the field. Disconnected mode, where the mobile user has no wi-fi connectivity, is an more »

  • Trouble Connecting to Acer Iconia A200 with FlashBuilder

    • The Problem We are building an app for one of our clients that will be targetted to the Acer Aconia A100. Windows recognized the tablet no problem, but flex builder would not see the device when trying to “run” on the device in the choose device dialog ( appears have to you hit run). I more »

  • Javascript for Cross Platform Mobile Location App Developers

  • Offline or Disconnected Mobile ArcGIS How To

    • Offline or disconnected mode is one of the most in demand client and potential client requests we receive. And yet the main spatial solution providers have only made small steps in this direction. Chatting with ESRI, offline ArcGIS is on their roadmap, but no major releases are planned in the near future. Our interest is more »

  • Mobile ArcGIS Improving the Performance of Feature Layers

    • Last week, we discussed vector tiling for improving performance of feature layers. While awesome in its own right, if you’re trying to push twenty megabytes of features over the wire, vector tiling isn’t going to save you. Your app will be slow. How should complex geometries be handled/served? The intuitive approach is to use multiple more »

  • Building Mobile Location & Mobile GIS Apps using Titanium

    • We build custom cross platform mobile GIS and location based applications. There is our one sentence elevator sales pitch. But what is this cross platform business? Put simply write one code base and run it across multiple platforms. So take your beautiful mobile web application written in HTML5/Javascript convert it to an installed app using more »

  • Hybrid Mobile Apps

    • Everyone seems to be gung-ho about HTML5 or native mobile apps, and religiously preaching for one approach over the other. Yet, while mobile giants such as Apple and Google battle it out, some companies are already opting for a third option — mediating the two approaches in what is popularly known as the “hybrid app more »

  • Useful Flex Mobile Dev Links

    • A bunch of useful Flex mobile development links: http://blogs.adobe.com/jasonsj/2011/06/ios-theme-for-flex-mobile-projects-proof-of-concept.html http://corlan.org/2011/08/29/flex-mobile-development-skinning-the-actionbar-component/ http://glyphish.com/ http://www.mercuryintermedia.com/blog/index.php/2009/03/iphone-ui-vector-elements http://help.adobe.com/en_US/flex/mobileapps/WSa122979b46197256-7ee474a112a3e1a86b6-8000.html

  • Flex to HTML5

    • After 6 years doing Flex, am I moving to HTML5? by João Saleiro Short answer: no. But I’m investing in HTML5. (really) Long answer: see below. After returning from the Flex Summit, many people have contacted me asking what was going to happen with Flex and if I was going to “migrate” our projects (like more »

  • Sencha Ext JS for Flex Developers

    • Sencha Ext JS is Viable Technology Choice for Flex Developers Posted on February 14, 2012 by JesterXL Below, I describe my experiences with Ext JS after the Sencha Fast Track training, my challenges with doing browser based work in a consulting context, and my thoughts on why it matters to Flex Developers. I’m in a more »

  • Geoloqi Mobile Geolocation Tools

    • Geoloqi launched its location platform today, offering developers and business customers a complete stack of geolocation tools, including geo-fencing, messaging, security and analytics. The start-up created by Amber Case and Aaron Perecki is designed to help developers enable persistent background location tracking that can incorporate location information from cellular networks, GPS and Wi-Fi. And it more »

  • Developer Resources – Google Maps Mobile & MapQuest Mobile

  • MSN Virus Protection

    • No matter how careful one is, virus protection software is a must. Here is a link to the free MSN security Essentials software package: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials

  • Objective-C – No Thanks!

    • We primarily use (cross platform) HTML5 and Flex mobile for our mobile apps. Our Java guys also build native Android apps. We have not dipped our toe into the world of Objective-C, preferring cross platform code bases for iOS. Ash Furrow writes an interesting article on Objective-C below: Why Objective-C is Hard to Learn Reaffirms more »

  • Sencha Mobile Development

    • Just attending an online presentation on the Sencha Javascript framework. It was titled Javascript development for Flex developers. That and the fact that it was presented by Ted Patrick; until recently an Adobe evangelist, caught my attention. It was an interesting presentation. The burning question for me, as a mobile developer was ‘why switch from more »

  • Mobile Flex Bitmaps & Emailing from Mobile App

    • We’ve been working on a few technical challenges lately with our mobile app development. Mobile Flex is our language of choice. Why? One (installed) code base which runs across multiple platforms. We are mobile GIS app developers, so focused on maps and geospatial work. Two technical challenges have reared their heads. The first is improving more »

  • State of Adobe Mobile Flex in Early 2012

    • I thought the following discussion was interesting. The question posed was answered by Jesse warden; sometime tough to understand but still a Flash/Flex guru: Question: Hey Adobe Devs, what’s the state of developing mobile (iOS) applications with AIR (specifically Flex) these days. I’ve been out of the loop a bit with keeping up on the more »

  • Offline Mobile GIS – The Challenge of Data Collection & Editing Being Synced to ArcGIS

    • An issue we often get questions about relates to offline GIS and mapping. How do we take our mobile device into an area which lacks WI-FI connectivity and still be able to access base maps and our layers? More than that how do we make edits to or update spatial features and sync these with more »

  • The Future of Mobile Flash Player

    • Sources close to Adobe that have been briefed on the company’s future development plans have revealed this forthcoming announcement to ZDNet: Our future work with Flash on mobile devices will be focused on enabling Flash developers to package native apps with Adobe AIR for all the major app stores. We will no longer adapt Flash more »

  • Reprojection using FWTools

    • Just a quick note on re-projection. The use of our geoMobile for ArcGIS app demands re-projection. In the case of shapefiles the command line use of ogr2ogr within FWTools is as follows. This converts a shapefile from 26912 to 3857 (web mercator) C:Program Files (x86)FWTools2.4.7>ogr2ogr -s_srs EPSG:26912 -t_srs EPSG:3857 c :reprojectSGID93_GEOSCIENCE_VolcanicConesSGID93_GEOSCIENCE_VolcanicConesR.shp c:reprojectSGID93_GEOSCIENCE_VolcanicConesSGID93_GEOSCIENCE_VolcanicCones.shp

  • Mobile Adobe Air 3.0 Demo

    • Below is a really nice demo showing multiple mobile devices running Air 3.0 with an app built using the new 4.6 Flex release. The device skinning is terrific:

  • Video: IOS IPad ArcGIS 2.4

    • The release of both Flash Builder 4.5 and the Flex 2.4 version of ArcGIS are major milestones for geospatial developers looking to build mobile apps. The video below shows an AIR app running on an IPad2 using ArcGIS 2.4 (this same mobile ArcGIS application runs on Android devices also): The Mobile GIS application has the more »

  • IPhone IOS Mobile Maps: ArcGIS & Location Based Services (LBS)

    • IPhone Application Development & Location Based Services Continuing with our mobile application development work. The IPhone and IPad remain intriguing platforms. Both popular and easy to use for consumers. They have remained a frustration for some mobile programmers. Notably those writing AIR and Flex applications for mobile. With the release of Flash Builder 4.5.1 life more »

  • Capture the compilation options used by Flash Builder

    • Suppose you are trying to set up a nightly build system — your developers use Flex Builder during the day, and you are creating an Ant task that runs every night. And you want the Ant task to use exactly the same build settings that are used by the developers. mxmlc and compc have a more »

  • Mobile GIS: IPhone ArcGIS & OpenScales using Adobe AIR

    • Well we live in rapidly changing times. Mobile GIS, and geolocation services remain in their infancy. Mobile itself is evolving. New hardware is being released, notably tablets. Software remains confusing with Web and native apps supported differently on the various platforms. Mobile software development has also had its challenges. But the recent release of Flash more »

  • BlackBerry PlayBook ArcGIS Viewer App Released

    • WebMapSolutions have just released to the Blackberry App World an ArcGIS mobile application. Based on the ESRI Flex viewer, this is a free app. It is a first version of a more complete application, to be released later in the Summer. The application is called ArcGIS Viewer and can be downloaded directly from App World more »

  • PlayBook & IPad Mobile Application Development

    • We’ve spent time recently focused on developing tablet mobile applications. Our targets have been the BlackBerry PlayBook and IPad2. We’ve just had our first app accepted in BlackBerry’s App World. So how was the experience? Background: Utah Application Development Company Some context first. We have been fully focused on Web application development for most of more »

  • Custom Mobile Application Development: Brands and Mobile Marketing

    • The growth of the smartphone provides a number of opportunities for brands to engage with consumers based on their current location. According to stats from the Mobile Marketing Association, 26% of mobile users regularly use a map, navigation tool or similar service that automatically determines their current location. Location-based marketing allows brands to adapt their more »

  • Utah Application Development

    • We are a custom software development company based in Utah. Much of our focus has turned to mobile application development. Smartphones remain the primary mobile device, but tablets such as the IPad and Blackberry PlayBook, are of increasing popularity. We have started building two types of mobile applications; those suitable for the limited screen real more »

  • Utah Mobile Application Development

    • We are an application development company based in Utah. How odd. When running a Google search today for Mobile Application Development Utah, I came up with a link which, when visiting the web site, sounded wonderful. Seeming experts in mobile application development. And based in Utah. After digging deeper, it turned out the company was more »

  • Mobile Location Software Development

    • It seems that efforts at monetizing geographic information has become all the rage. Once geographic information meant maps. Clever systems were developed – geographic information systems or GIS – to store and allow analysis and visualization of geographic data. Smartphones and portable tablets have broadened both the interest and potential of location for making money. more »

  • Mobile in the Enterprise: Challenges and Benefits

    • The mobile revolution is upon us. According to Nielsen, just over a third of cell phone subscribers in the US now have smartphones. Mobile tablets, such the IPad and BlackBerry PlayBook, are new. Penetration remains limited. But with a slew of new releases planned for 2011, this will be a buoyant sector. The days of more »

  • Mobile Location Based Application Development

    • The tech blogs are buzzing with excitement over mobile application development. Smartphones and mobile tablets offer new and interesting extensions of existing Web applications, plus the opportunity for new innovation. But both the hardware and software are ahead of business adoption. A phenomena noted historically with new technology leaps; the advent of the Web being more »

  • Geolocation LBS News: May 7th 2011

    • Location Service Links social-networking-links Location Service Links The Revenue Models of Location Twitter Location API http://mashable.com/2010/01/23/local-trends-analysis/ http://mashable.com/2010/03/02/twitter-location-api-places/ Location API’s http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/places/ http://api.foursquare.com/v1/tips.json?geolat=40.57114422245806&geolong=-111.87560430090332&l=50 http://api.yelp.com/business_review_search?&lat=40.57831549732822&long=-111.88023915808105&radius=0.1&limit=20 http://api.gowalla.com/spots?lat=40.57831549732822&lng=-111.88023915808105&radius=100 http://code.google.com/apis/gears/api_geolocation.html

  • Mobile ArcGIS Demo: BlackBerry PlayBook Advanced Functionality

    • A mobile AIR application running on the BlackBerry PlayBook. This is a demo of an ArcGIS mapping application. It shows both basic and advanced functionality, including base layer switching, overview map, geocoder and draw tool.

  • Mobile ArcGIS Demo: BlackBerry PlayBook & IPad

    • A mobile AIR application running on the BlackBerry PlayBook. This is a demo of an ArcGIS mapping application. It shows both basic and advanced functionality, including base layer switching, overview map, geocoder and draw tool.

  • Mobile Applications & Facility Management

    • We are in the midst of a mobile device revolution. Smartphones and now tablet mobile devices are proliferating. In this article we will discuss what impact these changes will have on facility management. Smartphones versus Tablets According to Nielsen, just over a third of cell phone subscribers in the US now have smartphones. That is more »

  • BlackBerry PlayBook: An Open Source (OpenScales) GIS Mobile Map Application Demo

    • For some time, we have wanted to develop an open source mobile AIR application, running on the BlackBerry PlayBook. This is a video of the actual device, demonstrating some of the core functionality of an OpenScales mobile application:

  • BlackBerry PlayBook: ArcGIS Mobile Map Application Demo

    • We have just completed the first phase of development on an ESRI ArcGIS mobile AIR application running on the BlackBerry PlayBook. This is a video which demonstrates base functionality of the application. ArcGIS Mobile Map Application BlackBerry PlayBook Demo Useful Technical Resources Solving sparkskin issue in Flex 4 Change size of Flex TitleWindow Close Button

  • BlackBerry PlayBook: Location Based Services (LBS) Application Demo

    • This is a video of an AIR application running on the BlackBerry PlayBook. Its a location based services (LBS) applications which demonstrates check-in and check-out. Using the built in GPS in the PlayBook and AIR geolocation API. A SimpleGeo API is used to return places within a fixed distance from the device. Tweet

  • GeoLocation: Flex 4.5 and SimpleGeo

    • I wanted to reference a terrific article by Andrew Muller and provide some source code. Recently I received a BlackBerry Playbook tablet, very exciting. I have a client who is interested in a Flex and AIR check-in app (along the lines of Foursquare). The initial challenge was to get the geolocation of my device and more »

  • Flex 4.5 BlackBerry PlayBook & Geolocation

    • Last week the door bell rang. Standing on my doorstep was a Fed Ex guy holding a package. Addressed to me; unusual. I took it inside, ripped open the packaging in excitement. Looking at me in gleaming black; my new BlackBerry Playbook! BlackBerry PlayBook Initial Reaction My initial reaction. Looks great but it is small, more »

  • Will Tablet Apps replace SmartPhone Apps?

    • My friend Michelle has a cool IPhone app. Its for finding houses for sale. How it works. You drive past a home and notice the For Sale sign. The house number sticks in your head. Grab your IPhone … open the app .. type in the number and bingo a list of homes with that more »

  • Geolocation & Location Based Services – Opportunity Knocks Part 1

    • This is part one of a two part series on the location sector. Large scale changes are occurring with the increasing popularity of mobile devices. Many new location based services are being launched. In this first article, we will consider some of these services sectors; location based services (LBS), geolocation services (GS) and geospatial services. more »

  • The Future of Web GIS

    • The Future of Web GIS – Dr. Pinde Fu, ESRI What are some of the advances that we will see in Web GIS in the next few years? Dr. Fu: It is difficult to predict exactly where Web GIS will be in the next few years, but past successes and lessons clearly point to the more »

  • Mobile Maps: OpenLayers Mobile GIS

    • There remains much confusion about the mobile market. Quite typical of the early stages of a new paradigm shift, as companies map out both their products and business models. One thing I am increasingly getting asked is: “I want to build a location based app for mobile what do you suggest?” What I suggest is more »

  • Developing Location Based Services (LBS) Mobile Applications

    • So maybe you have a new fabulous idea for a Location Based Services (LBS) mobile application. Or, you are looking to migrate or extend your non-mobile Web presence to mobile. Where do you begin and what questions should you ask? Let’s demystify the landscape a little and maybe help frame some of the questions you more »

  • GeoLocation & GeoSpatial: BlackBerry PlayBook Flex Map Framework

    • I have mentioned here a framework I worked with historically, which was used for a Web application using Flex modules. A nice framework for mobile I felt, but, with modules, running natively on a mobile it would not work. I have adapted the framework, and here have added a mapping element. Figure 1: BlackBerry PlayBook more »

  • ArcGIS Flex Widgets: Using Query Builder and Draw Widgets Outside the 2.2 Viewer

    • I’ve mentioned my love hate relationship with the ESRI ArcGIS 2.2 Flex viewer in previous posts. To summarise, it is a quick way to get a functional, cool looking ArcGIS Flex viewer up and running. There is also a growing library of widgets which can be dropped in. Many offering very cool functionality. Most, have more »

  • This weeks GeoLocation News Bytes: March 25

    • Apple iOS Maps Developer in Cupertino would help “radically improve how people interact with maps and location-based services.” User interface design is a must, as well as a “passion” for location-based technologies. iOS Maps does not compare well with the latest on Android. Missing features including turn-by-turn directions, 3D maps, topography, offline maps, and information more »

  • Mobile GIS: ArcGIS Flex 2.2 Viewer Issues

    • On the Flex side of the ESRI world, much emphasis is being given to the new Flex template. Developers are being encouraged to write new widgets, and the company are pushing hard in its promotion. One thing struck me as odd. The Flex template is a Web only application. It will not run as app more »

  • Mobile GIS: Travel Guides and Video Maps

    • A few years ago I wrote a travel application using the Flex open source API Modest Maps. Figure 1 is an image of the application. Figure 1: Combining interactive map with Video and Web links The application combined a travel video, in this case on China, with an interactive map. One of the nice things more »

  • Mobile GIS: BlackBerry PlayBook Map Application Framework

    • Now RIM have released a simulator for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, we can test our Flex apps prior to the release of the actual device. I’ve posted some video already of apps I have written running in the simulator. One thing I keep revisiting is Flex UI design for mobile. I’ve written previously about IPad more »

  • Mobile GIS: Flex or Javascript

    • I was recently asked the following interesting question: “if we wanted to develop an application for an IPad or similar, should we use a Javascript API?” Mobile development: Flex or Javascript? My response: “Mobile devices have both browsers and native applications. For Apple most native apps are written in Objective C. These are the ones more »

  • Maps on the BlackBerry PlayBook

    • Flex Map Applications on the BlackBerry PlayBook Finally it is possible to side step the IPad and run applications on rival devices. The IPad has been a device of discussion and controversy; centred around how Apple have restricted applications which run on the devices. The lack of Flash Player has irked many developers including myself. more »

  • Mobile ArcGIS: Flex ArcGIS Running on The BlackBerry PlayBook

    • Flex ArcGIS Maps on the BlackBerry PlayBook I’ve mentioned the new simulator for the soon to be released BlackBerry PlayBook for Flex Burrito in other posts. Below is a video of an ArcGIS application I have ported to the new simulator. This is still work in progress. My hope is to build something like this more »

  • OpenScales GIS on the BlackBerry PlayBook

    • The release of the new BlackBerry Playbook Simulator for Flash Builder Burrito very exciting. I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to build mapping and GIS application on tablet devices. It took me a little while to get everything set up. You will need to follow the instructions in the RIM video available from the development more »

  • Mobile OpenScales GIS and the BlackBerry PlayBook

    • Flex Maps on the BlackBerry PlayBook An updated version of an application being written for the BlackBerry PlayBook. This shows an OpenScales mapping application running on the simulator.

  • Issues with OpenScales Mapping Applications running on the Playbook Simulator

    • The release of the new Playbook Simulator is very exciting. Finally we can start testing our mapping solutions on mobile devices with useable screen sizes. Configuring and developing for the Playbook simulator is an ever changing landscape, as with all newly released tools. So keep an eye on the most up to date articles. Most more »

  • Combining OpenScales with ArcGIS

    • Open source purists will be horrified. Well not really, we are already using Yahoo and Bing base maps in other applications described here. But how about hooking into ArcGIS? ESRI pay lip service somewhat to the OGC standards. They conform to some. So WMS is in, WFS out. So let’s try WMS. Let’s take one more »

  • Building Rich Open Source GeoSpatial Internet Applications in Flex

    • Whenever developers or companies look to build rich Internet geospatial applications or RIA’s in Flex, they usually turn to proprietary tools. ESRI, Google, yahoo etc; all provide Flex mapping API’s. But what about open source options? Flex Open Source GeoSpatial Internet Applications Over this last year, I have been working with two excellent open source more »

  • Open Source GIS: OpenScales and WFS

    • OpenScales offers very nice Web Feature Service (WFS) rendering. Just as a reminder; Web Map Service (WMS) is an image generated by the spatial server, in contrast WFS involves the server passing feature attributes to the client (in this case Flex or more accurately the generated swf) and the features being assembled as objects on more »

  • Open Source GIS: OpenScales Application Download

    • After a year or more of working with the open source Flex mapping API OpenScales, it struck me that a download-able template might help the user community. The OpenScales team provide some excellent code examples on their Web site. I wanted to pull this functionality, plus some custom additions, into one application. A few months more »

  • Broken Images in Chrome

    • Just found the following will produce broken images in the Chrome browser: <img src="http://flexmappers.com/img/blog/openscales/openscales_print_widget.png" alt="Openscales print widget" width="60%" height="40%"/> Remove the image sizing and all is good: <img src="http://flexmappers.com/img/blog/openscales/openscales_print_widget.png" alt="Openscales print widget" />

  • Images of Volcanic Lightning

    • Three superb pictures of lightning generated from erupting volcanoes. Mt Shinmoedake, Japan Mt Merapi, Indonesia

  • Flash iOS Packager Tips from SwfHead

    • The article below was written by Tony at http://swfhead.com/blog/?p=1056. Its provides some excellent advice on the ‘Flash iOS Packager’. Flash iOS Packager Tips – Vol. 1 (Design and Animation) February 1st, 2011 iOS app creation is all the rage these days. And the hopes for creating apps with Flash are abound. I’ve done a bit more »

  • OpenScales Print Widget

    • I made available for

  • Flex Mobile Framework

    • I recently wrote a blog entry comparing Weather Bug and Weather Channel IPad apps. I’ve been thinking for a while, along with many others I am sure, about Flex application design on these new tablet devices. Tablet Flex Application Design Some years ago I was working on a very interesting Flex framework. Web based, and more »

  • Flex Open Source Geolocation Solutions: OpenScales Widgets

    • Widgets from Other Mapping Applications OpenScales comes with some nice tools. Historically coupling was the biggest challenge. Meaning, tools could not easily be loaded independently (as widgets) for example. And many did not play well when combined with other tools. The drawing tool comes to mind. Things have got better. In an ideal world it more »

  • Flex Open Source Geolocation Solutions: OpenScales and WMS/WFS Styling

    • Web Map Service (WMS) Vs Web Map Feature (WFS) OpenScales Flex API handles both WMS and WFS. Its one of the really nice things about the API. The difference confused me when I first came across these terms years ago. Simply; WMS is a REST based request which returns a image. In contrast WFS returns more »

  • Apple Vs Flash

    • Apple Vs Flash My friend Andy’s funny video on Apple Vs Flash

  • GeoLocation meets GeoSpatial: Application Development and Design for the Tablet

    • Do I own a tablet PC yet? It pains me to admit not. As a geospatial Flex developer the IPad, even though we can now sidestep the silly Apple restrictions, remains a pain. I am waiting for the Android tablet Spring releases. This has not stopped me from closely watching location based application being currently more »

  • ArcGIS: Some Tips on Converting an Application from AGS 1.2 to 2.2

    • I’m still in the process of converting an ArcGIS application from Flex Builder 3 to Flash Builder 4, and upgrading to the newest swc from ESRI; ags_2.2. Its actually proving a less daunting exercise than I had expected. A number of things have changed, but so far it has been a case of weeding out more »

  • Flex 4: XML appendChild and double-escaping Issue

    • So I am migrating a geospatial application from Flex Builder to Flash Builder 4. New IDE, and current SDK. All was going so smoothly until I came across an issue with XML appendChild. With 3.5 I could pass in a string and all worked well: newXML.appendChild(“one“); In 4.0 the < and > are converted to more »

  • Best of Italy on the IPad

    • Now this is a really lovely application. I’ve been wanting a better travel resource for some time. A few years ago, I built an application which integrated a travel video with an interactive map, and links to the web based on places mentioned. Here is our web application This IPad application (see below) is the more »

  • Flex ArcGIS Map on Android Mobile

  • The Challenge that is Web Map Service (WMS)

    • I have been trying to implement a WMS widget in an ESRI Flex ArcGIS application. The widget was spec’d to reach out to any WMS service. But, as I have worked through it, I have found a series of WMS issues. Most relate to the fact that the application uses a Web Mercator projection and more »

  • Adobe Flex to Javascript Cross-Compiler

    • Saw mention of this on James Ward’s blog.

  • ArcGIS on the IPhone

    • It seems that much attention was given to building mobile applications with Flex at the recent Adobe MAX conference. Mobile Devices and ArcGIS Mansour at ESRI must have been at MAX. He has written a nice little piece on building ArcGIS applications for mobile devices. What particularly caught my attention was the IPhone portion of more »

  • Flex Video Annotation and GIS

    • I read much these days about aerial video. Taken from drones, small aircraft or satellites. And used for surveillance, tracking wildfires, monitoring deforestation; to name but a few. So let me ask a question. Suppose I am monitoring a wildfire. I fly the area three times a day, flying the same route, and recording both more »

  • Flex WFS Query

    • Working with Openscales – the Flex open source mapping API – I’ve been querying Geoserver using WFS GET parameters. But I have found some issues both with building the query and response times. Flex GeoServer – WFS Query The OGC WFS filter looks like this: http://server/geoserver/wfs?request=getfeature&service=wfs&version=1.1.1&outputformat=GML3&typename=Sun:AddrPts_City&Filter= ADDRKEY 12203 Looks simple, but try adding AND OR more »

  • Flex Video Annotation for Fly Overs

    • I am very interested in combining video with mapping. I’ve messed around with this historically with a travel site. I was intrigued to read about YouTubes work in this area. Flex Video Annotation I posted a question to StackOverflow and somebody from onion.tv replied. They mentioned the YouTube AS3 API. I will be digging into more »

  • MultiMedia Mapping with Modest Maps

    • Some while ago I experimented with the Modest Maps Flex API. This is an excellent API for non GIS mapping. Its particularly good for building so called mash ups. So blending maps with video, imagery and other location based data. Ski Resort Mapping – Arkade Magazine I recently teamed up with the excellent Arkade Snowboard more »

  • SWIZ Flex Framework and ArcGIS

    • Historically, I’ve used my own MVC framework for my mapping applications. I’ve often wondered about using more formal frameworks. The likes of Hibernate and PureMVC have scared me off. But Swiz has interested me, it seems lightweight. So I jumped in and started to take a look. Here is the demo I came up with. more »

  • Flex htmlText Property

    • Supported Tags The htmlText property supports the following tags, a subset of HTML that supported by Flash and AIR: b – Bold tag for text i – Italic tag for text u – Underline tag for text a – Anchor tag for links (more information below) br – Break tag for text font – Font more »

  • ArcGIS Flex Solution

    • The Flex API for ArcGIS remains one of the best for developing Web based GIS applications. The API provides the base for building highly customised applications. ESRI have also made available the Flex 2.2 viewer which provides a quick and easy way to stand up a fully functioning Flex ArcGIS application. It comes with a more »

  • Open Source Flex GIS Solutions

    • There remain few Flex GIS (Geographic Information System) API’s outside of that offered by ESRI for ArcGIS. Though an excellent API, its requires that clients have a purchased license(s) for ArcGIS. Depending on the number of licenses, this can be very costly. ArcGIS also is not fully compliant with the OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) standards. more »

  • OpenScales Advanced Functionality

    • I enjoy working with the Flex Openscales API for geospatial development. But the tight coupling drives me bonkers. Just add the drawing tool for example and see the side effects. Dropping in any of the pre-built tools is a major pain. That said, once one moves onto building custom tools, life become somewhat easier. Flex more »

  • ArcGIS Flex API: FindTask Filtered by Extent

    • Is there a way to filter FindTask by an extent? Directly no. Usually one needs to generate a QueryTask. ArcGIS FindTask filtered by Extent There is a way though one can do this using an extent filer, See the following code: private function executeFindCompleteHandler(event:FindEvent):void {        filteredFindFeature = new Array();       more »

  • ArcGIS: Dynamically Find Type (dynamic or tiled) then Load Multiple Map Services

    • ArcGIS Flex – Loading Multiple Maps and Discovering Map Type via JSON Sometimes we do not know the map type before we load it using the ArcGIS Flex API; tiled or dynamic. The code below outlines a method you can use to achieve this, loading multiple services. The approach relies on an initial JSON call more »

  • Geoserver and Zoom to Features

    • Flex and Geoserver – Zooming to Group of Features Using the Openscales Flex library, I have been trying to query parcels based on an owners name. And zooming to the group of features returned. I am using Geoserver on the backend. Zooming to a single feature is easy, but getting the ‘aggregated bounds’ or extent more »

  • Flex ArcGIS and Caching

    • ArcGIS and Flex – Pre-determining the Type of Layer to Load Was presented with an interesting problem the other day. We needed to load an ArcGIS map which could either be cached or non cached. But how to know which class to use against the map endpoint was the question? Usually with the Flex API more »

  • GIS Services, GIS Consulting, and Mapping Consultants

    • GIS Services Firms and GIS Consulting The range of GIS services provided by GIS consulting firms are many and varied. Some firms are focused on desktop development, and increasingly more on building web based applications. GIS applications themselves are multi-tiered and are often referred to as a “stack”. The “stack” is comprised of a database, more »

  • GIS Application Development using Flex

    • Is there a viable (and cheaper) alternative GIS solution to ArcGIS and the ESRI Flex API? I get asked this question alot, and I usually answer with “it depends”. ESRI ArcGIS Applications and the Flex API ArcGIS is map server technology made by a company called ESRI. ESRI has provided a very nice Flex API for more »