Smallworld + ESRI = GIS Love

Someone pointed out to me recently that ESRI provides some really cool web services that you can host as a data appliance behind your firewall. And with existing WMS SOM functionality or other tile-based Smallworld client code, you can easily expose those ESRI data layers as layers in Smallworld. With a data appliance approach you can host it all in-house. If you decide you don't want to host the server in-house you can probably also arrange to use ESRI's cloud-based web services.

Stop reading here if you don't want to see a commercial appeal. (I don't use Google AdWords on my blog so I have created my own ads :) )

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iFactor Consulting (my employer) has a really cool product called Web Maps Connector. It was originally built to integrate Bing Maps services into Smallworld. But now it can do so much more... from Commercial map service providers, satellite imagery providers, air-photo suppliers, country-specific map providers, open source data, 3rd party data built on open source data and WMS read capabilities, there is something for everyone. Oh, and now it can also integrate ESRI web services into Smallworld. Request more information at info@ifactorconsulting.com

Integrating Parcel Data web services within Smallworld

My employer (iFactor Consulting) recently announced a partnership with Digital Map Products that allows Smallworld users to view and interact with parcel/property data as a web service (press release). I think this is a cool application of web services within the Smallworld paradigm and I hope to see other examples of web service integration. The one web service that people typically think of is geocoding. I have also seen routing, map tiles, and elevation charts. Please let me know how you have integrated web services into your Smallworld environment.

This video shows how the parcel data is integrated into Smallworld.

Smallworld and OpenStreetMap at #swuc

My presentation at the Smallworld Users Conference is titled "Let Other People Maintain Your Landbase (Without Having to Pay Them)". It could just as easily have been titled "Integrating OpenStreetMap with Smallworld".

I will be covering some options for how the utility can move out of the business of maintaining landbase. Most of the presentation will be an introduction to OpenStreetMap and how you might make use of that in your Smallworld applications. If you cannot make it to the presentation, let me know and I will send you the slides.

The presentation is on Friday, September 10 in Key Ballroom 3 from 3:45-4:25pm.

On Saturday, September 11, GE will be hosting a forum titled "Smallworld and the Big World". One of the agenda items is related to "open data". I will be attending that forum and hopefully actively participating in the "open data" bit. This forum will be in Key Ballroom 4 from 2:45-4:30pm.

See you in Baltimore! I am looking forward to meeting lots of people. Please stop by the iFactor booth and say hi.

WMC Webinar Next Week

http://bit.ly/bu9Iwv

iFactor Consulting (my employer) is putting on a webinar next week featuring the Web Maps Connector. There's some pretty cool stuff in there in terms of integrating Smallworld with outside data sources (landbase, weather, satellite imagery, street routing, geocoding, reverse geocoding). If you are interested, please click here for more information.