Free ArcGIS Explorer Now Available

ESRI announced today the latest release of ArcGIS Explorer. The new version (ArcGIS Explorer 440) includes more ways to customize your maps, efficient methods of communicating information about features on your custom maps, and instantaneous navigation to target areas around the globe.

Performance when connecting to ArcIMS services has significantly increased, enabling users to better leverage the many existing 2D services in their ArcGIS Explorer 3D environment. In addition, users can now access ArcIMS sublayers, enabling the selection of desired content and providing better control.

This release also includes new billboarded point symbol sets as well as the ability for users to add their own custom symbols from local images or images found on the Web.

Pop-up windows are now supported for both results and local data sources and can be customized and configured using style sheets. This enables users to create better visual representations and communicate detailed information for specific features.

Other improvements include better KML support, new navigation options, access to map layer properties, enhanced result management, and more.

The ArcGIS Explorer Resource Center, where users can find content such as maps and layers, also includes a number of enhancements. Two new tabs have been added to the Content section to make it easier to find results and tasks. The Community Showcase has been improved to make it easier for users to browse maps and link to Web sites that include maps created with ArcGIS Explorer. Users can also browse the ArcGIS Explorer Blog, a dynamic and effective resource for finding out the latest information and learning about real-life examples of how ArcGIS Explorer is used by geographic information system (GIS) professionals in their daily work.

"Our philosophy of frequent user-focused releases allows us to address customer needs quickly. This recent release of ArcGIS Explorer directly reflects our response to user feedback and our experience and what we've learned from using ArcGIS Explorer in recent real-world problems," says Bern Szukalski, product manager for ArcGIS Explorer.

To download the latest version of ArcGIS Explorer and access the ArcGIS Explorer Resource Center, visit www.esri.com/arcgisexplorer.