Autodesk/Google Bundle
For quite some time now I have been intrigued by what’s going on at the base of the GIS pyramid (a lot of confusion, that’s what). These are your casual GIS folks who only need to access a GIS once in a while, preferably via a simple, user-friendly and free user interface. What application should they use? No good candidate exists presently, and I wrote about that back in July.
Google Earth has been making inroads into that sector as of late. The application has become an instant mainstream hit. The Plus and Pro editions make it easy to overlay your existing GIS and GPS data on top of the familiar base map. And a number of developers have created extra tools for importing your GIS database into Google Earth.
Now, Autodesk announces an Autodesk/Google bundle. According to The All Points Blog, Autodesk just released the Autodesk Government Geospatial Solution with Google Earth Pro. The bundle, of course, uses the popularity of Google Earth to promote the Autodesk platform.
Do you think that Google Earth is poised to become the de-facto standard in front-end mapping? Do you think that bundles such as this one can tip the market share scales for GIS software vendors? Would you adopt Google Earth as the front-end mapping application for your organization’s GIS?
Let’s discuss.
Categories: Autodesk, GIS, Google
Tags: Autodesk GIS Google
Great topic. I have been wondering and watching how Google Earth is affecting the GIS world.
Some people will really get into Google Earth and do incredible things with it; others will just do what they can. All Google Earth users will be GISers without really knowing it. I assume the serious folks who can't get Google Earth to do exactly what they want, will start investigating other GIS software.
I have thought about what it would mean to adopt Google Earth as a front-end mapping application. My main concern is that it would take a more specialized IT person to master the KML file formats and whatever else is new. It's sometimes overwhelming to try to keep up with the rapid change in a field like this.
I am glad you find the topic interesting. I am particularly intrigued to see if the Google Earth entry will force the major GIS software vendors to revise their strategy regarding the end-user market segment. It looks like it's happening, at least with Autodesk.
I've been asked that question by everyone that contacts me about the site I'm using to publish my city's GIS data to Google Earth.
At this point, the answer is no. There are at least three reasons for this:
1) Licensing. Google Earth's licensing (clarified for version 4) basically does not allow anyone to have it installed in a work setting without paying for Pro.
2) Overkill. There are quite a few applications where all you really want is a flat 2D map. Users don't want to take the time to load up Google Earth.
3) Underkill. Google Earth is a great visualisation tool, but it is lacking in many features that makes it difficult to use as a front end replacement. For instance, there is no way to specify layer ordering, and the only way to discover a polygon's attributes is by holding down your CTRL button and clicking on it.
None of this means that Google Earth does not have a role to play in a GIS strategy. It does, however, mean that web mapping and desktop GIS applications do not have to worry about being replaced in the near future.
-J
Jason:
I personally think that overkill is a far greater danger for an end-user application than underkill. After all, all the current "bloatware" was inflicted upon the users by software vendors competing with each other on features. Features, as it turns out, that few users wanted or needed...
You're right no good candidates exist. Way back when, there was ArcExplorer. Been there, done that, not sexy enough, and way too clunky. Google Earth, is headed in the right direction for casual users. Tools to import GIS data don't seem to be robust enough at this time.
hi all
my company does a lot of work with GE and we also produce a tool called Arc2Earth (http://www.arc2earth.com ) that convert ArcGIS data into the GE format.
first I’d like to echo Jason’s comments, because I think they are pretty close to what we have seen. GE is not perfect tool all jobs, there is certainly need for simple online maps and traditionally desktop GIS software.
1) Licensing – total agreement, the Pro license cost is not in line with what it offers. I think Brian Timoney says it best in his comment on Directions Mag - “As matters stand now, the sophistication of the interface stands in stark contrast to the penny-wise/pound-foolish manner in which the product is currently being monetized “ http://www.allpointsblog.com/archives/1845-BA-and-Google-and-Marketing....html#c4448
2) Overkill – I would also agree with Jason’s assessment, you don’t always need 3D. For our municipal clients, we are building an online portal (http://www.spatialdatalogic.com/sdl/sol_Portal.aspx) for their workflow and GIS data. GE will serve as an entry point but it will not be the primary one. Personally, I like what PortlandMaps has done where mapping takes a backseat to search. The maps are available for drilldown but not as the main user interface.
3) Underkill – I’m not sure I ever see GE as a full GIS platform but it certainly needs more to make it a great viewer. There’s no notion of “layers” so traditional layer management is hacked together and symbology is mediocre compared to AGX. However the new Region support in GE4 will do wonders for navigation. By changing the visibility of features depending on the viewpoint you will get files that act more like build-in GE data as opposed to “load and view everything” we have now. I also think GE has smoothest drawing and streaming of any of the globes. That being said, there are ways to control GE via the browser or external programs that have shown good promise. From there, you could enable GE to do lots of things “traditional” GIS programs can do but more on this at a later time.
Ron - a couple things to note, the issues with the current exporters mainly revolve around the limitations of GE (namely KML 2.0). Please let me know if you run into any limitations and need a better explanation of why it occurs (or a fix for the software
cheers
brian