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More on ArcGIS “Sucks”

On February 24, 2011 I posted a blog asking for opinions on ArcGIS 10, mainly due to all the bad reviews I see and hear.  Since that post the hits on this site have spiked, and not because of my awesome content regarding information about earning an advanced degree in GIS or learning about different uses of geographic information on the web.  Most  people have found their way to my site through  “Googling” something related to their feelings about ArcGIS 10.  Thanks to Google Analytics I have extracted the following keywords that have driven traffic to my site over the past two weeks.

  • arcgis 10 sucks
  • arcgis 10 comments
  • “arcgis 10 sucks”
  • arcgis 10 is awful
  • arcgis 10 issues
  • arcgis 10 never opens
  • arcgis 10 problem
  • arcgis 10 reviews
  • arcgis stinks
  • arcgis sucks
  • arcmap 10 sucks
  • arcgis10 review 2011
  • does arcgis10 suck
  • esri arc 10 ratings
  • i hate gis – (haha, I love this one.  I once had a friend in grad school who lived by this mantra)
  • problems with arcgis 10
  • problems with arcmap 10
  • reviews arcgis 10

This is crazy!  What drives people to go to Google and type in one of the previous keywords?  I want to know!  Yes, there are problems with ArcGIS 10, but I have found much more success than frustration since I installed it this past June.  For example, I have built a number large and complex models and python scripts that handle millions (yes, millions) of points, that perform analysis on tens of thousands of polygons, and create multi-gigabyte output files that run perfectly ever time.  I have a model running right now and the results will be ready when I get to work.  I’ve had no major problems with raster analysis, map creation, or data sharing.  Are there bumps in the road? Sure, but a comparable number of bumps to the other software that I use…

Now, do I have some kick ass machines that run the processes?  Yes.  Do I have an ArcInfo level licenses?  No, I’m using ArcView. But the point is that I am able to do everything I want to do with the software.  Are people having issues with software configurations, hardware limitations, or user error (it’s never user error by the way…).

I want to know what problems others are running into so that I can avoid those mistakes, because I hate downtime and I love results.

Have you had a problem?  Leave a comment.  I’d love to know what problems people are having.  You never know, someone else may have had the same problem, or they know of a solution.

 

 

 

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In Defense of the WMS

Earlier this week James Fee, celebrity GIS blogger (seriously, how many other GIS bloggers can you name), posted a blog about the death of the WMS.  He was commenting on a blog from Sophia Parafina, who was discussing the difficulties of working with the WMS URL.  Surprisingly enough, this isn’t the first time someone has shared their  “love” of the WMS standard.

If you have programmed using a WMS you probably have become frustrated when trying to understand what each component of the URL means, the differences between the different versions, and how different GIS server software handles the WMS.  I don’t think the WMS is dead, but its use may need to be reevaluated.  For example,  the WMS servers that I take advantage of tend to have few datasets (less than 30) served from them, and I only use raster datasets, such as historical maps, or aerial photography, in my applications.  I try to avoid large WMS servers with 100s of layers, and I rarely use vector from them, because I don’t like wait times with large WMS servers, and vector data renders poorly.

I like to use WMS data from a number of different sources as base maps for use in Google map mash-ups.  I’ve found that using the WMS for this purpose equals fast response times in an easy to use interface.  Now, what about decoding the URL?  Well, it took a couple of hours of trial and error but a few lines of javascript can read the WMS URL pretty easily.  I didn’t create the code myself, but like any programmer, I definitely had help from a number of different online sources.

Here are a few Google Maps V3 API examples running WMS data:

ArcGIS Server WMS in Google Maps

Open Layers WMS in Google Maps

Cadcorp WMS Google Maps

Microsoft Research Maps in Google Maps

Multiple WMS Service in a Single Site

Large Aerial Photography Datasets

That’s all for today!  Hooray weekend!

p.s., For my next post I’ll try to have a couple of pictures.  People hate reading.

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Does everybody hate ArcGIS 10?

We have all been there.  You are in the middle of some process using ArcGIS 10, trying to finish a project for a deadline, and one of two things happen: the hour glass starts to run and never stops, or your ArcGIS  screen just disappears and you get the “oh no, something broke” window to report an error (which you never do).

AAAAHHHH!

Since ArcGIS 10’s debut back in June I’ve read and heard a number of opinions (many times unsolicited) about the latest release and subsequent service pack.  As you can imagine some reviews are glowing, and some are not so great.  When I do a quick Google search for “ArcGIS 10 Review” very few results appear that aren’t from Esri themselves.

Now when I do a Google search for “esri arcgis 10 stinks” or “esri arcgis 10 sucks” the results are much more, let’s say, robust.  Three message boards really stuck out and can be found here, here, and here.

When reading though these message boards you must read them with a grain of salt. First of all, people will complain about anything and everything.  Second, many complaints have nothing to do with the software itself, but with user error or machine problems.

I also believe that many users are intimidated by GIS software and when something goes wrong they may get the urge to post insane comments with poor grammar because they are frustrated with something that may be out of their control.  I can understand where some of these people are coming from, but ArcGIS really isn’t a beginner’s software.  I’ve been using Ersi’s software for over eight years and I learn something new all the time.

Yes, ArcGIS 10 has its share of problems.  Yes, ArcGIS 10 probably isn’t the best piece of software for beginners or light users of GIS. I do believe if you are a high end user working with large datasets or you need to  perform some serious GIS analysis ArcGIS is a strong tool that I would recommend.

It could be worse for Esri, they could be SQL Server, Oracle, or Visual Studio.

And for the record, I like ArcGIS 10, especially ArcGIS Server 10.

Well, that is my two cents.  What has your experience with ArcGIS 10 been like?  Did you have to revert back to 9.3.1?  Do you post insane comments on GIS message boards when you are having a tough GIS day?  If so let me know.