ArcInfo
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| Developer(s) | ESRI |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 9.3 / June 28, 2008 |
| Operating system | Windows, Solaris, AIX, Tru64 UNIX |
| Type | GIS |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | esri.com/software/arcgis/arcinfo/index.html |
ArcInfo (formerly called ARC/INFO) is a full-featured geographic information system produced by ESRI, and is the highest level of licensing (and therefore functionality) in the ArcGIS Desktop product line. It was originally a command-line based system. The command-line processing abilities are now available through the GUI of the ArcGIS Desktop product.
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[edit] History
[edit] ARC/INFO
The first version of ARC/INFO was launched in 1982 on minicomputers, as ESRI claims, the very first modern GIS. As computing shifted to Unix and Windows, ESRI followed launching ARC/INFO on both platforms. (A subset of ARC/INFO functionality was released as PC ARC/INFO for DOS in 1987 (see ad in PE&RS April 1988, p. 455) and released later for Windows).
The early releases of ARC/INFO were a set of FORTRAN programs linked accessed through a command-line interface built with the scripting language of the minicomputer, (CPL on PRIMOS, DCL on VMS, etc.). The software was built under a paradigm of tools that could be used together to perform GIS database development, geoprocessing, and output functions.
The release of ARC/INFO 4.0 included the advent of an "Arc executive" which processed commands with a new command interpreter compiled for each platform, for performance and stability. The Arc Executive allowed the support a command language specific to ARC/INFO: the ARC Macro Language (AML). This allows users automate input to the command line, and supports simple graphical user interfaces (menus and forms) for application specific tools and applications. AML was largely based on CPL, the system scripting language of the original ARC/INFO development platform, PRIMOS. AML applications could be written to execute unmodified on all ARC/INFO supported platforms.
[edit] Command line heritage
Due to its history of being a command line based product, and following the introduction of ESRI's first GUI-based GIS (ArcView GIS) in 1992, there is often a distinct age split for command line users of the ArcInfo tools. Many users who were "brought up" on the command line version still make use of it for its speed and large tool-set, using it in conjunction with the GUI offered by ArcGIS. Many of the younger users, however, have never seen it or even realise it is there. In addition, some users find that AML offers quicker processing and scripting times than similar code in the GUI part of ArcGIS using Visual Basic or Python.
[edit] ArcInfo
After ARC/INFO version 7, ESRI underwent a major change in its GIS product family when it released ArcGIS 8.0 late in 1999. With this release, ARC/INFO was discontinued as a standalone product on Windows, but was incorporated into ArcInfo as "ArcInfo Workstation." All of its functionality was still found in the ArcInfo license version of ArcGIS, and a "ArcInfo Workstation" product was still supported on Unix platforms. Over time most ArcInfo functionality has been developed in the ArcGIS Desktop framework.
ESRI announced in 2009 that the final release of ArcInfo Workstation (9.4) will be only supported for Windows (including Windows 7) and Solaris (SPARC).[1]
[edit] Product Information
The current version of ArcInfo (9.3) is only available with the purchase of ArcGIS Desktop on Windows, and as ArcInfo Workstation on UNIX platforms. The term ArcInfo refers to the level of functionality and licensing purchased for that license of the ArcGIS Desktop client on Windows. ArcInfo allows users the most flexibility and control in "all aspects of data building, modeling, analysis, and map display"[2].
ArcInfo includes increased capability in the areas of spatial analysis, geoprocessing, data management, and others.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ESRI, 1999. Understanding GIS—The ARC/INFO method. Environmental System Research Institute, Inc., 602 p. ISBN 978-1879102019
[edit] External links
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