ARCIMS SERVICES FOR USE IN ARCMAP, ARCREADER AND ARCEXPLORER

ArcMap  ArcReader and the Java version of ArcExplorer can be clients for ArcIMS services.  Admittedly  thickish clients, but there are situations where it makes sense.  For example,

• Sensitive data - ArcIMS can be set up to serve secure services (https://) which require passwords for access.  The security level is very high with this approach particularly if the service is an image service.
• Data that changes very frequently.  If there are constant, e.g. daily or more often, changes to the data that you want reflected in people's work the best option is to store it in an SDE database and serve up that data layer in a service.  This saves you the hassle of setting up SDE users for connection to the database.
• When the Internet is really the only connection to the client.  Many applications have far-flung users that are not networked so that SDE databases or network file sharing systems will not work for them.  The solutions are to serve data through the web or have a regular way to update their data.
• Data you do not want people to have on their computers.  When a data layer is served through an image service, what is returned to the user is y just a graphic image.  It looks just like you want it to look, i.e. as symbolized features, but there are no features there.  When you serve the data as a feature service the users can export the data to other locations.

The process is very straightforward.  Use Author to create the AXL file, edit it if necessary with an XML or text editor, and use Administrator to create the service.  You do not need to create a website for this service so Designer is not necessary.  The symbolization and scale rendering dependencies you set are not modifiable by the client so you need to work with the users to make sure that the symbols and scale drawing levels work well for them.  If you are using the service with ArcMap you are done.  If you want to use the service with ArcReader you will need to have the Publisher extension and publish the service(s) inside the PMF file.  Remember, ArcReader does not have functionality to add data so any ArcReader application must contain pointers to all the data the application will need whether it is web or file-based or some combination.  The Java version of ArcExplorer will also read ArcIMS services and this freeware allows you to add data.

You have two data options when creating these services:

1. Create many services using the same data for different needs.  For example, if you want to display parcel lines over aerial photography you will want different symbolization than if you wanted to display them over a white map background.  Since the symbolization is coded in the AXL file you would need two services with two slightly different AXL files to meet these differing needs.
   
   You need to be careful with this option because of the way ArcIMS works.  When you start getting a very large number of services running on one spatial server, e.g. 50, ArcIMS can refuse to render map content.  It gets more problematic when the services access large numbers of shapefiles which require more server resources to track than SDE layers.  The threads in the support list serv generally point to the System Design white paper as containing the most information about this issue if you run into problems.
    
2. Create a single basemap service - this service would contain a small set of important base layers that most users will need.  They can bring this service into a data frame and then add other local information to do their work.

Also, remember that the service you create can also be used by web sites created with Designer, i.e. the same service could be used in an Intranet or Internet web site.

Task  -  You are going to create a basemap image service or services for use within an organization. Keep it simple with only a few layers.  I want to see the following in your service:

• appropriate scale dependent rendering and label rendering.  For example, if your area has a road layer where there is a field that shows the level in the road hierarchy, e.g. Limited_Access, Arterial,Local, you could create separate layers (since ArcIMS does not support definition queries) of Limited_Access, Limited_Access and Arterial, and All_Rds.  The Limited_Access layer would display at full zoom and down to a certain level when the Limited_Access_and_Arterial layers would kick in and then finally, at some scale, the All__Rds would appear with different symbols for the three values.  Roads and any other very dense layer like land parcels, will need careful handling with respect to scale.
• appropriate symbolization - if you find air photography, make sure your symbols allow the photography to show through.  If your organization is within CT you can use the ECW service at UConn for a backdrop orthophoto  at ecwp://137.99.85.71/iwsecw/ct_complete.ecw  You must load the ECW/JPEG 2000 extension and toolbar to have this display in ArcMap or ArcReader.  ArcExplorer will not read ECW files from the web or as a file.  ArcExplorer will read the other, normal image formats, e.g. SID, TIFF and IMG.
• It must work with ArcMap, ArcReader and ArcExplorer. 
• Only image services
• If you want to see examples:
  • ArcMap:  n:\int_gis_map\ims_try2.mxd
  • ArcReader:  n:\int_gis_map\ims_try2.pmf
  • ArcExplorer: n:\int_gis_map\ims_ae.axl (no air photo)

Note: You may begin this either with Author or ArcMap.  If you do it with ArcMap make sure you copy the needed data to the C: drive - Administrator will not see data stored as n:\int_gis_map\studata ; it needs \\sundog\geog_cmn as the location reference.  But if you do it with ArcMap make sure you place your map files (mxd, pmf and axl) where I can get at them, i.e. not on the C drive of your local machine.  If you use ArcMap you will set up an Image Service on ImageServerArcMap1 on your machine.   You will get into less trouble if you use Author and remember to change the references to the N: drive to \\sundog\geog_cmn.

Data - go to the Internet and find an organization that is kind enough to make its data available to you directly.  I would avoid state-level organizations and go more for cities, counties or regional entities.  This site has some links to data by state - I do not vouch for its accuracy or currency.  http://libraries.mit.edu/gis/data/datalinks/statedataweb.html#MA

E-mail me the exact locations of your mxd, pmf and axl files when you are done.