Map service usage

Once you've created the map service, it will be available to both local and Internet clients of the GIS server. Because of the many capabilities it exposes, a map service can be used in a large number of ESRI and non-ESRI applications. These include the following:

• ArcMap
• ArcGIS Server Web Mapping applications
• ArcGIS JavaScript API applications
• ArcGIS API for Flex applications
• ArcGIS Explorer
• ArcGlobe
• ArcReader
• ArcGIS Engine applications
• ArcGIS for AutoCAD
• Bing Maps (using the ArcGIS Extension for Bing Maps)
• Google Maps (using the ArcGIS Extension for the Google Maps API)
• Google Earth (as KML)
• WMS client applications (as WMS)
• WCS client applications (as WCS)
• WFS client applications (as WFS)
• Mobile applications (as a mobile data service)

Following are notes on using map services in some of the most common ESRI client applications:

Using map services in Web applications

When you build a Web Mapping Application using ArcGIS Server Manager, you specify which map services you want to appear in the map display. The services are displayed in the application using the Web ADF Map control. You can also use the Web ADF Map control to build an application from scratch.

Alternatively, you can use JavaScript, Flex, or Silverlight to include map services in your Web applications. In these types of applications, you use the Services Directory to obtain the REST endpoint (URL) for your map service. You then paste this URL in your JavaScript, Flex, or Silverlight code when you initialize the map.

Visit the ArcGIS Server page in the ArcGIS Resource Center to learn more about the different Web application development APIs available for ArcGIS Server.

Using map services with ArcGIS Explorer

You can obtain ArcGIS Explorer for free from Esri.com or with the ArcGIS Server product and use it as a client for your ArcGIS Server services. ArcGIS Server map services can be added to both two- and three-dimensional maps in ArcGIS Explorer.

Using map services with ArcGIS Desktop

Both ArcMap and ArcGlobe support adding ArcGIS Server map services as data. Additionally, you can use ArcCatalog to preview and administer a map service.

If you are accessing a Web-enabled map service using ArcGIS Desktop, the Binary messaging format must be enabled for the service. Messaging formats are set at the root folder level, so to change the messaging format for a service, you must use ArcCatalog or Manager to edit the root folder's properties. By default, both Binary and SOAP messaging formats are enabled.