Managing the performance of ArcGIS map services

In most cases, GIS services tend to be slower than direct access of GIS data from local disk drives. Consequently, as a GIS user, you will continually be looking for ways to improve performance when using GIS services.

There are a number of strategies that can be used to boost Web mapping performance in your applications:

• Reduce network traffic where applicable. One way that you can reduce Web traffic is to use a local display cache. This can reduce the amount of data being served to your desktop.
• Precompute information results when you can do so. For example, you can precompute the maps that are delivered with ArcGIS Server and use cached map services or basemap layers.
• Use optimized map services to get higher performance—especially for dynamic map services. ArcMap includes a toolbar and workflow for analyzing and publishing optimized map services using a map service definition (MSD) file. Using ArcGIS Server, MSDs can be used to publish high-performance ArcGIS map services. These optimized map services can support both real-time, dynamic map services as well as cached map services.
• Design your maps for use on the Web and in the application environment. When using ArcMap, some map designs are much more efficient than others. For example, using advanced symbology and map labeling can slow down performance. Analyze your map documents to identify and address specific display performance issues.
• Maps should be designed to fit their intended display environment. Recognize that not all Web maps are universal. A map that is used in a Web browser may not be appropriate for use on a mobile phone.