What is ArcGIS Explorer Online?
ArcGIS Explorer Online is an online application that lets you explore and present maps within an efficient and well-structured environment. Maps show you where things are, they tell you what they are and help you understand why they are that way. ArcGIS Explorer Online lets you open a map, add other content to it, navigate around it, ask questions the map can answer, and present and share the map with others.
What can I do with ArcGIS Explorer Online?
Some of the things you can do with ArcGIS Explorer Online include:
- Search for and open maps, and navigate around within a map
- Create new maps, add and edit different types of map content
- Find out more information about the things shown in the map
- Locate places, addresses, airports, intersections, and other geographic entities
- Measure the length and area of things on a map
- Visually interpret data in the map using a dashboard
- Create a presentation to show to other people
- Share your map with other people
- Create and manage data and groups on ArcGIS Online
Opening maps in ArcGIS Explorer Online
Maps from ArcGIS Online can be opened in ArcGIS Explorer Online, even if they were created using different applications (for example, the ArcGIS.com map viewer). To open a specific map, first find the details page of the map using the ArcGIS Online website, click the arrow next to the Open button to show a list of choices, and choose Open in ArcGIS Explorer Online.
You can also open Explorer Online directly from www.arcgis.com/explorer.
Note:ArcGIS Explorer Online requires the Silverlight 4 platform from Microsoft, and a browser which supports the Silverlight plug-in, for example current versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer or Google Chrome on Microsoft Windows, or Safari on Macintosh OS. You do not have to install any Esri software on your computer, because the application runs within the existing web browser.
Using ArcGIS Explorer Online with other products
If you and others in your organization work with ArcGIS products, you'll find numerous integrative and complementary uses for ArcGIS Explorer Online that will help you disseminate your work on the web.
ArcGIS Online and the ArcGIS.com map viewer
ArcGIS Explorer Online uses ArcGIS Online as a repository to store any maps that you create. You can also search for and view other content on ArcGIS Online that's available to you, to any groups of which you are a member, and to the public. You can search for and integrate map services you find on ArcGIS Online into your own maps. You can also view presentations that were created in ArcGIS Explorer Online.
The ArcGIS.com map viewer provides a lightweight map viewing application with a reduced set of functionality compared to Explorer Online. The map viewer does not require any browser plug-ins to be installed. You may find this useful if you want to share maps with users who cannot use ArcGIS Explorer Online.
ArcGIS Server
You can browse the services available from an ArcGIS Server machine, and add those services to a map using Explorer Online. You can also search for ArcGIS Server services that are available publically on the web from within Explorer Online.
ArcGIS Explorer Desktop and ArcGIS Desktop
When you want to do more than what's offered in ArcGIS Explorer Online, but still use a free lightweight map viewer, consider ArcGIS Explorer Desktop. With this desktop client, you can view web maps and download and view layer packages from ArcGIS.com; you can also include KML, GPS logs, shapefiles, and other data sources directly into your map without importing, retaining the reference to the original data source. You can also view maps in 3D.
ArcGIS Desktop is a professional GIS system that extends beyond the capabilities of the free applications. In addition to creating maps, ArcGIS Desktop is intended for editing and managing geographic databases, performing full-powered analysis, creating geographic models, and working with a wide range of data types.