Progressively, more and more GIS professionals are using and exploiting
their results in numerous GIS applications and settings.
These professionals increasingly create server-based systems that allow
others in their organizations, and society at large, to access the power of GIS on
the Web.
The ArcGIS product line provides a scalable, comprehensive GIS platform to
meet these requirements, as illustrated in the diagram below.
ArcGIS provides a scalable framework for implementing GIS for a single
user or many users on desktops, on servers for use in the enterprise and across the
Web, and in the field. ArcGIS is an integrated family of GIS software products for
building a complete GIS. It consists of four primary frameworks for deploying
GIS:
ArcGIS Desktop—An integrated suite of professional GIS applications composed
of three main software products: ArcView(R), ArcEditorTM, and ArcInfo(R)
Server GIS—ArcIMS, ArcGIS Server, and ArcGIS Image Server
Developer GIS—Embeddable software components for developers to extend GIS
desktops, build custom GIS applications, add custom GIS services and Web
applications, and create mobile solutions
Mobile GIS—ArcPad(R) and ArcGIS Mobile for field computing
1. DESKTOP GIS
ArcGIS Desktop is the primary application used by GIS professionals to
compile, author, and use geographic information and knowledge. It is available at
three functional levels—ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo.