ESRI ArcWeb Services Labs

ESRI (CA, USA) has launched ArcWeb Services Labs, a new online environment that gives ArcWeb Services developers access to the latest technologies and products to enable them to participate in the development process. In the Labs area of the ArcWeb Services website, developers can explore new applications, download code, and access resources before they are released. Developers are able to provide feedback directly to the ArcWeb Services product team and interact with other ArcWeb Services developers to share ideas.

ArcWeb Services Labs provide developers with the following resources:

• Access to prereleased API features and functionality
  
• Previews of early stage Web applications
  
• Feedback through a community forum.

ArcWeb Services offer developers a rich Web platform for integrating mapping into desktop, browser, or mobile applications. ArcWeb Services offer dozens of programming objects and as well as classes and on-demand mapping data from more than 20 leading commercial mapping data and content providers.

Content for ArcWeb Services includes driving directions data, addresses, streets, points of interest, elevation, topography, weather, and traffic for the U.S. and certain other countries.
Some of the APIs currently available to ArcWeb Services developers are for SOAP, OpenLS, REST, and J2ME. The SOAP API is the most comprehensive and is XML based. ArcWeb Services OpenLS API complies with standards relating to the exchange of spatial information in a wireless Internet environment. The API for REST uses HTTP methods for processing ArcWeb Services resource requests. The API for J2ME enables developers to integrate ArcWeb Services into specific, supported mobile development environments, such as mobile phones, PDAs, and a broad range of other embedded devices.