EAGLE News

With the release of  the ArcGIS API for JavaScript almost a year ago, many users have been confused about licensing. Since then we have seen the introduction of the ArcGIS API for Flex and recently the ArcGIS API for Silverlight/WPF. It seems that many users are still confused about the licensing. So to clear this up.

Until now the API’s were FREE for development and testing purposes ONLY. You were required to have an licensed ArcGIS Server or a Web Map API Licence.

At the ESRI International User Conference 2009 a few weeks ago, ESRI decided to simplify this model and announced:

The API’s are now FREE to users who are building applications for use in internal and non-commercial environments.

ESRI has published a press release around this announcement with more information.

ESRI announces that its popular Web mapping APIs are available at no cost to users who are building applications for use in internal and noncommercial environments. ArcGIS Web mapping APIs have always been free for licensed ArcGIS Server users. Now government agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and educational institutions can take full advantage of fast, high-quality mapping applications built on top of ArcGIS Server without additional costs or licensing. Private businesses can also deploy these API-based applications internally for free.

"Delivering rich Internet applications using Silverlight, Flex, and JavaScript is a new and exciting trend for Web application developers, and the demand for these types of applications is growing at a phenomenal rate," states Jack Dangermond, president of ESRI. "Making these tools widely available means that as GIS professionals across the globe continue to author geographic knowledge, application developers will use these APIs to easily access this information."

ArcGIS Web mapping APIs are part of ESRI's Web infrastructure. Developers will have access to ArcGIS Online map services for imagery, street maps, and topographic maps, as well as services for routing, geocoding, demographic analysis, and more. Organizations can spatially enable their databases easily without the need for maintaining an expensive infrastructure.

For example, a city government might deploy two different types of applications: an internal-facing executive dashboard that allows officials and managers to track capital improvement spending and an external-facing application for citizens to contribute their concerns and suggestions regarding those improvements. Both applications could be deployed at no cost.

"I see the geospatially enabled Web—the GeoWeb—as driving change that is beneficial for both users and creators of geospatial information," says Dangermond. "This means that we'll see a whole new creative group of people take these APIs and create new, interesting approaches to mapping. A powerful new generation of Web maps will proliferate and become commonplace to Web users."

ArcGIS Web mapping APIs include the ArcGIS API for Flex, the ArcGIS API for Microsoft Silverlight/Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), and the ArcGIS API for JavaScript. To access downloads and get more information about ArcGIS Web mapping APIs, visit www.esri.com/apis/...