MapConnector is a piece of software that facilitates the integration of GIS services with other applications. MapConnector does no GIS processing itself. It simply provides a "pipe" to connect your application to the GIS engine(s) of your choice. Any GIS software with a programming interface can provide the GIS services. The GIS software can reside locally, on a LAN or WAN, or on the Internet. Currently, MapConnector has made use of the following GIS software: ArcView 3.x, MapObjects LT, AVIMS, MOIMS, ArcIMS, RouteMapIMS, ArcGIS, MapServer, and TerraServer. * Applications that use MapConnector can run locally as either stand-alone or embedded applications, or in a browser. Local applications can be written in one or more of the following: COM compliant languages, .Net compliant languages, Java, or Python. Browser based applications can be written in HTML/JavaScript, Java, ActiveX, ASP, or ASP.Net. The ability to integrate COM, .Net, Java, Python, and HTML /JavaScript technologies provides tremendous flexibility in designing and building applications. * Examples of stand-alone applications will demonstrate inserting maps and data from Internet map services directly into Word, the use of multiple GIS engines, and the generation of Word and pdf reports containing maps. Embedded examples will include live maps from a web server inside standard desktop software such as Access and Word. MapConnector’s ability to communicate directly with an ArcIMS servlet using ArcXML will be used to demonstrate potential security concerns for ArcIMS sites. Communicating with the servlet in this way allows the use of the full capabilities of ArcIMS. If used intentionally, this allows advanced services to be provided to clients. If these capabilities are not considered, and the servlet is publicly accessible, knowledgeable users can still make use of these capabilities. This can create security problems for your site and should be considered when your site is being designed and implemented. MapConnector is a piece of software that facilitates the integration of GIS services with other applications. MapConnector does no GIS processing itself. It simply provides a "pipe" to connect your application to the GIS engine(s) of your choice. Any GIS software with a programming interface can provide the GIS services. The GIS software can reside locally, on a LAN or WAN, or on the Internet. Currently, MapConnector has made use of the following GIS software: ArcView 3.x, MapObjects LT, AVIMS, MOIMS, ArcIMS, RouteMapIMS, ArcGIS, MapServer, and TerraServer. * Applications that use MapConnector can run locally as either stand-alone or embedded applications, or in a browser. Local applications can be written in one or more of the following: COM compliant languages, .Net compliant languages, Java, or Python. Browser based applications can be written in HTML/JavaScript, Java, ActiveX, ASP, or ASP.Net. The ability to integrate COM, .Net, Java, Python, and HTML /JavaScript technologies provides tremendous flexibility in designing and building applications. * Examples of stand-alone applications will demonstrate inserting maps and data from Internet map services directly into Word, the use of multiple GIS engines, and the generation of Word and pdf reports containing maps. Embedded examples will include live maps from a web server inside standard desktop software such as Access and Word. MapConnector’s ability to communicate directly with an ArcIMS servlet using ArcXML will be used to demonstrate potential security concerns for ArcIMS sites. Communicating with the servlet in this way allows the use of the full capabilities of ArcIMS. If used intentionally, this allows advanced services to be provided to clients. If these capabilities are not considered, and the servlet is publicly accessible, knowledgeable users can still make use of these capabilities. This can create security problems for your site and should be considered when your site is being designed and implemented.
Mr. Anderson received a B.S. in Earth Science in 1990 from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and a M.S. in Soil Science from The Pennsylvania State University in 1996. He began working for Penn State’s Environmental Resources Research Institute (ERRI) in June of 1993. While at ERRI, he managed several data compilation projects and developed numerous ArcInfo and ArcView applications for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Allegheny National Forest, and various Penn State researchers. In March of 1997 he moved to the Land Analysis Laboratory (LAL) within Penn State’s College of Agriculture. While at the LAL he continued developing ArcView applications, and began developing webGIS applications. The applications focused on the analysis of environmental conditions and providing access to GIS data for counties, watershed groups, conservation districts, and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. In July of 1997 he started Spatial Information Technologies, Inc. (SpatialIT). In February of 2001 Mr. Anderson left the LAL to devote himself full-time to SpatialIT. The majority of his time is spent developing desktop and WebGIS applications using commercial and Open Source software, migrating ArcView 3.x applications to ArcGIS, and embedding GIS in other applications, such as Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and Access databases. Clients include several groups at Penn State, Pennsylvania counties and conservation districts, and private companies specializing in meteorology, engineering, facilities management, and the management of land records.