Introducing the new GTWeb 7.0

GTWeb provides a fundamental component of the GTViewer family of products by allowing many users to access GIS data via the intranet or internet. GTWeb has had a variety of incarnations since its debut, but its goals have always remained the same. The methods to realize these goals, however, have changed to take advantage of the latest technologies.

The goals GTWeb was designed to accomplish are simple:

1. Distribution of your GIS data to a large number of users. While GTViewer and Pocket GTViewer can distribute your GIS data to a large number of users, the “Web” paradigm lends itself to distributing your data on an even larger scale at the price of lesser functionality and required network connectivity. Nevertheless, even with less functionality, many classes of users can easily take advantage of the information GTWeb can deliver to them and get even more value out of your GIS.
   
2. Centralized management. By moving the management of the data being distributed to a single web server instead of each individual client, it becomes very simple to manage a large number of users because only the server needs to be updated with new information and configurations made to the web server will be inherently applied to all clients.
   
3. User-friendliness and Usability. As with the rest of the GTViewer family, ease of use is paramount as the training and user adoption are critical to the success of a GIS solution especially when the solution is meant for a large number of users that may have little GIS experience.

The first few versions of GTWeb (versions 1 through 4) relied on an ASP or ASP.NET application running on the web server and an ActiveX plug-in for Internet Explorer on the client. While this approach was very successful at getting GIS information to its clients, it suffered from two problems that limited its effectiveness. First, an ActiveX plug-in had to be installed on the client. While this task was a very simple requirement that needed no user interaction (other than running the setup), it was still a necessary step to accomplish before accessing your GIS data online. Second, utilizing an ActiveX control on the client bound the solution to Internet Explorer. When GTWeb was introduced, being bound to Internet Explorer was not a problem. Today, with Firefox and even Opera, the ActiveX control is not a good client solution and corporate standards may even preclude Internet Explorer from being used.

With version 5 of GTWeb, many changes were made to both the server and client sides of the application. The GTWeb server was revamped to offer new features and the template website was upgraded to ASP.NET 2.0. The ActiveX client was still supported, but a new technique of distributing the maps to the client as raster images (.jpg files) was also supported. By using a standard raster file for the map, no ActiveX control is required on the client. The browser, by itself, is all the client needs, eliminating the two technologies problems GTWeb suffered from in previous versions. The non-ActiveX version of the GTWeb client offered a good user experience and supported an array of the functionality users of the ActiveX control version were used to: Zoom In, Zoom Out, Panning, and Attribute Info. The raster version (or non-ActiveX version) also supported background imagery which is not supported in the ActiveX client version.

While the ActiveX control did have its drawbacks, it did have a few advantages not mentioned so far. First, it provided a very rich experience when viewing the GIS data. It was using the same vector graphics engine used by GTViewer which provided the same quality and feel desktop GTViewer users were accustomed to. This rich user experience provided by the ActiveX control made the raster version (non-ActiveX version) feel like a downgrade to some of the users already comfortable with the ActiveX client version.

With version 7 of GTWeb (we skipped version 6 to stay in line with the rest of the GTViewer family version numbers), the non-ActiveX version has been enhanced to close the gap between the rich user experience provided by the ActiveX control version. While the GTWeb server continues to support the ActiveX client, the new template web application is focuses solely on the non-ActiveX approach and utilizes Ajax, client-side Java script, and ASP.NET 2.0 to give the client a much richer experience than the previous version. The new template web site provided with GTWeb 7.0 is still very similar in functionality to the previous version, but it now has more of a “Web 2.0” look and feel.

Some of the new features in GTWeb 7.0 are:

• Smooth panning (drag the map view with the mouse).
• Mouse wheel zoom-in and zoom-out.
• Upgraded query form and query reports.
• Display Preset selection (as defined in the data’s .GTM file).
• Project Group support (for running multiple sets of projects on the same server).
• Extract File (.gtx) creation and download.
• Updated layout to take better advantage of different sized screens

With GTWeb 7.0, you still have centralized management of the web projects, there is no client software to load, and it supports the top 3 browsers (IE, Firefox, and Opera). GTWeb is still ideal for both internet and intranet GIS applications. GTWeb can be used to augment your GTViewer and/or Pocket GTViewer seat and can provide universal access via the internet and web browser.

GTViewer Version 7.0.x.6 is Available

Version 7.0.x.6 of GTViewer is available.

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07.00.00.06 - 04/16/07
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- NEW - Smooth Zoom Out added.

- FIX - Window Area Zoom In on a point when zoomed very far out would often not set the view to the desired range.

- NEW - GT/Field now logs an error message when an edit feature is not found in the Edit_Features.txt file.

- FIX - GT/Field was not accepting a GPS_POINT type when the type entry had more information than the type name. It should have ignored the extra info.

- FIX - GT/Field was sometimes corrupting previous value when moving between them.

- FIX - GT/Field was reformating Read Only value incorrectly in some cases.

SECO Features GTI at Annual Meeting

SECO (Sumter Electric Cooperative) holds an annual meeting each year to provide an opportunity for the members to see what’s new at the Cooperative and to interact with employees. It also gives SECO employees a chance to meet with the members, brag about their latest technical innovations, and address any member needs. This year was the 69th Annual Meeting, and several thousand people showed up for talks, barbeque, and exhibits. One such exhibit (pictured above) proudly shows the GTI logo. The exhibit has a running copy of GTViewer and explains how SECO is using the investment in mobile mapping technology to operate more efficiently and reduce costs for members.

GTI at American Gas Association Conference

GTI will be in booth #232 at the AGA Operations Conference & Biennial Exhibition in Dallas, Texas, April 24-26. Come by the booth and visit with us if you are at the show.

Pocket GTViewer 7.0.x.4 is Available

Pocket GTViewer version 7.0.x.4 is now available.


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07.00.00.04 - 04/10/07
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- CHG - Evaluation Version Updated.

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07.00.00.03
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- NEW - Style definition Priority value can be now set from 0 to 25.

- FIX - The intBea_Frequency property was not being propertly stored in the TrimbleSettings.ini file.

GTViewer Version 7.0.x.5 is Available

Version 7.0.x.5 of GTViewer is available.

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07.00.00.05 - 04/05/07
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- NEW - Modifications to the Dgn Export to allow standard symbol font characters to be mapped to TrueType fonts characters. This addition allows G/Techology data or other data using TrueType fonts to be exported to a .dgn.

- NEW - The ShapeBorderColorId and ShapeBorderColorValue only applied to Shape with Holes elements in the past. It will now apply to a regular shape element as well.

- NEW - The unhighlighting of feature when the pick list menu is present for feature selection when multiple are present at the selection point has been changed. Previously, the unhighlighting process did not restore the view to its previous state if the features were stacked with a specific priority.

- NEW - The picklist resulting when multiple features are at the same location will now flicker the element when it is selected in the picklist.

- NEW - A new section has been added to the status bar to indicate if the GPS is running and to indicate if it is tracking.

GTViewer 7.0.x.4 is Available

Version 7.0.x.4 of GTViewer is available.

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07.00.00.04 - 03/23/07
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- NEW - GT/Field now supports the GTFieldAutoSave entry in the [Additional Properties] section. AutoSave will save the session graphics after each save in GT/Field. The default is on (1), but can be turn off by setting this entry to 0.

- NEW - The GpsTrailFilterId has been added to the [Additional Properties] section to allow a specific filter id to be used for the GPS trail when drawn as a session graphic. By default, it will use the current filter id.

GTVx version 7.0.x.2 is Available

Version 7.0.x.2 of GTVx is available.

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07.00.00.02 - 03/22/07
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- NEW - Style definition Priority value can be now set from 0 to 25.

- NEW - Feature Counting now supports MeasureFactor, MeasureDegreeFactor, MeasureUnitLabel, and LatLongFlag.

- NEW - Export as XML now supports Dimension Elements (Type 112).

GTViewer version 7.0.x.3 is Available

Version 7.0.x.3 of GTViewer is available.

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07.00.00.03 - 03/13/07
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- NEW - Export as XML now supports Dimension Elements (Type 112).

- FIX - Export Data with the use alternate names would say there was not data if the defined structure for the embedded data was not valid. Now, it will revert back to the standard method and not try to apply the structure if it has a problem.

- FIX - Export as DGN was not applying the style rules to Text.

- NEW - New Methods:

New Doc Object Methods:

double GetElementAngle(long categoryId, long offset);

boolean GetElementTextSize(long categoryId, long offset,
long* lengthMult, long* heightMult);

New View Object Methods:

boolean GetStyleOriginForElement(long mode, long categoryId, long offset, VARIANT* originX, VARIANT* originY);

GTData version 7.0.0.1 is Available

Version 7.0.0.1 of GTData is available.


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07.00.00.01 - 02/28/07
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- NEW - GTInterGtg - xyFlag added to add coordinate info to tabular data.

- FIX - GTLabelGtg - was omitting the label for the last last item.

- NEW - GTLabelGtg - now supports mode 4 for point feature labels.

- NEW - GTIndex - support added for multi-line text with TrueType fonts.

- NEW - GTDataMap - Added to GTData.

- NEW - GTQuery - Supported added for table map option.

- FIX - GTPack, GTExtract - The ExtendedTextStyleColor value was not being properly placed in the extract file.

- CHG - GTQuery - Increased the number of omit and fixed values from 1000 to 2000.

GTViewer In the News

The Town of Groton, Massachusetts mobilizes emergency management with COGNET GIS & GTViewer, see the full article at GISCafe.

Also, check out COGNET's new Blog: cognetgis.blogspot.com

Maximize Initial View in GTViewer

Since the first version of GTViewer, creating a new session has always created a new view. The view is by default “not” maximized. Perhaps the main reason for defaulting the new view to not maximize was to show off GTViewer’s ability to support a Multi-Document/Multi-View environment. It is not readily obvious that this feature exists if the view windows are always maximized.

Since GTViewer version 4.0, there has been a setting under Options/Settings to change the behavior of a session’s initial view. The property is called Maximize Initial View and you can leave it like it is or you can change it to true which will maximize the initial view of any newly created session. You can then set this value as the default for the application and it will be used from that point forward.




A new session created with the Maximize Initial View set to No is shown below:




A new session created with the Maximize Initial View set to Yes is shown below:

Multi-Document/Multi-View Support In GTViewer

One feature that has been available in GTViewer since the very first version is its Multiple Document/Multiple View environment. This feature is a standard in most Windows applications especially those built around the Document/View architecture. However, only recently has the power of this feature been recognized by its users.

The Multi-View support provides the ability to have multiple views of a dataset; each view can be showing a different location or display different features at common location (such as gas only or electric only). The uses of these aspect of the feature is obvious. The Multi-Document support is a little more subtle in its usefulness. Multi-Document support allows more than one dataset to be opened in GTViewer at the same time; each dataset appears in its own view window (and you can then have multiple view of each dataset). Many users have only one dataset, so the multiple document support may not be useful (maybe). However, for those users who do have multiple datasets this feature can be very useful.

The multi-document feature is especially useful for companies transitioning their GIS. For example, let’s say your GIS uses Intergraph’s classic FRAMME and you are in the process of transitioning to Intergraph’s G/Technology or even an ESRI or Smallworld GIS. GTViewer allows you to use your classic FRAMME data while simultaneously viewing data from your new GIS (just in separate view windows). There are several advantages to having this multi-document support:

• Data from your retired GIS is still accessible through a GTViewer snapshot of the data without maintaining the old GIS.


• Users keep a common viewing application during the transition from one GIS to another; thus, there is no need to retrain the majority of the GIS data users on new software.


• You can verify the new GIS by comparing its data to the old data GIS’s data in the same application. You can even use Redline’s or GT/Field to capture the problems and later update the GIS.

GTViewer on Windows Vista

GTViewer 7.0 has been certified on Windows Vista. No changes were required to make GTViewer compatible with Windows Vista, so older versions should also run without compatibility issues. While there is no functionality in GTViewer specific to Windows Vista, you will notice the Windows Aero enhanced display. For example, GTViewer’s title bar will have the semi-transparent appearance as well as the other dialog box titles and borders. You will also notice other cool features such as the Windows Flip and Windows Flip 3D Animation.

GTViewer version 7.0.x.2 is Available

Version 7.0.x.2 of GTViewer is available.

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07.00.00.02 - 02/16/07
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- NEW - Style definition Priority value can be now set from 0 to 25.

- NEW - Feature Counting now supports MeasureFactor, MeasureDegreeFactor, MeasureUnitLabel, and LatLongFlag.

- FIX - Problem with counting highlighted features with no shape specified.

- NEW - New Doc Object Method:

boolean DrawClearAll(long mode);

GTI Finds Maps More Valuable with Trace Applications

See press release in GIS Cafe:

Graphic Technologies, Inc. Finds Maps More Valuable with Trace Applications

Trippple Sevens – New versions of GTViewer, Pocket GTViewer, and GTVx

GTI releases new versions of 3 products today:

• GTViewer version 7.0
• Pocket GTViewer 7.0
• GTVx version 7.0

These new releases have a variety of enhancements, fixes, and new features.

GTI at GITA 2007

GTI's Charlie Marlin will be a speaker at GITA 2007 at the Mobile Field Data Collection Technology Alternatives Knowledge Immersion Seminar. For more information see page 7 of the GITA conference program. Also, see page 15 for a picture of GTI's Mike Rogers at the Data Aquisition Seminar from GITA 2006 in Tampa.

GTI is also proud to be sponsoring the breakfast at the Ten Sails Smallworld Symposium following the GITA conference.

Why use a 3rd Party Viewer for your GIS Data

By Joey Rogers and Charlie Marlin

A question that GTI sometimes gets asked is “Why should I use your viewer for my GIS when I could use the viewer sold by my GIS vendor?” This is a question that deserves some deliberation.


Focus – Where is the “A” team?

GIS vendors are focused on making their GIS work correctly: creation of features, topology, updates, conflict resolution, etc. This characteristic is obvious if you take a look at popular GIS vendors and how their viewers are positioned (if they have a viewer at all). This focus is not a bad thing. You want the GIS data to be created and maintained properly. Let the GIS vendor do what it does best.

GTI is focused on developing the best viewer possible. While GTViewer capability spans the data analysis and data collection realms, its primary objective is providing the best viewer possible for people who need access to the GIS data.

GIS Vendors try to provide a full suite of products starting with the GIS itself then all of the periphery applications: Design, Analysis (or interfaces with Analysis packages), Plotting, Viewing, Data Collection. As the GIS vendors attempt to provide the full suite, the non-core applications have historically been neglected or overlooked. In the GIS data world, these applications that get pushed to the bottom are the ones used by the most people. This situation is ironic. Viewing applications should be given just as much attention as any other part of the GIS, especially since many more people use the GIS data through a viewer application than in any other way. The cost of the GIS viewer is not a significant part of an overall GIS solution, and GIS vendors have traditionally invested their money, time, and development in the higher dollar components. Reflecting its focus, GTI devotes all of its resources to the GIS viewer.


Design – For whom?

Many GIS viewers are simply stripped down versions of a full GIS seat or cannibalized parts of other applications that were never designed to be viewers. In some cases, a full GIS seat may be recommended by a GIS vendor as the viewing application (requiring the full GIS seat cost and complexity for a viewing seat). GTI has a very different approach to this problem. The overwhelming majority of actual users are not “GIS” users; they are customer service representatives, marketers, planners, linemen, tree trimmers, leak inspectors, construction foremen, supervisors, managers, etc. GTViewer was designed from the ground up as a usable, productive viewing tool without the distractive influences of a GIS. Why would you force the majority of the users of GIS data to learn an overly complicated interface designed for the smallest group of users?
The primary benefit of a field or office viewing product is that it allows people to use geospatial data to do their regular jobs more efficiently (which is the whole point of having a GIS). It is not economical to require such users to become GIS professionals. GIS professionals require extensive training and education. And they produce results that bring tremendous value to their companies, governments, and agencies. But forcing all users of geospatial data to become GIS professionals is like making all car passengers become mechanics. As an aside, I might remark that in the early days of automobiles, this may have been a reasonable requirement. Cars failed often. And anybody who drove one needed to work on it often to keep it going. (Many GIS veterans will say the same about the early days of their field!) But those times have passed. Cars are more popular and useful today than they were during their first 30 years precisely because they do not require full time maintenance. They can be designed for users rather than for mechanics. Likewise, today’s third party geospatial viewers can enhance a worker’s productivity by fitting in with that work directly, rather than by requiring advanced skills from a different occupation.


Integration – Fact or Fantasy?

One of the longest-running abuses of large software companies is their practice of leading customers to believe that because multiple software products are sold by the same company, they will work together seamlessly. Sadly, such integration is often not actually realized. For instance, many GIS vendors require the source GIS data to be converted or prepared for mobile applications, which is the same workflow taken by most third party viewing vendors. Alternatively, if the GIS vendor is not converting their data to a “mobile-ready” format, they are probably not providing geospatial data in the way that works best on mobile devices
The major GIS vendors have also invented the concept that only they can provide effective components for their GIS systems; it’s sort of like Ford Motor Company trying to claim that its cars can only use Ford tires. This concept is wholly untrue and in fact usually turns out to be a limiting characteristic instead of a strength. For example, viewers from one GIS vendor have never been effective when used on data from another GIS vendor. By contrast, GTViewer is not bound to any one GIS format, so it can support data from multiple GIS sources simultaneously whether you simply need support for multiple GIS sources or are transitioning from one GIS to another.


Price

The major GIS vendors have generally priced their viewing software fairly high and then discounted it heavily when bundled with their mainstream products. Just because something is sold at half its list price doesn’t mean it then has twice the value. A poorly designed tool that sells for less than a better-designed rival will only save money the first day. The buyer will pay for the difference every day his employees use a second-best tool.


Pedigree
How did the software start out? Was it a CAD product that morphed into a mapping tool? Did it result from a crash program to create a me-too product, driven by market pressure? GTViewer has a unique history. It was designed starting with a clean sheet of paper by a software architect who had spent years working with viewing software and its users. GTViewer reflects insights gained through practical experience. Now in its fifth major release, GTViewer does what people should expect. It scales to large data sets. It shows aerial photography. It allows users to sketch intuitively. It provides a rich array of view controls that can declutter or emphasize what the user wants to see with minimal or no effort from the user. Printing, GPS integration, and a query subsystem are all included. Snappy performance is standard. Crucially, all these features are provided through an engaging and approachable user interface that is suitable for people without GIS backgrounds.

GTI at DistribuTECH, Feb 4-6, 2007

Come to San Diego and visit GTI in booth 644 at the DistribuTECH conference, February 4-6. See GTViewer, the price-performance leader in geospatial viewing, along with advanced applications such as valve isolation, circuit tracing, and outage inference. GT/Field, a configurable data collection application, will be featured on hand-helds and laptops. New editions of GTWeb will also be demonstrated.