Introducing Geocortex Essentials 4.0

Introducing Geocortex Essentials 4.0

This introduction comes from Geocortex Blog by Latitude Geographics written by Drew Millen on Feb. 05, 2014 …

geocortex_3After eighteen months of infrastructure development, we have reached an important milestone in the ongoing evolution of Geocortex technology. Today we are announcing the release of Geocortex Essentials 4.

Geocortex Essentials 4 represents the biggest leap forward in the platform since Geocortex Essentials was first released in 2007. Whereas Geocortex Essentials 3 was always about ArcGIS Server with support for ArcGIS Online added, Geocortex Essentials 4 has been fundamentally engineered for the modern and future ArcGIS platform (Online, Server, and hybrid deployment patterns).

Geocortex Essentials 4.0, coupled with supporting releases of the Geocortex Viewer for HTML5 2.0 and Geocortex Viewer for Silverlight 2.0, introduces a number of great new capabilities and enhancements you can start leveraging right away in your current applications. Here are some of the highlights:

Architecture for the Cloud
We’ve developed a next-generation architecture that is the foundation for increased support of cloud and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) deployment patterns and environments in upcoming releases. Although the 3.x architecture will be gradually replaced over time to ensure continuity, Geocortex Essentials 4.0 features are able to transparently leverage aspects of either architecture as they run in parallel.

Expanded Integration with ArcGIS Online
Continuing to complement and integrate ArcGIS Online and Portal for ArcGIS is part of an ongoing strategy to ensure Geocortex alignment with Esri’s technology stack. In addition to existing integration capabilities previously available in 3.x, Geocortex Essentials 4.0 adds support for many additional service types.

Instant Search
Geocortex Essentials 4.0 introduces a highly scalable and extremely fast indexed search engine that is enabled by our new version 4 architecture. Define and index attributes from multiple map services and feature services to provide a fast and intuitive search across millions of features and associated records.

  • Note: The components required to implement the Instant Search feature will be made available upon inclusion and testing of late-breaking Beta program feedback. Expected for release 2-3 weeks following general 4.0 availability, the Instant Search feature will be directly installable on top of existing 4.0 installations (i.e. with no upgrades required).

Charting
Charts associated with map data can help users better visualize patterns and gain insight. Using Geocortex Essentials 4.0, administrators can configure data to display in bar charts, pie charts or via a variety of line charts. Version 4.0 supports the Geocortex Viewer for Silverlight, with support for Geocortex Viewer for HTML5 upcoming.

Security
Geocortex Essentials has long provided sophisticated and robust security for protecting applications and the components within them. With Geocortex Essentials 4.0, we take this to the next level by introducing global, federated authentication and anonymous access support.

User Interface Enhancements
Geocortex Essentials 4.0 introduces a clean new look and feel that puts the design focus on your data. The design of our HTML5 and Silverlight viewers has been harmonized for vastly improved inter-application consistency. While we were at it, we’ve introduced modernized iconography, fresh fonts, improved styling, and general user-experience improvements.

Tool & Feature Additions
Already well-established for relatively simple applications and mobile use, the Geocortex Viewer for HTML5 2.0 includes major new tools and capabilities that increase its versatility and make possible more feature-rich, GIS-style applications. Geocortex Viewer for Silverlight 2.0 includes a numerous small of additions and enhancements, plus incorporates huge new 4.0 features like search and charting.

Service Discovery
Geocortex Essentials 4.0 allows administrators to easily search and discover available services, and save connections to those they use frequently. Service Discovery introduces the ability to register service catalogs, which can reference ArcGIS for Server, Portal for ArcGIS, ArcGIS Online, WMS servers, WMTS servers and more.

Rich OGC Capabilities
Prior to 4.0, Latitude offered an optional OGC Extension for Geocortex Essentials that enabled the association of a WFS service with a corresponding WMS. This more advanced OGC support is now included with every Geocortex Essentials license.

But that’s not all…

In fact, we’ve only highlighted the main new core capabilities and additions! Along with numerous other new features, there’s even more coming as part of this milestone Geocortex Essentials 4.0 launch. Shortly, we’ll post another related announcement highlighting four additional (and related) product releases:

  • Geocortex Property Viewer 1.0
  • Geocortex Mobile App Framework 1.1 (for iOS and now Windows)
  • Voyager Extension for Geocortex Essentials
  • Cityworks Extension for Geocortex Essentials

For existing customers, we’ll soon add feature videos to the Geocortex Support Center so you can learn more about the new features and components introduced in all these Geocortex Essentials 4 (and related) releases.

Installers, release notes and supporting documentation can be downloaded from the Geocortex Support Center by licensees with an active maintenance agreement. If your account is handled by an authorized Geocortex reseller, please contact your local representative for access. If you’re not already a Geocortex Essentials licensee and what we’re up to sounds interesting, get in touch!

For a fast-paced, demo-rich introduction to Geocortex Essentials 4.0, we invite you to join us for a free 45-minute webinar on Wednesday, February 19, 2014. To maximize participation around the globe, we’ll be delivering live presentations at 7AM Pacific Standard Time (10AM EST, 4PM CET) and 1PM Pacific Standard Time (4PM EST, 8AM AEDT).

For more information about Geocortex Essentials 4, and to register for the upcoming webinar, visit www.geocortex.com/essentials4/

Categories: Software

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