6 replies to this topic

[Jimbo]

Today I want to take ArcGIS users five years into the past & keep Manifold users to the current era & start a discussion talking about the progression of ArcGIS 8X to 9X, & the current package for Manifold. Now the main discussion would be to discuss if a former ArcGIS user from five or ten years back with very good Manifold skills that are current should be considered up to date in the ESRI world?

This question can be applied to other GIS applications as well specifically with Geomatica, MapInfo, FME, & MaPublisher.

[Hans van der Maarel]

This question can be applied to other GIS applications as well specifically with Geomatica, MapInfo, FME, & MaPublisher.

I would argue that FME and MAPublisher are not really comparable to what Arc, Manifold or other desktop GIS packages require in terms of skillset. Being good in FME and MAPublisher accounts for nothing in the Arc world though. In fact, I think I'd have a much easier time if I'd have zero GIS knowledge than the struggle I'm going through now.

IMHO, the most important thing when it comes to learning new GIS software is knowing what you want to do. Once you have that defined, then it just becomes a matter of finding the corresponding tools.

[frax]

Hasdrubal, I think you need to reformulate your question, it is not clear to me exactly what you are asking... !

[Jimbo]

Hasdrubal, I think you need to reformulate your question, it is not clear to me exactly what you are asking... !

Since ArcGIS 8X what advances have been made in that technology?

If a GIS user has used technology such as Manifold but not ArcGIS would that user be upto date in the ESRI world?

The main reason for the question is for the reason that despite the fact that ArcGIS is very expensive, & a huge legacy GIS system it will not be displaced by any other GIS as the mainstream system. And therefore the question is a critical one to ask especially more so if you are a job seeker looking for day job..

[rudy]

Hasdrubal, I think you need to reformulate your question, it is not clear to me exactly what you are asking... !

Since ArcGIS 8X what advances have been made in that technology?

If a GIS user has used technology such as Manifold but not ArcGIS would that user be up to date in the ESRI world?

The main reason for the question is for the reason that despite the fact that ArcGIS is very expensive, & a huge legacy GIS system it will not be displaced by any other GIS as the mainstream system. And therefore the question is a critical one to ask especially more so if you are a job seeker looking for day job..

This is a bit of a perplexing question. I think you can assume that an intelligent user of any GIS software would have a clear understanding of how GIS operates (independent of the software). In that case a user of ArcGIS could make the leap to Manifold (or vice versa) fairly easily, only needing to learn the different terminology employed and the tools and the techniques that are available in each. Certainly there will be a learning curve in either case, but one that is shorter than if one did not know any GIS at all.

If you are asking if someone who is proficient at Manifold can pick up the latest version of ArcGIS without skipping a beat, the answer, IMHO, is no. It will take a while to get up to speed. I used ArcGIS on a daily basis up until 3 years ago. I've also used Manifold off and on for the past 5 or 7 years. Recently I had the opportunity to pick up ArcGIS again . . . I certainly felt rusty and though I could find my way around it, it took a while before I felt completely confident about using ArcGIS again. There is a lot to remember in either piece of software, not all of which is used regularly.

[frax]

Keep in mind that ArcGIS is much bigger than the desktop software - I think the main advances has been in the enterprise features (server, versioning, IMS, database), scripting and the introduction of the file database. For cartography, the biggie is the representations. I don't think the 3d stuff was so advanced in ArcGIS 8 (ArcScene, ArcGlobe).

You would feel at home in the user interface of the desktop software though, it has only changed incrementally.

[rudy]

Keep in mind that ArcGIS is much bigger than the desktop software - I think the main advances has been in the enterprise features (server, versioning, IMS, database), scripting and the introduction of the file database. For cartography, the biggie is the representations. I don't think the 3d stuff was so advanced in ArcGIS 8 (ArcScene, ArcGlobe).

You would feel at home in the user interface of the desktop software though, it has only changed incrementally.

I agree - the representations are probably the biggest change in the past 3 years for cartographers. Also, if you want to talk about extensions, there's the entire Maplex extension to consider.