Choosing a Mobile Deployment Platform

Lloyd HeberlieTom Brenneman

Agenda

• Understanding options for mobile GIS• What questions to ask when deciding on a mobile

platform• Native vs. web• Case studies• Digging into the strengths and weaknesses of each

platform

Why mobile?

• Mobile is where the market is going

• Mobile internet adoption outpaces desktop internet adoption by 8x (Economy + Internet Trends)

• More smartphones than PCs will be sold in 2011- RBC analyst Mike Abramsky

• Within 5 years “More users will connect to the Internet over mobile devices than desktop PCs.”

- Mary Meeker

Mobile development options

• Native platform- ArcGIS Mobile SDK- ArcGIS API for iOS- ArcGIS API for Windows Phone- ArcGIS API for Android – Open Beta- ArcGIS API for Flex- ArcPad Studio

• Web- JavaScript Compact Build – dojox.mobile, JQTouch,

Jquery Mobile.

Mobile solution

How do you decide on a mobile solution

How will the application be used?

Consume and query contentSimple data

updates

Picture / Video / Voice data updates

What devices are available?

Complex data forms

Provisioned devices

Existing users

devices

Pier to pier interaction

What’s your budget?

We have to use existing skills and personnel

The value of the project defines

its scope

Can be disconnected

Geocoding and geoprocessing

Native vs. Web

• Native- Deployed application through app store / marketplace- Application deployed with the device

• Web- Web page accessed from the mobile device

Why use a native platform

• Performance• Functionality

- Access to device capabilities- Camera, contacts, compass, calendar, etc.

- Push notifications

• Usability- Native platforms are designed for the device

• Market penetration- App store / Marketplace is where mobile users look first

• Easier to monetize

Why web platform

• Code reuse / budget• One development environment• Targeting multiple devices

- Modifications needed for each device but development environment is the same

• Limited device access• Full control over deployment

- No approval process

• Faster to production- No app store

Case study: ESPN

• Web – Desktop- Full content access

• Web – Mobile - Focused content access

- Main news stories- Vote for Sports nation

- Simple data editing

- Simple menus categorizing content

• Native – Mobile (ScoreCenter)- Track scores for myTeams- Push updates for scores- Link to web content

• Native – many other options

Case Study: CNN

• Web – Desktop- Full content – tabbed sections

• Web – Mobile- Scrollable sections

• Native – Mobile- News by section- Location based news

(My CNN)- iReport –

data collection

Common themes from case studies

• Web – Desktop- Most content

• Web – Mobile- Focused content (similar to desktop)- Simple feedback

• Native – Mobile- More complex data entry- Location based content- Push notifications

Case Study: Gulf Oil Spill

• Web – Desktop- Common Operational Picture- Community outreach

• Native – iOS- Command center

decision makers

• Native – ArcGIS Mobile- Shoreline assessment,

Deployed boom, Engineered obstacles, etc.

- Detailed GIS data collection

ArcGIS Mobile SDK

• Platforms- Windows Mobile 5.0,6.0,6.1, and 6.5

• Development platform- Windows XP/Vista/7- .NET Framework 3.5 SP1

• Development environment- Visual Studio

- WPF – .NET Framework 3.5 SP1- Win Forms - .NET Framework 2.0

ArcGIS Mobile Customization options

• Extend the existing mobile and windows applications- New Tasks- Extend Tasks – Project Extension

• Build a complete application• See: Developing Applications with the ArcGIS Mobile

API- Wednesday, 10:30 – 11:45, Mesquite GH

Why ArcGIS Mobile

• Professional GIS data collection• Good GPS and data collection controls• Easily configurable without code

Picture / Video / Voice data updates

Complex data forms

Provisioned devices

Pier to pier interaction

Consume and query content

ArcGIS API for iOS

• Platform- iOS version 3.1.2 or higher

• Development platform- Mac

• Development environment- Xcode, Interface Builder, Instruments- Cocoa Touch, Objective C- iOS SDK 4 or higher

• See: Advanced Development with ArcGIS API for iOS- Thursday 8:30 am and 1:30 pm, primrose C/D

Why iOS

• Large smart phone user base- Largest app community

• Tablet and phone development in the same environment

• iTunes / App Store

Picture / Video / Voice data updates

Existing users

devices

The value of the project defines

its scope

Consume and query content

Geocoding and geoprocessing

iOS Demo (Parcel value for iPhone)

iOS using C# - MonoTouch from Novell

• Platform- iOS

• Development platform- Mac

• Development environment- Apple’s iPhone SDK- ArcGIS API for iOS- MonoDevelop

• MonoTouch Map Viewer for iPhone 4 on ArcGIS.com- Bound assembly to ArcGIS API for iOS native library

• The end result is a true native iOS application• See: Writing iOS a Mapping Application in .NET C#

- Today 4:00 – 4:45, Demo Theater 2 – Oasis 1

ArcGIS API for Windows Phone

• Platform- Windows Phone 7

• Development platform- Windows 7 or Windows Vista with SP 2

• Development environment- Visual Studio- Windows Phone Developer Tools

Why Windows Phone

• Leverage existing Silverlight / .NET development skills

• Strong native platform

• See: Introduction to ArcGIS API for Windows Phone

- Wednesday 2:45 pm – Pasadena/Ventura/Sierra

• See: Advanced Development with ArcGIS API for Windows Phone

- Thursday, 10:15-11:30 - Pasadena/Ventura/Sierra

Picture / Video / Voice data updates

Existing users

devices

We have to use existing skills and personnel

Consume and query content

Geocoding and geoprocessing

ArcGIS API for Android

• Platform- Android

• Development platform- Windows, Mac, Linux

• Development environment- Eclipse 3.5 or 3.6, Java development kit 6- Android Development Tools plugin for Eclipse- SDK Platform Android 2.1, API 7- SDK Platform Android 2.2, API 8

Why Android

• Leverage existing Java development skills• Rapid active / growing development

community• Android Marketplace

• See: Introduction to ArcGIS API for Andoid- Today 4:30 Primrose C/D

• See: Advanced Development with ArcGIS API for Android

- Thursday 8:30 am and 1:30 pm – Primrose A

Picture / Video / Voice data updates

Existing users

devices

Consume and query content

Geocoding and geoprocessing

The value of the project defines

its scope

Android Demo

ArcGIS API for Flex

• Platform- Android, iOS

• Development platform- Windows, Mac, Linux (no IDE)

• Development environment- Adobe FlashBuilder, Creative Suite- ActionScript, MXML- AIR for Android, packager for iOS

Why Flex

• Leverage existing skills• Strong developer / design community• Good support for device capabilities

- Camera, Accelerometer, GPS

• See: Using the ArcGIS Flex API to Build Collaborative Mobile Applications Deployed on Multiple Platforms (Android and iOS)

- Wednesday, 10:30-11:15 – Demo Theater 2 – Oasis 1

Picture / Video / Voice data updates

Existing users

devices

We have to use existing skills and personnel

Consume and query content

Geocoding and geoprocessing

Flex Mobile Demo

When to use the Native ArcGIS Application

• Fast deployment- All you need is a web map- Users will need instruction on the map to

load

• Phase 1- Get user reaction to default app to hone

requirements for phase 2

• Deployment to the GIS community

Picture / Video / Voice data updates

Existing users

devices

We have to use existing skills and personnel

Consume and query content

Geocoding

Write once – deploy multiple (sort of)

• Never seamless between platforms- Tweaks are always necessary: iOS to Android to

Windows Phone- Tablets may warrant their own interface

• JavaScript compact build- Style appropriately for platform- Dojox.mobile likely easiest approach

• ArcGIS API for Flex- Adobe Flex SDK “Hero” + Adobe Flash Builder “Burrito”

JavaScript compact build

• JavaScript API with smaller footprint (~30kb)- No dijits- Limited modules

• Can use with variety of JavaScript toolkits- Dojox.mobile, jQuery mobile, jQtouch, Sencha Touch,

etc.

• PhoneGap (Some access to phone capabilities)- Build native app from JavaScript- Development requirements vary by targeted platform

• No limitations on platform, developer platform or IDE

Using the JavaScript compact build

• Load modules not included if they are needed- dojo.require(“esri.tasks.query”)

• Use Application cache (HTML 5) to store code locally- Check manifest to see if new code is available

• Samples available on mobile at http://links.esri.com/javascript

• ProtoFluid is a great app for testing page size of devices http://app.protofluid.com/

- Use in conjunction with FireBug to debug layout on desktop

Support and API

• New mobile features at JavaScript API 2.2- Better touch support- Gallery widget

• Supported browsers- Android 2.2+- iOS- BlackBerry Torch

Why JavaScript

• All the why web platform• More easily deploy across platforms• Leverage web developers skill set

• See: Advanced Development with ArcGIS API for JavaScript

- Wed 10:30am Pasadena/Ventura/Sierra (RH) - Thu 1:30pm Primrose B (PSCC)

Simple data updates

Existing users

devices

We have to use existing skills and personnel

Consume and query content

Geocoding and geoprocessing

Demo JavaScript compact Build

Getting more information

Where can I get more information?

• Resource center- http://resources.arcgis.com/content/mobilegis/about

• ArcGIS.com groups- ArcGIS Mobile Code Samples- ArcGIS for iOS Developer Samples

• Training- Building Application Using the ArcGIS Mobile SDK- Building Web Applications Using the ArcGIS API for

JavaScript

Esri Training for Mobile GIS Developershttp://www.esri.com/training

DevSummit Agenda: Mobile Technical Sessions

• New Capabilities in ArcPad 10 for Advanced Developers

- Wednesday 1:00 – Demo Theater 2 – Oasis 1

Summary

• What are your requirements?• What is your budget?• What is negotiable?

Please fill out the session survey