One major difference is the programming (scripting) languages available to customize or extend the software to suit particular user needs. ArcGIS 8.3 was introduced in 2002, adding topology to geodatabases, which was a feature originally available only with ArcInfo coverages. ArcGIS 8.1 also added the ability to access data online, directly from the Geography Network site or other ArcIMS map services. These three extension had become very powerful and popular in ArcView GIS 3.x product line. This new application included three extensions: 3D Analyst, Spatial Analyst, and GeoStatistical Analyst. ArcGIS 8.1 was officially released on April 24, 2001. ArcGIS 8.1 replaced ArcMap 8.0 in the product line but was not an update to it.ĪrcGIS 8.1 was unveiled at the Esri International User Conference in 2000. While the interface and names of ArcMap 8.0 are similar to later versions of ArcGIS Desktop, they are different products. The release of the ArcMap constituted a major change in Esri's software offerings, aligning all their client and server products under one software architecture known as ArcGIS, developed using Microsoft Windows COM standards. This ArcMAP incorporating some of the functionality of ArcInfo with a more intuitive interface, as well as a file management application called ArcCatalog (v8.0). This pairing resulted in a new software suite called ArcGIS including the command-line ArcInfo workstation (v8.0) and a new graphical user interface application called ArcMap (v8.0).

ArcGIS combined the visual user-interface aspect of ArcView GIS 3.x interface with some of the power from the Arc/INFO version 7.2 workstation. In late 1999, Esri released ArcMap 8.0, which ran on the Microsoft Windows operating system. In January 1997, Esri decided to revamp its GIS software platform, creating a single integrated software architecture. The various products had branched out into multiple source trees and did not integrate well with one another. Other Esri products included MapObjects, a programming library for developers, and ArcSDE as a relational database management system. Prior to the ArcGIS suite, Esri had focused its software development on the command line Arc/INFO workstation program and several Graphical User Interface-based products such as the ArcView GIS 3.x desktop program.

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