shrug-l: ArcSketch Question

[Brandt, Holli]

Good Morning Everyone -
I spent a good amount of time yesterday playing with ESRI's free extension ArcSketch.  I have to say I really like it and it is super easy to use.  You can also save out your sketch and it becomes a Personnel Geodatabase and a Layer file.  

So here is my question.....what is the downfall of doing all your data creation this way?  

Obviously, this is for digitizing from aerials etc and not COGO capable but it is much easier than standard methods, you seem to have most of the same tools, you can edit the attribute table, and you get a personnel geodatabase.  

Please fill me in on what I am missing.
Thanks - Holli



Holli M. Brandt
GIS Project Manager
EnVetCo, Inc.
520 S. Independence Blvd.
Suite 200
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Office:  (757) 456-0028
Fax:  (757) 456-0399
Cell:  (757) 438-0058
http://www.envetco.com
hbrandt at envetco.com 
><((((º>


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From: aprimo_bounce at esri.com [mailto:aprimo_bounce at esri.com] On Behalf Of ESRI Announcements
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2006 10:42 AM
To: Brandt, Holli
Subject: Introducing ArcSketch

Introducing ArcSketch 

Dear ArcGIS Desktop User:

ArcSketch, a complimentary sample extension for ArcGIS 9.1, is now available for download. With ArcSketch, you can create features in ArcMap using simple sketch tools. ArcSketch automatically manages the drawing environment, allowing you to conceptualize what to draw, as opposed to how to draw it. You simply select a symbol and an associated sketch tool, then draw the feature. These features are added to a transparent sketch layer, which is displayed over a set of background layers. 

You can create GIS features by sketching any combination of points, lines, and polygons on this sketch layer. ArcSketch automatically assigns features to their appropriate layers, with their appropriate attributes, based on the user-customizable symbol palette. 

ArcSketch gives you the freedom to do vector-based (geobased) sketching using easy-to-use drawing tools and symbols. You can create and edit features in ArcGIS in much the same way you would if you were using a felt-tip pen on tracing paper. This allows you to concentrate on the forms you are trying to represent, rather than the method of representation.

Example applications: City managers can use ArcSketch to rapidly develop land-use scenarios for display and analysis. First responders can use ArcSketch to quickly enter location data about different types of hazardous materials during an emergency. Transportation planners can integrate ArcSketch with their traffic flow models to conduct rapid assessment of actual and potential traffic impedances.

Download ArcSketch today.


 http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/extensions/arcsketch/download.html