News Release: ERDAS Releases New Product, ECW for ArcGIS Server

The following news has just been distributed to the press....

ERDAS Releases New Product, ECW for ArcGIS Server Norcross, GA — ERDAS proudly announces the introduction of the all-new ECW for ArcGIS Server, which provides a means for ArcGIS Server 10 to deliver Enhanced Compression Wavelet (ECW) data to clients via OGC-compliant Web Coverage Service (WCS) and Web Map Service (WMS).

Using components of the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK version 4.2, ECW for ArcGIS Server enables ArcGIS Server to support ECW imagery, providing the fastest decompression available. Using minimal memory, ECW can quickly decompress and open massive files, in many cases faster than uncompressed imagery can be opened. Additionally, multi-resolution level of detail is built into the file, eliminating the need to generate or distribute pyramids or overviews. The ECW technique does not require that immediate tiles (RRDs) be calculated and stored on disk; they are an inherent part of ECW’s Discrete Wavelet Transformations (DWT). ECW also supports opacity channels, allowing images to overlay other imagery cleanly without showing compression artifacts around the edges.

The ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK technology was developed by ER Mapper Ltd beginning in 1998 and is governed by three patents (US6201897, US6442298, and US6633688).

ECW for ArcGIS Server may be installed on a single ArcGIS Server, with or without other ERDAS software installed. However, ECW for ArcGIS Server does require a FlexNet license file from ERDAS.

This new product expands the industry-wide level of support for the ECW format. ECW is already supported in traditional desktop GIS, CAD and remote sensing packages such as ArcGIS®, AutoCAD®, ERDAS IMAGINE®, ERDAS ER Mapper, FalconView™, Bentley Microstation®, ENVI® and PCI Geomatica®.

"ERDAS created ECW for ArcGIS Server in response to overwhelming user demand. For any geospatial organization requiring an accelerated workflow and reduction of hardware costs, ECW is the compression format of choice," said Paul Beaty, Technical Product Manager, ERDAS. "Its popularity stems from the fact that it doesn’t merely compress files; it simplifies their handling by making them faster to decompress and transfer. ERDAS is committed to providing rapid geospatial data delivery for organizations using any software platform."

To learn more about ECW for ArcGIS Server, please visit the official product page or attend a free webinar on Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 11 am or 7 pm (GMT -4).

For more information about ERDAS or its products and services, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 877 GO ERDAS, or visit http://www.erdas.com/.

This means the two articles 32824 and 36261 posted on ESRI's Support website concerning ECW in ArcGIS Server 10 are now out-of-date. Just get ECW for ArcGIS Server from ERDAS, and you are off to the races.

ERDAS is about to introduce a new product.....

Please allow me to confirm the rumor....

ERDAS will soon announce a new product, ‘ECW for ArcGIS Server.’

ECW for ArcGIS Server will provide the licenses and tools needed to decode ECW data to an ArcGIS Server client via ArcGIS Server using WMS / WCS. ECW for ArcGIS Server will support the ECW opacity layer introduced in the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK 4.1 in 2010.

ECW for ArcGIS Server is built using ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK 4.2 and is designed to assist the ArcGIS user community in using the most powerful geospatial image format available today. ECW for ArcGIS Server will offer Software Maintenance (SWM) and will have regular upgrades just as does other ERDAS products.

Where does ECW for ArcGIS Server fit into the ERDAS portfolio? Think of ECW for ArcGIS Server as an ArcGIS Server Extension. ECW for ArcGIS Server is not a replacement product, but a new product.

Keep an eye open for an ERDAS press release announcing ECW for ArcGIS Server soon. With the press release, ERDAS will launch a product web-page containing a product description, systems specifications, ArcGIS Server versions supported and more.

This product will only be available from ERDAS’ global sales network.