Support and Maintenance for LocalView Fusion has been Retired

/

As you will be aware, support and maintenance for LocalView Fusion was retired on July 1st, 2016.

You can of course continue to use LocalView Fusion on premise unsupported, should you wish to, although you will no longer be able to log support calls and there will be no future releases or patches for the software.

You can be reassured that other components you have deployed alongside LocalView Fusion will remain in support. This includes desktop and server software as well as applications you may have, such as LocatorHub, ProductivitySuite, QuestionWhere Builder and MyNearest Builder.

We would like to take the opportunity to thank you for using LocalView Fusion and look forward to supporting you as you deploy new web mapping capability using the Esri UK Local Government Solution.

Many of you have already completed or are in the process of transition to the latest technology. For those of you about to embark on a migration project, we have developed suitable and affordable packages to support you in these projects. If you wish to discuss the options available please contact your Customer Success Manager.

Using Latest Esri UK Online Services within LocalView Fusion

/

LocalView Fusion is being retired on 1st July 2016, however, we are aware that some of our customers will be continuing to use LocalView Fusion on premise as they complete their migration to the new UK Local Government Solution.

The free datahub map services and locators are also being retired on the 1st July and therefore will no longer be available in LocalView Fusion. 

This affects the Map and Gazetteer content types within LocalView:

·         In the Map content the “Esri UK Services” content type will only be useful for customers of our premium datahub services.  This will no longer be used to access the free datahub services which have moved to ArcGIS Online

·         In the Gazetteer content the “Esri UK Services”  content type will be obsolete

This blog describes how you can consume the new free basemaps from ArcGIS Online and new free locators from LocalView Fusion to replace the retiring datahub services and highlights a current known issue.

For more information on the changes and the new services available please refer to the following blogs:

·         Important Changes to Esri UK Online Services

·         New basemaps in ArcGIS Online

·         New locator services

Known Issues

The ArcGIS Online Open data basemaps (which replace the datahub free basemaps) cannot be used with LocalView 4.3.106.0.  We are working with Esri Inc to resolve this issue.  The ArcGIS Online Open data basemaps have been tested with LocalView Fusion 4.3.66.0 and are expected to work with earlier releases of LocalView Fusion.

It is not possible print the ArcGIS Online Open data basemaps from LocalView Fusion.  There is unfortunately no workaround for this issue as the new services do not support SOAP.

Using the ArcGIS Online OS Opendata Basemaps in LocalView Fusion

To switch from using the free datahub services to the new AGOL map services you need to edit the map settings for the datahub maps that you are using.  Once this has been done your applications using these maps will automatically pick up the new services. To do this follow the steps below:  

1.       In LocalView click Content > Maps  and edit the basemap you wish to change

2.       Click Settings then the ArcGIS tab and enter the new URL.  The urls for all of the free basemaps can be found here

3.       Click Save

4.       Check that you can view the map correctly and that applications using these maps still display correctly. 

Setting up free locators in LocalView

LocalView does not directly support ArcGIS Locators (i.e. locators in the Esri standard format), only LocatorHub locators are directly supported.  Therefore to use the new free locator services it is necessary to setup a new LocatorHub locator as a proxy service, using the ArcGIS Locator Plug In, which is available in LocatorHub version 5.0 onwards.

The steps to do this are as follows:

In LocatorHub

1.       In LocatorHub Dashboard Version click Configuration tab and LocatorHub REST Service.

2.        Add an ArcGIS Locator and give it a name.

4.       Enter https://datahub.esriuk.com/arcgis/rest/services for ArcGIS Rest Locator Service, then select required BNG, postcode or open names locator.

5.       Click Save on Configuration screen

In LocalView

1.       Click Content > Gazetteer  then edit the gazetteer you want to change

2.       Click Settings then the LocatorHub tab and enter the LocatorHub URL in the correct format together with any security details. Click Connect and select the free locator you have added in LocatorHub.

3.       Click Save

4.       The sites using this gazetteer will be automatically updated and ready for use.

LocalView Fusion - 4.3.106.0 Release

/

We are pleased to announce the release of LocalView Fusion 4.3.106.0

This release includes security patches for the platform and adds support for ArcGIS server 10.3 and 10.3.1.

Please see the release notes (at the right-hand side of this blog) for details of the issues addressed and the Product Lifecycle (also at the right-hand side of this blog) for details of supported platforms.

On premise LocalView customers who are on current maintenance can download the release from our FTP site:

FTP Location: https://download.esriuk.com
Username: Lvfusion

The password is unchanged and and is available on request from support@esriuk.com if you have mislaid it. 

The online environment will be upgraded during scheduled maintenance in due course.

New Local Government Demo Site

/

We are pleased to announce the release of a new demo site for our Local Government Customers which can be found here.

As you are hopefully already aware Esri UK have launched a new UK Local Government solution and have annouced the retirement of LocalView on 1st July 2016.

We encourage you to start migrating to the new solution which will enable you to create maps applications using ArcGIS Online or Portal for ArcGIS.

The purpose of the demo site is to show how you can embed these maps and applications into your websites.

The demo site covers three areas:

  • Report It - to show how you can add online surveys to your websites e.g. report an abandonned vehicle (something you may have been using the LVF survey template for)
  • Your Map - to show how you can embed maps into your website (something you may have been using the LVF embeddable map template for)
  • MyNearest - to how you can use add information on nearest services and facilities to you website (something you may have been using LVF WebPublisher or MyLocation templates for)

For each of these areas we cover:

  • Why - what user stories does it support
  • Options - what are the different ways you can achieve this
  • Which - how to chose the best option for you
  • How - how we have put the demos together
  • Demos - links to live demos showing the end results

We hope you find this new resource useful and would welcome your feedback.

 

 

 

Release of Embeddable Survey and Embeddable Map Templates

/

We are pleased to announce new releases of both the Embeddable Survey and the Embeddable Map templates.

The online environment has been updated this evening and the releases will be available for download by our on premise customers later this week.

Embeddable Survey - Version 4.3.045.0

This version requires 4.3.66.0 platform build to be installed.

The Embeddable Survey has been updated so that it will now show the results of a GP task in the completion window.

The gazetteer results have been amended so that they no longer show the match score at the start as this had the potential to cause confusion.

Additional bugs fixed are detailed in the release notes which can be found to the right-hand side of this blog.

Embeddable Map - 4.3.121.0

This version requires 4.3.66.0 platform build to be installed.

This release has added the ability for the user to set the identify tolerance in the application. It will default to a 3 pixel tolerance for map services and a 5 pixel tolerance for feature services. These can be overridden in the provisioning page for the application.

 

The “New” UK Local Government Solution for ArcGIS

/

In 2014, we launched a new solution for UK Local Government and announced a migration path for our LocalView Fusion customers.  Since then, we have been working hard on the technical capability of the new solution and to understand what our customers require to support their migration.

As we expected, customers have very varied priorities and technical environments.  Through talking to you, and from our experience implementing the new solution, we have developed our understanding and have now established a process for assessing your needs in terms of technology, deployment models, implementation services and knowledge transfer.

In the coming weeks, each LocalView Fusion customer will be contacted by their customer success manager. The purpose of the contact will be to establish each customers’ individual requirements and in turn to provide a quotation for migrating to the new solution.

The new solution will be deployed on v10.3 of Esri’s platform. To support dual running of the new solution and LocalView Fusion, we have taken the time to certify LocalView Fusion against ArcGIS for Server 10.3 so that you will be able to upgrade your server environment to 10.3 and continue to operate LocalView at the latest version as you migrate over your applications.

 

Recording of 18th September webinar now available

/

The recording of the UK Local Government Solution for ArcGIS webinar on 18th September is now available.

To view the recording of the webinar please click here.

The webinar was to inform you about the new UK Local Government Solution for ArcGIS and how Esri UK will support you in your migration from LocalView Fusion to the new solution.

Registration now open for customer webinar on the 18th September

/

Join Esri UK online at 11am on the 18th September and find out more about how the UK Local Government Solution for ArcGIS will support you in the migration from LocalView Fusion.

The UK Local Government Solution for ArcGIS aims to bring together the best Esri capabilities and services to help you transition from LocalView Fusion to the ArcGIS Platform.  Esri UK will help you map out your future plan and ensure that you benefit from:

  • Greater access to all the applications and content provided as part of the platform.
  • A much larger Esri development and support team.
  • A scalable solution to meet your changing demands.

This webinar is free to attend from the comfort of your own desk. 

Register online here

 

Customer Webinar - 18th September 2014

/

We are holding a webinar for all customers of LocalView Fusion at 11am on the 18th September 2014.  Please put the date in your diary.

This will be an opportunity for us to tell you more about the UK Local Government Solution for ArcGIS and our plans to support you in the migration from LocalView Fusion.

If there are specific topics or questions that you would like us to cover please send your ideas to localviewfusion@esriuk.com and we'll do our best to cover them.

Look out for the email inviting you to this event.

New Solution for UK Local Government

/

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Solution for UK Local Government based upon ArcGIS Online.

This will replace LocalView and provide you with new and improved capability in the future.  We are therefore announcing the retirement of LocalView Fusion from the 1st July 2016.

Why are we replacing LocalView?

When LocalView was launched it provided a capability that was not available in the core ArcGIS products, for example content management, user and security management.  These capabilities are now all part of the core ArcGIS platform.

By launching the UK Local Government Solution for ArcGIS, we will be able to offer you the very latest technology and access to the complete ArcGIS Platform so you can benefit from all the latest releases.  As the new solution is based on the core ArcGIS platform the investment in research and development is massively increased and resources for technical support greatly improved.

How much will it cost?

We are conscious of the budgetary constraints on our customers and are endeavouring to minimise the difference in cost between LocalView Fusion and the new solution based upon an ArcGIS Online Organisational account.

We will be writing to all customers shortly to provide further details of the costs.

What will the new solution look like?

To help provide customers with an idea of what the new solution will look like we have put together a demonstration ArcGIS Online portal for the mythical local authority "Sunnyshire".  You can access the public facing parts of this portal here. 

If you would like to see more of this portal please contact your Customer Success Manager to arrange a WebEx.

 

 

 

LocalView Fusion - 4.3.66.0 Release

/

We are pleased to announce the release of LocalView Fusion 4.3.66.0

This is a minor release that includes bug fixes to the Radar Platform and to the following templates:

  • WebPublisher (build 4.3.075.0)
  • Embeddable Survey (build 4.3.016.0)

Please see the release notes at the right-hand side of this blog for details of the issues fixed and the Product Lifecycle, also at the right-hand side of this blog, for details of supported platforms.

We recommend that you upgrade to this release only if you are directly affected by the bugs fixed.  The WebPublisher bug fix is a template only fix, which can be installed with the 4.3.57.0 platform release (without a full platform upgrade).  The Embeddable Survey bug fixes are dependent on the platform release and therefore require you to upgrade your platform to 4.3.66.0.

On premise LocalView customers who are on current maintenance can download the release from our FTP site:

FTP Location: https://download.esriuk.com
Username: Lvfusion

The password is unchanged and and is available on request from support@esriuk.com if you have mislaid it.  There are separate zip files for WebPublisher only and for the full platform release.

The online environment will be upgraded during scheduled maintenance this evening.

Using Esri UK’s Online Gazetteer Services in LocalView Fusion

/

On our Online Operations sister blog, we have added details about three new online gazetteer services available to users of Esri UK’s free online services. While we hope that these are of use to our customers across the Esri platform, I wanted to let LocalView Fusion users know that ArcGIS Locators will not work with LocalView Fusion. They will work in other areas of the ArcGIS platform e.g. ArcGIS for Desktop, ArcGIS Online etc.

As some background, the three new gazetteers are ArcGIS Locators. There are already two existing locators in our Online Services, and these are based on LocatorHub. LocalView Fusion users can continue to use the LocatorHub based ones.

Because we now have two different types of gazetteers, each supporting the same free OS data, I wanted to highlight the areas in LocalView Fusion where you will see these as options you can configure for use, to make sure they are not used in error.

In the Admin menu > Esri UK Services, you will see them when you configure your Online Service Account e.g. 

All locators will appear in the available list.  The existing LocatorHub based locators are the ones named

  • Ordnance Survey CodePoint Open
  • Ordnance Survey Locator (*be careful*) 

The new ArcGIS Locator locators are the ones named

  • OS CodePointOpen Postcode Locator
  • OS Locator Locator
  • OS 50K Placename Locator

Our naming convention for the new ArcGIS Locators is <data source> < data product > <Locator> which would work splendidly were it not for the fact that one of the data products is itself called ‘OS Locator’. However if you remember this exception to the rule, then generally any service whose name ends in ‘Locator’ is an ArcGIS Locator and will not work in LocalView Fusion.

The other area of LocalView where you will see these new locators in a list is when you go to Content > Add Map 

Since these are gazetteers rather than maps, we will shortly be hiding them from this list, but for the moment this is the other place you will see them listed with LocalView Fusion. 

In summary, if you are already using the LocatorHub based gazetteers then you do not need to do anything. These will continue to work.

Request for customer feedback

/

We are currently working on the requirements for the next generation of LocalView Fusion. 

As part of this solution we are planning to provide an app that will allow members of the public to search for services that are near to their chosen location, our working name for the app is MyNearest.

This app will seek to fulfil some of the common use cases supported by the existing WebPublisher and MyLocation LocalView Fusion templates.

We would like to gain customer feedback on some of initial ideas for this app and would love to speak to both GIS Officers and Web Designers to validate our approach.

If you are willing to provide an hour of your time to provide your feedback on our proposals then please contact Valerie Hindson ( vhindson@esriuk.com ).

Thank you

LocalView 4.3.1 - WebPublisher Printing Issue

/

We are sorry to inform our customers that we have discovered an issue in the latest release of LocalView Fusion 4.3.1 (build 4.3.054.0).

The issue affects only the WebPublisher template, other templates are unaffected.

The issue is that browser based printing is not working within WebPublisher template.  Temporary workarounds, while we work on a resolution to this issue, are:

  • to disable printing from WebPublisher sites
  • to use only MXD based layouts in WebPublisher sites

This blog will be updated shortly with further information on the release schedule for a hot fix to this issue.

LocalView Fusion 4.3.1 Release

/

We are pleased to announce the release of LocalView Fusion 4.3.1 (build 4.3.54.0)

This release adds support for ArcGIS Server 10.2.1 and includes a number of bug fixes to the Radar Platform and to the following templates:

  • ArcGIS Viewer for Flex
  • Embeddable Map
  • Navigator

Please note that ArcGIS Server 10.2.1 enforces case sensitivity on service URLs, so previous settings may need to be updated, such as those set for the geometry and print services in the post-install. Check that any URLs typed in match the original letter case for that service.

Please see the release notes at the right-hand side of this blog for details of the issues fixed.

LocalView customers who are on current maintenance have already received details of how to download this release from the ftp site.  The online environment will be upgraded during scheduled maintenance Monday 24th March.

LocalView Fusion 4.3 Release

/

We are pleased to announce the release of LocalView Fusion 4.3

This release adds support for ArcGIS Server 10.2 and includes a number of bug fixes to the Radar Platform and to the following templates:

  • ArcGIS for FlexViewer
  • Embeddable Survey
  • MyLocation
  • WebPublisher

please see the release notes at the righthand side of this blog for details of the issues fixed and known issues.

This release was deployed to our online environment on Monday 9th December.  On premise customers will be notified about download instructions in the next few days.

LocatorHub

If you are an on premise user of LocalView Fusion using LocatorHub then please ensure that you are running a supported version by referring to the LocatorHub Product Lifecycle. We recommend that you upgrade to the latest version of LocatorHub 5.2 and for your convenience the LocatorHub 5.2 installer will be included on the download site with LocalView Fusion 4.3