<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><atom:link href="http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;Type=RSS20" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><title>ROK Blog</title><description>ROK Blog</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/</link><lastBuildDate>Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:29:15 GMT</lastBuildDate><docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss</docs><generator>RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/</generator><item><title>Cloud Based IT Infrastructure for the ArcGIS Platform</title><description>&lt;span style="font-family: verdana;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial;"&gt; Hello folks! Yvonne Jones here, Marketing Manager, with ROK. We will get back on schedule with our newsletter frequency.&amp;nbsp; For this month's update we have decided to pick the brain of our President, Mike Murphy and discuss his thoughts on the latest service that ROK is providing - Infrastructure as a Service.&lt;br /&gt;
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YJ: Good Morning Mike, glad to have you on board this morning!&lt;br /&gt;
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MM: Good Morning Yvonne, great to be here.&lt;br /&gt;
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YJ: First of all, what does ROK's Cloud Based IT Infrastructure for the ArcGIS Platform provide to someone considering this service?&lt;br /&gt;
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MM:&amp;nbsp; If you don't have the IT resources in house, you are able to leverage our thin client technology via citrix to deploy your desktop licenses of ArcGIS for editing and maintaining your GIS data.&amp;nbsp; Expending valuable time and resources to keep your software applications secure, fully maintained, and up-to-date is one thing you shouldn't have to worry about.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: navy;"&gt;YJ: How does the service work?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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MM:&amp;nbsp; The client realizes the highest levels of security and reliability for their ArcGIS for Desktop applications and data. Our expert technical team will deploy, maintain, update, and optimize your ArcGIS for Desktop applications, as well as provide the infrastructure required to run them. &amp;nbsp;No more keeping up with all the latest hardware specifications.&amp;nbsp; We take care of that.&amp;nbsp; At the same time, you will maintain complete control over your applications and your data. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: navy;"&gt;YJ: What kind of feed back are you receiving for this service? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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MM:&amp;nbsp; Because GIS falls under the IT Department often, IT Directors love this service as it frees them up to focus on mission critical tasks.&amp;nbsp; GIS users also enjoy this service because ROK acts as their back office for GIS support.&amp;nbsp; Users consider ROK as their "hands-on" GIS Cloud.&amp;nbsp; It is a win-win for everyone.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: navy;"&gt;YJ: Is this service hard to implement?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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MM: &amp;nbsp;The process is fairly straightforward. First, we work with our clients to migrate their databases, applications and map services to our private cloud. Once everything is configured and tested internally, we provide temporary access using ArcGIS (ArcMap, ArcCatalog) through Citrix for the client to perform testing of the business processes. Once acceptance has been given, we can transfer the client's ArcGIS desktop licensing to the Citrix server and provide secure access to their data or desktops. At this point, it is business as usual for the client with ROK providing technical support and maintenance as needed.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: navy;"&gt;YJ: Thank you so much for taking the time and letting me pick your brain.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt; color: navy;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;MM: No problem, my pleasure.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=1020799&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252fcloud-based-it-infrastructure-for-the-arcgis-platform%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/cloud-based-it-infrastructure-for-the-arcgis-platform/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 28 May 2013 21:38:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Parcel Fabric Training - Summer Dates Announced for July</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"&gt;ROK
is pleased to announce another Parcel Fabric Training in Charleston,
SC. To make sure you are getting the most out of parcels on ArcGIS, we
will be hosting a training class in conjunction with &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.pandaconsulting.com/"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"&gt;Panda Consulting&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"&gt; in Charleston, SC &lt;strong&gt;July 16-18&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp;
Frank Conkling, of Panda Consulting, will be instructing the Parcel
Fabric class.&amp;nbsp; This comprehensive three day training covers all aspects
of the Parcel Fabric, including an intensive examination of the Parcel
Fabric structure, the inter-dependencies of the sub-layers, how the
Parcel Fabric really works, what you need to do to make the transition
and how to integrate the Parcel Fabric into your daily workflow.&amp;nbsp; For a more detailed description, you can download&lt;a href="/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=176603"&gt; The Parcel Fabric Training &lt;/a&gt;pdf here. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: arial; color: #000000;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: arial; color: #7f7f7f;"&gt;For more information, &lt;a href="http://www.roktech.net/contact-us.html"&gt;contact us&lt;/a&gt; or call 888-898-3404 x 2.&lt;/span&gt;
</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=1017760&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252fparcel-fabric-training---summer-dates-announced-for-july%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/parcel-fabric-training---summer-dates-announced-for-july/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 24 May 2013 18:24:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>ROK annouces new iOS Application for the citizens of Santa Rosa County</title><description>ROK is pleased to announce the release of &lt;a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/src-citizens/id637781665?mt=8"&gt;SRC Citizens&lt;/a&gt;, a mobile application for the iOS platform.&amp;nbsp; &lt;span class="userContent"&gt;Its a great tool for citizens of Santa Rosa County, FL to get quick information such as property information,
school zones, airfield proximity, hurricane evacuation zones, fire
hydrant proximity and more.  Android coming soon...&lt;/span&gt;
</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=1004637&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252frok-annouces-new-ios-application-for-the-citizens-of-santa-rosa-county%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/rok-annouces-new-ios-application-for-the-citizens-of-santa-rosa-county/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2013 16:36:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Parcel Fabric Training - Spring Dates Announced for April</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"&gt;ROK is pleased to announce another Parcel Fabric Training in Charleston, SC. To make sure you are getting the most out of ArcGIS Server 10.1, we will be hosting a training class in conjunction with &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.pandaconsulting.com/"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"&gt;Panda Consulting&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"&gt; in Charleston, SC &lt;strong&gt;April 16-18&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Frank Conkling, of Panda Consulting, will be instructing the Parcel Fabric class.&amp;nbsp; This comprehensive three day training covers all aspects of the Parcel Fabric, including an intensive examination of the Parcel Fabric structure, the inter-dependencies of the sub-layers, how the Parcel Fabric really works, what you need to do to make the transition and how to integrate the Parcel Fabric into your daily workflow.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: arial; color: #000000;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 115%; font-family: arial; color: #7f7f7f;"&gt;*The training includes the initial conversion of 1,000 polygons during Day 2 of the training.&amp;nbsp; Additional conversion is available as detailed below:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: arial; color: #7f7f7f;"&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: arial; color: #7f7f7f;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: arial; color: #7f7f7f;"&gt;
    &lt;/span&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: arial; color: #7f7f7f;"&gt;1,000 polygons included in training price&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: arial; color: #7f7f7f;"&gt;
    &lt;/span&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: arial; color: #7f7f7f;"&gt;+10,000 polygons =$1,000&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: arial; color: #7f7f7f;"&gt;
    &lt;/span&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: arial; color: #7f7f7f;"&gt;&amp;lt;100,000 polygons =$5,000&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: arial; color: #7f7f7f;"&gt;
    &lt;/span&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: arial; color: #7f7f7f;"&gt;&amp;gt;100,000 polygons = call for an estimate&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 14px; font-family: arial; color: #7f7f7f;"&gt;For more information, &lt;a href="http://www.roktech.net/contact-us.html"&gt;contact us&lt;/a&gt; or call 888-898-3404 x 2.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=922391&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252fParcel_Fabric_Training_-_Spring_Date_Announced%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/Parcel_Fabric_Training_-_Spring_Date_Announced/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:10:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Hosting GIS Data in the Cloud</title><description>Welcome to Whiteboard Wednesday.&amp;nbsp; Please watch and listen to our own, Jason Harris, discussing Hosting GIS Data in the Cloud.&amp;nbsp; He touches on Amazon Web Services, ArcGIS Online, and ROK's ArcGIS Hosting Approach.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/frm5HC8qwXs?rel=0"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=820457&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252fHosting_GIS_Data_in_the_Cloud%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/Hosting_GIS_Data_in_the_Cloud/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:25:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Does Customer Service Matter?</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;Hello folks! Yvonne Jones here, Marketing Manager, with ROK. For this month's update we have decided to pick the brain of our Sales Director Carey Jenkins and discuss her thoughts on customer service and its impact on the GIS community!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;YJ: Good Morning Carey, glad to have you on board this morning!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;CJ: Good Morning Yvonne, great to be here.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;YJ: With all the options customers and potentials customers have for hosting GIS maps and/or data in the cloud, why choose ROK Technologies? What sets you apart from the others?&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;p id="jump1"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;CJ: Let&amp;rsquo;s set product discussion aside for now and simply focus on service. What good is a product or service without support behind it? At ROK we focus on a custom experience. Every client is different and ever client has different needs. We pride ourselves on developing unique quality options for every client. Not only are the applications and maps unique per client, but every client gets personalized support for their services. Our team is thorough with the setup and will guide each client through any problem they may have. You are never without support from the ROK team. I think that makes us unique.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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YJ: What about the product quality itself?&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;p id="jump2"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;CJ: As an Esri business partner we are equipped with great knowledge of ArcGIS server and ArcGIS Online. Our team is well versed and can streamline the process for many clients. Not only that but we can create custom maps and applications as well. Whatever the client may need in regards to GIS map hosting we can handle with practiced care. With our team&amp;rsquo;s expertise and great customer service the clients are in for a great experience with our products. &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p id="jump2"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;YJ: So you mainly focus on GIS Map hosting and development?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p id="jump3"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;CJ: We do emphasize our map hosting abilities but like I said we can create custom maps and applications as well. We can also create mobile applications. That way the clients can pass on their product to their customers in an easy to access form. Not only that but we are now partnered with eGroup and can host IT solutions and data in the cloud for our clients. We are evolving every day and finding new ways to bring solutions to our valued and potential clients. It is truly an exciting time for ROK technologies!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;YJ: Wow! Ok so could you provide the readers with a scenario of a happy client and how they utilized your services?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p id="jump4"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;CJ: Absolutely. We just received a raving testimonial from Franklin County in Alabama. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;This past summer, the Franklin County GIS Consortium used ArcGIS Online, together with map services hosted by ROK Technologies to create web maps for two local events.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The City of Russellville hosts an annual 4th of July celebration, attracting thousands of spectators. Also, in August, the City hosts a downtown festival, attracting dozens of vendors and thousands of patrons. Interactive web maps were used to display the locations of vendors, parking, first aid, attractions, and roadblocks, along with many other features. Public safety personnel and event organizers had access to maps showing the locations of emergency personnel, vehicles, and facilities. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
ArcGIS Online was used because of the ability to embed the easy to use application within an existing website, use it in a mobile device, display map services hosted by ROK Technologies, and access a great variety of base maps.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;They were very happy with the results! &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"&gt;YJ: You heard it best from our Sales Director. ROK Technologies really delivers in customer service and product. Way to go ROK!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=795273&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252fDoes_Customer_Service_Matter%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/Does_Customer_Service_Matter/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 10 Jan 2013 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Why host your GIS data in a cloud?</title><description>&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;Hello folks! Yvonne Jones here, Marketing Manager, with ROK. For this week's update we have decided to pick the brain of our CTO Jason Harris and discuss his thoughts on GIS hosting and cloud services!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;YJ: Good Morning Jason. We are very excited to hear your thoughts on this very hot and trending topic!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;JH: Good Morning Yvonne, great to be here.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;YJ: Let's jump right in to the thick of things and start off with, why is a cloud hosted GIS solution important?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p id="jump1"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;JH: It is funny, when I first heard the term 'Cloud Computing' many years ago, I said to myself 'This just means a server that's sitting somewhere outside of your building, it just a new buzzword that the industry is pushing'.&amp;nbsp; It didn&amp;rsquo;t take me long to realize just how wrong I was. It is all about data redundancy, security, speed, scalability, and optimal use of available computing power.&amp;nbsp; GIS, like other industries, can take advantage of these real world benefits right now. All industries and organizations should want to serve their data faster, more securely, and of course less expensively - and using the Cloud to serve geographic data and services should be no exception.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
YJ: How does one make an informed decision in regards to what program to choose?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p id="jump2"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;JH: As the industry continues to mature, we are given more and more options when it comes to serving GIS through the cloud.&amp;nbsp; There are many factors to consider when choosing a vendor or service.&amp;nbsp; The very first thing I discuss when making recommendations to folks is how hands on do you want to be?&amp;nbsp; Many people opt to use a service such as Amazon EC2, where you 'rent' an entire server in which you must administer from start to finish. From licensing, to publishing maps, server maintenance, etc.&amp;nbsp; Everything.&amp;nbsp; It is your server and you are ultimately responsible for it.&amp;nbsp; It is not a role that some folks want to take on though.&amp;nbsp; There can be some budgetary issues because the cost for this service can vary quite a bit from month to month due to bandwidth demand, extra CPU cycles, etc. You pay for that server even if it sits idle for hours. For the very high volume and demanding map services, along with the right personnel administer it, this option works well.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For folks that wish to take a more hands-off approach, the latest offering from Esri called ArcGIS Online is an excellent choice.&amp;nbsp; It allows non technical users the ability to quickly and easily publish their maps and data to web using the power of the Esri hosted cloud.&amp;nbsp; Simple web maps can be easily configured from a wealth of ready to use templates - and then shared within your organization, or the world.&amp;nbsp; There can be some downsides to this service, mainly the limited ability to utilize the more advanced features of ArcGIS Server. ArcGIS online is a 'metered' solution meaning you pay for what you use - which can be both good and bad.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; As your monthly usage can vary widely, these situations can be difficult to budget for. &amp;nbsp; Overall, if you are looking to get your feet wet in 'Cloud Hosted GIS' and looking to easily share your data, then ArcGIS Online is a great option.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Then there is a hybrid type of cloud solution, which I like to call the 'Personalized Cloud'.&amp;nbsp; In this scenario, you partner with an existing company, such as ROK, to host GIS data and map services for you on their cloud.&amp;nbsp; This approach allows you to be hands on, while maintaining all the benefits of the cloud infrastructure - such as scalability and redundancy.&amp;nbsp; In addition, the full power of Esri's ArcGIS Server is exposed.&amp;nbsp; However, you get one more very important benefit - the expertise of a dedicated team backing you up. Managing servers and dealing with intricacies of serving spatial data can be time consuming.&amp;nbsp; When you have a talented team that is there to help, it can make all the difference.&amp;nbsp; Using this approach allows you to focus on your core competencies, and leave the heavy-lifting and server maintenance to others.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p id="jump3" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
YJ: Wow. Jason that is a pretty lengthy answer, could you narrow it down to the single most important point?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;JH: Well Yvonne, it really all comes down to the economics of scalability. Some options use the 'metered' pricing tier, while others, such as ROK, use a fixed price.&amp;nbsp; The very first thing that we do here at ROK is to talk to the customer.&amp;nbsp; We are all developers at heart and understand what it takes to successfully launch a service or new web app.&amp;nbsp; So, in these initial discussions, we get a good feel for the requirements and target audience.&amp;nbsp; This lets us estimate out the resources needed and determine a fixed monthly price that won&amp;rsquo;t vary - and one that the customer is comfortable with.&amp;nbsp; Let us look at this scenario - Suppose you are hosting an emergency management application during hurricane season along the gulf coast of Florida. As a hurricane approaches, more and more citizens use these hosted services to, for example determine an evacuation zone.&amp;nbsp; This scenario would sharply raise your monthly bill, since more and more 'credits' were used.&amp;nbsp; Again, as we discussed before, this can be a budget concern if using the metered approach.&amp;nbsp; The good news is that service is not susceptible to this rapidly increasing load.&amp;nbsp; The cloud is able to quickly scale up, allot additional bandwidth as needed - all to effectively serve your GIS services.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p id="jump4" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;YJ: Ok, so you spent a good time on how but now tell us why to&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;choose a hosted GIS solution.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;JH: We are all expected to do more with less these days.&amp;nbsp; No matter which approach you take, the benefits of utilizing a cloud hosted GIS are compelling.&amp;nbsp; Taking into consideration a lower total cost of ownership, server uptime/redundancy, scalability, along with far fewer management headaches, moving your GIS to the cloud just makes sense.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt;"&gt;YJ: You heard it best from our resident CTO. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us &lt;a href="http://www.roktech.net/contact-us.html"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; or contact Jason Harris at jharris@roktech.net.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=663172&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252fWhy_host_your_GIS_data_in_a_cloud%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/Why_host_your_GIS_data_in_a_cloud/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 29 Oct 2012 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>The Cloud Evolution: Are you on board?</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Cloud computing. A common term used here in the IT world but five years ago was a novelty for most of us. Cloud computing is changing the way companies do business. Can you and your company benefit from cloud services? The answer is absolutely. According to analytic data collected by Vertical-Cloud.com, by the end of 2013 small and medium-size businesses will have surpassed enterprises in cloud adoption with key verticals such as service, banking, education, and insurance.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The large appeal of cloud computing began with database storage. Cloud service allowed companies to move a bulk of their data and information to a cloud database, permitting them to free up internal server space and unload the costs of desktop programs. Companies were learning how to save money on operating and maintenance costs by using a cloud, thus freeing up their server for other potential revenue streams.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;An important concern for most companies was and is security. Will their data be protected with cloud programs and will their client&amp;rsquo;s data be safe? Your systems are already as secure or insecure as they are and moving to the cloud doesn&amp;rsquo;t change that.&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The worst case scenario is that a cloud service might expose how weak your system&amp;rsquo;s securities are. Luckily cloud services are equipped to provide extra security to better protect you and your data. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But what is next for cloud computing? Companies are now looking for ways to evolve and change their business by using the cloud. They are asking how to provide services and products via the cloud that will benefit their customers and improve the bottom line. How can Cloud Services change and improve your business? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://www.roktech.net/contact-us.html"&gt;Contact us&lt;/a&gt; if you are looking for ways to host your map services online.&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=639246&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252fThe_Cloud_Evolution_Are_you_on_board%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/The_Cloud_Evolution_Are_you_on_board/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:16:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>ROK Global Applications Group, LLC partners with eGroup </title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;We are excited to announce a new partnership! ROK Global is utilizing eGroup&amp;rsquo;s eCloud infrastructure to allow users to easily view, understand and interpret geographically referenced data right from the desktop.&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;As a result of the partnership, commercial enterprises and governmental organizations will be better prepared to make data driven decisions, at a fraction of the cost. As these groups strive to improve efficiencies, deliver superior customer service and a better informed constituency, commercial enterprises and governmental organizations are increasingly turning to geographic information systems (GIS). Historically, these entities have been challenged with rolling out GIS given the high cost and complex technical specifications, despite the significant business benefits.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;Our managed ArcGIS Server cloud hosting, powered by eGroup&amp;rsquo;s eCloud, offers a solution that is cost effective while allowing enterprises and public organizations to integrate their enterprise software with ROK GIS solutions, products and services. Additional benefits include:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;-Lower total cost of ownership (fixed, monthly cost)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;-Hosted Computing Infrastructure&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;-State-of-the-art 24&amp;times;7 Data Center&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;-Dedicated Virtual Servers: Scale resources as-needed&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;-Consolidated Storage: Readily Available&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;-Highest Levels of Business Continuity&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;-No ArcGIS Server license required &amp;ndash; We handle that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;-No bandwidth investment &amp;ndash; Do you have enough bandwidth to serve that bandwidth intensive cache?&amp;nbsp; We do.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;-No personnel investment &amp;ndash; We have best in class ArcGIS Server specialists on staff.&amp;nbsp; We take care of the technical obstacles to ensure your map services run at optimal speed &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;Utilizing our ArcGIS Server cloud hosting service includes several benefits when compared to other cloud based server configurations.&amp;nbsp; We maintain all the benefits of other cloud solutions without all the &amp;lsquo;unknowns&amp;rsquo;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: georgia;"&gt;&amp;ldquo;Reliability and performance in a storage solution are key criteria for ROK&amp;rsquo;s cloud initiative. In-depth knowledge of the storage industry and a thorough understanding of ROK&amp;rsquo;s leading edge offerings make eGroup the natural partner of choice to exceed ROK&amp;rsquo;s cloud storage requirements,&amp;rdquo; Mike Murphy, president at ROK Technologies.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;
</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=601112&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252fROK_Global_Applications_Group%252c_LLC_partners_with_eGroup_%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/ROK_Global_Applications_Group,_LLC_partners_with_eGroup_/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 28 Sep 2012 18:54:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Client Spotlight: Escambia County, FL</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;"&gt;Client Spotlight:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;"&gt; We are pleased to welcome Escambia County, FL as an ArcGIS Server Hosting Client. Escambia County, Florida is presently working on launching ROK GoMaps in the future and is currently utilizing ROK&amp;rsquo;s address search tool. Residents of Escambia County can utilize the address tool to find information about a property such as County Commission District, water franchise jurisdictions, school zones, voting precinct, emergency management hurricane evacuation zones and more. Residents with questions on how to use this great tool can view a video tutorial here (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.myescambia.com/lookup.html" target="_blank"&gt;http://www.myescambia.com/lookup.html&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;"&gt;). &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;"&gt;Don&amp;rsquo;t forget to check back soon. Once Escambia has launched ROK GoMaps, the public will have access to more searchable data.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%; font-family: arial;"&gt;&amp;ldquo;Escambia County Government and Citizens have benefited in many ways as a result [of] ROK Technologies' services.&amp;nbsp; We have provided GIS web map services to the public for several years and the tools and templates provided through GoMaps and other "ROK" services have pleased internal staff and outside citizen users. The staff at ROK Technologies has introduced several new ideas such as an address reporting tool and a video tutorial to assist users by demonstration.&amp;nbsp; Their quick delivery on development following our requests has offered a chance to test concepts and enhance the successfulness to our GIS users.&amp;nbsp; We are looking forward to future advancement through an ongoing partnership with ROK Tech.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: arial;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;"&gt;Charlie Gonzalez, GISP, GIS Manager, Escambia County, Florida&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%; font-family: arial;"&gt;Visit the Escambia County, Fl website to see the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; font-family: arial;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.myescambia.com/lookup.html" target="_blank"&gt;address search tool&lt;/a&gt; &lt;span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;"&gt;in action. Or, feel free to &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.roktech.net/contact-us.html"&gt;Contact Us &lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;"&gt;with any questions you may have regarding Geographic Information Systems.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=588960&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252fClient_Spotlight_Escambia_County%252c_FL%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/Client_Spotlight_Escambia_County,_FL/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 21 Sep 2012 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>GOMaps Mobile - iOS and Android Applications</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ROK Mobile&lt;/strong&gt; is pleased to announce the latest regarding GOMaps Mobile.&amp;nbsp; You can now preview GOMaps Mobile in the&lt;a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.roktech.HendersonParcelViewer&amp;amp;hl=en"&gt; Google Play Store &lt;/a&gt;and the &lt;a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/henderson-county-parcel-viewer/id556887007?mt=8"&gt;iTunes Store&lt;/a&gt;. This example is for Henderson County, NC.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"&gt;Give
your citizens/employees on-the-go access to county maps and information
via their mobile device with our new GOMaps Mobile Application.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
Powered by ArcGIS Server, GOMaps Mobile utilizes the state-of the-art in
mobile GIS technology.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;Features include:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"&gt;Allows access to your GIS maps for any mobile platform&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"&gt;Custom Searches like Owner Name or PIN&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"&gt;Bookmarks i.e zoom to a specific town&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;D&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"&gt;rill Down &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"&gt;Identify&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="vertical-align: baseline; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"&gt;Map Themes, such as Zoning, Aerials, Basemaps, Schools, etc&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 9pt; font-weight: bold; color: #2d487b;"&gt;Benefits of GOMaps for Mobile&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="line-height: 14pt;"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;Reduces foot traffic in county offices&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;Alleviates phone support to realtors, banks, attorneys, and surveyors. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;Access your GIS maps anytime anywhere&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;Potential Revenue Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;ROK offers deep GIS expertise and&amp;nbsp; support that extends your ability to leverage Esri technology &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: arial;"&gt;Interested in learning more?&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://http://www.roktech.net/contact-us.html"&gt;Contact us&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=568683&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252fiOS_and_Android_Mobile_-_GOMaps%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/iOS_and_Android_Mobile_-_GOMaps/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 07 Sep 2012 13:27:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>The Parcel Fabric Training - October 2012 - Charleston, SC</title><description>&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GIS Training in Charleston, SC: &lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;Back by popular demand, we're happy to
announce that on October 9th &amp;ndash; 11th, we will be teaming up with
Panda Consulting again to bring you an in-depth look at the effective
GIS tool known as: The Parcel Fabric. What is parcel fabric? How does
it relate to GIS and custom mapping? How can you best implement it
into your technology services? This comprehensive, three day training
program will answer these questions, and cover all aspects of the
Parcel Fabric, and it's applications to GIS.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Frank Conkling of
Panda Consulting will provide an intensive examination of the Parcel
Fabric structure, the inter-dependencies of the sub layers, how the
Parcel Fabric really works, what you need to do to make the
transition, and how to integrate the Parcel fabric into your daily
work flow, to ensure that you are getting the most out of your
Geographic Information Systems.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Meet us at the College of
Charleston on October 9th &amp;ndash; 11th to expand your GIS knowledge, and
more fully understand the capabilities of the Parcel Fabric. For
$1,200 per attendee, this three day class is a must for anyone in the
GIS industry:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;The instructor was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and very conscientious in making sure that everyone was engaged and had an understanding of the material presented.&amp;nbsp; He not only was knowledgeable, but was a good teacher as well, understanding that the learning process is an interaction rather than a one-way conversation.&amp;nbsp; I also appreciated his flexibility in being willing to go off on a tangent to explain something in detail when the situation required it.&amp;nbsp; The class has given me an excellent head start in preparing to transition to the parcel fabric and I am grateful for this opportunity. &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;Jack Drost&lt;em&gt;, &lt;/em&gt;Henderson County, NC&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://roktechnet.hazelinteractive.com/contact-us.html" target="_self"&gt;Contact us&lt;/a&gt;
to find out more or to register for the Parcel Fabric training. &amp;nbsp;For a
more complete description, you can download the training PDF below. Or,
check out our Services page to find out more about our Geographic
Information Services.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;{module_literature,i,147271}&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=562363&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252fThe_Parcel_Fabric_Training_-_October_2012_-_Charleston%252c_SC%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/The_Parcel_Fabric_Training_-_October_2012_-_Charleston,_SC/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 30 Aug 2012 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>GoMaps Professional Brief Overview</title><description>&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"&gt;
We are proud to present GoMaps Professional &amp;ndash; our
comprehensive, cloud-hosted solution, tailored to suit a wide array
of GIS needs. This Geographic Information Systems application is
perfect for use by local governments &amp;amp; small companies. Using the
latest in custom maps technology, we are proud to offer a GIS product
that is efficient and easy to use.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;iframe width="650" height="366" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fO5IIDkfDi8" frameborder="0"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;Members of any GIS department can quickly make use of GoMaps' user-friendly map interface.
This application quickly facilitates GIS data searches, and is
completely scalable and customizable, allowing you to find and
present data seamlessly and effectively.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;Moreover, the GIS drill down function
allows you to zoom in, and identify a specific point on the custom
map. From there, you can export the GIS data to an excel sheet, or
print mailing labels, straight from the application. You can also
print the map, add a title, and then export it as a JPG, PNG, or PDF
file, now making it easier than ever to keep your maps on hand for
quick reference. Additionally, the Spatial Bookmark function of the
GIS GoMaps Application allows you to save frequently visited places.
Now you can navigate entire custom maps with the a few clicks, which
will take you through all of the important spots you need to quickly
reference, such as local schools.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;All of the custom maps within GoMaps
are layered, meaning you now have the capability to display all of
the layers provided for a specific area. For example, you may view
city limits, water districts, fire districts, etc., separately, or all
at once. Finally, GoMaps is merged with Google's street view, so that
you can get right down to the ground level and look at things as if
you were actually there.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"&gt;The GoMaps application is an extremely
versatile &amp;amp; effective GIS tool, sure to meet all your custom
mapping needs. Here at ROK, we take great pride in providing Geographic Information Systems technology: all of your data, all in
one place. &lt;a href="/contact-us.html" target="_self"&gt;Contact us today&lt;/a&gt; for more information about Geographic
Information Systems, and the ROK GoMaps application.&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=560795&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252fGoMaps%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/GoMaps/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 23 Aug 2012 19:41:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>ROK Global Applications Group, LLC Announces Board of Directors </title><description>&lt;p&gt;ROK Global Applications Group, LLC is pleased to welcome Mike Spivey and Don Stephens to the Boad of Directors. Their addition to the ROK team is a great step forward for our GIS and custom mapping endeavors, ultimately allowing us to provide even more quality within the Geographic Information Systems industry.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img alt="" class="floatright border" src="/blog-images/mike-spivey.jpg" /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Mike Spivey graduated from Clemson University with a Master&amp;rsquo;s degree in Architecture in 1976. Michael began his career at one of Charleston&amp;rsquo;s most respected design firms, now known as LS3P. His experience eventually led to the formation of Michael Spivey and Associates, Inc. Architects in 1983. In addition to running his own business, Michael is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the South Carolina Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, etc. He has served as a director for the Charleston section of the AIA, and is a member of the SC chapter, as well as the National AIA. He has also served as a board member and President of the Charleston County Public Facilities Corporation. His participation with ROK is invaluable, and his contributions will greatly enhance the overall GIS services we provide.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img alt="" class="floatleft border" src="/blog-images/don-stephens.jpg" /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Don Stephens, CPA, provides comprehensive financial consulting and business services to a wide range of clients in the Tri County Area. He graduated from Charleston Southern University in 1980, and provides special insight on our Geographic Information Systems operation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img alt="" class="floatright border" src="/blog-images/mike-deignan.jpg" /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Additionally, both Mike Deignan and Bill Craver serve on the Board. Recently, David "Mike" Deignan has been named Managing Director of ROK Global Board of Directors. He is the Managing Partner of DMDCONSULT LLC, which provides Executive Coaching, strategic plan development, and execution guidance to small business owners in the Southeast United States.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img alt="" class="floatleft border" src="/blog-images/bill-craver.jpg" /&gt;Mr. Bill Craver, Law Partner at Craver &amp;amp; Current, engages in a strategic business practice which includes planning, consulting and counseling, business operations, business formation, change of ownership transactions, general business representation, commercial real estate, commercial loans, and resolution of shareholder/partner disputes. With such a wide skill set, and such an extensive history in business, Bill Craver is an essential part of providing the highest quality custom maps available.
&lt;p&gt;With their leadership, ROK Global continues to grow and improve ArcGIS server hosting, and the GIS Cloud services that have
established us as a Geographic Information Systems industry leader here in the Lowcountry. Mike and Bill provide a depth of experience
to our management team, and add to our vision, allowing us to be the best we can at providing custom maps, GIS data, and ArcGIS server
hosting.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Here at ROK Global Applications Group, LLC (ROK
Global), we are bringing a whole new level of service to ROK GIS
Cloud customers, who rely on ROK (www.ROKTech.net) to host their
online mapping systems. Founded in 1997, we here at ROK&amp;nbsp;
Technologies, Inc. have developed a solid reputation as a full
service Internet and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
applications development company. ROK has specialized in ESRI's
product line for the desktop and Internet/Intranet&amp;nbsp;
environments. Its new ASP designation allows us to save its on-line
mapping clients thousands of dollars in software, hardware, personnel
and related resources.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;By bringing such effective minds into ROK, we are more excited
than ever to develop our technology services, and ultimately bring a
higher-quality, more productive GIS product to our customers. There
has never been a better time to take advantage of Geographic
Information Systems, and all of the capabilities offered. Contact us
today to learn more about our ArcGIS server hosting, and the ROK GIS
Cloud services.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=560796&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252fROK_Global_Applications_Group%252c_LLC_announces_Board_of_Directors_%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/ROK_Global_Applications_Group,_LLC_announces_Board_of_Directors_/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 23 Aug 2012 17:56:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Custom Android App for ROK Mobile</title><description>&lt;p&gt;It seems that apps are all the rage these days. With hand-held technology quickly becoming the norm for most Americans, it only made sense that ROK should develop a Geographic Information Systems application to help the user with all their GIS needs on the go. That is why ROK recently developed an Android application for use on the Motorola Xoom tablet. The app was designed for Davie County, NC, and developed with Adobe Flex and ArcGIS Server Flex API. This application takes advantage of Adobe Air - which allows you to write once, and deploy to many. This means that one code base can be compiled for use on Apple iOS devices (iPad, iPhone, etc), Android devices (Droid phones, Honeycomb tablets, etc), and Blackberry devices, thus making it one of the most versatile GIS apps available today.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This GIS application allows users to view and identify utility features, such as water meters, water mains, valves, and parcel addresses. Several search options are included for users to quickly locate Water Meters by Account, Owner Name and Meter ID. In addition to the Water Meters search, there is an Address search that allows users to quickly find a particular address. Finding your current location on the map is a snap, thanks to the integrated GPS capabilities. This has been very handy for field workers to view their current location in relation to map features. No more searching for that buried valve cover!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With this application, we are bringing Geographic Information Systems and Custom Mapping straight to the palm of your hand. It is now easier than ever to capitalize on the finest GIS Mapping resources available. Feel free to contact us today for more information on the brand new ROK Geographic Information Systems application. &lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>http://www.roktech.net/RSSRetrieve.aspx?ID=5881&amp;A=Link&amp;ObjectID=555381&amp;ObjectType=56&amp;O=http%253a%252f%252fwww.roktech.net%252f_blog%252fROK_Blog%252fpost%252fCustom_Android_App_for_ROK_Mobile%252f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.roktech.net/_blog/ROK_Blog/post/Custom_Android_App_for_ROK_Mobile/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 09 Aug 2012 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>