The CISCAI project is a project which heavy on the utilization of technology including satellite link, wiMAX, mobile technology, web technology, and GIS technology. In ASEAN countries the utilization of GIS to give an overview and easy to understand data to all the decision makers is so important.

For example the Information System that can be able to display the location of the outbreak of Avian Influenza or any other emerging infectious disease. With this visual information will give all decision maker to be able to see clearly what is going on in the field, this methode is much more effective rather than seeing the tabular format.
In order to spread the knowledge that CISCAI project achieve so far regarding the GIS development. These series of article will show some basic information about the GIS technology that we encounter so far. We would be very gratefull if you can share your expericences as well regarding to GIS development by submiting your article or link to u

The following subject will be covered by this short article.

ArcGIS

ArcGIS is a suite consisting of a group of geographic information system (GIS) software products produced by ESRI. At the desktop GIS level, ArcGIS can include: ArcReader, which allows one to view and query maps created with the other Arc products; ArcView, which allows one to view spatial data, create maps, and perform basic spatial analysis; ArcEditor which, in addition to the functionality of ArcView, includes more advanced tools for manipulation of shapefiles and geodatabases; or ArcInfo which includes capabilities for data manipulation, editing, and analysis. There are also server-based ArcGIS products, as well as ArcGIS products for PDAs. Extensions can be purchased separately to increase the functionality of ArcGIS.

ArcGIS Server 

ArcGIS Server is a Geographic Information System (GIS) software package made by ESRI to provide Web-oriented spatial data services. Since version 9.2 the product ArcGIS Server includes also the spatial data management software (formerly known as ArcSDE).

ArcGIS Server supports software development on the .NET Framework and the Java (programming language). ArcGIS Server services can be consumed by web browsers, mobile devices and desktop systems. ArcGIS Server supports interoperability standards such as OGC and W3C. Several service like mapping services, geocoding services, geodata management services, geoprocessing services, virtual globe services and network analysis services are available via a SOAP and a REST API. The several services also support the OGC defined standards like WMS, WFS, WFS-T, WCS and KML.

ArcGIS Server is typically used by organizations that want to distribute their own GIS data. ArcWeb Services, another ESRI product, is typically used by organizations that want to use provided GIS data.

ArcGIS Server is part of a general trend in GIS development to abstract data delivery mechanisms from physical storage formats. In the services paradigm, services are consumed by applications through a specified interface.

ArcGIS Server provides several additional SDK to build WebApplications: JavaScript, Flex, Silverlight, .NET based and Java based applications.

Map Server

MapServer is an open source development environment for building spatially-enabled internet applications. It can run as a CGI program or via Mapscript which supports several programming languages. MapServer was developed by the University of Minnesota. MapServer was originally developed with support from NASA, which needed a way to make its satellite imagery available to the public

Google Earth

is a virtual globe, map and geographic information program that was originally called Earth Viewer, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a company acquired by Google in 2004. It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe. It is available under three different licenses: Google Earth, a free version with limited functionality; Google Earth Plus (discontinued)^[1][2], which included additional features; and Google Earth Pro ($495 per year), which is intended for commercial use.^[3]

The product, re-released as Google Earth in 2005, is currently available for use on personal computers running Windows 2000 and above, Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above, Linux Kernel: 2.4 or later (released on June 12, 2006), and FreeBSD. Google Earth is also available as a browser plugin (released on June 2, 2008) for Firefox 3^[4], Safari 3, IE6 and IE7. It was also made available on the iPhone OS on October 27, 2008, as a free download from the App Store. In addition to releasing an updated Keyhole based client, Google also added the imagery from the Earth database to their web based mapping software. The release of Google Earth in June 2005 to the public caused a more than tenfold increase in media coverage on virtual globes between 2005 and 2006,^[5] driving public interest in geospatial technologies and applications.

This article is just a sharing information on the journey to  hunt the GIS system which is most suitable for CISCAI project in helping the ASEAN Countries to fight the emerging infectious disease by utilizing all spectrum of technology including the Geographical Information System (GIS).