Simple reservoir depletion modelling, part IV

This last in a series shows how to further extend the reach of your GIS analysis across the corporation in full 3D via a free ArcGIS Explorer Desktop. Simply go Add Contents: ArcGIS layers, and to enhance performance go Base Map: Clear basemap. This is a large data set complete with local topography.

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And the reservoir depletion model foot_feat show best here because of increased performance on large layers (as discussed the model created many many vertices). Of course the layer displays are fixed, but that is a trade off: It helps inexpert users get neither lost nor confused in a complex dataset.

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Some have asked: why the desktop version of ArcGIS Explorer Online? Well here are the answers:

• ArcGIS Explorer Online simply doesn't do 3D, which is the whole point of the exercise here!
•  ArcGIS Explorer Desktop also consumes the 3D layer packages explained in previous posts
• from the your desktop after download, if you have a slow internet connection
• directly from ArcGIS Online, if you have a faster connection (over 2-5 mps) 

The reason I separated this post out, is that the local DEM now shows properly in ArcGIS Explorer Desktop. As with the Online version everything has to be posted in WGS84, and I simply exported all to a File Geodatabase in the projection/datum. I consequently update the ArcGIS Online posting too.

Note, as commented on last week's blog, that the Esri blog says how to tweak it to view in the subsurface. In addition, to record fly-bys for example, go to ArcGlobe or ArcScene.

Next week will come another Model Builder exercise on the same dataset, one that will update my second most popular slideshare post on pipeline routing (the present discussion having been my most viewed by far).