Quick Interactive Flash Map!

I have been experimenting with FLEX and MXML and have come up with a pretty quick way to compile an Actionscript or other javascript to be placed in any website or blog.

1. Download the FLEX SDK
2. Create your MXML File. I copied some code from the Yahoo Maps! website and pasted it in to the CDATA tags in my MXML file. Don't forget to download the swc file from Yahoo to link against in your build!
3. Compile your SWF and plug it in to a website or PDF (Now available with Acrobat 9.0). To learn more about compiling the code, check out this link.

Now that I have my swf file, I can plug this in to a website or blog, I can embed it in to a document to use as a quick reference, or convert it to an AIR app and deploy it to run on my desktop. All of this was done in less than 10 minutes!

AIR (Adobe Integration Runtime)

What exactly is AIR?

Adobe AIR is a cross-operating system runtime that lets developers combine HTML, Ajax, Flash, and Flex to deploy RIAs (Rich Internet Applications) to the desktop. AIR applications are available virtually anywhere at any time, providing convenient desktop capabilities and working with local or server data. They are developed using modern, efficient programming methods.

Adobe AIR allows developers to use familiar tools such as Adobe Dreamweaver, Flex Builder, Flash CS3 Professional, and even Notepad to build their applications. Applications built for AIR are deployed with a single application installer that works across multiple operating systems. These applications work with Adobe's servers and services to deliver rich experiences on the desktop. Click on the icon below to install AIR.

There are SDK's available too!

Flex SDK~
AIR SDK~

What does this mean to GeoSpatial Developers? It means that we take our GeoPDF's and create dynamic mapping applications that everyone can access and use. Adobe has also started allowing folks to store their data at Acrobat.com which is REALLY cool!!! 5 gigs of free storage space for starters! Click here to see a previous post that highlights this functionality.