Representation and display of geospatial information: a comparison of ArcXML and SVG

The move to Web-based geographic information systems (GIS) has led to the creation of XML languages for representing geospatial information and publishing map services. One such language, developed by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), is ArcXML. ArcXML provides a range of functionality, including representation of geospatial information and presentation of map information. We compare the spatial representation and presentation capabilities of ArcXML with those of the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) standard, which is an XML-based standard for 2D graphics. Our objective is to study the differences in representation and display capabilities of GIS versus non-GIS XML languages.