The Technique of GIS Desktop Extension

GIS (Geographic Information System) desktop platform is a GIS software running on the local machine. It is the core part of GIS product series. Extension development of general desktop platform is the predominant method to develop user specific GIS desktop. The extension development of GIS desktop includes three kinds of techniques: the specializing of desktop startup, the specializing of desktop appearance and developing plugin which is a dynamically linked library embedded into the platform. The three techniques are all based on the infrastructure of software components. The extension development is accomplished by editing desktop XML configuration file and writing C# code of plugin with Microsoft Visual Studio tool. This paper gives the comprehensive approaches and steps to design and develop user specific desktop efficiently on the fundamental of the general GIS desktop platform.