Integrating Open Source with ArcGIS
Esri is committed to supporting the best open source technology within our products, such as the Linux operating system, the Apache Web server, the Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL) graphic library, and the PostgreSQL open source RDBMS with its open source datatype, PostGIS.
Esri supports extending and complementing the ArcGIS platform with open source tools, languages, integrated development environments (IDEs), libraries, and Web server technologies. Esri itself makes use of these in its development process. Although Esri is a closed source software vendor, it has taken an open systems approach, publishing details of its data formats such as the shapefile and the Esri Geoportal Server, among others.
Many Esri products interface with open source software solutions. Some examples include:
Open Source Software Solution
|ArcGIS Engine (Java); ArcGIS for Server||Eclipse User Assistance; Ant; Apache Commons
|ArcGIS for Desktop; ArcGIS for Server; ArcGIS Engine||Python; GDAL; GeoTIFF
A comprehensive list of acknowledgements for all the open source components in Esri products can be found in the ArcGIS for Desktop Web Help and in your ArcGIS/Documentation installation directory.