A software development kit (SDK or "devkit") is typically a set of development tools that allows for the creation of applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform.
The following are links to SDK's designed for creating web applications for accessing and manipulating geographic information for various programming platforms. With these SDK's you can build a custom application that accesses and re-uses Canterbury Maps Open Data.
To see other SDK's that ESRI offers check out the ArcGIS for Developers page, this is constantly changing and evolving.
The ArcGIS API for JavaScript is a lightweight way to embed maps and tasks in web applications. These maps can be created from data sourced from ArcGIS Online, or any ArcGIS Server, or from many types of file or Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) compliant data sources.
Functionality
The ArcGIS API for JavaScript has many advantages, including:
Support for popular browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer (version 7 and above)
Compatibility with javascript frameworks such as jQuery, ExtJS, and DOJO.
Support for HTML5 and CSS3.
Intergration with ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Online.
An extensive collection of samples and examples.
Support for Mobile Application development.