ArcGIS

ArcGIS is a collection of tools and software made by Esri to help people work with maps and geographic information. These tools can run on computers, servers, or online, making it easy to share and use map data in many different ways.

It all started in 1982 with a program called ARC/INFO, which you used by typing commands into a computer. Over time, this grew into a more user-friendly program called ArcGIS Desktop. In 2015, an even newer and more powerful version called ArcGIS Pro was introduced.

Today, ArcGIS also includes ArcGIS Server, which helps organizations store and share their geographic data with others over the internet. All of these tools work together to help people understand the world around them using maps and data.

Product history

Before the ArcGIS suite, Esri focused on a command line-based program called Arc/INFO and other programs with a graphical user interface, like ArcView GIS 3.x. These programs didn’t work well together, so in 1997, Esri decided to create a single, better-connected system.

In 1999, Esri released ArcMap 8.0 for Microsoft Windows. This new program combined features from ArcView GIS and Arc/INFO into one called ArcGIS. It included a new way to see and manage data called ArcMap and a tool called ArcCatalog. Over the years, Esri kept updating ArcGIS, adding new tools and features. In 2015, they introduced ArcGIS Pro, a newer and more powerful version. ArcGIS continues to grow with tools for planning cities, sharing maps online, and more.

Functionality

Data formats

Main articles: Geodatabase (Esri) and Shapefile

Older versions of Esri software, like ArcView 3.x, used a format called shapefile for storing data. ArcInfo used another format called coverages, which stored information about the shape and location of features. Coverages were first used in 1981 when ArcInfo began.

ArcGIS uses a geodatabase, which is a special way to store and organize spatial data. A geodatabase ties together maps and information about places. It can also hold rules about how features, like roads, connect and work together. Geodatabases can store many types of features in one place, unlike shapefiles, which can only store one type at a time.

Geodatabases can be stored in three ways: as a "file geodatabase", a "personal geodatabase", or an "enterprise geodatabase". The file geodatabase stores data in a folder with a .gdb extension. Personal geodatabases use Microsoft Access files and can only run on Microsoft Windows. Enterprise geodatabases use powerful database systems like PostgreSQL or Oracle and can run on different types of computers.

ArcGIS Desktop

Product levels

ArcGIS Desktop comes in different levels, each with more features.

• ArcReader (freeware) is a basic viewer for maps and GIS data. It can show, print, and search data but only works with maps made with ArcGIS Publisher.
• ArcGIS Desktop Basic, once called ArcView, is the basic level. It lets you view and edit GIS data in simple files or databases. You can make maps and do basic analysis.
• ArcGIS Desktop Standard, once called ArcEditor, is for more advanced editing. It helps create and edit maps and data, including working with many users and different types of data.
• ArcGIS Desktop Advanced, once called ArcInfo, offers the most tools for building, analyzing, and displaying data.

Other desktop tools include ArcGIS Explorer and ArcGIS Engine. ArcGIS Explorer can show maps from ArcGIS Server and other web services.

Components

ArcGIS Desktop includes several tools, such as ArcMap for viewing and editing maps, ArcCatalog for managing data files, and ArcToolbox for data tools and tasks. ArcScene and ArcGlobe let you see data in 3D. The ArcGIS Pro app, added in 2015, combines all these tools and works with Python for programming.

Extensions

You can add extra tools to ArcGIS Desktop, like 3D Analyst or Spatial Analyst, to get more features. There are also tools made by other companies that work with ArcGIS.

Address locator

An address locator in ArcGIS helps turn addresses into points on a map. It stores rules and data needed to find where addresses are located.

Other products

ArcGIS Mobile and ArcPad are for use on mobile devices like phones or tablets. ArcGIS Server and other server products help share and show maps and data on the web. Esri also offers a program for home use with a lower cost license.

Developer products

ArcGIS Engine is a tool that helps create special maps and mapping programs. It works with many different computer languages and systems, making it easier to build useful mapping tools.

ArcGIS Web Mapping APIs let people create web applications with mapping features. These tools support many web languages and can be used to make maps that work in web pages or as separate desktop programs.

Sales

ArcGIS Desktop products and ArcPad can be bought with a single-use license. Many products also offer a concurrent-use license, and special licenses for development servers are available too. You can purchase single-use products online from the Esri Store, or through a sales representative or reseller. There is also annual software maintenance and support for ArcGIS. Even though other companies like MapInfo, Maptitude, AutoCAD Map 3D, and open-source QGIS make similar products, Esri leads the GIS software market. In 2015, they had about 43% of the market share.

Criticisms

Some people think ArcGIS is expensive and that it uses special file formats that only work with ArcGIS. They also find it hard to move data from ArcGIS to other mapping tools.