Switching to ArcGIS Pro from ArcMap. Maribeth H. Price

Investigations, EarthExplorer, contributors, and the GIS user community. All rights reserved.

      Early users of this book and workshop attendees have contributed to the book’s improvement.

      The author also thanks the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology for a career in teaching GIS, and the many students who challenged me to continually find better ways to explain GIS concepts. Their dedication and enthusiasm have been a lifelong inspiration.

      Chapter 1

      Contemplating the switch to ArcGIS Pro

Background

      ArcGIS Pro will seem both familiar and completely new to users of ArcMap and ArcCatalog. The GUI arrangement echoes the design of ArcMap: the map in the middle, map layers on one side, the data catalog on the other, with menus above (figure 1.1). Much of the architecture and terminology will persist in the new paradigm: geographic data, maps, layouts, geoprocessing tools, tables, joins, and so on. However, the implementation and details of how these functions are accessed and manipulated takes a completely different approach in some cases. For users who know ArcMap well, the experience will be initially frustrating as one searches for familiar tools and tasks that no longer appear in the same spot, or as one gets used to a totally new mindset for some tasks. Too, ArcGIS Pro has only gradually developed the capabilities already available in ArcMap, so it is possible that the feature sought has not yet been implemented.

Figure 1.1. ArcGIS Pro showing a map of Oregon.

      However, tapping down the chagrin and opening up to a new way of doing certain things will have its rewards. New users unfamiliar with ArcMap seem to learn ArcGIS Pro more quickly as it follows modern software GUI conventions (a ribbon with tabs and context-sensitive menus). In many aspects, it is more intuitive and more efficient. After some months of using ArcGIS Pro exclusively, I had to return to ArcMap for a month, and my immediate reaction was “Oh my, how clunky.” Hopefully after some practice, you too will grow to like the new software.

System requirements

      ArcGIS Pro requires a 64-bit multiprocessor machine with at least a dual core, and a quad-core processor or higher is recommended. Unlike ArcMap, ArcGIS Pro operates in a multithreaded manner, enabling it to take full advantage of multicore computers, which ArcMap could not. Significant performance improvements should be expected in most cases. ArcGIS Pro operates better when more cores are available to it.

      ArcGIS Pro requires a minimum of 8 GB of RAM and a good graphics card with at least 2 GB of RAM and 24-bit display color depth. For a complete description of system requirements, consult the Esri product website, http://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/get-started/arcgis-pro-system-requirements.htm.

      ArcGIS Pro is tightly joined with ArcGIS Online, a cloud-based system built to encourage sharing of GIS data, workflows, and other resources between organizations and users. It is strongly recommended that the user have an ArcGIS Online organizational account, which provides access to significantly more data and tools. ArcGIS Pro is also designed to run with a fast internet connection. Although the software can be run offline, provided the data sources are stored on the local computer, it will temporarily lose access to basemaps and internet-provided map services. If you’re planning to use ArcGIS Pro offline regularly, such as on a field laptop, it makes sense to limit maps and tools to use only local data on the computer’s hard drive.

Licensing

      Because ArcGIS Pro is designed to interact with ArcGIS Online, its preferred method of licensing is an ArcGIS Online organizational account. In this method, the administrator of an ArcGIS Online organization creates a user account and assigns to it an ArcGIS Pro license from among the total number allotted to the organization. Extensions may also be assigned if available. Figure 1.2 shows the screen the ArcGIS Online administrator uses to assign licenses and extensions to a user account. When starting ArcGIS Pro, users are asked to sign into ArcGIS Online using their account, which simultaneously licenses the software and provides users access to any content they have created within ArcGIS Online.

Figure 1.2. Configuring an ArcGIS Pro license for a user’s ArcGIS Online account.

      For continuity with previous licensing methods, Esri also offers a concurrent licensing model and a single-use license model, both previously used for ArcMap licensing. In the concurrent model, a license manager program runs on a server and allocates licenses at a user’s request. This model is often called a “floating license,” because it is assigned, and then taken back when the user is finished, allowing a fixed number of licenses to be shared across many computers. In the single-use model, the license is tied to a specific computer.

Capabilities of ArcGIS Pro

      Although it is different in many ways, ArcGIS Pro will eventually have the equivalent capabilities of ArcMap and more. This updating process is ongoing, with new capabilities being added with each release. ArcGIS Pro 2.3, for which this book is tested, represented a significant milestone in which nearly all of ArcMap’s key functions were present, and additional capabilities and improvements are still being added.

      ArcGIS Pro integrates the functions of ArcMap, ArcCatalog, ArcToolbox, ArcScene, and ArcGlobe within a single interface so that 3D data visualization and analysis no longer require opening a separate program. ArcGIS Pro retains the Python^® and ModelBuilder™ customization modules. Certain aspects that users are accustomed to using as separate features, such as COGO or Maplex™ for ArcGIS^®, are now integrated directly into the program. The familiar extensions, such as Spatial Analyst or 3D Analyst, continue to be available and work in much the same way, as additional licensed tools in ArcToolbox.

      However, users should be aware that the very design of ArcGIS Pro precludes certain familiar aspects of ArcMap from working precisely the same way. In ArcGIS Pro, the design criteria specify that most actions are geoprocessing events (taking advantage of the multiprocessor computer). Tools have replaced some of the common right-click commands, either as a temporary measure until the functionality is integrated into the GUI, or as a design choice. For example, instead of opening a window to execute a selection using table attributes with the Query Builder, you must run a tool named Select Layer By Attribute.

      TIPCan’t find something? Try searching for a tool.

When should I switch?

      Several factors will affect the decision of when to switch to ArcGIS Pro.

      Reasons for making the switch include:

      •Improved performance that takes advantage of multicore architecture

      •Seamless integration of two- and three-dimensional visualization, analysis, and editing

      •Improved flexibility in creating dynamic labels

      •Creating multiple layouts based on the same map or maps

      •Tight integration with ArcGIS Online, making it easier to share maps and map services

      •A more modern and intuitive GUI

      •Expanded use of defaults that can make life easier for inexperienced users

      •The product life cycle of ArcMap (See the Esri Support Product Life Cycles website.)

      ArcMap users may dispute the “more intuitive interface” claim when encountering ArcGIS Pro for the first time. In truth, the GUI is probably more difficult to learn if you already know ArcMap and have become accustomed to certain ways of doing things. In general, new users find the ArcGIS Pro GUI easier to learn. Over time,