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A sophisticated virtual mapping platform for personal computers and is best when used in conjunction with other ArcGIS online tools

A sophisticated virtual mapping platform for personal computers and is best when used in conjunction with other ArcGIS online tools

Vote: (39 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc

Version: 1.0

Vote:

Program license

(39 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc

1.0

Pros

  • Gives users access to a broad ecosystem of location-based development widgets
  • Allows users to create fully-fledged location-based websites without any coding required
  • Features extensive online documentation and RESTful APIs

Cons

  • Not all functionalities are free for use

ArcGIS is a Windows application that lets users access a broad collection of location-based applications. The app is mostly meant for developers who wish to improve their development workflow.

Many companies have turned to ArcGIS over the last few years since it allows a team access to standardized data sets. Through standardizing large location data sets throughout an organization, a development team is better able to reduce errors, boost productivity, and save the time spent prototyping applications.

Using the app, developers are able to build apps that work across different platforms. ArcGIS includes support for iOS, Windows, OS X, Linux, and Android devices. Users are able to easily throw together responsive web apps with access to advanced functionalities like drag, drop, and configure.

Users are even able to deploy their web app through ArcGIS when they're ready. Permissions for websites can be generated and the site can be pushed online for access to millions of viewers.

Ultimately, ArcGIS is more of an ecosystem of utilities for developers rather than a single app. However, the main focus of ArcGIS is providing location-based data sets, mapping utilities, and geolocation APIs for applications in development.

Regardless of the developers' skill level, ArcGIS is easy to learn and doesn't necessarily require any coding to integrate with an existing project. Interested users should check out AppStudio, AppBuilder, and Ersi Story Maps, which are three utilities all supported under the ArcGIS application.

Users appreciate the ArcGIS toolset since it features extensive tutorials, documentation, and a RESTful API interface for simplifying development workflows. It's possible to create travel modes, geocode widgets, perform geo-searches, integrate location-based demographics, and perform network analysis using the ArcGIS application.

In ArcGIS, there are two main categories of applications: apps for the field and apps for the office.

Apps for the field help to reduce corporate reliance on paper by focusing workflows for daily tasks. Users are able to capture field observations with a single tap, collect new data, and navigate remote workers to where they need to be.

By contrast, apps for the office are used to view, analyze, create, and share location information. Users are able to perform analysis using Map Viewer, create 3D scenes, create digitally rendered maps, and extend Microsoft Excel with mapping capabilities.

Ultimately, there's almost no end to the distinct ways that ArcGIS can be used. Though it may be tricky to learn at first, nearly every developer can get access to toolsets needed for any location-based task or data analysis.

Pros

  • Gives users access to a broad ecosystem of location-based development widgets
  • Allows users to create fully-fledged location-based websites without any coding required
  • Features extensive online documentation and RESTful APIs

Cons

  • Not all functionalities are free for use