The Modernization of GIS
Hello Everyone,
Hope you all had a good weekend...
In case you are wondering... I don't think I can keep up with weekly publications on this newsletter, However, I do not want to cut it down to monthly, and or commit to biweekly... So just an FYI, I am just going to write as the topics come to me, no official cadence... That being said, if you have anything you would like me to cover feel free to reach out...
Let's get into it...
Today I want to try to clear up some things around verbiage in Esri Licensing and what effects Modernization of GIS and software, in general, has had on how you buy capabilities within GIS. Let's start with licensing... This is a newsletter based on a presentation a customer requested to clear up what was on their current bill and what was on the menu as to the capabilities they could purchase and how to serve those capabilities out...
I often joke about the complexity of our licensing but honestly, if you break it down into these three key components, it becomes quite simple... WebGIS Access, Named Users, and Desktop Capabilities...
So... What does that mean... Basically, it's ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise, for access to WebGIS... Named Users within either ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise... And then ArcGIS Pro for your Desktop GIS Capabilities...
This facilitates a system of record, a system of engagement, and a system of Insight
If you are a long-time Esri customer or a new customer I have some things I want to cover with you. I touched on this before in a previous newsletter but I want to expand upon it. If you have desktop licensing and you have ever looked at your annual bill. There are words attached to that desktop license, that can make it seem more complex than it really is... Things like concurrent use, or single-use, you will also see things like primary maintenance, or secondary maintenance.
Let's first understand those terms...
ArcGIS Desktop - became an item after combining capabilities as Esri produced them. It use to be just ArcMap, but now ArcGIS Desktop combines multiple entitlements. You now have access to ArcMap, ArcGIS Pro, and a Creator Named User in ArcGIS Online. When you see Single-Use, this means that only one user can use the software on up to two machines. If you see Concurrent Use, this means you are using a license server where licenses are checked in and out, and you just pay for the number of Concurrent Use Licenses you have...
Now you won't see the terms Perpetual or Term, on your bill but it's important to understand them. A Perpetual license just means you bought the software... Do you remember when we use to get CDs and we actually owned the software? You bought it, and own it, that is what that means to have a perpetual license. However, because Esri constantly updates the software, unless you pay maintenance you are stuck at the current release, and cannot update. That brings us to terms, Primary, and Secondary Maintenance.
Maintenance...
On your bill, you will see Primary and Secondary Maintenence... Each perpetual license you own will either be a Primary or Secondary Maintenance license. The first license you acquire must be Primary, after that, all other licenses that are the same will become secondary. Additionally, those desktop licenses will either be Basic, Standard, or Advanced...
On the slide before last, you saw the word, Term licensing this just means you pay for the licensing each year and if you don't pay, then you lose access to the software. If you have term licensing the primary /secondary maintenance is not applicable. Since it is a term license you are inherently always in maintenance...
Now, let's take a glance at the history and how we got to the Web GIS world... Historically Speaking... Here is the Evolution in picture format below...
Near the end of the 1900s early 2000s this is where GIS stood... (Man that sounds old, lol...) You used desktop GIS within your organization to make maps, and you typically stored your data in (.SHP) format. If you were cutting edge, you maybe had the data in a database like Access, SQL, or SDE... Some people even deployed servers to serve out the rest endpoints and Maps/Applications...
When it comes to data transportation... You used these above methods to share data... Writing data to CDs and trying not to confuse those CDs or accidentally overwrite your Napster bootlegged copy of the latest Nirvana, Pearl Jam, or Red Hot Chili Peppers, album. (*If you were born in the 80's you'll understand the struggle... Links are provided in case you don't know what I am talking about... lol*) If your organization let you buy an External HD or sometimes you could use a thumb drive, you may have used those methods to share data between organizations. The real tech-savvy professionals among us used an FTP... No matter what method you used. This resulted in multiple versions of dead data. Organizations never had up-to-date information, it was always a snapshot in time. The day you disconnected the data from the editing source or the day you printed the map, was also the day the data became out of date... This sharing method created data silos, where data went to die, and or, get confused and lost with no attached metadata. There was no way to confirm how up-to-date the data was... If you were lucky you may have labeled it like this... "Parcels2001" at least then you had some idea... Either way, it was evident that this way was not working... The answer became what is now Web GIS...
From the beginning of ArcGIS Online in 2012 to the expansion of on-prem Enterprise GIS with ArcGIS Enterprise and Portal for ArcGIS. The way to create and share data has forever changed... You can still use a Desktop Application but now instead of ArcMap, you use a new 64bit application called ArcGIS Pro. Instead of having all your data stored locally or on a file share, you can now share your data with the world via ArcGIS Online, or Portal for ArcGIS, within ArcGIS Enterprise. This advancement provides a plethora of new doors and opportunities... Web GIS Enables you, the GIS professional, to create Geo-Enabled Systems. Empower field data collection, and communicate directly and indirectly with the citizens in your city, town, or state. This methodology and technology allow users to have the latest and up-to-date data at their fingertips or on their computer screen with many different mobile and web-based applications. The control and safety of the data, who can access it, and who can edit the data, are completely controlled by you, the administrator of the organization. Creating Groups and issuing Name User Identities and setting sharing capabilities all reside within ArcGIS Online or Portal for ArcGIS...
Now before we go into Desktop GIS I want to give you one last infographic describing an Enterprise Deployment with Portal for ArcGIS...
As you can see Portal for ArcGIS is just one component of ArcGIS Enterprise, it is the forward-facing interface where your users can interact with the data and create maps apps, and dashboards. ArcGIS Server is part of the configuration and I also want you to know that you can have multiple types of servers or server extensions, like GeoEvent Server, or Image Server...
Here is a brief overview of Desktop GIS...
The switch to ArcGIS Pro from ArcMap...
ArcMap – Old Desktop Application 32-bit framework (slow and complex interface)
ArcGIS Pro – New Desktop Application 64-bit framework (a faster ribbon-based contextual interface that works best with ArcGIS Online and Portal)?
If your organization is already using ArcGIS Enterprise note that ArcGIS Enterprise Version 10.9.1 will be the last release to support the publishing and consumption of services created in ArcMap. Additionally, ArcMap will no longer be supported by tech support or Esri as a whole after March 1, 2026
This brings us to the Modern GIS and the Simple Menu...
ArcGIS Online - SaaS environment in our cloud we update and maintain the backend system for you. However, you consume credits for using resources in the cloud, and you don't have access to the full server capabilities you would with the other option of Portal for ArcGIS. All you need to start an ArcGIS Online account is one Creator Named User or a GIS Professional Named user.
Portal for ArcGIS - You deploy all the components that make up ArcGIS Enterprise, and Portal for ArcGIS is one of those components. With an Enterprise Deployment, you maintain the hardware and software yourself, and you are only limited by the computing power of your infrastructure. (no credit consumption and full access to server functionalities) All you need for Portal for ArcGIS is an ArcGIS Enterprise Server License. They come in Standard or Advanced.
Named User Account - | Viewer | Editor | Field Worker | Creator | GIS Professional
The capabilities of these named user accounts are as follows...
Viewer - Viewers can view items that are shared with them by other ArcGIS users and have access to a selection of apps. This user type is ideal for members of an organization who need to view ArcGIS content in a secure environment. Viewers can’t create, edit, share or perform analysis on items or data.
Editor - Editors can view and edit data in ArcGIS maps and apps that are shared with them by other ArcGIS users. This user type is ideal for users who need to access and edit data that is shared with them and includes access to a selection of apps. The Editor user type can also be used with custom editing applications created by customers or by Esri business partners. Editors can’t analyze, create, or share items or data.
Field Worker - Field Workers can view and edit data that has been shared with them by other ArcGIS users and have access to a selection of apps. This user type is ideal for users who primarily interact with ArcGIS content through field apps. It allows users in the field to view and edit data directly in ArcGIS Online or in field apps, share their location and record location tracks, and collect and edit data in the field. Field Workers can’t analyze, create, or share items or data.
Creator - Creators can create and edit content such as maps and apps, perform spatial analysis using the analysis tools in ArcGIS Online, collect data, and collaborate and share content for use in apps. Creators have access to a selection of apps, can view content created by other organization members, and administer users and content in the organization. The Creator user type is a good choice for GIS specialists, asset managers, data journalists, and other content creators and collaborators.
GIS Professional - GIS Professionals?can build advanced 2D and 3D maps, visualizations, and analyses using?ArcGIS Pro?(Basic, Standard, or Advanced), as well as use?ArcGIS Online?to create, edit, collaborate, and share content for use in?apps.?GIS Professionals?can also administer users and content in the organization. This user type is a good choice for GIS analysts, geo developers, cartographers, and other GIS professionals.?The?GIS Professional?user type can be assigned at the following three levels, which correspond to the three license levels of?ArcGIS Pro:
Last but not least... I want to give a little insight into what I have seen and experienced over the last decade and a half... If you are a GIS professional and you want to enable your organization to fully utilize GIS, and get the most ROI out of the technology. There really should be only one main thing on your menu when it comes to licensing... An Enterprise Agreement...
I say that from years of talking to many different GIS organizations. (*Note... I am not commission based and this isn't a sales pitch*) I have just seen it firsthand... Time and time again that organizations that fully buy in and opt for an enterprise agreement always grow and expand more rapidly than organizations that just try to piece the software together. And to this date, I have never heard a customer come back and say "Hey Chase, I wish I never had purchased that enterprise agreement..."
It's not only for expansion and adoption it just makes fiscal sense and improves your ROI. For example, if you want a best-practice deployment of ArcGIS Enterprise, you need a minimum of two ArcGIS Enterprise licenses, one for a production environment and one for a staging environment. Don't quote me on the price I am not an account manager but I believe those alone can cost more than an entire enterprise agreement in some situations... That doesn't even take into consideration unlimited desktop licensing and the rest of the perks you get with an EA... (EA is short for Enterprise Agreement) I see often that these best practices Enterprise Deployments make it worth it for most organizations to enter into an Enterprise Agreement. An EA, unlimited servers, unlimited desktop, etc... Simply put, it takes the handcuffs off when trying to build an effective city, county, or state-wide GIS... If you want to take full advantage of the technology look into getting an Enterprise Agreement it just makes sense...
That's it for this edition of A New Geospatial Perspective...
Until Next Time...
Keep up the good work...
GIS Manager | Consultant | Trainer | Data analyst | Leadership | Management | Surveyor |
2 年it is great Thanks!
Senior Account Executive at Schneider Geospatial
2 年Chase, this a great presentation
Vice President of State & Local Government Sales
2 年Great job!