Why You Should Make the Jump from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro

Posted by Michelle Brake,

Have you made the jump and started using ArcGIS Pro in your daily work? Are you holding off on migrating, waiting for that last key tool to be added?


ArcGIS Pro features a modern ribbon-based user interface, 2D and 3D views (Image: Esri)

When I was first introduced to GIS, it was through ArcMap. ArcMap was the main tool of choice during my undergraduate classes. I was then introduced to ArcGIS Pro during my classes at the Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS).

Like most, I was wary of using ArcGIS Pro because ArcMap was familiar and easy to use. As I started to use ArcGIS Pro, I realized it had some great capabilities that made it easier to do some of my work. Plus, I loved how fast it was at performing analysis. Here are a few areas that make ArcGIS Pro a go to in my daily workflow.

3D

One of the reasons that I became a fan of ArcGIS Pro are the 3D capabilities it has. The ease of converting between 2D and 3D in Pro happens at the click of a button. You can also link your 2D and 3D views together. You no longer have to open ArcScene or ArcGlobe just to see how something will look in 3D.

Enterprise and ArcGIS Online

Working with your data stored in ArcGIS Online or Enterprise is easy with ArcGIS Pro. You are able to sign-in to ArcGIS Pro using your credentials and immediately connect to your content. If working with Enterprise, you are able to connect to multiple portals and switch between connections.

Editing

With ArcGIS Pro, you don’t have to start or stop editing. This makes ArcGIS Pro a go to for editing work in our office. Being able to cut out those few extra clicks may not seem like much, but it is something you notice if you switch between ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro.

Multiple Layouts and Maps

When working with a map and layout in ArcMap, you were only able to work with one at a time. Every map is saved separately and you have to open each one to make changes. In ArcGIS Pro, you can work concurrently with multiple maps and layouts, as they are all saved in a project. This is great if you are working with multiple thematic maps and want to see how things look using different methods for classification.

ArcGIS Solutions Deployment Add-In

This add-in allows you to deploy solutions directly from ArcGIS Pro to ArcGIS Online and Portal. The solutions are free and are available for a wide variety of industries including:

  • Local Government
  • State Government
  • Emergency Management
  • Water
  • Electric
  • Gas
  • Telecommunications
  • Defense
  • Parks and Gardens

The solutions include options for Survey 123 for ArcGIS, Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS, GeoEvent Server, and more. You can connect your data to the solution and quickly deploy apps without having to do a lot of configuring behind the scenes. One of my favorites is the Community Impact Dashboard solution for Emergency Management.

Community Impact Dashboard Web Application
Community Impact Dashboard (Image: Esri)

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Solution Engineer

Michelle is a passionate and self-starting GIS professional looking to change the world with mapping. She works with our Enterprise team, supporting the daily operations of our GEOPowered Cloud.