Esri ArcGIS Reviews & Product Details - Page 44

Endless extensions and addins you can download and use, best mapping software for technical users, good way to perform spatial analysis for a number of different types of applications and topics. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Software can be very laggy at times, not intuitive at all for non-technical users looking to do basic mapping/analysis, expensive product with limited discount opportunities. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like the support system that it comes with. Whenever I have an issue with one of the programs, I can always contact an ESRI representative or look through geonet for help. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I haven't quite learned to use ARCGIS Pro which was what ArcGIS is progressing towards. There are still a lot of glitches with this program. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Some of the best features of ArcGIS (32bit flavor - not ArcGIS Pro) are in the cartography and vector editing categories. ArcGIS has good tools to produce quality maps. Some tools include the use of ESRI's "data driven pages", which allow users to tile maps on small pages for large areas with high detail (large scale).

Another nice feature in ArcGIS (only available at the Standard and Advanced license level) is vector editing with topology within a Geodatabase. The topology tools work well and have good tools built into them to allow the user to find topological errors and fix them. Vector topology is an essential tool for ensuring data integrity. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The costs of this software are enormous for the initial purchase price and the subsequent yearly fees for the product. Not having recent quotes, but in the past pricing for Standard and Advanced licensing were $7,000 and $12,000 respectively for initial purchase. Then yearly fees are incurred to get "updates" to the software and tech support. With $1500 and $3000 yearly maintenance fees respectively for Standard and Advanced, the costs per year can rapidly escalate when multiple licenses are purchased. The annual fees are practically mandatory to stay current with the community and client needs.

Proprietary data format of the Geodatabase. The ESRI geodatabase can only be created and written to by ESRI software (Standard and Advanced licenses). This design creates vendor lock-in, such that organizations need ESRI software to access and edit geodatabases. This design enforces sales of the ArcMap software, as ESRI geodatabases demand ESRI software to be fully utilized. This also creates an environment where a few special operators with special software can access the data. This discourages the accessibility and sharing of GIS data information. Being that GIS data is information, and information should be shared, the proprietary data format is an obstacle to creating easily accessible information within an organization and with other organizations.

The performance of ArcMap (32bit) is poor relative to today's computing standards. 32 bit architecture is very outdated and when performing spatial operations, the delay in processing costs users time. Since ArcMap came out and was re-written from scratch in the early 2000s, there have been continual issues with bugs and performance. Fixes to the bugs are slow to be resolved. Sometimes the application hangs up (not responding) for seemingly basic tasks.

Lack of modern algorithms. Example would be the hydrologic routing tools that are from the early 1990s and have not been updated with current modeling features such as Multi-Flow Direction (MFD) modeling of where water flows, and how much accumulation.

Tech support is a paid service along with updates to the software through yearly annual fees. The first level tech support has often left a disappointing feeling, where either the topic was being read directly from the help menu, or the technician kept trying to solve the problem with educated guesses, rather than knowing what the solution is. A substantial amount of time has been lost with tech support at the tier 1 level. The tier 2 level of support is good. The technicians know the products more specifically, and are generally more helpful to resolve the issue.

Some spatial functions are only available in the top tier product (such as identity). This aspect was really frustrating as a user and for an organization. The difference between the Standard and Advanced licensing is about $5,000 (last checked). The interesting thing is that the Basic, Standard and Advanced licenses are all the same product, just with varying levels of provided tools. One such tool is the identity function. This is a commonly overlay function in any GIS, however, ArcMap only provides this simple overlay at the advanced level.

Lack of general interoperability. Over the years, open data standards such as Web Mapping Services (WMS) and Web Feature Services (WFS) have provided open formats to work with GIS data. WFS is designed to allow editing of features over a web protocol, but in order to implement this in ArcMap, $10,000 software needs purchased (ArcGIS for Server). There is currently no way to write to an open database GIS format from ESRI software, without purchasing additional software. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The flexibility of software comparison with AutoCAD Map 3D I worked in past. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Need to study everyday and... I like it. Not sure what I dislike so far. Ha-Ha. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Works well with our mapping needs, easy for our mapper to setup Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Slow at times, had issues with creating mobile maps for use in field Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

ArcGIS is really the industry standard, but to achieve anything beyond really basic functionality, you really need to get some training or teach yourself using a good reference book. Honestly to even understand the full potential of ArcGIS, you need some guidance and training. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The software is very resource heavy - even on a very new computer with a very good processor and decent memory capacity, the software can lag a bit. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love everything about ArcGIS, as I use it coupled with Omega Crimeview to create weekly reports and to extract all sorts of criminal and traffic-related data. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The product is a bit on the expensive side, but it is the best product available of its kind in my professional opinion. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Nothing. I have not one nice thing to say about Esri besides that Jack Dangermond needs to fire the staff or leave, himself. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I dislike the fact that the computers in my department's GIS are always having problems due to GIS licensing. I dislike the fact that I have spent HOURS trying to download ArcGIS (I am not computer illiterate). I dislike the fact that I have spent over and hour and a half on hold with customer service. I'm actually on hold right now. I hope someone else comes along and creates a better program than Esri. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

This program is incredibly robust and continues to improve with each update. ArcGIS allows the user to complete many analyses and other functions within the program that would have otherwise had to be completed in a separate program with less ease. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Some processes can be less than intuitive, but after heavy use and a lot of googling (esri provides a good help forum) the user is typically able to figure it out. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The ability to assist engineering and environmental managers with planning and providing optimum routes for pipeline analysis. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

ArcGIS is so powerful there is an enormous amount of things to learn. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.