Architect working in GIS needs advice

NotDisclosed

Choosing software

Hello, I have no experience with ESRI software (or GIS), and I need your help coming up with a package.   I am assembling a site study for 700+ acres in the USA.  What I need to do:

1. Import data from other data bases (USGS, FEMA, DOI, USFW, etc)
2. Import images I can digitize for 2D spatial zones
3. Overlay the polygons and adjust transparency to produce a highest and best use map
4. Plot existing infrastructure and perform asset management for long-term

This looked like a useful model: http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=526c50646cea49fbbc714a4171f11ba6

What I have:
Lidar
Aerials

What I can choose from:

• ArcView
• ArcGIS Publisher
• ArcGIS Spatial Analyst
• ArcGIS 3D Analyst
• ArcGIS Network Analyst
• ArcEditor

Thanks for your help!

Spidusb

BrianOevermann

I echo John's comments.  I will also add that the Campus Editing link you provided uses the Local Government Information Model for its underlying structure.  So the Campus Editing project expects your data to be in certain feature classes and fields in the model for the project to work "as advertised".

Depending on the true end goal, this may be an appropriate course of action or it could be extreme overkill.  The major benefit of using the Local Government Information Model (LGIM) is that you can then leverage all of the applications, map services, etc. without a lot of configuration hassles.  If you only want to use one application, it may be more efficient to set up your own structure rather than spend time populating feature classes with a very strict data structure simply because they provide a supporting role.

You can use add-ins like the Attribute Assistant without the LGIM.  You just need to do some of the setup yourself.  John's suggestion that a competent GIS Consultant or grad student will find this straightforward is sound advice.

I don't want to dissuade you from using the LGIM, because it is an amazingly powerful data model.  As long as you are able to fit your data into the structure, it is fairly "plug-and-play", but as soon as you need additional fields or field type modifications, configuration becomes more complicated, hence my comment above regarding just setting up your own structure.