Replacement/alternative for ArcGIS Explorer (offline viewer for Windows desktop).

Question

Hello,

Our 911 dispatch center needs a simple local map viewer that I can package with a local copy of our GIS data and a local address locator. This seems like it should be one of the easiest, most foundational software solutions provided by Esri, but with ArcGIS Explorer 'expiring' in less than a year, there is no viable alternate solution?

Requirements are not too difficult:

* Has to operate on Windows desktop (Field Maps is Android / iOS only)
* Must work 100% offline (no sign-in required). If it is going to serve as a fail-safe, in case of a total network failure, it has to be available even when the computer is offline. 
* Has to be able to display a map and allow address searches using our in-house address locator files.

Is there anything out there, or in development, that would fill this business need?

Matt-Goodman · Answer

It's sort of wild: we've come so far from shapefiles that the simple idea of viewing GIS data that is saved locally on a computer is now too basic to maintain software for?

ToddW_stl · Answer

Creating a custom app may also work, although I personally don't have much experience with a 100% offline workflow.

Take web maps offline

Offline mapping apps

ryanuthoff · Answer

I was in this same situation. We needed something that could be used on Windows desktop PCs with offline capabilities, preferably using mmpks. Esri suggested that I use either ArcGIS Pro or ArcGIS Earth.

With ArcGIS Pro, we have to eat the licensing costs, but it can be used completely offline. We also don't need an entire GIS program for our end users. We just need a simple data visualization app, like Field Maps. And ArcGIS Earth is clunky at best, very similar to Google Earth. ArcGIS Earth doesn't honor symbology set in mmpks which is unfortunate.

Unfortunately, Esri appears to have at least partially abandoned us Windows users, providing us with limited data visualization options either via ArcGIS Pro or ArcGIS Earth. I've always found it odd, and frustrating, that Esri picks and chooses what is supported on Windows, vs. everything being supported on iOS/Android.