Community

Is there an ESRI product for me?

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3
03-28-2018 02:03 PM
JamesDuBois
by
New Contributor II
‎03-28-2018 02:03 PM

Hello,

Apologies if this is an off the wall or out of place question; I haven't worked with GIS in some time and after a few years am looking for another use for it. 

Task: An organization I work for wants to create a GIS based application that can provide data on parcels, facilities, utilities (basically polygons and lines) as well as link .pdf documents ("property record cards", floorplans, other documents) to facilities for a single installation in Alaska. I came across this "GIS for Local Goverment" application on the Esri site that seems to be the ticket, the only issue is, the organization is up in a remote part of Alaska and has very limited internet connection and needs something packaged, that can be viewed offline in some sort of portal since they don't have GIS software.

 

Is there anything out there in the Esri that would allow me to package all their available shape files as well as the linking of supporting documents all the while being offline? 

 

Once again, apologies if I am doing this wrong. I haven't been on Geonet in a while. Thanks for any help!

3 Replies
RebeccaStrauch__GISP
by MVP Emeritus
MVP Emeritus
‎03-28-2018 02:23 PM

Hi James,  tagging the Alaska GIS Users‌ group for you.

Is this going to be public facing at all, or just for collecting and internal use? Are you planning on using mobile devices?  

You may want to check out the Developer pages to see some of the app and dev environments that exist.  There is an "offline" topic Work Offline | ArcGIS for Developers  that might get you started.  You will most likely need at least some esri software to author the data, whether this is ArcGIS Pro (which can work offline) with ArcGIS Online to start, or use ArcMap/Catalog to create tile packages and such. ( Be careful not to violate any licensing if you plan to use the data and not use esri software at some point. ) to test things out, you can get a free developers license for Online to see what it can do, etc.  Hope that can get you started.

JamesDuBois
by
New Contributor II
‎03-28-2018 02:54 PM

Thanks for responding. I have ArcPro in my office down in Washington. This would be for a remote sector of the organization that does not have GIS (and cannot). It would not be public because it would contain sensitive data.

0 Kudos
RebeccaStrauch__GISP
by MVP Emeritus
MVP Emeritus
‎03-28-2018 03:41 PM

So, they want something GIS based, but no GIS software?  Does that mean no local ArcMap/Pro or any mobile apps at all, or just not any that need internet/network access? Are they just viewing and navigating with the data? Or are they needing to collect and/or edit the data.  

There are ways to package/tile things like basemaps (again, check licensing for the data) and shapefiles can still be created, so there are ways that you can be offline, assuming they have the application and/or software to look at it.

If it's just a matter of being off the network/internet, but they can still purchase Pro/Desktop, and you are the developer, you may be able to give the tile packages for basemaps and other that can be used offline 100% (again, check on licensing for the data you are getting).  If the org is local government and is part of the Alaska Statewide Data Mappin Initiative (AGC), they may have access to the data collected thru that.  Alaska Geospatial Council   to read more about that data.

If they are not  able to get any esri software, then you will have to look at 1) what the other software can take, and 2) licensing on the data for that purpose. 

There are many agencies up here that are remote and/or in field camps for the summer without any internet connection.  We have short-term checkout licenses for our staff that are in this situation...they take whatever data they use for their project.  Others have been using apps like Collector and Survey 123 (esri products, you can find more on the developer pages I mentions before) and they connect up to non-public services on ArcGIS Online or our local ArcSDE.  Both of those do require some network connections when in the office, but can be offline when in the field.  So, there may be options, and there may be others out there that have done the same already, but each case may differ some.

I'm getting long winded, but things to think about, and hopefully others will give some advice.