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Add ArcGIS Applications to AWS Marketplace

1511
2
05-04-2019 04:20 AM
Status: Open
JohnMDye
by
Frequent Contributor

Like many devs, I do a lot of my work on a Mac. When I need to run an ArcGIS thick-client application, this leaves me with only a couple of options for my system, none of which are great:

  • I can have a separate, dedicated windows laptop that I carry with me everywhere
    • Certainly feasible but what a pain in the butt. Also, if you actually want a powerful computer, you talking 5.5-7lbs minimum.
  • I can have a separate, dedicated windows desktop that I remote into
    • This is a little more reasonable except that my dedicated desktop needs to be running 24/7 so that I can remote into it when needed.
  • I can run a Virtual Machine on my MacBook Pro
    • Historically, this has been what I've done as it keeps everything local and I don't have to worry about internet connectivity. But in this day and age, internet connectivity is rarely a problem anymore.
    • The biggest problem I've found here is that it's difficult to get a really powerful Windows VM without investing in $4k+ MacBook Pro and even then, you end up with a rather mediocre windows workstation rather than something that could really crunch some data.

There is another option. I could pay-per-hour for an AWS Workspace. This would allow me to fire up a Windows system with Pro on it whenever I needed it, and shut it down when I didn't without issue. The only problem is that ArcGIS applications such as Pro, ArcMap, CityEngine, Drone2Map, etc. are not available in the AWS Marketplace. That's not an insurmountable challenge. I could certainly download the application installers and upload them to my AWS Application Manager and to get them installed, but why should I need to? Esri should be making this easy for me.

There are already some lightweight GIS and mapping applications in the AWS Marketplace, but nothing heavyweight. I'd also argue that Esri needs to get on this train before QGIS does.

AWS Marketplace

It would be nice to be able to select any of the ArcGIS thick client applications from this list:

  • ArcGIS Pro
  • ArcMap/Catalog/Scene/Globe
  • CityEngine
  • Drone2Map
  • AppStudio
  • Business Analyst
  • Collector & Explorer (Win10)
  • Survey123 Connect
  • Maps for Office

Named User licensing would be ideal for this kind of setup and for the legacy apps, one could just use a provisioning file. From there, whenever you need an ArcGIS workstation, just hit AWS and fire up your workspace.

2 Comments
KoryKramer
by Esri Community Moderator
‎05-05-2019 05:43 AM

Have you read this, John?https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-pro/administration/arcgis-pro-streamed-from-the-clo...

https://aws.amazon.com/appstream2/getting-started/#Application_deployment_guides

Looks like there is already movement in this direction for all of the reasons you're stating!

JohnMDye
by
‎05-06-2019 06:56 AM

Thanks Kory,

I did know about AppStream 2.0 and looked into using it. Unfortunately the AWS pricing for it seems to be geared more towards corportate/enteprise use than indiivdual use. Put simply, unless you plan to get daily usage out of it for several hours at a time, AppStream is a lot more expensive and somewhat more complicated than a simple GPU enabled workspace to set up, configure and manage. Not to mention there’s no cost for an AWS Workspace when its shut down as long as you remain within the included storage quotas.

AppStream is a great option for enterprise/corporate users that can manage those costs and achieve economies of scale compared to the traditional approach of leasing workstations from Dell or HP, but for Devs who need incidental access to a powerful ArcGIS Workstation, AppStream doesn't make much economical sense. 

This seems like relatively low hanging fruit, but I'm sure there's probably more to it than my feeble mind is accounting for.