Is ArcGIS Pro ready for serious analyst use?

[GaryMullaney]

It's faster.  It's prettier.  It allows you to easily step over into 3D views of stuff.  I'm very tempted.  But:

1.  I have to relearn a thousand instinctive habits (although age 62.5, I think I can manage this - it will help keep me young).

2.  Can't share mxd's with colleagues still on ArcMAP (don't do that very often anyway).

3.  Fear and trembling that a bug with no easy work-around will stop me in my tracks (Pro 1.0 and 1.1 were like this).

Can't afford to spend a week learning, only to find out the beast is not ready for prime time.  What say other analysts who may have run Pro 1.2 around the track a few times?

[AdrianWelsh]

The limitations of ArcGIS Pro 1.1 kept me away from considering it seriously. I haven't bothered with 1.2 (though, I likely should). I like the list you made as I feel the same way in most cases.

When I have a little bit of time, maybe next week, I'll put on 1.2 and give it a whirl again. Hopefully it won't scare me off! Though, like all software types, it's adapt-or-die... So we will all have to learn at some point!

[DanPatterson_Retired]

As with any new software, this is my workflow...

• I use the version that gets the job done first .... for example... ArcView vs ArcMap  quite some time ago
• when the job is done, replicate the workflow in the new, document the new
• when there is an easy job, try the new..
  • if faster, use it the next time around...
  • if slower, revert and practice

Gradually the new will be used in most cases except for those cases where the old is faster, can't be replicated or you just feel old-school (I am 62 )

That is one reason some of us "?"timers keep a machine with ArcView 3.x running or the old Arc*

More recently, I have found myself reverting back to plain old programming since it has been a mainstay since 1968.  The new languages/packages and associated modules allow you to do much of what any GIS software package can at new C-ish speed.  Examples would include Numpy, SciPy MatPlotlib R, Matlab and new languages like Julia or optimizers for existing ones like Numba

I find the evolution within the GUI environment is a "nice" in that it allows more people to do what we couldn't do 20 years ago.  But most people never go beyond, querying and summarizing data and mapping it.  Then the evolution to ArcGIS PRO is going to really improve the 3D capabilities.  But!!! does everyone need it? Mapping bird nesting sites on a provincial level... does it need to be in 3D? you will see the maps coming though.

But... the caveat is ... what do you call analysis?  If it is querying data to find stuff, that may or may not be analysis... and we will all have our own hotly defended positions.

[CharlesFinley]

After the upgrade to ArcGIS Pro 1.2, the most promising improvement I found was that the program is now fairly stable.  That alone made it worth my time to start doing projects in Pro.  Don't get me wrong - it is an ESRI product, so crashes are inevitable! 

My main annoyance is the lack of simple tasks that we take for granted in ArcMap, thus I usually have an ArcMap window open at the same time, with the same datasets added to it, for quick editing.  Edit in ArcMap, save, then remove the layer in Pro, undo that action, and the updated layer reappears in Pro.

That said - as the above commenter mentioned - what is serious analysis?  My job is heavy on cartography, light on true spatial analysis.  I've found that the Project Pane, with the ability to copy and paste maps and layouts, as well as the Map Series function, makes it very convenient for creating map books/ sets.  Cartographic enhancements like multi-layer masking and anti-aliasing makes for pretty map products, and the 'Bright Map Notes' is one of my favorite features - allowing the addition of graphics as an actual feature class.  No more dummy draw tools and graphics that cause you to pull your hair out.

Give it a shot!

[AlexanderGray]

I found removing caching on layers that are frequently edited outside Pro resolved the loading/reloading problem to see the changes.

[JeremyWright]

Alexander,

Some datasets let us detect modification dates, which lets us invalidate the cache.  Some datasets don't.  Can you let us know which dataset type (e.g. shp, file geodatabase, etc.) you were using when you experiencing the problem with caching?

Regards,

Jeremy W.

[AlexanderGray]

I was using an unversioned oracle feature class with a TNS connection.  It is really dynamic and the shapes are simple rectangle polygons and the fc is querydef'ed  so dynamic is appropriate I think.

[JeremyWright]

Thanks Alexander.  I've forwarded this information to the team responsible.

[Anonymous User]

No.  In my very limited use for analysis, which I will define as representing data in different cartographically informative ways to communicate status, I have found that in Pro version 1.2.0, I still can NOT do these things:

layer symbology:

     proportional sized symbols

     chart symbols

     dot density symbols

Layout items:

     limit legend items to those shown in the extent

     working with dynamic legend items is a big weakness, doesn't seem to be much control outside of converting legend to graphics

That being said, there are some analysis tasks that can be done in Pro that are better than in ArcGIS desktop, such as the 3D extrusion feature.  3D extrusion based on attributes is eye candy stuff which I'm not a huge fan of, but I guess it is sort of cool.  It appears all the geoprocessing and python analytics are there, and I'm curious to learn more about the "Infographics" features, which I have not configured yet.

[beel]

I've found ArcGIS Pro 1.2 pretty useful for the following things:

1) Staging data up to ArcGIS Online

2) Editing data (much slicker than in ArcGIS, especially when editing multiple datasets like levees, canals, pumps and properties), although I take it topology rules are not yet supported.

3) Learning ArcGIS Pro!

Plus, there are some pretty cool workflows with online data that have not been developed as effectively in good ol' trusty ArcGIS. For some examples, I would recommend viewing this webinar from ArcGIS: Strike It Rich with Imagery Webinar Recording ​

Ultimately, moving to ArcGIS Pro 1.2 means change, and change means pain, but it's worth taking time to learn a little more about the new stuff coming our way before we're out of other options.