ArcMap Enters Mature Support in March 2024
ArcGIS Desktop Product Life Cycle
ArcGIS Desktop 10.8 was released in February 2020. The 10.8.x releases, such as 10.8.1 and 10.8.2, follow the same product life cycle, meaning that the 10.8.x series is currently in Extended Support and will enter the Mature Support phase of the life cycle in March 2024.
See the product life cycle here. From the table included in the product life cycle, you can see that Mature Support means there will continue to be technical support available, but there will no longer be software updates, patches or hotfixes.
Creating Awareness
With ArcGIS Desktop entering Mature Support in less than 9 months, we wanted to make sure that ArcMap users are aware of migration resources available to them.
We have been messaging this since 2020 when the ArcMap Continued Support page was originally posted (it was updated earlier this year when it moved to the new Technical Support site). That page alone provides some really great resources that are available to help you make the move from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro and we compiled those resources into a web page earlier this year. More on that below...
If you frequent the ArcGIS Desktop help pages, you may have noticed that in February of this year, we started including an informational banner guiding ArcMap users to the product life cycle and ArcGIS Pro migration resources.
Migration Resources
As mentioned above, the ArcMap Continued Support page contains an extensive list of resources including tutorials, documentation, training, blogs and books. Those have been compiled in the Migrate from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro page that is included in the core ArcGIS Pro help.
We understand that many users will have a period of overlap where they are working in both ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro. If you are one of these users, make sure to check out the resources available from the start page when you open ArcGIS Pro. And new in ArcGIS Pro 3.1 (February 2023) you can access these Learning Resources from the dedicated Help tab, making them available from any project, not just when you start the application.
Advice from Real People
Realizing that you may not want to hear advice from "Esri", last year I posed a question to Esri Community members in the ArcMap space:
Check that out for some advice from real people who have made the move, and if you have any helpful advice to help fellow ArcMap users, please add to that thread! Here are my personal favorites because they resonate with what I've heard from talking with so many former ArcMap users:
Do not "transition" in the sense of gradually moving over to Pro, using both products for a long period of time. Just make a hard cut.
What worked for me... quite trying to emulate what you used to in ArcMap when in ArcGIS Pro...
To Dan's point on that one, ArcGIS Pro is a new application and some things are just done differently, based on lessons learned from ArcMap users over the years. So there will be a learning curve, but we've heard some very positive feedback from users once they move through that.
I really appreciate the streamlined interface ArcGIS Pro presents. There is some learning curve to move away from ArcMap but now I cannot imagine going back. Casey Scott; Wastewater Research Specialist
I love ArcGIS Pro! We are currently using 2.9.6 and I don't even want to open ArcMap anymore! Kristina Smith; GIS Analyst
New Features and Functionality
ArcGIS Pro was initially released in early 2015 and since then has come a long way. To build on my comment above about incorporating lessons learned over many years from ArcMap users, even ArcGIS Pro 1.0 answered many long-standing requests from ArcMap users - notably the request for a x64bit desktop application and the ability to create multiple layouts.
Over the years, an enormous amount of functionality has been added at every release, some things to ensure consistency with ArcMap functionality, but many features that had been requested by users over the years that we were not able to get into ArcMap.
In addition to checking out the What's New topic with each new release, a great way to learn about new features and functionality is to keep an eye on the ArcGIS Pro articles in the ArcGIS Blog. I try to set aside a little time every Friday to stay up to date.
Here are a few recent examples, with more to come...
Leverage Tasks in ArcGIS Pro to Standardize Workflows
Explore and Prepare Your Data with ArcGIS Pro Data Engineering
Sharks and Accessibility in ArcGIS Pro
Gymnastics and Layouts in ArcGIS Pro
ArcGIS Pro at the 2023 Esri User Conference
If you will be at the User Conference next month, make sure to plan your time so that you can attend any ArcGIS Pro sessions that you're particularly interested in.
Here are sessions filtered by the ArcGIS Pro topic. Since we're talking about migrating from ArcMap, you might want to add ArcGIS Pro: Migrating from ArcMap, ArcGIS Pro: An Introduction, and ArcGIS Pro: Tips and Tricks to your schedule.
And here are sessions in the Mapping, Cartography, and Visualization topic.
Use the UC Event Map to find subject matter experts from the ArcGIS Pro development team in the showcase area.
Supporting Your Transition
Like we acknowledged above, there will be a learning curve. Use the migration resources to help, but don't overlook the years of experience from peers who have already made the transition and are here to help as part of Esri Community - ask them questions in the ArcGIS Pro Questions board if you get stuck on anything.
Wishing you a smooth transition!