Esri Redistricting - Frequently Asked Questions Nov 2020 Edition

[ShreeRajagopalan]

1. Which browsers are officially supported by the Esri Redistricting software?

Safari, Firefox, MS Edge, and Chrome.  IE 11 will not be supported moving forward.

2. Can I use my own boundary for my Redistricting process, or do I need to use the standard Census data?

• No, if using the single-seat (SaaS) implementation via ArcGIS online, however you can use your custom data as reference.
• Yes, if using the on-Premise or Managed Cloud Services version; the data can be customized to fit your redistricting solution as needed.

3. If using a Managed Cloud Services Redistricting solution, what is the standard infrastructure for a single server setup?

• Standard data storage is up to 500 GB
• Single cloud ArcGIS Server with 4 virtual computing units and 32 GB of Virtual memory
• Hosting period 12 months
• Up to 100 active users
• Target system availability = 95%
• Full weekly backups (incremental daily backups)
• Long term backup for 30 days
• Daily syncs with your data into your Cloud instance
• Microsoft Windows Server 2016 (or newer) operating system
• ArcGIS Enterprise licensing
• System Monitoring 24/7 with Esri COTS hosted software
• Operation support 24/7 from MCS

4. What is the advantage of using Esri redistricting solution vs. competitor software?

• Esri's Redistricting solution is a web-based solution that requires no software installation and is scale-able based on total users.
• Esri’s Enterprise Redistricting solution allows public participation in the redistricting process to ensure full transparency to the public.

5. Can a "Plan Population" summary report be exported to CSV or other formats for additional analysis? 

• There is not an "export to CSV" option; however, you can export to an Excel file, then "Save as" CSV".
• Other export formats are available such as HTML, PDF, and Excel files. 

6. Can all plans be exported to shapefile and block equivalency files all at once?

• No, there is no bulk export of shapefiles or block equivalency files function.
• Only single exports of each redistricting plan are available currently. 

7. Can I use my existing ArcGIS Online account for the Redistricting trial software?

• No. To use the free 21-day trial, you need to create a new ArcGIS Online account using the activation email you receive after submitting the form.
• If you want to use an existing ArcGIS Online account, please reach out to your Esri Account Manager and/or customer service representative and request to activate a Redistricting evaluation and provision licenses to the app via ArcGIS Online.

8. What is the difference between the free Districting for ArcGIS ArcMap extension vs. the Esri Redistricting SaaS option? 

Districting for ArcGIS	Esri Redistricting SaaS version
Requires ArcMap	Up-to-date web browser
Not menu driven – no UI	Robust UI specifically for political redistricting.
Does not ship with Census P.L. data	Comes with past and current P.L. 94-171 data
Required GIS background and experience	GIS experience not required
Can work with other polygon data, such as work zones, school attendance zones, Police Beats.	Is locked to P.L. data.  Can create other districts but only based on Census geography.
Free, but requires ArcMap	SaaS pricing = $4,500
Users must provide their own data to complete a district plan or boundary	Access to Esri Living Atlas and ArcGIS Online via Esri Redistricting app
No Esri support or active product development	SaaS version has Esri support included

9. Does Esri Redistricting handle a large number of users if my jurisdiction requires public participation (ex: 2000 users)?   

The foundation of Esri Redistricting resides upon ArcGIS Enterprise. The Esri Redistricting solution was designed such that the browser client does most of the heavy lifting which reduces the load on the ArcGIS Server in the background. Because of this, the Esri Redistricting application won't be the bottleneck in the system architecture. If there is concern over the number of users accessing the software, it may be suggested that an additional 4-core server be included to allow your system to auto-scale if necessary.

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