The analogy
You’ve got spatial data right? And you want to do spatial things with it. Like visualizing it in a map. Or using it to answer important questions like “where should I put my llama farm?” Maybe you’re wondering:
“Travis, why can’t I just use ArcGIS Pro for that?”
Well, you can. That is to say, “you” can. Because you’re a GIS professional. But you had to work very hard to become so, and not everybody’s a pro like you. Let me ask you a question:
“Wouldn’t it be awesome if lots of people you work with could access spatial data and do spatial stuff with it, all on their own? Even if they aren’t a pro?”
Travis told me he likes to think of this relationship like football, though I prefer to call it soccer. There are some people in this world that are either so gifted or so hard working (or a combination of both) that they can perform at a level few can. They get to play on the pitch and get paid for it. They are the football pros, just like you're a GIS pro.
There are others that like football so much they play on the weekends, but they have day jobs because they just aren't at the same level as the pros. These amateurs are more like the subject matter experts that use GIS, but don’t want to learn that “pro” tool.
Then there are the fans. They like to watch a game but understand their limits. They are more like our colleagues that know how to spell GIS and would benefit greatly from access to our GIS data and capabilities. ArcGIS Enterprise is a way for the pros to help both the amateurs and the fans get better at the GIS game and help the organization win.
The simi-technical explanation
ArcGIS Enterprise gives you a way to store data in systems you control. It gives you the ability to choose the best types of data storage for your particular business needs. You're not locked into somebody else’s idea of how your data should be stored.
ArcGIS Enterprise makes that data and related GIS functionality available via web services. That means anybody with a browser, or a mobile device, can leverage these GIS enabled resources. And they don't necessarily need to be on the work network either, like we do many times with ArcGIS Pro.
ArcGIS Enterprise includes a content management system. That means you have the tools to get the right people connected to the right resources. You get a convenient web portal to access resources without needing ArcGIS Pro. I like to think of the Enterprise portal kind of like a library. You know the place to go to get the information you need, where it's all organized, searchable, and set in a nice place to visit.
ArcGIS Enterprise acts as an application hosting platform. That means you can give people who are non-GIS subject matter experts a focused web or mobile application tailored to their specific business needs.
Now maybe you’re wondering:
“Travis, why can’t I use ArcGIS Online for all of that? I mean that's a great option that does all this too, right?”
Yeah, ArcGIS Online rocks! And you can do that... If you are ok with moving all your authoritative data to Esri’s servers in the cloud.
Only ArcGIS Enterprise lets your web services connect directly to data stores you control and gives you the tools to manage the whole system.
That’s it.
So, to recap. What Travis and I think is the most fundamental way to think about ArcGIS Enterprise, is that it is:
- Data stored in your systems
- Exposed through web services accessible from many clients
- To people who have permission to access them and the means to discover them
- Through applications designed with their workflows in mind
The remaining posts in this series will tackle each of these four areas in more detail. Stay tuned!
