Fun with GIS 265: ArcGIS School Bundle Continues

[CharlieFitzpatrick]

In a world turned upside down, here is some stability. The ArcGIS School Bundle will be renewed through July 2025, at no cost to users. All School Bundle licenses showing any online or desktop use in the last couple of years will be automatically renewed. Existing ArcGIS Online subscription users and their content will be maintained. Users do not need to do anything to make this renewal happen.

Across USA and around the world, primary and secondary schools and formal youth clubs can acquire and use the software for instructional purposes for free. Thousands of US schools started using GIS after Esri m...available for free in 2014. Thousands more schools around the world joined when Esri launched its global program in 2018, supporting activities like that seen on stage at Esri UC2019. And today, with distance learning and "school at home" mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands more are engaging with free resources, discovering what is possible.

It's a challenging time around the world. The ability to grasp changing conditions, spot patterns, illuminate relationships, and identify alternative strategies for moving forward is essential for our survival. All students will be able to engage the ArcGIS School Bundle to support this for free for instructional use, for at least the next five years, anywhere, on any device with internet access (computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone), whether issued by a school or owned by the family.

[KeiranBray]

Hey Charlie, with regards to the rollover, will students who currently have licenses authorised on their machines (SU, CU), will they need to do anything on their end i.e re-authorise license's or will they see no change?

[CharlieFitzpatrick]

For the new ArcGIS School Bundle, authorizations to use any desktop software that are not based on "named user" (NU) (i.e. single use (SU) or concurrent use (CU)) need to be revisited. First, ArcMap is not a part of the new license. (It is available separately if situations warrant; contact schools@esri.com.) All School Bundle SU or CU authorizations expire on 7/31/2020, so a new authorization would be needed in any case. Second, CU authorizations are not a part of the school bundle, since NU works for all elements in the School Bundle; NU is the recommended approach for all components. The ArcGIS Online Org admin plays a critical role, and must understand which software components need specifically to be provided to users. Further, because admins are more crucial than ever to smooth operation, they need to ensure there are enough admins to respond effectively to changes in Org members' needs and to unexpected absences of admins; see https://esriurl.com/agoorgsforschools p.25, and the Fun with GIS 246 blog on admins.