ArcGIS

ArcGIS es el nombre de un conjunto de productos de software en el campo de los Sistemas de

Informacin Geogrfica o SIG. Producido y comercializado por ESRI, bajo el nombre genrico
ArcGIS se agrupan varias aplicaciones para la captura, edicin, anlisis, tratamiento, diseo,
publicacin e impresin de informacin geogrfica. Estas aplicaciones se engloban en familias
temticas como ArcGIS Server, para la publicacin y gestin web, o ArcGIS Mvil para la
captura y gestin de informacin en campo.
ArcGIS Desktop, la familia de aplicaciones SIG de escritorio, es una de las ms ampliamente
utilizadas, incluyendo en sus ltimas ediciones las
herramientas ArcReader,ArcMap, ArcCatalog, ArcToolbox, ArcScene y ArcGlobe, adems de
diversas extensiones. ArcGIS for Desktop se distribuye comercialmente bajo tres niveles de
licencias que son, en orden creciente de funcionalidades (y
coste): ArcView, ArcEditor y ArcInfo.

Herramientas de ArcGis
Adems de ArcMap, se pueden contar con las extensiones 3D Analyst, Geostatistical Analyst,
Maplex, Network Analyst, Schematics, Spatial Analyst, Tracking Analyst y ArcScan.
Spatial Analyst. Proporciona una amplia posibilidad de recursos relacionados con el anlisis
espacial de datos. Con esta herramienta se pueden crear, consultar y analizar datos rster;
combinar varias capas rster; aplicar funciones matemticas, construir y obtener nueva
informacin a partir de datos ya existentes, etc. Spatial Analyst nos permite: obtener
informacin nueva de los datos existentes; hallar ubicaciones adecuadas; realizar anlisis de
distancia y coste del trayecto; identificar la mejor ruta existente entre dos puntos; realizar
anlisis estadsticos e Interpolar valores de datos para un rea de estudio determinada.
3D Analyst. De acuerdo a Esri, la extensin 3D Analyst de ArcGIS proporciona herramientas
para la creacin, visualizacin y anlisis de datos SIG en un contexto tridimensional; la funcin
ArcScene por ejemplo permite crear y animar ambientes 3D. Por ejemplo un uso comn de
esta herramienta es el modelado de capas geolgicas y datos de agua subterrnea
relacionada a las captaciones de hidrulica subterrnea.
Geostatistical Analyst. Esta herramienta permite la realizacin de anlisis geoestadstico,
partiendo del anlisis exploratorio de los datos hasta su representacin espacial.

Enlaces externos[editar]

Wikimedia Commons alberga contenido multimedia sobre Sistemas de Informacin

Geogrfica.

Web de Gabriel Ortiz sobre Sistemas de Informacin Geogrfica GIS SIG en la que se
habla bastante de ArcGIS. Incluye artculos, metodologas y un foro en el que el 90% de
los participantes son usuarios de ArcGIS.

Blog de la Asociacin Geoinnova, donde se publica gran cantidad de tutoriales gratuitos

de ArcGIS (los conocidos Geofascculos) y noticias relacionadas con los SIG

En Agua y SIG se encuentran explicaciones de algunas herramientas de ArcGis y

aplicaciones prcticas en el tema de agua subterrnea y la hidrologa

Para formarte en esta materia hoy en da puedes hacerlo presencial y online:

Cursos MOOC gratuitos de ArcGIS

T-GIS: Postgrados en SIG de la Universidad de Valencia. Desarrollan Conferencias junto

a la casa ESRI Espaa.

Curso semipresencial de ArcGIS en Pamplona (Espaa)

Curso de ArcGIS y MAXENT aplicados a la gestin de fauna

Geodatabase[edit]
Older Esri products, including ArcView 3.x, worked with data in
the shapefile format. ArcInfo Workstation handled coverages, which
stored topology information about the spatial data. Coverages, which were introduced in 1981
when ArcInfo was first released, have limitations in how they handle types of features. Some
features, such as roads with streetintersections or overpasses and underpasses, should be
handled differently from other types of features.[36]
ArcGIS is built around a geodatabase, which uses an object-relational database approach for
storing spatial data. A geodatabase is a "container" for holding datasets, tying together the
spatial features with attributes. The geodatabase can also contain topology information, and
can model behavior of features, such as road intersections, with rules on how features relate to
one another.[37] When working with geodatabases, it is important to understand feature classes
which are a set of features, represented with points, lines, or polygons. With shapefiles, each
file can only handle one type of feature. A geodatabase can store multiple feature classes or
type of features within one file.[38]
Geodatabases in ArcGIS can be stored in three different ways - as a "file geodatabase", a
"personal geodatabase", or an "ArcSDE geodatabase".[39] Introduced at 9.2, the file
geodatabase stores information in a folder named with a .gdb extension. The insides look
similar to that of a coverage but is not, in fact, a coverage. Similar to the personal
geodatabase, the file geodatabase only supports a single editor. However, unlike the personal

geodatabase, there is virtually no size limit. By default, any single table cannot exceed 1TB,
but this can be changed. Personal geodatabases store data in Microsoft Access files, using
a BLOB field to store the geometry data. The OGR library is able to handle this file type, to
convert it to other file formats.[40] Database administration tasks for personal geodatabases,
such as managing users and creating backups, can be done through ArcCatalog. Personal
geodatabases, which are based on Microsoft Access, run only on Microsoft Windows and have
a 2 gigabyte size limit.[41] Enterprise (multi-user) level geodatabases are handled using
ArcSDE, which interfaces with high-end DBMS such as PostgreSQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL
Server, DB2 and Informix to handle database management aspects, while ArcGIS deals with
spatial data management.[42] Enterprise level geodatabases support database
replication, versioning and transaction management, and are cross-platform compatible, able
to run on Linux, Windows, and Solaris.[41]
Also released at 9.2 is the personal SDE database that operates with SQL Server Express.
Personal SDE databases do not support multi-user editing, but do support versioning and
disconnected editing. Microsoft limits SQL Server Express databases to 4GB.

Components and product levels[edit]

ArcGIS consists of Desktop GIS products, as well as GIS products that run on a server, or on a
mobile[43] device.

ArcGIS for Desktop[edit]

Product levels[edit]
ArcGIS for Desktop is available at different product levels, with increasing functionality.

ArcReader (freeware, viewer) is a basic data viewer for maps and GIS data published in
the proprietary Esri format using ArcGIS Publisher. The software also provides some basic
tools for map viewing, printing and querying of spatial data. ArcReader is included with any
of the ArcGIS suite of products, and is also available for free to download. ArcReader only
works with preauthored published map files, created with ArcGIS Publisher. [44]

ArcGIS for Desktop Basic, formerly known as ArcView, is the entry level of ArcGIS
licensing offered. With ArcView, one is able to view and edit GIS data held in flat files, or
view data stored in a relational database management system by accessing it
through ArcSDE.

ArcGIS for Desktop Standard, formerly known as ArcEditor, is the midlevel software suite
designed for advanced editing of spatial data published in the proprietary Esri format. It
provides tools for the creation of map and spatial data used in GIS, including the ability of
editing geodatabase files and data, multiuser geodatabase editing, versioning, raster data
editing and vectorization, advanced vector data editing, managing coverages, coordinate

geometry (COGO), and editing geometric networks. ArcEditor is not intended for advanced
spatial analysis.[45]

ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced, formerly known as ArcInfo, allows users the most flexibility
and control in "all aspects of data building, modeling, analysis, and map display." [46] ArcInfo
includes increased capability in the areas of spatial analysis, geoprocessing, data
management, and others.[45]

Other desktop GIS software include ArcGIS Explorer and ArcGIS Engine. ArcGIS Explorer is a
GIS viewer which can work as a client for ArcGIS Server, ArcIMS, ArcWeb Servicesand Web
Map Service (WMS).

ArcGIS Online[47] is a web application allowing sharing and search of geographic

information, as well as content published by Esri, ArcGIS users, and other authoritative
data providers. It allows users to create and join groups, and control access to items
shared publicly or within groups.

ArcGIS Web Mapping APIs are APIs for several languages, allowing users to build and
deploy applications that include GIS functionality and Web services from ArcGIS Online
and ArcGIS Server. Adobe Flex, JavaScript and Microsoft Silverlight are supported for
applications that can be embedded in web pages or launched as stand-alone Web
applications. Flex, Adobe Air and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) are supported
for desktop applications.