NOW

Why You Should Move to ArcGIS Pro

Really.
This multiple-threaded 64-bit application ArcGIS Pro interface is contextual so it gives
is the professional, connected desktop GIS you the tools you need when you need
designed to help you work faster; visualize them. This eliminates turning toolbars off
your data using 2D/3D, animations, and and on and hunting for tools and provides
charts; and access resources and share a workflow-driven user experience.
your work easily. Instead of dialog boxes that hide what
Although ArcGIS Pro uses a new ribbon you are working on, nonmodal panes on
interface, it uses the same familiar basic the sides of the workspace don’t block
concepts—maps, layers, and basemaps. what you are working on, allowing you to
ArcGIS Pro is included with the ArcGIS continue working while tool processes are
Desktop product. If you have ArcGIS executing. There is no need to start an ed-
Desktop and are current on maintenance, iting session—editing is always on. ArcGIS
you have access to ArcGIS Pro and can Pro notes what type of data you are work-
download it from My Esri. You can license ing on and invokes the appropriate tools.
ArcGIS Pro any way that suits you—Named Its project-centric approach keeps all
User, single user, or concurrent user. your maps, layouts, tools, geodatabases,
and connections in one place. ArcGIS Pro
Work Faster in ArcGIS Pro automatically creates a default geodata-
ArcGIS Pro is designed to help you work base, which you can change if desired.
efficiently. The ribbon along the top of the Work on multiple projects simultaneously

 At 2.0, ArcGIS Pro gives you full control over annotation.

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by opening and running multiple instances the Catalog pane (previously known as the

of  ArcGIS Pro  without closing the current Project pane) and in Catalog view.
project. You can work with a read-only ArcGIS Pro lets you have many project
project in the same manner as a writable templates that you can preconfigure for
project and use Save Project As to save it specific tasks such as editing or analysis.
to a writable location. Continue to work Project templates create preconfigured
in ArcGIS Pro while packaging operations projects by saving interface modifications,
complete in the background. toolboxes, and the connections needed for
Use Project Favorites to save time if you a specific task.
often use the same folder, database, and
server connections for many of your pro- Take Advantage of Innovations
jects. Makes these items favorites and they and Integration
will be available on the  Favorites  tab in ArcGIS Pro features innovations that cannot

 ArcGIS Pro uses a project-centric

approach that keeps all your maps, layouts,
tools, geodatabases, and connections in
one place.
 ArcGIS Pro supports lidar classification,
feature extraction, and editing.

be found in any other desktop GIS. New

geoprocessing tools are available only in
ArcGIS Pro. Work with views of 2D maps,
3D scenes, and tables at the same time and
sync them so changes in one are reflected
in the others.
3D is the common visual and analytical ex-
perience for tomorrow’s GIS that is fully sup-
ported by ArcGIS Pro. With 3D streaming for
global and local scenes; spatial analysis for
advanced 3D workflows; lidar classification,
feature extraction, and editing; and support
for the Industry Foundation Classes  (IFC)
data model and BIM  (Building Information
Modeling), ArcGIS Pro is the authoring tool
for urban design.
ArcGIS Pro is the primary tool for au-
thoring large web scenes and editing in
3D. It now supports storytelling in 3D with

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animation that can use range and time in-
formation. Improvements to 3D drawing
include feature drawing by camera dis-
tance and enhanced lighting of 3D objects.
Explore 3D landscapes using new naviga-
tion controls. Layouts are more useful and
powerful with embeddable, interactive,
customized charts. Visualizing data in
charts helps uncover patterns, trends, rela-
tionships, and structure in data.
ArcGIS Pro is tightly integrated with
ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Online, and the
rest of the ArcGIS platform, making cross-
platform workflows more powerful and pro-
viding easy access resources from ArcGIS
Online or your portal.
Share your work as an item on ArcGIS
Online or your portal or as a file. Sharing
is built into the interface and available
through the Sharing tab. Create a web map,
publish a web layer, or share a project tem-
plate directly from ArcGIS Pro and have it
automatically added as an item in ArcGIS
Online. Export maps to PDF and many
other formats directly from ArcGIS Pro.

Migrate Your Work

Take existing maps directly into ArcGIS Pro.
There is no need to re-create maps and lay-
outs—simply import your map documents
(.mxd), scenes (.sxd), and globes (.3DD)
into ArcGIS Pro and save them as projects
(.aprx).  They will look just as they did in
ArcMap with the same layouts and sym-
bology. Actually, maps created in ArcMap
may look even better after being imported

because ArcGIS Pro uses anti-aliasing so lines

and text are more crisp and clean. ArcGIS
Pro uses the Maplex label engine for optimal
placement, so if you did not use Maplex for
the original map, labels may shift a bit.
ArcGIS can use the styles or style files
you have already developed in ArcMap.
By default, styles are not installed, but you
can retrieve them from your ArcMap in-
stallation or get them from ArcGIS Online.
Measured Grids (the lines, ticks, and
labels used as a reference for projected

 Sharing is built into the interface and

available through the Sharing tab.

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 Special Section

adjustments may be needed because name. For example, Data Driven Pages are
ArcMap uses Python 2.7, while ArcGIS Pro now known as map series.
uses Python 3.5.
A New Generation of Desktop GIS
Work Entirely in ArcGIS Pro ArcGIS Pro, the new connected desktop,
You can now perform more complete advances desktop GIS by providing a
workflows, such as map creation and data modern 2D/3D user experience not only for
management, entirely in ArcGIS Pro. You performing powerful analysis but also for
can modify topology properties directly in creating beautiful maps. ArcGIS Pro is a pre-
ArcGIS Pro. The enhanced traverse tool im- mier client of the ArcGIS platform and an
proves COGO workflows. In answer to user essential companion to ArcGIS Enterprise
requests, the context menu options for im- and ArcGIS Online. It is fully integrated into
porting and exporting data are included in the Web GIS pattern of working with web
the Catalog pane. layers, web maps, and web scenes.
At 2.0, ArcGIS Pro gives you full control Tasks previously executed in ArcMap
over annotation. You can create annotation can be automated in ArcGIS Pro simply by
feature classes, convert labels to annota- using Tasks or through the use of Python
tion using a geoprocessing tool, and edit scripting. Extend ArcGIS Pro functionality
annotation features. Annotation is sup- by developing add-ins using the ArcGIS
ported in core geoprocessing tools such Pro SDK for the Microsoft .NET Framework.
as  Copy Features,  Append, and  Feature Esri is working on new innovations in
Class to Feature Class. ArcGIS Pro that are only possible in the con-
Most of the geoprocessing tools and nected desktop and the services architec-
ArcGIS extensions will just work in ArcGIS ture. Each release of ArcGIS Pro incorpo-
Pro. Many of the time-saving features you rates the features and capabilities that you
used in ArcMap, such as Bookmarks, are in have requested. Take advantage of these
ArcGIS Pro but some may have a different capabilities by moving to ArcGIS Pro now.

 ArcGIS Pro is the primary tool for author-

ing large web scenes and editing in 3D.
 With support for the IFC (Industry
Foundation Classes) data model and BIM
(Building Information Modeling), ArcGIS Pro
is the authoring tool for urban design.

coordinates on a map) can now be import-

ed into ArcGIS Pro from a map document
or inserted from a style.
ArcMap users have long requested mul-
tiple layout functionality, and ArcGIS Pro
delivers this. Read “Managing Multiple
Layouts in ArcGIS Pro” in the Spring 2017
issue of ArcUser to learn more about using
multiple layouts.
ArcGIS Pro evaluates imported map
documents and will tell you if any issues
arise, so if you have created scripts or
ModelBuilder models, it will check to see if
they will work as originally written or if they
need to be slightly modified. Minor syntax

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