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ArcGIS Pro 2.x Cookbook

Chapter 1. ArcGIS Pro Capabilities and Terminology

In this chapter, we will cover the following recipes:

Determining whether your computer can run ArcGIS Pro
Determining your ArcGIS Pro license level
Opening an existing ArcGIS Pro project
Opening and navigating a map
Adding and configuring layers
Creating a project

Determining whether your computer can run ArcGIS Pro

Unlike the 32-bit ArcMap and ArcCatalog applications, ArcGIS Pro supports hyperthreading (use of multiple core processors), graphics processing units, and more than 4 GB of RAM. This also means ArcGIS Pro requires more computer resources to run properly.

The minimum requirements for ArcGIS Pro 2.1 are:

Windows 64-bit OS:
- Windows 7, 8.1, or 10
- Windows Server 2008 R2, 2012, 2012 R2, or 2016
Hyperthreaded dual core processor
4 GB RAM
32 GB hard drive space
2 GB video memory
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.1
Microsoft Internet Explorer 11
DirectX 11
OpenGL 3.3
Shader Model 4.1
Pixel Shader 4.0
Vertex Shader 4.0

Keep in mind that these are the minimum requirements. The more hardware the better where ArcGIS Pro is concerned. In general, I would recommend at least 12 GB of RAM, an i5 dual core processor, and a separate video card with its own GPU and memory. For a complete set of recommended hardware specifications, you may want to look at my other book from Packt Publishing, Learning ArcGIS Pro.

In this recipe, you will learn how to use the system requirements tool to verify whether your computer can run ArcGIS Pro. This is a free tool provided by Esri.

Getting ready

To work through this recipe, you will need to make sure you have access to the internet and sufficient permissions to install software on your computer.

How to do it...

Open your favorite web browser, such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, or Firefox.
Go to http://pro.arcgis.com.
Click the Get Started, tab as shown in the following screenshot:

Click the link located in Review the system requirements.

Click on the Supported Operating Systems link located on the right-hand side of the page in the In this topic box.
Click Check your computer’s ability to run ArcGIS Pro 2.1:

A new tab should open in your browser and take you to the Can You RUN It page powered by System Requirements Lab.

Click the Can You RUN It button, as shown here, to download the Detection.exe file:

Once the Detection.exe file is downloaded, click it to run the file. This executable will check the specifications of your computer and generate a report indicating whether your computer is capable of running ArcGIS Pro.
When the hardware detection application is complete, return to your web browser to see the results. It hopefully will indicate your system passed, similar to the following screenshot:

Notice that you can see whether your system meets the minimum and recommended specifications for running ArcGIS Pro. If your system just meets the minimum specifications, you can expect ArcGIS Pro to run slowly and require the application to be restarted much more frequently.

If your system failed, you will need to upgrade the components or software that the reports indicate are below the required specifications. This might be as simple as updating your drivers or Internet Explorer. It might require you to purchase new hardware if your CPU, RAM, or video card fail to meet the minimum requirements.

If your system meets or exceeds the system requirements, you may download and install ArcGIS Pro. Please refer to the installation instructions located at http://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/get-started/install-and-sign-in-to-arcgis-pro.htm.

How it works...

ArcGIS Pro has very specific requirements that must be met in order to run effectively. In this recipe, you downloaded and used the tool provided by Esri to verify whether your system met or exceeded those requirements. This tool checks for both hardware and software dependencies needed to successfully run ArcGIS Pro, and provides you with a detailed report so you know without a doubt whether your computer has the horsepower required.

Determining your ArcGIS Pro license level

ArcGIS Pro has three different license levels: Basic, Standard, and Advanced. The license level determines the level of functionality available to the user. Basic has the least functionality, Advanced has the most, and Standard is somewhere in between.

In general, Basic allows you to visualize GIS data, produce maps, perform simple data edits, and perform basic GIS data analysis. Standard builds on the capabilities of the Basic level, with more advanced editing and data validation tools. Advanced expands the capabilities of both Basic and Standard by adding more data analysis tools. For a complete list of the capabilities of each license level of ArcGIS Pro, go to http://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/get-started/license-levels.htm.

It important for you to know what license level you are using so you know what capabilities are available to you. Some recipes in this book will require a Standard or Advanced license. In this recipe, you will learn how you can determine your ArcGIS Pro license level.