Abstract-ion

On the ‘5-9’ job I use ESRI software extensively. Over the course of my career I have invested time learning the ins and outs of the software from data capturing , editing to analysis. I set apart regular time to learn how to use the software. Efficiency and increase in productivity also depends on saving on the micro-seconds one spends doing things the inefficient way. So I poured through the HandsOn section of earlier editions of ArcUser’s, gaining much skill, self-training.

Fast forward to date, the organisation is making a switch from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro because of ArcMap reaching end of life support. Pro has been around for some time now already and understandably, for large organisations making the switch has huge implications on production hence the somewhat ‘slow’ adoption of new technologies - Don’t quickly break what is working at the expense of service delivery. Now though, was the time to migrate.

I knew some advantages of Pro, but the internal resistance was stemming from the comfortable skill level in older software and from the change in software design philosophy from ArcMap to Pro.

Draw me a picture

The past week I spend doing a course, ArcGIS Pro Standard to improve my software skill level. This was not the first time opening the Pro software though. I have had a few months dabbling in the software especially with data management. So I could easily follow the Course Instructor’s lead. In my head though I struggled with how things worked in Pro vs ArcMap. Somewhere three quarters through the course material, everything clicked in place as I understood things my own way. I came up with a hand sketch and from there-on it was smooth sailing…

#Postscript

Huge takeaway, with a solid understanding of GIS concepts, it’s not hard to learn a spatial information manipulation and analysis software . With Pro, the Ribbon concept and context activated tools improve productivity once one knows where is what without having to ‘Search’ - which in it’s right is a must use.