can no longer be saved in a map as graphic text; it can only be created as a geodatabase feature class. The annotation editing tools have lagged in development. ArcGIS Pro 2.0 had one annotation construction tool (Straight), and ArcGIS Pro 2.3 has three (Horizontal, Straight, and Curved). The workflow for placing unplaced annotation appears to be a manual process of editing the attribute table, without the convenient overflow window. Users who rely heavily on annotation may wish to stick to ArcMap a while longer.
Geoprocessing considerations to consider before switching:
•Some familiar menu tasks have been replaced by tools.
•Tool outputs are now saved to a project geodatabase by default.
•Background processing is “gone.”
Overall, geoprocessing is similar, except that familiar functions, such as joining two tables, may now require running a tool instead of opening a menu. The spatial join, available in ArcMap as a relatively simple window, must now be run as the full tool, and although the tool has more options, it is complex compared with the simple menu in ArcMap.
The background geoprocessing option has also disappeared as a separate option, but only in a sense. ArcGIS Pro, with its multithreaded design, essentially runs all tools in the background, and it does so more quickly and reliably than the ArcMap background geoprocessor.
All these factors and considerations will influence an organization in deciding when it is time to switch to the new software. Because ArcMap/ArcCatalog and ArcGIS Pro can be installed and run on the same computer, users have more time and flexibility when making the switch. (However, it is not recommended to run both programs at the same time: both are memory hogs, and issues may result if they try to modify the same data simultaneously). They use the same data models so that you can work with the same datasets using either program. However, maps and layouts are completely different. You can import an ArcMap map document to ArcGIS Pro and save it to the new format, but ArcGIS Pro cannot edit map documents, and ArcMap cannot work with ArcGIS Pro layouts. Once created, an ArcGIS Pro layout cannot be saved to the older map document format.
Time to explore
This exercise assumes that you have installed ArcGIS Pro, have been assigned an ArcGIS Pro license, and possess an ArcGIS Online organizational account. It is helpful to be familiar with the ArcGIS Online terminology for services, such as web maps, feature layers, and so on.
Objective 1.1: Downloading the data for these exercises
A set of data has been assembled to use with this book, and the data must be downloaded and installed on your computer. It is smart to keep data organized. It is best to put GIS data on drive C; the Desktop and user Documents folders don’t always work well, especially in networked environments. You can download the data from ArcGIS Online, as described next.
Figure 1.3. Contents of the SwitchToProData folder as shown in Windows Explorer.
The data is saved to a book group named Switch to ArcGIS Pro (Esri Press) in the Learn ArcGIS organization.
1.Go to https://www.arcgis.com and log in with an ArcGIS Online account.
2.On the Home tab, in the Search box, type Switch to ArcGIS Pro, and then click the Search for Groups entry in the list. If no groups are found, turn off the option to “Only search in (your organization).”
3.Click the link to open the Switch to ArcGIS Pro (Esri Press) group and find the data, a zip file named SwitchToProData.
4.Click the thumbnail and download the file, saving it to a location on drive C, rather than in the Documents library or on Desktop.
5.Extract the zip file. It will create a folder named SwitchToProData. The SwitchToProData folder contains an ArcGIS Pro project named CraterLake and a PNG image named EdwardsCrop (figure 1.3a). Within the CraterLake project folder (figure 1.3b) is a file geodatabase, a TIN, a project file (.aprx), a layer file (.lyrx), a toolbox, a couple of JPEG (.jpg) images, and a multiband Landsat 5 scene.
Objective 1.2: Starting ArcGIS Pro, signing in, creating a project, and exploring the interface
The preferred licensing model for ArcGIS Pro uses a named user account, which is an ArcGIS Online subscription organizational account that your administrator has configured with an ArcGIS Pro license.
Instead of a map document used by ArcMap, ArcGIS Pro uses a more complex data structure called a project, which will be presented in detail in chapter 3.
Figure 1.4. The first time ArcGIS Pro starts, you will be prompted to enter your ArcGIS Online user name and password.
Figure 1.5. The initial start screen of ArcGIS Pro.
1.Start ArcGIS Pro (figure 1.4) and log in using your ArcGIS Online account. The initial start screen for ArcGIS Pro presents a variety of options (figure 1.5). On the left, you can open a project that is already saved by choosing one from the recent list or a pinned list, or by browsing for another one. The middle section is used to create a new project using one of the system templates: Map, Catalog, Global Scene, or Local Scene. The key difference between them is the initial type of display that will be created. The section on the right lets you access your own templates.
2.In the middle section, under the heading Create a project from a system template, choose the Catalog template (figure 1.5).
3.Enter LearnPro for the project name (figure 1.6). Click the Browse button to specify the new SwitchToProData folder as the location. Keep the option to create a new folder, and finish creating the project.
Figure 1.6. Creating a new, blank project named LearnPro.
4.Examine the interface.
Figure 1.7. The ArcGIS Pro GUI showing a new project.
TIPIf your interface looks different from figure 1.7, close every window using the X in the upper-right corner, until only the tabs remain. Then open the View tab and click the Contents button, the Catalog Pane button, and the Catalog View button (preferably in that order). You can use the View tab at any time if you inadvertently close one of these main panes.
5.Examine the top of the GUI containing the tabs used to access features and functions.
6.Review the Contents pane (probably on the
