Sunsetting ArcMap: What to Expect in the Education Programs

[GeriMiller]

Education Colleagues:

As you have likely heard, ArcMap is being retired in March 2026.

ArcGIS has evolved into a modern suite of apps - ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Field Maps, ArcGIS Story Maps, ArcGIS Dashboards, ArcGIS Pro, and many others. We’ve recommended in recent years to educate and train students with the entire ArcGIS system, starting with SaaS technology where applicable, rather than ArcMap only.

We know many of you have transitioned your teaching and research to Modern GIS workflows. If you haven’t yet, it is urgent that you and your colleagues do so now.  

There are many resources to help guide you through this journey, between Learn ArcGIS lessons, Esri Academy Courses, Esri Press books, among others. In addition, we are hosting several workshops and discussions to share best practices and address your questions.  

What does this mean for Education program offerings?

Changes anticipated for June 2022:

• ArcMap will no longer be delivered by default in Department licenses. ArcMap will be available on request to existing customers (not to new customers).
• The quantity of ArcMap licenses delivered in the Education Institution Agreement will be reduced.

Changes anticipated for January 2023:

• ArcMap will no longer be delivered by default in Education Institution Agreement and the Research Institute Agreement.
• ArcMap will be available on request to existing customers (not to new customers).

Please feel free to continue ask questions here on the Esri Community Education blog. 

[curtvprice]

This policy may not support our use cases, even though we are no longer teaching ArcMap in our introductory GIS courses.

We have research users and instructors that use software like HEC_GeoRAS and SWAT that use ArcMap (some even old versions) - that is, add-ons that do not work with Pro and will not be ported there. Are you saying we won't be able to support these people starting next January?

I teach workshops to local cities and counties that are still using ArcMap for parcel mapping. Am I not going to be able to support these people either.

There is no linear referencing course in the Esri Academy yet. So my students have been learning ArcMap (easy if you know Pro) to do that class. This had the added benefit that they know a little ArcMap when they go out and get jobs (ArcMap is still used widely in industry for many reasons.)

[GeriMiller]

@curtvprice It will still be available after January 2023, for a period of time, it will just no longer be delivered by default. You will have to request it. And over next couple of years, those activities you describe should be transitioned as well. 

Also, to confirm, is this the Esri Academy course you are referring to "Linear Referencing Using ArcGIS"

https://www.esri.com/training/catalog/57630436851d31e02a43f1a6/linear-referencing-using-arcgis/ 

[LauraBowden]

@curtvprice A new web course that uses linear referencing was recently published: ArcGIS Roads and Highways: Introduction to Modeling and Data Management in a Desktop Environment. This is the first course in a series for ArcGIS Roads and Highways that's in development. It is not intended to replace the ArcMap material, but perhaps it could be useful.

The ArcGIS Pro Help includes a nice section about linear referencing that describes concepts, scenarios, and workflows.

As we consider replacing the linear referencing courses, it would be helpful to know what content in the two ArcMap courses you find most valuable and least useful. Feel free to direct message me. I will gladly share your feedback with Training Curriculum colleagues.