ArcMap

Get started with ArcMap

ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro, the two primary desktop applications for GIS professionals, are both part of ArcGIS Desktop. ArcMap and its companion application, ArcCatalog, as well as ArcGlobe and ArcScene, work together to provide a full spectrum of GIS capabilities. These applications are the focus of this help system. Information about ArcGIS Pro, the newest member of this group, is available at http://pro.arcgis.com.

Install and set up

  1. Go to My Esri and log in to download ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap).

  2. Review the system requirements before you initiate the installation program.
  3. Start the installation program; it will step you through the process. Refer to the Installation Guide for complete details.

  4. Once installation completes, you need to authorize the software. The ArcGIS Administration Wizard helps you do this.

    Installation is complete. If you're a new user, start ArcMap and begin with a tutorial. If you're an existing user, see What's new in ArcMap.

Begin with a tutorial

A collection of tutorials is included with ArcGIS Desktop. These require that the ArcGIS Tutorial Data for Desktop component be installed. This component is a separate download available on My Esri.

In addition, the Learn ArcGIS site hosts a number of lessons built around real-world projects and problems that cover the breadth of the ArcGIS platform. A few of these are highlighted below.

Get started with ArcMap lessons
Get Started with ArcMap

In the Get Started with ArcMap set of lessons, build your knowledge of ArcMap and GIS while determining how much of the Amazon rainforest was saved from deforestation when a proposal to build a road was denied. Learn how to do the following:

  • Add data to a map.
  • Analyze relationships between data.
  • Digitize features.
  • Symbolize and organize data.

Bridging the Breast Cancer Divide lessons
Bridging the Breast Cancer Divide

Bridging the Breast Cancer Divide uses a spatial problem solving approach to analyze discrepancies in mortality rates for breast cancer. Learn how to do the following:

  • Explore maps and perform visual analysis.
  • Add fields, select features, and calculate values.
  • Perform hot spot analysis.
  • Interpret findings.

Homeless in the Badlands lessons
Homeless in the Badlands

The Homeless in the Badlands set of lessons uses ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro to look at a surprising negative effect of the oil boom in North Dakota, a lack of housing for workers. Learn how to do the following:

  • Add ArcGIS Pro data to ArcMap.
  • Join tabular data to spatial data.
  • Publish a layer to ArcGIS Pro.
  • Create and symbolize web maps.

Mapping the Public Garden lessons
Mapping the Public Garden

Create a basemap of a 100-plot community garden in Mapping the Public Garden; then, turn it into a map-based app for communicating with plot holders. Learn how to do the following:

  • Design a map.
  • Publish large-scale tiled map services.
  • Publish feature services.
  • Configure an email notifier web app.

What's new in ArcGIS

ArcMap is one component of ArcGIS. The following resources connect you to what's new across the entire ArcGIS platform: