ArcGIS vs. Salesforce Maps

I'm very grateful to be able to use it, and I have a master's degree with a focus in Geospatial Analysis. There can be a bit of a learning curve, and I try to build user-friendly ways for volunteers to see & collect data. Meanwhile, if a colleague is less confident with building such a system, it may be more difficult for them to implement.

Incentivized

If you are a small business or have a small team in the field, anything Salesforce and its components should be avoided. Its price-point and ROI are overstated.

Incentivized

• Enterprise GIS - multi-user, multi-versioned geodatabase access through a host of apps and web tools really help people stay connected to data.
• Cartography - fantastic control and customization available with the ability to automate workflows.
• Training - tons of training videos, seminars, and other learning materials are easily accessed. The help documentation is superb.
• Ability to manage an organization through dashboards is extremely helpful.

Incentivized

• Color coding different accounts or data fields.
• Ability to see travel time and not just distance.
• Lots of data fields to pull from - big recent improvement.

Incentivized

• There is a steep learning curve for ArcGIS users.
• It takes a lot of computing power for ArcGIS, as it can't be installed on every computer.
• At times, tools can be outdated and there are many similar competitors making more web-based tools that can replace ArcGIS.

Incentivized

• Lots of glitches
• Get signed out often, which interrupts the day
• Could be more intuitive

Incentivized

Simply because the program deserves it. It seems to me that it is a fundamental tool for the storage, analysis, and interpretation of medium and large-scale phenomena, unmanageable with traditional engineering software. Its versatility in the handling of the different "layers" with which the data is handled and interpolation tools, make this software a powerful ally both for companies and for the educational part of the universities.

Once set up, the tools are extremely easy to use. I had a staff member develop a tool for field data collection, that included an external and internal dashboards to monitor progress in days. The field workers that collected the data, barely knew how to use a computer, and within minutes they could use the application that was configured for them.

Incentivized

Worked well once you figured it out. The 'help portal' was no 'help'. Once you get done self-teaching yourself enough of the terminology and workings, it is pretty quick and easy to use. But the learning curve, again, is not worth the time or effort

Incentivized

Unlike other platforms (ex: EMSI), there is no "help desk" new users can easily call into for troubleshooting or errors, and so you have to spend LOTS of time trying workarounds. This is also because the help center blog posts are usually pretty confusing, and many times do not include images or videos to help you along. Any such changes would be immensely useful!

Support was comical. It was barely available and the few times I did get help the language barrier was extraordinarily problematic

Incentivized

My students love the "drop" feature in Google Maps, but besides that it truly doesn't compare. I love that you can add, delete, or change layers to this map to better understand its larger affect. There are many more ways to manipulate maps on ArcGIS than on Google Maps. I can also add personal details and information if I want to create a specific map, something that I am unable to do with Google

Incentivized

MapAnything is very easy to use but it appears that similar companies are too. Because of the new pricing structure, they are expensive.

Incentivized

• ArcGIS saves us countless hours of manual paperwork by allowing us to conduct inspections in the field.
• Due to the high upfront costs, the ROI will definitely take longer than other competing products
• The PDF export feature allows us to share our maps with the public while maintaining control of the data associated with the map.

Incentivized

• Increased efficiency
• Reduced labor time
• Improved visibility

Incentivized