Popular ArcGIS platforms include ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Pro, and ArcGIS StoryMaps. These software and online platforms are created by Esri and are used to perform GIS analyses. Currently registered students and staff at uOttawa have access to these platforms for FREE. Click on the platform of your choice for more details.
ArcGIS Pro | ArcGIS Online | ArcGIS StoryMaps |
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ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap) is no longer provided by Esri to higher education institutions, including uOttawa, as of May 1, 2025, as it has entered in the mature phase of its life cycle. ArcMap users are recommended to migrate to another GIS software (e.g. ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, etc) as soon as possible.
ArcGIS Pro is Esri’s professional desktop GIS application that allows users to (1) explore, visualize, and analyze data, (2) create 2D maps and 3D scenes, and (3) share your work to ArcGIS Online or your ArcGIS Enterprise portal. Visit this ArcGIS Pro page from Esri to learn more about this software.
Students, staff, and faculty at the University of Ottawa can ArcGIS Pro is only compatible with Windows OS (i.e., not compatible with Mac OS). See Esri's recommendation specifications for installing Pro. To download Pro on one or more personal or work computer(s), please follow these steps:
If you cannot install Pro due to incompatibility with your computer or otherwise, you have a few other options to access the software:
ArcGIS Online is a Web GIS platform that allows you to use, create, and share maps, scenes, apps, layers, analytics, and data. Users can create a map that can be viewed in a browser, desktop or mobile device and leverages cloud computing. This platform has been growing throughout the years with added functionality and improvements to its interface and Esri now recommends it as the starting point for new GIS learners.
Accessing your ArcGIS Online account is easy and can be done in 2 minutes by following the steps outlined in this document: ArcGIS Online: Login Instructions (uOttawa).
Account Defaults
Once you have successfully logged in using your Named User account, your account will be automatically generated with the default permissions, including:
3D Analyst, Aviation Airports, Aviation Charting, Bathymetry, Data Interoperability, Data Reviewer, Defense Mapping, Geostatistical Analyst, Image Analyst, Locate XT, Location Referencing, Maritime, Network Analyst, Production Mapping, Publisher, Spatial Analyst, and Workflow Manager
ArcGIS Online users a credit system to run many analyses. Users have a default of 1,000 credits when generating their accounts. Although this should be sufficient for most users, some might require additional credits (e.g., to run advanced analyses). If you might require additional credits, please contact us at gsg@uottawa.ca with your request.
Users only have access to their ArcGIS Online accounts while they are registered students or staff members at the University of Ottawa and may therefore lose access to their accounts, including their web maps, web apps, and content, after leaving the institution. Users who want to have access to their content after leaving uOttawa can create a public account (see the ArcGIS login section above) and transfer their content to this account using the free ArcGIS Online Assistant. However, this is a third-party tool and therefore should be used at your own risk. Any content remaining in inactive accounts (i.e., account inactivity for one year or more) may be subject to deletion as part of regular institutional account maintenance and cleanup.
ArcGIS StoryMaps are a specialized application offered through Esri that allows users to tell a story by using a combination of text, images, videos, interactive maps, and other media.
Learn to make you own StoryMaps: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/
Nine steps to great storytelling: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/429bc4eed5f145109e603c9711a33407
*University of Ottawa