Deploying ESRI products in public library computing environments

Possible issues and solutions for implementing ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online for use as public library resources on patron-accessible Windows workstations.

Installing ArcGIS Pro on library workstations:

1. Determine that library computing resources are adequate to run ArcGIS Pro. Minimum system requirements can be found at: https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/get-started/arcgis-pro-system-requirements.htm

2. The latest version of Microsoft’s .NET framework must be installed on the computers. As of 9/11/2023, the relevant installer download is available at: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet/thank-you/runtime-desktop-6.0.5-windows-x64-installer

3. Licenses must be purchased and your ESRI ArcGIS Online organization activated. Once this is done, you can log in to your organizational administrator account and download the ArcGIS Pro installer software: https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/get-started/download-arcgis-pro.htm

4. Determine the most efficient way to push this package to the machines for installation; using a USB drive to copy the installer onto each computer will probably be faster than logging into your organization and downloading the package machine by machine.

5. If an administrator account is used to install the software (the most likely scenario), ensure that patrons will have access to the newly installed software. In the installation process you’ll be prompted for user access to the program; choose “Everyone.” Create a desktop shortcut to ArcGIS Pro that can be seen by the public.

6. Using a patron-accessible user account, test that the software can be accessed and run on each machine.

Administering ESRI organizational licenses

1. The library’s licenses are assigned via a unique ArcGIS Online organization, the administration of which is accessible with a web browser at https://<organization_name>.maps.argis.com. After signing in here with an administrator account, you can assign licenses under the Organization→Members tab by clicking on the “Invite members” button at the top left. Choose “Add members and notify them via email.” Following along with the prompts will create a new account in the library organization.

2. There are two ways to go about distributing licenses:

• Create accounts per interested patron. Using this method, an invitation to join the library organization will be sent to said patron’s personal email. They can then activate their account and use it to log in to ArcGIS Pro or ArcGIS Online at the library, home, or elsewhere. Regardless of location, an active internet connection is required for account authentication in order to use the software.

• Create dedicated accounts for each library machine on which the software will run. This streamlines patron access: they’ll be able to use ArcGIS Pro without having to activate a personal account or log in at the library computers. When you create an account this way, you’ll send the activation email to yourself or to some generic <staff>@<library.org> address that you’re able to access. Follow the link in the email to activate each workstation account. Fire up the software and log in using that workstation’s credentials and click the checkbox telling the software to remember them. 

• The downside to the second approach is that the ArcGIS Online dimension of these accounts will reflect the activity of all the various users of each particular workstation. This may or may not be important, depending on how literate patrons are with respect to the ESRI ecosystem and how often they use ArcGIS Online.

• When creating accounts with either method, make sure to assign the accounts a “Publisher” role and to enable all “ArcGIS Pro extension” licenses. 

• Set limits on ESRI credits available per account as necessary. You can find information about how the credit system works at https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/administer/credits.htm 

• You might decide to mix and match these methods, depending on available licenses and patron demand/savvy. For example, you could create accounts for each library workstation while also assigning individual accounts to patrons who want to work at home. As of April 2023, each ESRI organizational license could be used concurrently on two different machines.

Managing local disk access

Library workstations are often configured as sandboxes that might not allow users to write files to the local disk, and/or that might reset the disk’s file system every night. A USB drive is a practical solution for allowing patrons to download and store data and GIS work while at the library. USB 3.0 should be fast enough to store and access data from a thumb drive via ArcGIS Pro without significant latency.