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GIS Software

Although there are many GIS software packages available, we will primarily use ESRI's ArcGIS Desktop software for this class. We will be using ArcGIS because it is the industry standard software package for GIS, and it is the software that you will be most likely to see regardless of whether you work for a consulting firm, government agency, or go on to graduate school. 

Software Availability

ArcGIS 10.5.1 is available for your use in the 3rd floor computer lab in the Engineering building. However, I highly recommend that you obtain a license for ArcGIS and install it on your own personal computer. Students attending this class qualify for a free one-year license for ArcGIS and it's extensions. You may use the software for educational purposes only.

Be sure to check the system requirements Links to an external site. to make sure that your computer is capable or running ArcGIS.

Installing ArcGIS Student Edition

To obtain a license and install ArcGIS, you need to do the following:

  1. Contact me via email to receive an authorization code. Each student will receive a unique authorization code from me via email.  Do not share your authorization code with others.
  2. Go to http://www.esri.com/educationedition Links to an external site. to begin the process of activating and downloading ArcGIS for Desktop Student Trial software.
  3. You must log in using your existing ESRI account - you should be able to use the account that you set up with ArcGIS Online, so accept that invitation first.
  4. Enter your authorization code when prompted and click "Activate ArcGIS".  When you do this, you will get an email from ESRI with further instructions on how to install.
  5. Click the button "Download ArcGIS 10.5.1 for Desktop".  There are other versions available, but you want this one so it matches what is in the lab. This will take you to a page with several download options.
  6. If necessary, download the ArcGIS Uninstall Utility and uninstall previous versions of ArcGIS Desktop or Server.  The software cannot be installed on a computer that has a version of ArcGIS for Desktop prior to version 10.0 installed. It's OK if the computer has ArcGIS Explorer installed or if you have a version of ArcGIS later than 10.0 already installed (it will be upgraded).
  7. If necessary, install the Microsoft .NET Framework Links to an external site. (version 4.5 Service Pack 1 or higher). If you are unsure if you have the .NetFramework installed, you can download a .net Version detector from the following site - http://www.asoft.be/prod_netver.html Links to an external site..
  8. Click the "Download" button next to "ArcGIS for Desktop". This should launch the ESRI Download Manager window. Click the button to download the file.
  9. Once you have downloaded the installation file, Double-click ArcGIS_Desktop_10XXXXXXX.exe (Depending on the version you selected, the file extensions may be different) to extract the installation files.
  10. Once the files have been extracted, locate and run Setup.exe to install ArcGIS for Desktop.  The “Complete” installation is recommended.
  11. After the files are installed, the Authorization Wizard will open and prompt you to choose a product to authorize; select “ArcGIS Desktop Advanced (Single Use)” and click continue.
  12. The Authorization Wizard will prompt you for an authorization code; enter your activated code (see step 4).  Follow the prompts and the software will authorize and be ready for use.  NOTE: When prompted, accept the default, "I do not wish to authorize any extensions at this time." The extensions will be authorized automatically.

You will have a fully functioning installation of ArcGIS for one year.

USU graduate students and other USU employees who have access to a University owned computer can also request and download a free license for ArcGIS from http://software.usu.edu Links to an external site.. Licenses are renewed annually.