Why are you wasting money on ArcGIS?

This blog post could also have had the title:

Why Waste your Money on ArcGIS?

Yikes! Why would I write a blog post using “waste” and “ArcGIS” in the same sentence?

Its ok relax, i’m not expecting Jack to turn up at our offices any time soon with a big stick!

Read on.

Why are you wasting money on ArcGIS?

I love swiss army knives. Such useful items. More than just a simple knife you get a saw, screw driver, scissors, pliers. On and on. Sure they are more expensive than a simple knife, but you get so much. With such a variety of tools, all of which I use, for me a swiss army knife provides a great return on investment (ROI).

My neighbour has the same swiss army knife as mine. I’ve watched him using it, he only ever uses one knife blade. Doesn’t touch any of the other tools. Just one knife blade. A good return on investment? I think not. A waste of money maybe.

So where am I going here?

Are you using ArcGIS for map making only?

Do you have 100 ArcGIS named users and are actively using just 10 of those user accounts?

Like a swiss army knife, the ArcGIS Platform offers a wealth of opportunities (tools) to solve organizational problems. If you are only map making or providing access to a few named users, you maybe one blade users!

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not wagging my finger at you. With ArcGIS there is a richness of tools and resources which can be a little overwhelming and confusing. This actually forms an important part of our work with customers.

A good return on your ArcGIS investment is to use the tools available to solve problems across your organization

Why Waste your Money on ArcGIS?

Let’s go after this second question: Why Waste your Money on ArcGIS?

When we talk to non-traditional users of ArcGIS ie. those unfamiliar with the technology, we often get push back: “We have Google maps, we are good”. Commercial real estate is one of our focus markets. A location, location, location market which has adopted GIS to date in a limited way. Education, education, education is our CRE mantra. Demonstrating value, discussing the best use of GIS for maximum ROI, above and beyond a simple map.

Sometimes the “waste your money” conversation can be challenging. But that “light bulb moment” is priceless.

Discover the Problem

For those of us in organizations or talking to potential customers, its easy to produce that map or turn away as we get rejected. But we need to discover what are the problems our colleagues, managers or clients are trying to solve. Ask the question: “What are you using this map for?”. Find the pain points: “We need to find a way to get an edge on our CRE competition”. Then use GIS to provide answers. To pull a paragraph from one of our recent blog posts:

I’m reminded of my friend Matt. He (discovers problems) and sells GIS (solutions) constantly within his organization. “Why?” I asked, “Are you given an incentive?”. “Not at all” was his reply, “If I sat back and waited for work, I would still be a glorified map maker. I see the value GIS can bring to staff within the organization. I help make them more successful”.

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

A storymap is a wonderful way to colour the picture. To show what is possible with GIS, to demonstrate the many ways to solve business problems. Below are three links to what we think are wonderful storymaps targeted at different sectors. Take a look:

a) Water

b) Managing Risk

c) Information Sharing

Now you are inspired. Revisit the multitude of tools offered by ArcGIS, and get busy.

Contact us for more information on 801-733-0723.

Tags: arcgis, cost, GIS, mobile, money, return on investment, ROI, value

Categories: ArcGIS Online, cloud GIS, Mobile ArcGIS, Mobile GIS, Web and mobile GIS

This entry was posted on Friday, December 11th, 2015 at 6:56 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.