UW-Madison Geodesign Collaborative
Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture

ArcGIS Desktop

Important Notice: ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap) Retirement

UW-Madison's ArcMap licenses are limited for 2023-24, and there will be no renewals after June 2024!

ArcGIS Desktop is a GIS application with the ability to create, manage and analyze geographic information for taking intelligent and informed decisions. The applications is flexible for multiple data formats and has a spectrum of analytical tools and work flows to create advanced analytics.

The link and instructions for downloading and accessing the ArcGIS Desktop are below. The license for students is for Advanced (ArcInfo) Single Use.  Licensing requires administrative rights on the machine.

With the advent of the ArcGIS online platforms and other extensions, the usage of ArcMap has been declining. The dates of the sunsetting ArcMap has been announced. ArcMap is retiring on March 2026 and the coming years will witness reduced usage. For more information, click here

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Installation Instructions

Installation media for ArcMap and Pro are at:

https://uwmadison.box.com/s/7enlptnev6jez6fx1amrvveh756414p2

For ArcMap, see folder “Desktop108”

There are several files here.  As of January 2022, the latest Desktop is version 10.8.2  all files with 1082 are for that version.  The only required file is “ArcGIS_Desktop_1082_180378.exe”

The other files are optional extensions.  Many people install the Background GP (GeoProcessing) extension, which adds 64-bit python capabilities to ArcMap tools.  The BusinessAnalyst folder contains the optional Business Analyst extension.  A very large dataset is available separately for the business analyst.  For info and license for that, contact esri@dpla.wisc.edu

Also at this location is an internet shortcut to the ArcMap documentation for installation instructions.

  1. Download the file is “ArcGIS_Desktop_1082_180378.exe” and run the extension.
  2. Click “Next”.
  3. Click “Close”.
  4. The windows will prepare to install for the installation process. The setup will pop-up.
  5. Click “Next”.
  6. Click “I accept the master agreement”.
  7. Click “Complete”.
  8. Click “Install” and this may take a few minutes.
  9. Click “Finish”.
  10. ArcGIS Administrator Wizard pops up, Select “Advanced (ArcInfo) Single Use” and then, Click “OK”.

Authorizing Desktop

For using the provisioning file, fill out the form https://esri.wisc.edu/esri-licenses/. The file you receive, the single-use Desktop  license will last until 7/1 and must be renewed each year.

  1. Save the attached provisioning file to your machine as you receive it.
  2. Launch the Software Authorization Wizard from the ArcGIS Administrator (ArcGIS Desktop and Engine), the License Server Administrator (License Manager), or the respective post installer for Server products.
  3. Under the Data licenses section, Select the “Advanced (ArcInfo) Single Use”
  4. Click “Authorize Now”
  5. Select the option “I have received an authorization file from Esri and am now ready to finish the authorization process.”
  6. Browse to the provisioning file you saved.
  7. Click “Next”.
  8. Select “Authorize with Esri now over the Internet.” If your machine does not have an Internet connection, select the “Authorize at Esri’s website or by email to receive your authorization file”.
  9. Click “Next”.
  10. Review the pre-populated personal information and enter any additional required information.
  11. Click “Next”.
  12. On the next panels, you will see the authorization numbers entered for the core product and any extensions. Check the radio button to enable extensions, even though none show up.  They will be included in your authorization.
  13. Click “Finish” to complete the authorization process.

The software will be installed now, find it by browsing in the start menu.