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Esri Software Downloads

The Department is the point of contact for most geo-spatial software on campus. This includes the Esri ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap, ArcCatalog, ArcToolbox, etc.) and ArcGIS Pro GIS suite.

For ArcGIS Pro, licenses are tied to membership in the SDSU ArcGIS Online Organization. As long as faculty, staff, or students are members of the organization, ArcGIS Pro is licensed wherever it is installed. Become a member of the SDSU Online Organization

NOTICE: Beginning Wednesday, August 18, 2021, Duo Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) will be required when starting ArcGIS Pro to assign the license portal to the SDSU ArcGIS Online Organization. You must have version 2.8 or greater installed, otherwise Pro will not license properly and close. If you are already logged into another system (ArcGIS Online, Gmail, Google Calendar, etc.) with your SDSUid, then Duo should not be necessary as you have already authenticated. More information regarding Duo MFA.

For ArcGIS Desktop, faculty, staff, and students can download a single use license for their office/home workstations or laptops (see below). These licenses are yearly and should be renewed before September 30, each year.

ArcGIS Desktop and Pro will only run on Windows. MacOS is not supported.


Software Downloads

Packages include installers for the main program, additional (necessary) coordinate systems, Interoperability extension, and any software updates (patches). Extract the installers from the .zip file after downloading and install the main program first, then the others.

An SDSUid is required to download any software or licence. Important: When downloading, if asked to request permission from an administrator, please sign out of all personal Google applications and attempt the download again. Cached credentials in the browser prevent Google Drive from using SDSUid authentication.

ArcGIS Pro

System requirements for ArcGIS Pro

Important: Please see ArcGIS Pro Backwards Compatibility for issues when using both 2.9 and 3.0 versions together.

When starting ArcGIS Pro, click the “Your ArcGIS organization’s URL” dropdown in the Sign In box and enter our organization, “sdsugeo”, and continue.

ArcGIS Desktop

Esri has stopped actively developing ArcGIS Desktop, users are advised to transition to ArcGIS Pro. Esri will continue to release software and security patches for Desktop through February, 2024.

NOTICE: ArcGIS Desktop will no longer be able to connect to the SDSU ArcGIS Online Organization to access stored content or services (geocoding, routing, etc.) due to an issue with Duo MFA authentication. If you wish to connect to the SDSU organization, please use ArcGIS Pro, version 2.8 or greater.

System requirements for ArcGIS Desktop

  • Desktop 10.8.2 (.zip) (~3.5Gb)
    Business Analyst 10.8.2 is included. Business Analyst data is not included.

The following license file (.prvc) expires on September 30, 2023.

SDSU ArcGIS Desktop license file

Installing the License:

  1. If the Software Authorization Wizard doesn't start during the installation process, Launch the Wizard: Start > ArcGIS > ArcGIS Administrator
  2. Select “Desktop” from the left-hand navigation menu
  3. Select “Advanced (ArcInfo) Single Use.” Click “Authorize Now”
  4. Select the option “I have received an authorization file from Esri and am now ready to finish the authorization process.”
  5. Browse to and select the license file. Click “Next”
  6. Select “Authorize with Esri now over the Internet.” Click “Next”
  7. Review the pre-populated personal information. Update the name fields with your own name. Enter any additional required information. On the next panels, you will see the authorization numbers entered for the core product and any extensions, if applicable.
  8. Click “Finish”

CityEngine

System requirements for Esri CityEngine

CityEngine Licensing:

After installation, the licensing wizard should start. Choose “CityEngine Named User.” Click OK. Click OK again if the CityEngine Administrator reappears.

If the CityEngine Administrator doesn't start during the installation process:

  1. Launch the Wizard: Start > ArcGIS > CityEngine [version] Administrator
  2. Select “CityEngine” from the left-hand navigation menu
  3. Select “CityEngine Named User”
  4. Click OK.


Recommended Training

ArcGIS Pro

ArcMap

If just beginning with GIS, we recommend using ArcGIS Pro


Nearmap Imagery

San Diego State University is a member of a county-wide consortium that has licensed NearMap high resolution imagery for use in GIS projects. This imagery can be used in ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Pro, and ArcMap. The imagery extent is the entire United States, however, not all areas have been collected at high resolution. Therefore, there are areas with no data. All major urban areas and other areas of interest are included in the image collection. Historical imagery is also included in our license.


Frequently Asked Questions

ArcGIS Pro uses the Named User license model. This model allows the member to use Pro on any computer on which it is installed (up to three computers at the same time). The license is tied to the organization and not an individual person or machine.
Yes. Please remember that the applications license differently, Named User for Pro and an actual license which needs to be installed for ArcGIS Desktop. Both applications are large installs and take up a large amount of resources on the computer, so it is best to have a high-end computer if planning to run both.

SDSU ServiceNow: Geography Faculty, Staff, and Students
SDSU ServiceNow: General Campus Users

Requests default to ArcGIS Online. For support regarding ArcGIS Desktop, Pro, or other GIS software, change the Category to “Software” and the Subcategory to “GIS Support.”