Esri’s Open Vision

Esri's Open Vision

We build ArcGIS as an open platform because we believe in your innovation and we realize that, most of all, you need technology that’s reliable, that moves with you at a modern pace.

Here, we give you details about how and why Esri makes ArcGIS open. You will learn about Esri’s relationship to all things open—standards, interoperability, data, APIs, code, and the community.

Map Source: Esri Australia/PTV

Interoperability

Our platform-independent approach ensures interoperability. We support industry and community standards, libraries in every major programming language, integration with common analysis and data management tools, and a growing repository of open-source software.

Innovation

ArcGIS encourages an environment for innovation where everyone can share their unique ideas with the community. You can use, modify, and customize any of our open-source projects, including desktop, web, and mobile applications and then share back or grow a new business with the solution.

Collaboration

ArcGIS is built to foster collaboration within and across organizations. You can easily share your data and maps for improved teamwork and better decision making. Esri is there online, such as on Twitter and GeoNet, or in person, either on-site, at Esri hosted events, or at one of the hundreds of conferences Esri attends every year.

Jack Dangermond, founder and CEO of Esri, talks about our commitment to building ArcGIS as an open and interoperable platform.

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Open Standards

ArcGIS supports 100+ different standards and many independent standards organizations.

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Data Interoperability

Esri supports 300+ data formats including 200+ image and sensor formats.

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Open Data

We assure ArcGIS can be used to share, discover, and integrate open data.

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Open APIs and Specifications

Esri’s open APIs provide unparalleled access for your systems to connect with ArcGIS.

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Open Source

Esri has released 350+ open-source projects. We use and contribute to 200+ more.

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Community

Find Esri users and experts among the growing open community of people who are sharing experiences and ideas.

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