ArcGIS

By audience

Civil Engineering

• Overlays proposed road, drainage, and grading designs on parcel, topographic, and floodplain GIS layers for site context
• Runs spatial analysis (slope, watershed, cut/fill, viewshed) to inform alignment and stormwater design
• Models and inventories water, sewer, and stormwater utility networks with ArcGIS Utility Network
• Pulls authoritative basemaps and imagery from Living Atlas for corridor and infrastructure studies
• Shares geolocated design data with AutoCAD Map 3D / MicroStation for CAD-GIS interoperability

Landscape Architecture

• Analyzes terrain, slope, soils, hydrology, and solar/shade exposure for planting and grading decisions
• Maps existing vegetation, tree canopy, and habitat to guide site preservation and restoration
• Builds suitability models for siting parks, trails, and green infrastructure
• Provides geolocated basemaps and aerial imagery as a backdrop for concept site plans
• Communicates site context and environmental constraints to stakeholders via web maps and dashboards

Surveying/Geomatics

• Ingests and georeferences survey, GNSS, LiDAR, and drone-captured point and feature data
• Maintains authoritative parcel, boundary, easement, and control-point datasets
• Uses ArcGIS Field Maps / Survey123 for accurate GPS-based field data collection
• Manages coordinate systems, datum transformations, and spatial accuracy across deliverables
• Publishes as-surveyed feature services consumed by design and GIS teams

Owner/Developer

• Performs site selection and land suitability analysis using demographic, zoning, and environmental layers
• Visualizes portfolio assets and parcels geographically for acquisition and entitlement decisions
• Assesses constraints (floodplain, wetlands, utilities, easements) early to de-risk development
• Shares interactive maps and dashboards with investors, boards, and the public
• Tracks entitlement, permitting, and infrastructure context across a development program

Facilities Management

• Maintains a geospatial inventory of buildings, grounds, and outdoor/linear assets
• Powers asset and work-order systems (e.g. OpenGov/Cartegraph) on a live ArcGIS-backed map
• Links indoor BIM/floor-plan data to campus and site context with ArcGIS Indoors
• Drives inspection, maintenance, and condition-assessment routing with field map apps
• Supports utility-network and infrastructure lifecycle management for owned facilities

Construction Management

• Visualizes jobsite tasks, logistics, and field data with location context (e.g. Fieldwire, ACC)
• Tracks site conditions, utilities, and parcel constraints during construction planning
• Collects geotagged field inspections and progress data via Field Maps / Survey123
• Maps laydown areas, access routes, and site logistics on accurate basemaps
• Shares geospatial dashboards reporting field progress and asset status to the team

By phase

Concept & Planning

• Runs site selection and suitability analysis against zoning, demographic, and environmental layers
• Provides geolocated basemaps and Living Atlas imagery for early site context (e.g. ArcGIS for Forma)
• Identifies constraints — floodplain, wetlands, utilities, slope, easements — before design begins
• Models alternatives and feasibility scenarios spatially for stakeholder review
• Communicates planning options through interactive web maps, dashboards, and story maps

Design

• Supplies authoritative site context (topography, parcels, utilities) into CAD/BIM design tools
• Supports civil and site grading, drainage, and corridor design with spatial analysis
• Models existing utility networks to coordinate proposed infrastructure
• Exchanges georeferenced data with AutoCAD Map 3D, MicroStation, and Forma
• Validates design against environmental and regulatory spatial constraints

Pre-Construction

• Maps site logistics, access routes, laydown, and staging areas on accurate basemaps
• Confirms existing utilities, parcels, and easements ahead of mobilization
• Aggregates survey and as-built spatial data for construction planning
• Supports permitting and stakeholder coordination with geospatial exhibits
• Establishes the spatial baseline for field data collection during construction

Construction

• Collects geotagged inspections, progress, and field issues via Field Maps / Survey123
• Provides jobsite location context to field tools (Fieldwire, ACC) for task visualization
• Tracks installed assets and utility locations against design in real time
• Surfaces site conditions and constraints to crews on mobile maps
• Reports geospatial progress and field status through dashboards

Closeout & Operations

• Captures as-built geospatial records and asset locations for handover to owners
• Feeds GIS asset inventories that power EAM/work-order systems (e.g. OpenGov, SewerAI)
• Maintains living utility-network and infrastructure data through ongoing operations
• Drives inspection, maintenance, and condition routing for owned assets
• Links BIM/floor-plan data to site context for facility operations via ArcGIS Indoors