ESRI Statewide Site License
Contract No. 2000S129

Software Distribution
Technical Support
GIS Training

What Software Do You Need?

Software Descriptions
Software and Extensions Available to Us on the Site License
OSU Technology Support Services' ESRI Page

For help obtaining software (or free ESRI data CDs), contact Lena Ferris of Information Services/Tech. Support Services, or use the online response form

Virtual Campus Courses

Student Version of ArcGIS

ArcGIS and the Macintosh

Important Notes on Campus-Wide Software Distribution

Here are some issues that you should be aware of before downloading software:

Access to the SOFTDIST server is limited to departmental computer administrators (DCAs) and network administrators. If your DCA does not have a SOFTDIST password, direct them to IT Consultants.

You can order your own set of installation CD's using the price structure on the product page ($150-$400), but an upgrade CD will NOT be sent to you automatically. You will still have to pay again to have your own copy. Otherwise, upgrades will be downloadable from SOFTDIST for Windows, Linux/Unix platforms.
Software should NOT be download for use on privately-owned computers. Downloading is permitted as long as the application software is resident on an OSU-owned computer or server.

This software will in NO WAY BE SUPPORTED by Infromation Services. Distribution is being made available on SOFTDIST only for ease of access. Technical support for the software is covered below.

Software should NOT be downloaded for use on privately-owned computers. Downloading is permitted as long as the application software is resident on an OSU-owned computer or server.

Downloading of software is on the HONOR system.
Online documentation and installation guidelines are provided with all software. You can also purchase full sets of documentation in book form at greatly reduced prices through the site license. See the "Product Prices" section of this web site for a full listing of titles and prices.

You may need a Product Registration Number to install your software (hyperlink available only to computers within OSU's IP domain). If you have trouble getting your product registration number contact Lena Ferris.

As updates are received, they will be made available on SOFTDIST.
Please note that you will still need to obtain keycodes and/or hardware keys in order to use the Linux/UNIX versions of Arc software

MACINTOSH USERS

ArcGIS software has been known to work on a G4 or G5 Mac, running the Mac OS X operating systems (i.e., Jaguar 10.2, Panther 10.3, or Tiger 10.4), by way of Virtual PC. The best solution is to run ArcGIS on the new Intel-based Macs using either Boot Camp or Parallels Desktop for Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger) or 10.5 (Leopard). Boot Camp is included with new Macs at OS 10.4 or above, and Parallels can be obtained from the Apple Store.

For additional information, see this compilation, courtesy of Joseph Kerski at ESRI.

Student Versions of ArcView

ArcView 9.2 and extensions are available at greatly reduced prices direct from ESRI to OSU undergrad and grad students. There are 2 options for licensing. One option is a 1-year time-out license at a student price of $100 (includes ArcView 9 with Spatial Analyst, Geostatistical Analyst, 3D Analyst, and Network Analyst extensions). The other option is a regular license (no time-out date) at a student pricing of $250 for ArcView and $150 per extension. Software upgrades are NOT included in this offer, and the software does NOT include ArcInfo workstation or an ArcEditor license. Students must provide "Proof of Academic Standing" (which means either their schedule of classes or a copy of their paid tuition invoice). Contact ESRI at 1-800-477-9778 to place your order. ESRI accepts all major credit cards.

Student version FAQ

Technical Support Issues

The first thing you should do is to post your question to the campus Arc listserv as many problems (including installation problems) can be quickly handled that way.

If that route fails, our ESRI contract stipulates a campus-wide designation of 3 individuals who are authorized to call ESRI tech support for serious problems with site license software (i.e., corrupted software, possible bugs in software, NOT just for general queries as to how best to use or install the software). These representatives are encouraged to take technical training from ESRI (at 40% off the list price) and will be able to attend the annual user conference free of charge. As of now our tech support people are:

Matt Gregory for the Forestry community
Curt Onstott for the Crop and Soil Science/Ag community
Mark Meyers for the Geosciences/COAS/HMSC/Engineering community

When contacting these people to open a tech support request, please fully describe not only the software product that you are using (including version #) and the problem, but also:

any software extension in use, such as Spatial Analyst
the platform of your computer (Dell with Intel chip, HP, etc.)
the operating system and version, and any service pack installed
application development language in use, if any

There are other alternatives that may take a tremendous burden off the 3 technical support specialists. Oftentimes users bypass ESRI technical support altogether and consult:

ESRI's comprehensive Support Center
as well as OSU's help page - www.geo.oregonstate.edu/ucgis/gis_resources.html

Thorough answers return very quickly and are often more helpful than an overloaded ESRI technical support team can deliver anyway. OSU campus users should investigate these possibilities.

The following people are also authorized to issue Virtual Campus registations for GIS Technology courses:

Curt Onstott of Crop and Soil Science
Theresa Valentine of the Forestry Sciences Lab
Matt Gregory of the Forestry Sciences Lab
Michelle Kinzel of Geosciences
Mark Meyers of Geosciences
Andrea Wirth and Alison Bobal of the Valley Library

Forestry and Geosciences are currently the biggest users of ESRI software so it makes sense that someone from those departments plays a role. It's expected that, as with other widely-used software on campus, questions to these 3 people should not come randomly from anyone or everyone, but should go through a channel where each department or unit has a person to deal with local questions, and only those people would call the 4 "specialists". Under the terms of the site license agreement, software support and maintenance services are provided by ESRI on an annual basis. This includes technical support by telephone, regular software updates and new releases, documentation changes and updates, electronic mail service, quarterly newspapers, and the opportunity to participate in ESRI's annual User Conference, as well as regional user group meetings.

GIS Education and Training Tips

Okay, now that you have access to all this wonderful GIS software perhaps some of you are wondering how in the world do you go about USING it? Here are some suggestions:

ESRI Instructional Series Podcasts - The newest pay way to get free ESRI Training.

ArcView SHORT COURSES - Applications in Natural Resources - offered at various times by Michael Wing of Forest Engineering via OSU Continuing Education.

ESRI offers a myriad of short courses too, on most of their products. The closest regional training centers are:

Central Oregon Community College (Bend)
Chemeketa Community College (Salem)
University of Oregon (Eugene)
Portland Community College (Portland)
Oregon Institute of Technology (Klamath Falls)

Get more details on the web or call 909-793-2853, extension 1585. These courses are usually very, very expensive, but at least we get 40% off the list price under the site license (specify our customer #220417).

ESRI Virtual Campus

ESRI has several web-based short courses in ArcGIS and several application areas!! Several of the ESRI GIS Technology courses are free to OSU students faculty and staff!!! These courses may be completed in as little time as 2 days to 2 weeks. These are NOT courses for university credit. They are continuing education, short courses, meant to supplement or introduce you to basic GIS software skills.

Click here - for list of available courses (http://campus.esri.com/campus/catalog/subscriptions/)
Note: Please ignore any prices on this Standard Subscription list. We have access to these offerings for free under the site license. Just choose your title and then send that title to one of the support people below, in order to receive a course registration:

Curt Onstott, for Crop and Soil Science/College of Ag
Matt Gregory, for the College of Forestry
Theresa Valentine, for the College of Forestry
Mark Meyers for Geosciences/Water Resources
Michelle Kinzel for Geosciences/Water Resources/COAS/HMSC and any remaining off-campus GISci Professional Certificate students
Andrea Wirth and Alison Bobal for the OSU Valley Libraries or other parts of campus

Course registration codes are good for up to 1 year and you may order as many different courses as you would like.

ArcGIS Training

There are several training and reference books available for SELF-PACED training. You can order this and similar books from ESRI at a reduced rate under the site license (specify our customer #220417).

Order ArcGIS ArcGIS 9 Documentation.

SELF-PACED training is available via the ESRI Virtual Campus:

In addition, you can often get a year's worth of training by taking ONE WEEK to attend the Annual ESRI Users Conference. Their workshops and paper sessions are hard to beat. And you can chat with real-life technical specialists at the conference's "Doctor's Office." Not to mention that the conference is always loads of fun! The conference is always held in sunny San Diego in the summer. Info is on the web.