ArcLogistics Tag
Now that you’ve installed the latest, greatest version of ArcLogistics, you might be asking yourself, “Now what?” Maybe you’ve used the classic desktop version of ArcLogistics in the past and you’re not accustomed to the new work flow. Or perhaps you’ve never used ArcLogistics at all. Whatever the case may be, you might need some help getting up and running with the new product. Even though the user interface of ArcLogistics Online is designed to be as intuitive as possible, there’s always a learning curve involved with anything that’s unfamiliar.
We understand this and so we’ve provided a comprehensive tutorial that walks you step-by-step through the essential functions that you need to service your orders for the day. When ArcLogistics starts up just click the “Work through a Tutorial Project” button on the Getting Started page and you’re on your way.
If reading isn’t your thing, or if you want to supplement the information provided by the tutorial, there are also a bevy of short instructional videos available in the Resource Center that cover everything from an introduction to the user interface to advanced routing topics. You can access the videos by clicking the “View a Video Tutorial” button on the Getting Started page in ArcLogistics, by visiting the ArcLogistics Videos page directly, or by clicking the links further down this page.
For the basics, you can view an overview video or a video tutorial, which is a recording of the tutorial mentioned above.
There are videos available that show you how to enter details about your fleet; import your daily orders from a file or database; and build, visualize, and modify your routes. For more advanced information about how to refine your route solution by incorporating route barriers and zones, view the zones and barriers video.
To learn more about how to create reports for your routes and provide the routing information to your drivers, check out the deployment video and the ArcLogistics Navigator video.
If after going through the tutorial and videos you’re still unsure about some aspect of the software or you get stuck, you can always post your questions on the ArcLogistics user forum, or peruse the discussions that are already there to see how other people are using ArcLogistics.
Good luck and have fun routing!
On October 5th, the ArcLogistics team released the second version of ArcLogistics Online to the public. This is a free update available to current customers and trial users alike. The focus of this release was on usability and making common tasks easier. We listened to a lot of customer feedback and we hope that you’ll appreciate the results. I’ll talk about a few of the main additions below but for a full list of features, see the update log.
Fleet Setup Wizard
One of the biggest changes is the addition of the Fleet Setup Wizard. Create a new project, and ArcLogistics will take you through a series of steps to create locations, routes, and import orders as quickly as possible. It provides the quickest way to get your basic fleet information into ArcLogistics and creating routes. Additional attributes can be configured on the Setup tab or of course, you can still set it all up manually. If you’ve found it takes a long time to set up a new project, try the Fleet Setup Wizard and see how much time you can save.
Plug-in SDK Released
If you’d like to extend the functionality of ArcLogistics by writing extensions or plug-in’s, the ArcLogistics SDK has been uploaded to the code gallery. This includes some developer samples, documentation and even a few plug-in’s you can start using in ArcLogistics right away.
Separate Views for Routes and Orders
The first release of ArcLogistics forced you to use the List view drop down menu extensively to switch between viewing unassigned orders and routes. With this release there are now separate views for orders and routes so you can see more items at the same time. One of greatest benefits here is that you can now simply drag orders to whichever route you prefer and can have a lot more information on your screen at the same time.
Additionally, routes with work assigned can be expanded to view details of the route within the Routes view. Click the arrow at the left of the view or just hover on a route name while dragging an order and you’ll see the route expand so you know what orders are already assigned to that route.
There are many new features and enhancements to explore. See the update log for details and post in the ArcLogistics forums in you have any comments or questions.
Thanks,
The ArcLogistics Team
The newest version of ArcLogistics has left the beta stage and is now available.
For general product information and features, see the
ArcLogistics product page.
From this page you can choose to start a fully functional and free 30 day trial of ArcLogistics.
All you need to download and start using ArcLogistics is a free ESRI global account.
For online help files, tutorial videos, and support forums, please visit the redesigned
ArcLogistics Resource Center.
Here you can view tutorials, interact with ESRI staff and other users, and view news and announcements regarding ArcLogistics.
Finally, we’ve found that a lot of people have questions concerning compatibility of this ArcLogistics
release with other ESRI software. We’re happy to say that you should encounter no compatibility issues with
any ESRI software including ArcLogistics 9.3. That means you can run ArcLogistics alongside ArcGIS 9.3.1,
10 Pre-Release, or ArcLogistics 9.3 without any problems. The reason for this is that the newest version
of ArcLogistics is built using new technologies and relies on online services for mapping, geocoding, and routing.
The normal core engine files that most ArcGIS products rely on are no longer necessary.
This results in a smaller download package without any large datasets for you to manage.
It should also streamline the software distribution and update processes as well.
Whether you’re new to ESRI software or an experienced ArcLogistics 9.3 user, we hope you find ArcLogistics
easy to use and beneficial to your business practices. Let us know what you think in
the forums.
On November 12 we will be releasing the beta version of ArcLogistics. This new release adds 2 new deployment options and extends the current technology to work with ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Server.
The existing deployment, ArcLogistics on the desktop will remain as a stand-alone and self-contained set of data and software running the software solution. The first new deployment option is a rich-client software solution supported by mapping,geocoding and routing services provided by ArcGIS Online. The services are provided in the cloud in support of the client software as a software-as-a-services (SaaS) model. The second new deployment option is similar and is also a rich-client software solution but is instead supported by mapping, geocoding and routing services provided by a customer using ArcGIS Server-based services. (Requires the Network extension to ArcGIS server).
The new deployment options are based on a client application with access to required services over a network. The services provided to the client are mapping, geocoding and routing. The functionality of the ArcLogistics client is the same for both these deployments, the difference being the services provider: ArcGIS Online or a customer’s ArcGIS Server deployment. ArcLogistics technology is consistent across the existing and new deployments.
Key product features of the new deployment options:
• A flexible, workflow-based user interface that easily fits into a customer’s existing business process. It’s easier to learn and use. While sharing underlying ArcLogistics technology, no GIS experience or knowledge should be required to work with the client software. The focus is enabling optimal routing solutions quickly and accurately modeling the existing business process.
• Simplified software deployment. The client software is easily downloaded and installed. Supporting services for mapping, geocoding and routing will be provided by ArcGIS Online or by the customer themselves using ArcGIS Server. If the customer chooses to use ArcGIS Online services rather than their own, no street database management will be required. Deploying with ArcGIS Online is advantageous as updates are automated for both the software and data eliminating significant software support costs.
• Term license fees are based on fleet size. The license level will determine the number of vehicles for which you can create routing plans.
• Like the desktop deployment, the client software can be customized and extended to meet specific implementation requirements such as integration with existing enterprise applications or data sources. The application framework is easy to configure for different workflows,languages or vertical markets.
If you have an interest in implementing the beta software to route your fleets please contact Paul Ross, Product Manager at pross@esri.com.
