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ArcView is a geographic information system software product produced by ESRI, and is currently the lowest level of licensing of the Desktop GIS lineup. The same product name is used to describe an older desktop GIS program, often distinguished as ArcView GIS 3.x or ArcView 3.x.

Contents 1 History 1.1 ArcView GIS 3.x 1.1.1 Connect to Access 1.2 ArcView 8.x and 9.x 2 See also 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External links

ArcView started as a graphical program for spatial data and maps made using ESRI's other software products. Over time more and more functionality was added to ArcView and it became a real GIS program capable of complex analysis and data management. Its simple GUI was preferred by many over the less user friendly, more powerful Arc/INFO.

ArcView GIS 3.3 is still currently available, and many users still use the older version. ArcView GIS 3.3 is offered for both Unix and Windows variants. Version 3.3 was released in May 2002 and is currently sold and has "mature support" for multiple platforms^[1].

All ESRI produced extensions for ArcView are currently supported in 3.x with the exception of ArcView IMS². ArcView IMS was discontinued on 1 June 2004, and replaced with ArcIMS. An older version of ArcView was available for Macintosh, version 3.0a, however this version was retired in 1997. ArcView 3.3 is compatible with Windows XP, however, does require the user to apply a patch to work properly. This patch is available for download from ESRI's product support website. ArcView GIS 3.3 will run on Windows XP 64-bit, however, the installer package will not. The user must either compile their own installer or acquire this from a third party.

One of the basics of GIS is providing a connection between data and imagery. All 3.x versions work with an underlying DBF database (dBase III, IV). Many users prefer a connection to a MS Access database, because of its widespread use. For users that still have Access 97 or earlier, this can be done with a free practical script called AccessConnect [1]. Users who have a more recent version of Access will encounter problems with this script. For the ArcView 3.x users with more recent MS Access versions, there is a free bypass program available [2].

The versions of ArcView 8.x and 9.x are part of the ArcGIS software suite. In ArcGIS the term ArcView is the lowest level of licensing for the ArcGIS system, offering less functionality than the middle level, ArcEditor, or the highest level, ArcInfo. All components are installed on the system, with only those that are licensed being made functional. The current version of ArcView sold by ESRI is 9.2. This version is available for the Microsoft Windows 2000, XP 32 and 64-bit, and 2003 Server operating systems.

• ArcInfo
• Shapefile

1. ^ See Product Life Cycle http://support.esri.com/index.cfm?fa=software.filteredGateway&PID=25

• Tim Ormsby, Extending ArcView GIS: with Network Analyst, Spatial Analyst and 3D Analyst, ESRI Press, 1999, ISBN 1-879102-05-6

• Basic tutorial for ArcView 3.x on Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access
• ArcView GIS Homepage