An ArcGIS organization is a web GIS that allows you to use, create, and share maps, scenes, apps, data services, and more. ArcGIS organizations typically consist of many users that can access content within the organization and manage organization settings.
If you have an ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise account, your account belongs to an ArcGIS organization.
Users
ArcGIS organizations can contain many users. Depending on their role, users that are part of an organization can create, manage, and access content, as well as invite additional users.
Groups
You can create groups within your ArcGIS organization to organize and share content with other members. With groups, you can allow or restrict access to items or share items for collaboration.
Items
All content in an ArcGIS organization is stored and shared as items. When you add your data to your organization's portal, an item is created that is used to access and manage the data. An item's properties allow you to customize its name and description, as well as to set the sharing level so that others may access it.
Supported content types
Items can represent a wide variety of content, including web apps, web maps, web scene, data services, and more.
Web apps
Web apps are mapping or data driven applications that run in web browsers. Web apps created using low-code/no-code app builders are saved as items in your ArcGIS organization. To create web apps, you can use ArcGIS Instant Apps, ArcGIS Dashboards, ArcGIS StoryMaps, or ArcGIS Experience Builder.
Web maps
Web maps are styled 2D maps that are typically used to visualize spatial data. They are created using Map Viewer and saved as items in your ArcGIS organization.
Web scenes
Web scenes are styled 3D scenes that are typically used to visualize spatial data. They are created using Scene Viewer and saved as items in your ArcGIS organization. Scene Viewer works with devices that support WebGL, a web technology built into most modern browsers for rendering 3D graphics.
Data services
When you upload a data layer to ArcGIS, a data service is created to host your data. After creating a data service, you can access it in your application to display and analyze its data. Data services are typically managed as layer items in your ArcGIS organization. Examples of data services include feature services and image tile services.
Explore content
The Content page of your ArcGIS organization allows you to access, manage, browse, and search content. The page is organized by tabs:
- My Content: allows you to browse and work with your own content.
- My Favorites: items you marked as favorites.
- My Groups: Content shared with you through groups.
- My Organization: Content from your organization.
- Living Atlas: Content from ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.
Each tab allows you to browse and search for content in a focused way.
Create content
If you have privileges to create content, you can create items within your ArcGIS organization. You can use a variety of different methods to create items depending on the type of content.
Share content
All items can be shared, both within your organization and to the broader public. Within your organization, you can also use group sharing to limit access to a specific group.