| Yes and no. The problem is that ArcGIS isn't just software; it's also data, data management/storage/interop, process automation, and so on. There are other sources for the data, and a lot of the data is open, but the Python/R model doesn't translate directly because those sources have to be individually licensed and integrated. And once in a blue moon you'll need ArcGIS for the data anyways and now your whole FOSS investment is up in flames because you fork over the license to get the data anyways... You can do a lot of what ArcGIS can do if you know the entire ecosystem and all the data sources and how to glue them all together. But that skillset approaches "Senior SWE", at which point the generic GIS major + an ArcGIS license is waaaaay cheaper. In fact, ESRI could probably get away with drawing even more blood. (don't get me wrong; I think OP is correct that esp gov't agencies should invest in FOSS solutions, and the amount of effort required for a full digital twin is definitely worth NOT doing on top of ESRI tech... but the value add of ArcGIS for most GIS applications is difficult to deny given the differential in labor costs you get by staying in the ESRI sandbox... there are literally hundreds of undergraduate degree programs that basically exist to churn out affordable ArcGIS techs... the same is not true for FOSS alternatives, where to get comparable expertise you literally need to hire something comparable to a Senior SWE; it's going to cost you waaay more than "fresh GIS major + $4K".) |