Effective: April 2026
Context
The University of Guelph’s (U of G) ArcGIS license is hosted by ESRI and administered by Computing and Communications Services and McLaughlin Library. The platform functions within defined usage and storage limitations based on our software site license. To ensure efficient and optimal use of ESRI products, this data retention policy has been implemented to manage user content and storage.
ArcGIS usage licensing
- This software is provided for the exclusive purpose of teaching, academic research, and publishing.
- Users are prohibited from using this software for any commercial, contractual, or income generating ventures either privately or under the auspices of the educational institution.
- The distribution of this software outside this educational institution through sale, donation, transfer, copying, or exchange is strictly prohibited.
Purpose of ArcGIS Online
ArcGIS Online is intended for active data sharing, collaboration, and visualization. The system is not intended for long-term storage or preservation of GIS content. To enable ongoing and equitable access, user content is subject to removal. ArcGIS Online is a workspace for active projects.
Account duration
Students, staff, and faculty will lose access to ArcGIS Online when they are no longer affiliated with U of G, or when they have not logged into ArcGIS Online for 2 years, whichever comes first. Further, your login to ArcGIS Online is dependent on your U of G central account, and once your central login account is deactivated, your ArcGIS Online account will be considered inactive. Importantly, when your account becomes inactive, all projects and data are deleted.
Notification
When possible, users will be notified via their uoguelph email of upcoming deletion and given an opportunity to save, download, or migrate their content.
Large files and high-volume usage
U of G users are encouraged to keep their ArcGIS Online storage under 5GB. Users are allotted 1000 credits/year. ArcGIS Online users can view their Feature Storage Dashboard to examine their storage footprint. The library may contact users whose storage or usage is beyond these limits to discuss alternative options. Please contact us if you exceed your storage or credit allotment.
Third-party hosting and research data
ArcGIS Online users are encouraged to have a long-term data management plan for their GIS projects. ArcGIS Online is a third-party platform hosted by ESRI and is not a guaranteed location to preserve research products. U of G does not control the ESRI platform and cannot guarantee the long-term availability of user content. Data stored in ArcGIS Online is subject to platform changes and outages.
Managing your ArcGIS storage
ArcGIS users are responsible for maintaining backups of their data and implementing a workflow for downloading and storing any important data.
Users are responsible for removing old files, duplicates, test files, and class work. Users are encouraged to have a plan for the management of content belonging to groups and collective projects. Files you delete in ArcGIS Online will remain in your ArcGIS Online Recycling Bin for 14 days before permanent deletion, unless you empty the Recycling Bin.
For assistance with exporting content and selecting strategies for preservation, please contact us.