Using Map Packages (.mpk files) with the iOS Runtime

[EvanKirkwood]

Is it possible to load a map package (i.e a .mpk file) inside an app built using the iOS Runtime SDK? This post (on the Android runtime forum) suggest that it is: http://forums.arcgis.com/threads/58176-ArcGIS-Runtime-SDK-for-Android-and-The-mpk-format-file

I also seem to recall seeing mention of the mpk format in earlier versions of the iOS runtime documentation and/or possibly in a sample project. Was this capability removed from the iOS runtime?

[DanaMaher]

Is it possible to load a map package (i.e a .mpk file) inside an app built using the iOS Runtime SDK?

This page (see "Opening Content on a Mobile Device") and a quick review of the iOS Runtime SDK documentation indicates that you cannot open a .mpk file using the iOS Runtime SDK.

However, I think the web map object within ArcGIS Online is mostly analogous to a map package/.mpk. AGSPortal and its related classes allow you to open web maps into the iOS Runtime SDK. I believe this tutorial shows you how to publish an .mxd to a service and then pull that into ArcGIS Online. You can also just construct a web map in ArcGIS Online from individual layers and then load that map into an AGSMapView.

The ArcGIS Runtime SDKs for iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile are based around pulling content in from map services and portals like ArcGIS Online. For mobile, this makes more sense than preloading or pulling in an entire map package; you might not need all the data during a user session, and mobile app developers typically strive to minimize app size and network usage. Except in the case of offline use, which ESRI seems to be working on, it makes more sense to get on-demand data from a service.

[EvanKirkwood · Accepted solution]

Just to close the loop on this - we followed up through our ESRI Partner Coordinator and an ESRI Technology Lead, and confirmed that map packages are not supported in the current iOS Runtime SDK (10.1.1).

Except in the case of offline use, which ESRI seems to be working on, it makes more sense to get on-demand data from a service.

Offline use is exactly the use case we're supporting. As Dana suggests, the message from ESRI on enhancements to offline capability in the iOS Runtime SDK is essentially that it's in the works, but too early for details.