Make an offline map with ArcGIS Pro 2.1

[Kylie]

We often get asked for details on creating offline maps for use in Explorer for ArcGIS. Mark Bockenhauer‌ has put together a great two-part blog that goes through each step: from downloading a dataset to working offline in Explorer.

Part 1 includes:

• An introduction to the ArcGIS Pro project (available for download) that you'll make into an offline map. 
• Creating a vector tile basemap (VTPK) that your offline map will use as the basemap.
• Setting up your VTPK as the basemap of your offline map.
• Including search and bookmarks.

Part 2 continues with:

• Customizing the information shown for your feature's pop-ups.
• Creating a mobile map package (MMPK) - which includes your VTPK - and that can be download in Explorer.
• Sharing the MMPK
• Trying out your map offline in Explorer.

I'd like to bring this content into the official Explorer help, so if you have feedback, that will help with the next steps for this content. Did his blog help you make your first MMPK? What could be more clear? Where did you get stuck, or was there something that you really loved or appreciated in it?

[deleted-user-fE4G739Gw5Pn]

Thanks for this tutorial.  I've seen your workflow and I've modified mine accordingly but am still unable to get the basemap to show up in Explorer.

I've tried with two different basemaps and in both instances, I can successfully get a MMPK to be produced.  But when I open the resulting MMPK in Explorer the Basemap doesn't show up - just a blank canvass.

My first case: The basemap was a SID file, which based on your tutorial, I realize probably won't work.  Resulting MMPK was 50MB.

My second case: The basemap was a TPK file.  I was hopeful because the resulting MMPK was 6.3GB (the original TPK was 6.6GB).

Thoughts?

[FloSim87]

Thanks for the information.

Is there a possibility to open this offline map via AppLink (i.e. "arcgis-explorer://?itemID=e23743d17bd446a5832c8a7427416a65")?

[Kylie]

Hi Robert -- Mark answered your question over in another thread, but I am posting his information here as well so that others with the same issue see the answer:

The current release of Explorer does not support Raster layers.  For Pro 2.1 we started writing raster layers into the MMPK with the anticipation that a release of Explorer would be available with raster support.   The releases did not line up, so we are in this situation where rasters are written into the MMPK, but Explorer can not make use of them.  Internally we have builds of Explorer that do support and display raster layers.  The next Explorer release will have MMPK raster layer support.

If we had waited for Explorer to support raster layers before writing them into the MMPK, we would have had to wait until the Pro 2.2 release... so while it seems a bit confusing now, I think it is worth it.

[Kylie]

Hi Florian -- Yes, it sure is! The map will be downloaded and you will be prompted to open the map once it finishes. You can also use any of the other app link parameters with MMPKs.

[SarahAnderson1]

Great tutorial and glad Esri is moving the offline capabilities forward. With the new Explorer for ArcGIS release, are there any requirements to those MMPKs containing TPKs? We're testing but cannot view the TPKs within maps. Able to open the maps and see the polygons but not the TPKs (although they're shown in the Layers list). Are wondering if it's related to having issues switching to a TPK basemap in Pro as you showed in the VTPK tutorial example. Any tips or updates to that example coming?

Thank you,

Sarah

[SarahAnderson1]

Thanks, Mark for the point about projections (Can I put a tpk inside an mmpk? ). Got it working now. MMPKs with TPKs in Explorer for ArcGIS on both iOS and Android -- this is great!

Cheers,

Sarah

[WillAnderson1]

Thank you for this thread. We're excited about yesterday's release of Droid/iOS updates. Have been testing the offline MMPK workflow from Pro, but can't seem to limit the extent of a TPK.

How do you use the MMPK tool in Pro to limit the extent of a TPK in the resulting MMPK file? Have tried using polygon feature class as AOI, as extent, as extent in Environments-Extent parameter, etc., but all the MMPKs result in vector features limited to AOI/extent but still includes the full extent of the TPK (thus MMPK file size is way larger than necessary). All the documentation refers to limiting "features" (I assume this means vectors). The info window on the Environments-Extent parameter of the tool suggests using that should limit extent of rasters (but no mention of TPKs), and still no luck. Help?!

Thanks,

Will

[MarkBockenhauer]

Will,

We currently do not clip TPKs or VTPKs as part of the Create Mobile Map package process.  You can use the Clip geoprocessing tool to Clip the TPK to an output raster... and then create TPK (Create Map Tile Package) from the raster you created with Clip.

Mark

[WillAnderson1]

Thank you Mark. I'll do that.

[JonathanSkloven-Gill]

Great tutorial! 

I have a follow up question that I hope is answerable. I am having issues keeping attachments added to features in Pro when I make the mmpk. I had presumed that the attachments that were added (.jpg images) to the feature classes would be bundled when the package was made without extra steps. Erring on the cautious side, I even attached the relationship tables that are created by enabling attachments within my gdb. Any thoughts, or workflows that you have used to make this work? I know that Explorer supports attachments, I have a handful added on arcgis online to webmaps my crew members access when they have LTE and WiFi services, and they are visible on Explorer.

Thanks in advance,

Jon

[MarkBockenhauer]

Jon,

The attachments will be included for the features in your map.  No extra work required.  To access them in the popup, you do need to make sure in the Popup configuration that "show list of attachments" check box is checked.

When this is not checked, the attachments are not accessible in the Explorer popup.

Mark

[JonathanSkloven-Gill]

Mark,

Thank you tons! I had missed the small, obscure, yet painfully obvious radio button. Works as intended!

Jonathan Skloven-Gill

GIS Analyst

City of Hood River

Office: (541) 386-2383

Direct: (541)387-5208

[MikeOnzay]

The raster TPK (a TPK with aerial imagery) that I have inside my MMPK appears in Explorer to be overriding all other map scales of a VTPK and operational layers. The raster TPK was limited to two map scales 1:300 and 1:600. Without the raster TPK, the VTPK and operational layers in Explorer show at the scales I set.

I noticed that when I added the TPK into the ArcGIS Pro project as a layer it showed at all scales. When I set a map scale on the general tab in properties and then created a MMPK it would not appear in Explorer at all. I know it was there because the file size was 5 gb.

When I didn't touch the map scale on the layer and created a MMPK it showed up in Explorer.

Great instructions by the way. Super helpful.

[MarkBockenhauer]

Mike,

I haven't been able to reproduce what you are experiencing,  may not be fully understanding how you set things up in your map.

I set up a map as follows.

When I view the map in Explorer the layer visibility and display is correct.

There is one issue I know of related to scale visibility and zooming the map.   Explorer will not zoom out beyond the "Out Beyond" scale of the last layer listed in the table of contents.  In the picture above it would be the Orem feature layer.  I have it set to draw at all scales, so Explorer will zoom to all scales.  If I had the Visibility Range for "Out Beyond" set to 1000,  Explorer would not zoom out further than 1000 scale.   This is a bug that will be addressed in a future release.

Another bug related to the use of TPK.   In a basemap if you have a TPK and a feature layer (ex. point, line, poly in fileGDB) the TPK will not be written into the MMPK correctly when it is packaged.  When the Mobile map package is opened in Explorer the TPK will not display.    This only occurs when a TPK and Feature Class Layer are in a basemap.  You can use TPK and VTPK in a basemap.   You can also use TPK, VTPK and Feature Class as operational layers in a map.. as pictured above.

Also, always make sure that your TPK and Map are in the same coordinate system.  If a TPK has a coordinated system that is different from the coordinate system of the map, it will not display in Explorer.   You may have noticed that the packaging analyzer does not allow you to create a package when a VTPKs coordinate system differs from the Map's coordinate system, the same should have been done for TPKs.

Mark

[MikeOnzay]

Thanks for the reply and the screenshots.

I did not know about the "out beyond" issue but that is why I was having this problem because the raster TPK was the last layer in the TOC. Once I moved it above the VTPK it worked fine.

In my original post I can see why you were confused. I should have written my last sentence as "When I didn't touch the map scale on the layer and created a MMPK it showed up in Explorer but only at the 1:300 and 1:600 scale."

I had already found the thread about the spatial reference because I ran into that issue also.

[MikeOnzay]

When I try to create a MMPK using SDE vector layers and those layers have feature linked annotation the tool fails. Is there any way to have it ignore those relationships? If not, is the only solution to export those layers to a file GDB?

[MarkBockenhauer]

Mike,

A future release, likely in 2019, will support annotation, but until then you will need to work around the annotation.  Creating a copy of the features without the Anno, as you suggest, is certainly a way forward.

Mark

[PaulCone2]

I am able to get locators to work but for the feature search, they only work in Pro -- in Explorer only the locators work.  What am I missing?

[MarkBockenhauer]

Paul,

What type of field are you setting the search up on?

What is the Field name?

Are you using "contains"or "equals"?

In some instances a field name (reserved name or characters) will change when being written into an MMPK..  That is my best guess.   

Mark

[PaulCone2]

Oddly enough, after I recreated the .mmpk, the feature searches are working now.  I'm having the same problem though with search not respecting definition queries on layers, so I get double results.

[MarkBockenhauer]

The definition query for operational layers in a mobile map package will be honored by feature search in the next releases of Explorer and Navigator.

[PaulCone2]

Sounds good.  Is there an ETA for that?  And is there an Early Adopter Community for Explorer?

[MarkBockenhauer]

Paul,

There is a geonet place Explorer for ArcGIS Beta  that has the latest information about on-going early adopter and beta opportunities.  Currently there is a EAP for Explorer on Windows in progress.  A bit too early for this specific issue, as feature search has not been implemented yet.   You can also send an e-mail to explorer4arcgis@esri.com and ask to join the Explorer beta program, this will allow the team to keep you informed when betas are available to test.

The next version of Explorer with definition query fix will be built on the 100.5 Runtime.  The Runtime should be complete in March.  Opportunities to beta Explorer should be available about the same time.

Mark

[ChristianRiesner]

Hello Mark and Jonathan,

I am facing the same issue that once the mmpk file is created the media (jpeg) (from Geotagged photos to points process) are not included. I am transferring the file to the explorer app on an android device and the tpk and the point features  are visible. The attachments seems to be still located on the local harddrive on my pc. Therefore no pictures are displayed (blank black screen).

I've tried your advice but without success.

Any useful hints are very welcome.

Christian

[MarkBockenhauer]

Christian,

When you ran the Geotagged Photos to Points tool did you 'Add Photos as Attachments'?

The photos need to be attached to the points in order to see them as an attachment in Explorer.

Mark

[DennyBrooks]

I'm trying to make a vector tile package using the OpenStreet Map base here:
https://basemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/OpenStreetMap_v2/VectorTileServer 
but in Arcpro the "Download Map" button is grayed out.  Any suggestions ?

[MarkBockenhauer]

You could try the following.

Start ArcGIS Pro

In a new Map remove the basemap  layers.

Click the Add Button - Menu  and add the data by path.

When I did this, the Download Map button enabled, and I was able to download the OpenStreetMap tiles that I wanted.

Mark

[DennyBrooks]

Thanks Mark,   I have tried that same exact work flow but "Download Map" button remains grayed out.

[MarkBockenhauer]

Are you working in a "map" and not a "basemap"

Download map is not available for a Pro "basemap".

[DennyBrooks]

Yes...in a "map"...see below:

[MarkBockenhauer]

I am not sure what would cause this...  which version of ArcGIS Pro are you using?

[DennyBrooks]

2.3

[MarkBockenhauer]

That version can only download  'raster' tile packages (ex TPK, TPKX).    I was using ArcGIS Pro 2.5 (and 2.6)..   which is capable of downloading Vector Tile Packages.

Might be a great time for you to move to Pro 2.6 in a couple weeks.   You will see very noticeable differences in performance and quality.

[DennyBrooks]

oh gezzz...no wonder I'v been struggling with this! 
thanks for sticking with me this!!  Will definitely get the new version !!
thanks so much !!

[DennyBrooks]

I installed ArcGIS Pro 2.5 and this workflow works perfect!   Thanks!!