Create the Indoors database

Available with the ArcGIS Indoors Pro or ArcGIS Indoors Maps extension.

Before you import floor plan data to a workspace, you can use the Create Indoors Database tool to create an Indoors workspace. The Indoors workspace created by this tool conforms to the ArcGIS Indoors Information Model and contains the fields and tables required for floor plan mapping, routing, space planning, and workspace reservations.

If you created an Indoors workspace with an older version of ArcGIS Pro, you can upgrade it to the version of the Indoors model that matches your version of ArcGIS Pro by using the Upgrade Indoors Database tool.

Note:

Alternatively, you can use the Create Indoor Dataset tool to create an indoor dataset inside an existing file or enterprise geodatabase for basic floor plan mapping. The indoor dataset includes a streamlined schema that conforms to the Indoors model and does not include some of the feature classes, fields, and tables required by Space Planner, Indoor Viewer, and the Indoors mobile apps.

Complete the following steps to create an Indoors geodatabase:

  1. Start ArcGIS Pro.
  2. Open a new or existing project.
  3. Create a file geodatabase.
  4. Name the empty file geodatabase after the site or building.
  5. On the Analysis tab, click the Tools button Tools, and click Toolboxes in the Geoprocessing pane.
  6. Expand Indoors Tools and click Create Indoors Database.

    The Create Indoors Database tool opens.

  7. On the Parameters tab, provide the parameters as necessary:
    1. On the Target Geodatabase dialog box, browse to your empty geodatabase.
    2. Specify a coordinate system for the Coordinate System parameter.

      If no coordinate system is specified, the default of WGS84 Web Mercator (auxiliary sphere) will be used for the horizontal and vertical coordinate system.

      Note:

      Consider the following when setting the Coordinate System parameter:

      • Be sure to specify both a horizontal (XY) and a vertical (Z) coordinate system.
      • It is recommended that you use the same coordinate system for other indoor datasets you create, such as the indoor network dataset and the indoor 3D dataset.
    3. Optionally, uncheck the Create Indoors Network check box.

      By default, the Create Indoors Database tool creates an Indoors workspace with a network dataset to support indoor routing. If you only want to map floor plan data for your facilities, you can uncheck the Create Indoors Network check box to exclude the network dataset from your Indoors model.

      Note:

      If you run the tool without creating a network dataset, you can later use the Create Indoor Network Dataset tool to create a network dataset for your Indoors model. If you create the network dataset later, use the same coordinate system for the Coordinate System parameter that you used to create the indoor dataset.

    4. Optionally, uncheck the Create Attribute Rules check box.

      By default, the Create Indoors Database tool creates attribute rules in the Indoors database to use in quality control workflows. The target geodatabase must be a file geodatabase or an enterprise geodatabase with branch versioning enabled. Traditional versioning is not supported.

      When running the tool with the Create Attribute Rules parameter checked, the following occurs:

      • A GlobalID field is created in the feature classes in the indoor dataset.
      • Editor tracking fields are created for each feature class in the indoor dataset, and editor tracking is enabled.
      • A validation status field named VALIDATIONSTATUS is created in the feature classes in the indoor dataset. This field is managed in the Error Inspector pane and is used to determine whether attribute rules have been run on a feature since its most recent update.
      • Four error datasets are added to the geodatabase as stand-alone layers and correspond to point, polyline, polygon, and table errors. These datasets are managed in the Error Inspector pane.
      • A LEVEL_ID field is created in the error datasets to support visualizing errors in a floor-aware map.
      • A series of validation and calculation rules are applied to the Sites, Facilities, Levels, Units, and Details feature classes. Validation rules will be run at a time you specify to check for issues in the data. The included calculation rules are used to manage the Validation Status field in the Error inspector pane, which determines whether the validation checks will be run on a feature.
  8. Click Run.
  9. In the Catalog pane, browse to the newly created Indoors geodatabase to inspect its contents.

You can now load floor plans to the Indoors geodatabase from BIM or CAD files.

Related topics