Types of mobile data sources | Documentation

Diagram showing mobile data sources being consumed by offline mapping apps on devices. — Different types of mobile data sources for offline apps

A mobile data source is a data format used to build offline apps using ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps. A mobile data source may contain a map or scene, layers, and other geospatial information packaged for offline use.

Mobile data sources include the following:

The mobile data source you use depends on your type of offline app. Partially offline apps support all four mobile data sources. Fully offline apps only support mobile packages and data files. This section provides an overview of each mobile data source and explains how to select a mobile data source for your offline app.

Offline maps

An offline map is a map downloaded from an offline-enabled web mapA web map is a map stored as a JSON object that defines properties such as the basemap layer, data layers, layer styles, and pop-up styles. Its JSON structure is defined by the web map specification.Learn more. It also includes data content that is referenced by layers in the offline map. You can use an offline map in your partially offline app to display a map, edit features in a map, and synchronize them when you are back online.

To use an offline map, you begin with a web mapA web map is a map stored as a JSON object that defines properties such as the basemap layer, data layers, layer styles, and pop-up styles. Its JSON structure is defined by the web map specification.Learn more that is enabled for offline use. The web map definition and the layer contents are then downloaded as an offline map which can be used without a network connection. The application can either download a geographic area that the web map's owner has already configured, also known as offline map areasAn offline map area, also known as a preplanned map area, is an area in a web map used to create an offline map.Learn more, or specify an area of the web map to take offline in the code.

An offline map uses offline dataOffline data is data that is generated and downloaded from a feature service, vector tile service, or image tile service for use in offline applications built with ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps.Learn more behind the scenes. However, offline maps can automatically handle download and storage management for data content. On the other hand, if you work with offline data directly, you have to manage this yourself.

Offline data

Offline data is data that is generated and downloaded from an offline-enabled data serviceData services, also known as hosted data services, are services created dynamically to store and provide access to your data in ArcGIS. Examples are feature services, vector tile services, map tile services, image services, and scene services.Learn more, such as the basemap styles serviceThe ArcGIS Basemap Styles service, also referred to as the Basemap Styles service, is a location service that provides basemap styles and data for the world. It returns styles as Mapbox styles and web maps, and data as vector tiles and/or map tiles. It supports all of the styles in the ArcGIS Basemap style and Open Basemap style family. An ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account is required to use the service.Learn more, feature servicesA feature service is a data service that provides access to spatial and non-spatial data in feature layers, feature layer views, and tables.Learn more, vector tile servicesA vector tile service is a data service that provides access to vector tile data and a style definition.Learn more, and map tile servicesA map tile service, formerly known as image tile service, is a data service that provides access to static, pre-rendered map tiles. The tiles are typically retrieved in PNG format by specifying a specific level, row, and column value.Learn more. You can use offline data in your partially offline app to display offline tile layers, feature layers, edit features or attachments offline, and synchronize them when you are back online.

To use offline data, you begin by publishing a data service and enable it for offline use. Then, you can request a geographic area covered within that service to be downloaded as offline data. There are two types of offline data that can be generated and downloaded:

Tile data: Other services listed above can generate a package file of read-only tiles, either a vector tile package (VTPK)A vector tile package, also known as a VTPK, is a read-only data file containing static tiles of vector data.Learn more, or an image tile package (TPK)An map tile package, formerly known as image tile package, is a read-only data file containing static, pre-rendered map tiles.Learn more.
Feature data: A feature service can generate a geodatabaseA geodatabase is a spatial data storage format that can contain multiple datasets of geographic features and non-spatial tabular data, as well as attachments, field domain definitions, and relationships between layers/tables.Learn more file containing offline feature and non-spatial data. This data can be edited and edits can be synchronized with the source feature service when a network connection is available.

Mobile packages

A mobile package contains one or more maps or scenes. It also contains data content that is referenced by layers in the maps or scenes. You can use mobile packages in your partially offline app or fully offline app to display a map or scene, geocodeGeocoding is the process of converting text for an address or place to a complete address with a location.Learn more, search for places, find routesA route is a polyline that defines the best path between two or more points in a street network.Learn more and directions, and perform offline spatial analysis. However, mobile packages do not support editing features nor synchronizing.

To use a mobile package in an offline app, you begin by creating an ArcGIS Pro project containing maps or scenes, package them, then sideloadSideloading is the process of deploying a file or package to a device without using a network.Learn more or download the package to the device. There are two types of mobile packages that can be created using ArcGIS Pro:

Mobile map package (MMPK)A mobile map package (MMPK) is a standalone file that contains one or more map definitions, including the basemap layers, data layers, layer styles, and pop-up styles for use in offline applications built with ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps.Learn more: This type of mobile package contains maps.
Mobile scene package (MSPK)A mobile scene package (MSPK) is a standalone file that contains one or more scene definitions, including the basemap layers, elevation layers, data layers, layer styles, and pop-up styles for use in offline applications built with ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps.Learn more: This type of mobile package contains scenes.

Data files

A data file is a local file stored on a device that contains data that can be displayed by a layer in a map or scene. You can use data files in your partially offline app or fully offline app to display maps or scenes, edit data offline, and query features. Some data files support editing and querying, but some do not.

To use a data file in an offline app, you begin by creating a dataset and use tools, such as ArcGIS Pro, to process it into a data file format of your choice. You can also get data files using data conversion scripts or from the internet.

You can use the following types of data files in your offline app:

Data file type	Supports editing
ShapefileA shapefile is a vector data storage format that contains geometry and attribute data for geographic features. It can also include spatial and non-spatial indexes.Learn more	Yes
Vector tile packageA vector tile package, also known as a VTPK, is a read-only data file containing static tiles of vector data.Learn more	No
Image tile packageA vector tile package, also known as a VTPK, is a read-only data file containing static tiles of vector data.Learn more	No
Scene Layer Package. For display in scenes only.	No
Local raster file. The following raster formats are supported: ASRP/USRP, CIB, CADRG/ECRG, DTED, GeoPackage Raster, GeoTIFF/TIFF, HFA, HRE, IMG, JPEG, JPEG2000, Mosaic Dataset in SQLite, NITF, PNG, RPF, SRTM, CRF, and MrSID.	No
OGC GeoPackageA geopackage is an OGC spatial data storage format that can contain multiple datasets of geographic features, non-spatial tabular data, and raster data.Learn more (feature data)	Yes
OGC GeoPackageA geopackage is an OGC spatial data storage format that can contain multiple datasets of geographic features, non-spatial tabular data, and raster data.Learn more (raster data)	No
OGC KML file	Yes
Electronic Nautical Chart (S-57). For display in maps only.	No
Other (e.g. GeoJSON)	Yes

How to select a mobile data source

The following questions may help you decide which mobile data source to use in your offline app:

Will your device have a network connection at all?

Some offline apps are prohibited from accessing a network due to regulatory or operational reasons. If your offline app will never have access to a network connection, then it is a fully offline app. You can:
- SideloadSideloading is the process of deploying a file or package to a device without using a network.Learn more a mobile package of maps or scenes.
- Sideload data files and construct a map or scene in code, then add layersA layer is a reference to a collection of geographic data that is used to access and display data. The data for layers are typically provided by the basemap layer service and data services.Learn more from the sideloaded data files.
You can work with an offline map or offline data without a network connection, but will need a network connection to initially download them and later to synchronize offline edits with the online source. Therefore, they are more suitable for partially offline apps.
Do you need to edit data in a feature service?

If your offline app needs to edit data hosted in a feature service, you can:
- Download an offline map from a web map that includes a layer from the feature service.
- Download offline data from feature services.
Will you be working in 3D?

If your offline app needs to use 3D scenes, you cannot use offline maps. Instead, you can either:
- Sideload or download a mobile scene package.
- Construct a scene in code, then add layers from data files or offline data.
Will you be geocoding or routing?

If your offline app needs to perform geocoding or routing without a network connection, then you need to use mobile packages.