Install and set up | ArcGIS Maps SDK for Flutter

Before installing the ArcGIS Maps SDK for Flutter, make sure your development machine meets the system requirements.

Flutter package repository

The ArcGIS Maps SDK for Flutter can be integrated into your Flutter project in VS Code using Flutter’s package repository, pub.dev.

VS Code

Open your Flutter project in VS Code.
Go to View > Terminal.
Add the arcgis_maps package as a project dependency.
dart pub add arcgis_maps
dart pub add adds the arcgis_maps package to the pubspec.yaml as a dependency, and then retrieves the dependency to resolve pubspec.yaml.
Update to the latest compatible versions of all the dependencies by executing the following command:
flutter pub upgrade
Executing this command will update only the packages that your app depends upon.
Download and install arcgis_maps_core:
dart run arcgis_maps install
Executing this command will download and set up the binary distribution of the ArcGIS Maps core functionality in your Flutter project. We recommend you add arcgis_maps_core to your .gitignore file if checking into source control.

To use this API, add the following import statement to any of your dart code (.dart) files:

import 'package:arcgis_maps/arcgis_maps.dart';

Platform specific configuration

To develop for Android, iOS, or both, you must also make the following configuration changes in your Flutter project.

Update the following minimum requirements:

Android compile SDK: 36
Android NDK version: 27.0.12077973
Android minimum SDK version: 28

android/app/build.gradle.kts

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android {
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    namespace = "com.esri.flutter_project_template"
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    compileSdk = 36
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    ndkVersion = "27.0.12077973"
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    // ...
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    defaultConfig {
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        // TODO: Specify your own unique Application ID (https://developer.android.com/studio/build/application-id.html).
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        applicationId = "com.esri.flutter_project_template"
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        // You can update the following values to match your application needs.
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        // For more information, see: https://flutter.dev/to/review-gradle-config.
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        minSdk = 28
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        targetSdk = flutter.targetSdkVersion
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        versionCode = flutter.versionCode
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        versionName = flutter.versionName
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    }
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    // ...

Capabilities requiring permissions

The following permissions are required to deploy an application with a dependency on ArcGIS Maps SDK for Flutter. Add permission to access online resources and add permission to access the device’s GPS. Note that users are only prompted to provide permission for access to device location if the app is actively using API that requires it.

android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml

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<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
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    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
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    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION" />
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    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />
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    <application
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        android:label="flutter_project_template"
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        android:name="${applicationName}"
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        android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher">
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        <!-- ... -->

Enabling user authentication

If you require the use of a system browser for user authentication User authentication is a type of authentication that allows users with an ArcGIS account to sign into an application and allow it to access ArcGIS content, services, and resources on their behalf. The typical authorization protocol used is OAuth2.0. Learn more , you need to add the following:

android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml

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        <!-- ... -->
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        <activity
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            android:name="com.linusu.flutter_web_auth_2.CallbackActivity"
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            android:exported="true">
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            <intent-filter android:label="flutter_web_auth_2">
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                <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
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                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
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                <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />
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                <data android:scheme="YOUR_CALLBACK_URL_SCHEME_HERE" />
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            </intent-filter>
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        </activity>
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        <!-- ... -->

Replace YOUR_CALLBACK_URL_SCHEME_HERE with the scheme of the redirect URL used when you set up OAuth credentials OAuth credentials are an item that contains parameters required to implement user authentication or app authentication, including a client_id, client_secret, and redirect URIs. They are a type of developer credential. Learn more in your portal ArcGIS portal, also known as a portal, is a website with applications and tools that can be used to create, manage, access, and share geospatial content and data. It supports security and authentication, developer credentials, content and data service management, user and group management, and site administration. A portal can be hosted in Esri's infrastructure or your own infrastructure. Learn more . This is necessary so that the browser can communicate back to your app after the login workflow completes.

Set iOS 17.0 minimum. Uncomment the line and update the version number.

ios/Podfile

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# Uncomment this line to define a global platform for your project
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platform :ios, '17.0'

Add the Runtimecore and arcgis_maps_ffi pods to the Runner target section.

ios/Podfile

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target 'Runner' do
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  use_frameworks!
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  pod 'Runtimecore', :podspec => '../arcgis_maps_core/ios/Runtimecore.podspec'
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  pod 'arcgis_maps_ffi', :podspec => '../arcgis_maps_core/ios/arcgis_maps_ffi.podspec'
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  flutter_install_all_ios_pods File.dirname(File.realpath(__FILE__))
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  target 'RunnerTests' do
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    inherit! :search_paths
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  end
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end

Use pod update to configure Pods.
cd ios && pod update && cd ..

Capabilities requiring permissions

Some of the capabilities of ArcGIS Maps SDK for Flutter require additional permissions. The following descriptions are required to deploy an iOS app with a dependency on ArcGIS Maps SDK for Flutter to the App Store. Note that users are only prompted to provide permission for access to device location if the app is actively using API that requires it.

Requesting access to the user’s location information (NSLocationUsageDescription).
Requesting access to the user’s location information at all times (NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription).
Requesting access to the user’s location information while the app is running in the foreground (NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription)

The following code example includes these in the information property list:

ios/Runner/Info.plist

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<dict>
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  <key>NSLocationUsageDescription</key>
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  <string>Location permission is required to view your position.</string>
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  <key>NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
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  <string>Location permission is required to view your position.</string>
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  <key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
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  <string>Location permission is required to view your position.</string>
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  <key>CFBundleDevelopmentRegion</key>
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  <string>$(DEVELOPMENT_LANGUAGE)</string>

Additional downloads

Additional sources of sample code and data are available to enhance your development projects. You can even download this guide as stand-alone developer documentation.

Sample code

Get hands-on sample code that illustrates a variety of powerful capabilities that you can add to your own applications. Search for samples and browse the relevant code in the samples documentation or download the code from the samples repository and run them locally.

ArcGIS Maps SDK for Flutter Toolkit

ArcGIS Maps SDK for Flutter Toolkit, an open source project maintained by the ArcGIS Maps SDK for Flutter team, contains widgets to simplify your app development.

Stand-alone developer documentation

You can download the developer documentation as an archive from the downloads page. The archive contains instructions to serve the documentation from a local web server so you can access it without a connection to the internet. The stand-alone documentation includes the developer guide, API reference, tutorials, and samples documentation. This documentation is designed to run on a local stand-alone computer or on an internal network and not on the public internet.

To serve the documentation locally:

Download the documentation for the SDK you want to use. The downloaded files are in a .zip archive format.
Extract the archive to a local folder. The extracted archive has two subfolders: public and install.
Open the README.md file in the install folder and follow the instructions for your chosen web server.

Supplemental data

StreetMap Premium

StreetMap Premium delivers a high-quality, multiscale cartographic map A map is a collection of layers that are displayed in 2D. It is typically composed of a basemap layer and data layers. Learn more display with enriched street data. In addition, it provides accurate geocoding Geocoding is the process of converting text for an address or place to a complete address with a location. Learn more , optimized routing A route is a polyline that defines the best path between two or more points in a street network. Learn more , easy to follow directions, and powerful network analysis. StreetMap Premium maps can simultaneously fulfill the need for an address locator A locator is an ArcGIS dataset that stores address information and the rules for translating descriptions of places (such as street addresses or place names) into spatial data that can be displayed on a map. Learn more , street network dataset, and basemap A basemap layer is the layer in a map or scene that displays basemap data. The data source for a basemap layer is typically a basemap service. Learn more in your apps. They are consistent across all regions of the world and are available for both online, connected scenarios and for use in offline, disconnected scenarios in the form of mobile map packages.

If you want to use StreetMap Premium data (the StreetMap Premium extension), download the demonstration data from the downloads page for development and testing. Please contact Esri Customer Service for access to a region of your choice for development and testing or to license StreetMap Premium data for deployment.

Projection Engine data

Datum transformations are used when geometries must be projected from one spatial reference to another when there is a difference in the datum that underlies the two spatial references. Datum transformations can be mathematically defined (equation-based transformations), or may rely on external supporting files (grid-based transformations). Certain Projection Engine data files must be present when you use a grid-based transformation in your app; attempting to use a transformation with missing Projection Engine files will cause an error. The API can detect whether the necessary files are available on the local file system.

If your app requires grid-based transformations, you can download supporting Projection Engine files from the downloads page. See the Spatial references topic for more information about working with coordinate systems, projections, and datum transformations.