Create mobile geodatabase

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Create a mobile geodatabase.

CreateMobileGeodatabase

Use case

A mobile geodatabase is a collection of various types of GIS datasets contained in a single file (.geodatabase) on disk that can store, query, and manage spatial and non-spatial data. Mobile geodatabases are stored in a SQLite database and can contain up to 2 TB of portable data. Users can create, edit and share mobile geodatabases across ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps, or any SQL software. These mobile geodatabases support both viewing and editing and enable new offline editing workflows without requiring a feature service.

For example, a user would like to track the location of their device at various intervals to generate a heat map of the most visited locations. The user can add each location as a feature to a table and generate a mobile geodatabase. The user can then instantly share the mobile geodatabase to ArcGIS Pro to generate a heat map using the recorded locations stored as a geodatabase feature table.

How to use the sample

Click "Create Geodatabase" to create the geodatabase and its feature table. Click on the map to add new features to the geodatabase. Click "View Table" to view the contents of the geodatabase feature table. Once you have added the features to the map, click on "Close Geodatabase" to save the .geodatabase file which can then be imported into ArcGIS Pro or opened with ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps.

How it works

Create an empty mobile geodatabase with Geodatabase.createAsync(String path) and pass in a specific path as the parameter.
Create a new TableDescription and add a list of new FieldDescriptions to its collection of field descriptions with tableDescription.getFieldDescriptions().addAll().
Create a new table in the geodatabase from the table description with geodatabase.createTableAsync(). Once the listenable future has completed, get the newly created geodatabase feature table with geodatabaseFeatureTableFuture.get().
Create a feature on the selected map point using geodatabaseFeatureTable.createFeature(), passing a map of feature attributes and a geometry as parameters.
Add the feature to the table using geodatabaseFeatureTable.addFeatureAsync(feature).
Each feature added to the geodatabase feature table is committed to the mobile geodatabase file.
Close the mobile geodatabase with geodatabase.close().

Relevant API

ArcGISFeature
FeatureLayer
FieldDescription
Geodatabase
GeodatabaseFeatureTable
TableDescription

Additional information

Learn more about mobile geodatabases and how to utilize them on the ArcGIS Pro documentation page. The following mobile geodatabase behaviors are supported in the ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps: annotation, attachments, attribute rules, contingent values, dimensions, domains, feature-linked annotation, subtypes, utility network and relationship classes.

Learn more about the types of fields supported with mobile geodatabases on the ArcGIS Pro documentation page.

Sample Code

CreateMobileGeodatabaseController.javaCreateMobileGeodatabaseController.javaCreateMobileGeodatabaseSample.javaFeatureAttributeField.java
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/*
 * Copyright 2022 Esri.
 *
 * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not
 * use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of
 * the License at
 *
 * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
 * WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
 * License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under
 * the License.
 */

package com.esri.samples.create_mobile_geodatabase;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Path;
import java.nio.file.Paths;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Calendar;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;

import javafx.fxml.FXML;
import javafx.collections.FXCollections;
import javafx.collections.ObservableList;
import javafx.geometry.Point2D;
import javafx.scene.Scene;
import javafx.scene.control.Alert;
import javafx.scene.control.Button;
import javafx.scene.control.Label;
import javafx.scene.control.TableColumn;
import javafx.scene.control.TableView;
import javafx.scene.control.cell.PropertyValueFactory;
import javafx.scene.input.MouseButton;
import javafx.scene.layout.Region;
import javafx.scene.layout.StackPane;
import javafx.scene.paint.Color;
import javafx.stage.Stage;

import com.esri.arcgisruntime.ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.ArcGISMap;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.BasemapStyle;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.view.MapView;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.data.Field;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.data.FieldDescription;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.data.Geodatabase;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.data.GeodatabaseFeatureTable;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.data.TableDescription;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.geometry.GeometryEngine;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.geometry.GeometryType;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.geometry.Multipoint;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.geometry.Point;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.geometry.PointCollection;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.geometry.SpatialReferences;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.layers.FeatureLayer;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.view.Graphic;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.view.GraphicsOverlay;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.symbology.SimpleMarkerSymbol;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.data.QueryParameters;

public class CreateMobileGeodatabaseController {

  @FXML private MapView mapView;
  @FXML private Label label;
  @FXML private Button viewTableButton;
  @FXML private Button createGeodatabaseButton;
  @FXML private Button closeGeodatabaseButton;
  @FXML private Stage tableStage;

  private ArcGISMap map;
  private GraphicsOverlay graphicsOverlay;
  private Geodatabase geodatabase;
  private Path geodatabasePath;
  private GeodatabaseFeatureTable geodatabaseFeatureTable;
  private List<Point> inputs;
  private boolean isTableWindowOpen;

  @FXML
  private void initialize() {

    try {
      // authentication with an API key or named user is required to access base maps and other location services
      String yourAPIKey = System.getProperty("apiKey");
      ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment.setApiKey(yourAPIKey);

      // create a map with the topographic imagery basemap style
      map = new ArcGISMap(BasemapStyle.ARCGIS_TOPOGRAPHIC);

      // set the map to the mapview
      mapView.setMap(map);

      // create a point located at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia to be used as the viewpoint for the map
      var point = new Point(-77.7332, 39.3238, SpatialReferences.getWgs84());
      mapView.setViewpointCenterAsync(point, 15000);

      // create a graphics overlay to display the input points
      graphicsOverlay = new GraphicsOverlay();
      mapView.getGraphicsOverlays().add(graphicsOverlay);

      // create a graphic to add the simple marker symbol in the graphics overlay
      var simpleMarkerSymbol = new SimpleMarkerSymbol(SimpleMarkerSymbol.Style.CIRCLE, Color.BLACK, 10);
      var graphic = new Graphic();
      graphic.setSymbol(simpleMarkerSymbol);
      graphicsOverlay.getGraphics().add(graphic);

      // keep track of the points added by the user
      inputs = new ArrayList<>();

      // create a point from user input and add it to the geodatabase feature table
      mapView.setOnMouseClicked(e -> {
        if (createGeodatabaseButton.isDisabled()) {
          if (e.isStillSincePress() && e.getButton() == MouseButton.PRIMARY) {
            // create 2D point from pointer location
            var point2D = new Point2D(e.getX(), e.getY());

            // create a map point from 2D point
            Point mapPoint = mapView.screenToLocation(point2D);

            // the map point should be normalized to the central meridian when wrapping around a map, so its value
            // stays within the coordinate system of the map view
            Point normalizedMapPoint = (Point) GeometryEngine.normalizeCentralMeridian(mapPoint);

            // add a point where the user clicks on the map and update the inputs graphic geometry
            inputs.add(normalizedMapPoint);
            Multipoint inputsGeometry = new Multipoint(new PointCollection(inputs));
            graphic.setGeometry(inputsGeometry);

            if (!inputs.isEmpty()) {
              // close and refresh table display
              handleTableWindowVisibility();
              // set up the feature attributes
              Map<String, Object> featureAttributes = new HashMap<>(Map.of("collection_timestamp", Calendar.getInstance().getTime().toString()));
              // create a new feature at the map point
              var feature = geodatabaseFeatureTable.createFeature(featureAttributes, normalizedMapPoint);
              // add the feature to the feature table
              var addFeatureFuture = geodatabaseFeatureTable.addFeatureAsync(feature);
              addFeatureFuture.addDoneListener(() -> {
                try {
                  addFeatureFuture.get();
                  // update the total feature count on screen if feature was added successfully
                  label.setText("Number of features added: " + geodatabaseFeatureTable.getTotalFeatureCount());

                } catch (InterruptedException | ExecutionException ex) {
                  new Alert(Alert.AlertType.ERROR, "Unable to add feature.").show();
                  ex.printStackTrace();
                }
              });
            }
          }
        }
      });

    } catch (Exception ex) {
      // on any error, display the stack trace.
      ex.printStackTrace();
    }
  }

  /**
   * Creates geodatabase and feature layer from geodatabase feature table descriptions.
   */
  @FXML
  private void handleCreateGeodatabase() {

    // get the path for the geodatabase file
    geodatabasePath = Paths.get(System.getProperty("user.dir") + "/LocationHistory.geodatabase");
    try {
      // delete geodatabase from previous run
      Files.deleteIfExists(geodatabasePath);
    } catch (IOException ioException) {
      new Alert(Alert.AlertType.ERROR, "Unable to delete previous geodatabase file").show();
      ioException.printStackTrace();
    }

    // create geodatabase from the specified geodatabase file path
    var geodatabaseFuture = Geodatabase.createAsync(geodatabasePath.toString());
    geodatabaseFuture.addDoneListener(() -> {
      try {
        // get the instance of the mobile geodatabase
        geodatabase = geodatabaseFuture.get();

        // create a table description to store features as map points and set non-required properties to false
        var tableDescription = new TableDescription("LocationHistory", SpatialReferences.getWgs84(),
          GeometryType.POINT);

        // set up the fields for the table. FieldType.OID is the primary key of the SQLite table
        var fieldDescriptionOID = new FieldDescription("oid", Field.Type.OID);
        var fieldDescriptionText = new FieldDescription("collection_timestamp", Field.Type.TEXT);
        tableDescription.getFieldDescriptions().addAll(List.of(fieldDescriptionOID, fieldDescriptionText));

        // add a new table to the geodatabase feature table by creating one from the table description
        var geodatabaseFeatureTableFuture = geodatabase.createTableAsync(tableDescription);

        // set up the map view to display the feature layer using the loaded tableFuture geodatabase feature table
        geodatabaseFeatureTableFuture.addDoneListener(() -> {
          try {
            // get the result of the loaded "LocationHistory" table
            geodatabaseFeatureTable = geodatabaseFeatureTableFuture.get();
            // create a feature layer for the map using the GeodatabaseFeatureTable
            var featureLayer = new FeatureLayer(geodatabaseFeatureTable);
            map.getOperationalLayers().add(featureLayer);
            createGeodatabaseButton.setDisable(true);
            closeGeodatabaseButton.setDisable(false);
            viewTableButton.setDisable(false);
            mapView.setDisable(false);
            label.setText("Click map to add features");

          } catch (Exception ex) {
            new Alert(Alert.AlertType.ERROR, "Failed to get feature table result").show();
            ex.printStackTrace();
          }
        });

      } catch (Exception ex) {
        new Alert(Alert.AlertType.ERROR, "Failed to get geodatabase result").show();
        ex.printStackTrace();          }
    });
  }

  /**
   * Closes the geodatabase, displays its directory, and updates UI components.
   */
  @FXML
  private void handleCloseGeodatabase() {

    // close geodatabase, table, and clear input list
    geodatabase.close();
    inputs.clear();

    if (tableStage != null) {
      tableStage.close();
    }

    // display geodatabase file location
    Alert dialog = new Alert(Alert.AlertType.INFORMATION,
      "Mobile geodatabase has been closed and saved in the following directory: " + geodatabasePath.toString());
    dialog.initOwner(mapView.getScene().getWindow());
    dialog.setHeaderText(null);
    dialog.setTitle(("Information"));
    dialog.setResizable(true);
    dialog.getDialogPane().setMinHeight(Region.USE_PREF_SIZE);
    dialog.showAndWait();

    // handle UI
    viewTableButton.setDisable(true);
    closeGeodatabaseButton.setDisable(true);
    createGeodatabaseButton.setDisable(false);
    label.setText("Click button to start.");
    graphicsOverlay.getGraphics().clear();
    map.getOperationalLayers().clear();
  }

  /**
   * Displays a new window with the table of features stored in the geodatabase feature table.
   */
  @FXML
  private void handleDisplayTable() {

    // close previous table
    handleTableWindowVisibility();

    // create observable list of type GeoFeature to store the geodatabase features
    final ObservableList<FeatureAttributeField> fieldData = FXCollections.observableArrayList();

    // query all the features loaded to the table
    var queryResultFuture = geodatabaseFeatureTable.queryFeaturesAsync(new QueryParameters());
    queryResultFuture.addDoneListener(() -> {
      try {
        var queryResults = queryResultFuture.get();
        queryResults.forEach(feature ->
          // add features to the observable list
          fieldData.add(
            new FeatureAttributeField(feature.getAttributes().get("oid").toString(),
              feature.getAttributes().get("collection_timestamp").toString())));

        // create and set up a new table view to display the features in a table
        TableView<FeatureAttributeField> table = new TableView<>();

        // create two table columns and add them to the table view
        TableColumn<FeatureAttributeField, String> oidCol = new TableColumn<>("OID");
        TableColumn<FeatureAttributeField, String> timeCol = new TableColumn<>("COLLECTION TIMESTAMP");
        table.getColumns().add(oidCol);
        table.getColumns().add(timeCol);

        // associate data to the table columns referencing the fields in the GeoFeature class
        oidCol.setCellValueFactory(new PropertyValueFactory<>("oid"));
        timeCol.setCellValueFactory(new PropertyValueFactory<>("timestamp"));

        // add data to the table view
        table.setItems(fieldData);

        // create a StackPane, Scene, and Stage for displaying the table view in a new window
        var pane = new StackPane();
        pane.getChildren().add(table);
        var scene = new Scene(pane, 220, 230);

        // set up stage properties before display
        tableStage = new Stage();
        tableStage.setTitle("Features");
        tableStage.centerOnScreen();
        tableStage.setScene(scene);
        tableStage.show();

      } catch (InterruptedException | ExecutionException ex) {
        new Alert(Alert.AlertType.ERROR, "Failed to query the feature table").show();
        ex.printStackTrace();
      }
    });
  }

  /**
   * Handles visibility of the table window and closes table window before adding new features.
   */
  private void handleTableWindowVisibility() {

    if (tableStage != null) {
      if (tableStage.isShowing()) {
        isTableWindowOpen = true;
      }
      else if (!tableStage.isShowing()) {
        isTableWindowOpen = false;
      }
    }

    if (tableStage != null && isTableWindowOpen) {
      tableStage.close();
      isTableWindowOpen = false;
    }
  }

  /**
   * Closes the geodatabase and disposes of application resources.
   */
  void terminate() {

    if (geodatabase != null) {
      geodatabase.close();
    }

    if (mapView != null) {
      mapView.dispose();
    }
  }

}