Work with data files

Just as layers in your app can use data sourced from online services, such as ArcGIS Online, WFS, or WMS services, layers can also use data from data filesA data file is a stand-alone file containing geographic data that can be sideloaded on to a device. It is typically used in offline applications that never connect to a network.Learn more stored locally on your user's device. Local data files support scenarios where your users never have a network connection.

This page describes what you can do with data files and lists supported data file formats. It also provides details on how to use a data file in your app, which are summarized in the following steps:

1. Create, sideloadSideloading is the process of deploying a file or package to a device without using a network.Learn more, or download the data fileA data file is a stand-alone file containing geographic data that can be sideloaded on to a device. It is typically used in offline applications that never connect to a network.Learn more onto your user's device.
2. Access the data fileA data file is a stand-alone file containing geographic data that can be sideloaded on to a device. It is typically used in offline applications that never connect to a network.Learn more.
3. Create a layerA 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 referencing the data fileA data file is a stand-alone file containing geographic data that can be sideloaded on to a device. It is typically used in offline applications that never connect to a network.Learn more.
4. Apply a rendererA renderer is a collection of rules and symbols used to display the data in a layer.Learn more to define symbolsA symbol defines the properties used to display a geometry or text.Learn more for features in the layer (Optional).
5. Add the layerA 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 to a mapA map is a collection of layers that are displayed in 2D. It is typically composed of a basemap layer and data layers.Learn more or sceneA scene is a collection of layers that are displayed in 3D. It is typically composed of a basemap layer, data layers, and 3D data.Learn more.

For information on mobile map packages and mobile scene packages, which are also stand-alone files, see Offline maps, scenes, and data or the ArcGIS Pro topics Share a mobile map package and Share a mobile scene package. For details on working with data from services while offline, see Work with offline data.

What you can do with data files

You can do the following types of things in your app using local data files:

• Display maps or scenes without a network connection.
• Access, display, and analyze geospatial data.
• Include data with the installation of your app.
• Collect data on devices that never have access to a network connection.
• Create new mobile geodatabases, tables, and domains.
• Share datasets between applications using peer-to-peer technology.

Supported data file formats

The following data files are supported:

Vector tile package

Vector tiled layers contain vector representations of data across a range of scales. Unlike raster tiles, they can adapt to the resolution of their display device as you zoom in and out.

When you create a vector tile package, it must be in the same spatial reference as the map in which it will be displayed.

To create a vector tiled layer from the vector tile package (.vtpk) instantiate an ArcGISVectorTiledLayer object with the vector tile package's file URL. The default style will be loaded directly from the vector tile package.

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// Path to the local vector tile package (.vtpk file).
string myDocumentsFolder = Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.MyDocuments);
string tileCachePath = System.IO.Path.Combine(myDocumentsFolder, "PencilMapTiles.vtpk");

// Create a vector tile cache from the local data.
VectorTileCache cache = new VectorTileCache(tileCachePath);

// Use the tile cache to create an ArcGISVectorTiledLayer.
ArcGISVectorTiledLayer tiledLayer = new ArcGISVectorTiledLayer(cache);

// Display the vector tiled layer as a basemap.
MyMapView.Map = new Map(new Basemap(tiledLayer));

Image tile package

Image tiled layers are typically used to display pregenerated tiled data as basemapsA basemap is the foundational layer and data that provides the overall visual and geographic context for a map or scene. It typically includes geographic features and labels for land, water, roads, buildings, cities, places, and administrative boundaries, but can also include raster data such as satellite and areal images.Learn more. A tile cache can also be used to provide offline elevation data for visualizing 3D terrain in a sceneA scene is a collection of layers that are displayed in 3D. It is typically composed of a basemap layer, data layers, and 3D data.Learn more. You can take a portion of tiled data and store it within a single tile package (.tpk or .tpkx) file for completely disconnected scenarios. To store a portion of tile data as a tile packageA tile package is a tiled layer that has been bundled into a single .tpk/.tpkx file. The file contains a tile cache of the data and metadata about the layer, packaged into a single, portable file.Learn more, you must specify area of interest, the tiling scheme, the levels of detail, and the tile format using the following approach:

• To create a tile package file, run the ArcGIS Pro geoprocessing tool Create Map Tile Package.

When you create a tile package, it must have the same spatial reference as the map in which it will be displayed.

To create a tiled layer from a tile package file, instantiate an ArcGISTiledLayer object with the path to the tile package file on the device.

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// Path to the local package (.tpk or .tpkx file).
string myDocumentsFolder = Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.MyDocuments);
string tileCachePath = Path.Combine(myDocumentsFolder, "StreetMapTiles.tpkx");

// Create a tile cache from the local data.
TileCache cache = new TileCache(tileCachePath);

// Use the tile cache to create an ArcGISTiledLayer.
ArcGISTiledLayer tiledLayer = new ArcGISTiledLayer(cache);

// Display the tiled layer as a basemap.
MyMapView.Map = new Map(new Basemap(tiledLayer));

To create an elevation source from a tile package file, instantiate an ArcGISTiledElevationSource object with the path to the tile package file on the device.

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// Path to the local package (.tpkx or .tpkx file).
string myDocumentsFolder = Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.MyDocuments);
string tileCachePath = Path.Combine(myDocumentsFolder, "WorldElevation3DTiles.tpkx");

// Create a tile cache from the local data.
TileCache cache = new TileCache(tileCachePath);

// Use the tile cache to create an ArcGISTiledElevationSource.
ArcGISTiledElevationSource localElevationSource = new ArcGISTiledElevationSource(cache);

// Create a surface with the elevation source.
Surface elevationSurface = new Surface();
elevationSurface.ElevationSources.Add(localElevationSource);

// Set the elevation source into your scene as its base surface.
Scene scene = new Scene();
scene.BaseSurface = elevationSurface;
MySceneView.Scene = scene;

Feature layer

Feature layers allow you to display, select, edit, and query individual features and their attributes. You can work with features offline using features stored in a data file, such as a mobile geodatabase file (.geodatabase), a GeoPackage file (.gpkg), or a shapefile (.shp). You can edit feature geometryA geometry is a geometric shape, such as a point, polyline, or polygon, that contains one or more coordinates and a spatial reference.Learn more and attributesAttributes are fields and values for a single feature or non-spatial record. They are typically stored in a database or service such as a feature service.Learn more, and, when using a mobile geodatabaseA mobile geodatabase (.geodatabase) is a spatial data storage format in a single file on disk that can store, query, and manage spatial and nonspatial data. In applications built with the ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps, mobile geodatabases can be used in offline workflows when taking maps and features offline from services or in desktop-based scenarios as standalone mobile geodatabases from ArcGIS Pro.Learn more, can also edit attachmentsAn attachment is a file, such as a photograph (for example, a .png file) or a document, that is associated with individual features in a geodatabase or feature layer.Learn more and related records.

Mobile geodatabase

Mobile geodatabasesA mobile geodatabase (.geodatabase) is a spatial data storage format in a single file on disk that can store, query, and manage spatial and nonspatial data. In applications built with the ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps, mobile geodatabases can be used in offline workflows when taking maps and features offline from services or in desktop-based scenarios as standalone mobile geodatabases from ArcGIS Pro.Learn more (.geodatabase) can be created with ArcGIS Pro 2.7 or later. At version 100.14, they can also be created with this SDK.

To create a mobile geodatabase that you can sideloadSideloading is the process of deploying a file or package to a device without using a network.Learn more for use in your app:

• In ArcGIS Pro, follow the instructions in the ArcGIS Pro help topic Create a mobile geodatabase.

To create a mobile geodatabase with this SDK:

• Use the static method Geodatabase.CreateAsync() to create a new geodatabase at the provided path.

To display tables from a mobile geodatabase:

1. Instantiate the Geodatabase object by opening an existing geodatabase or creating a new one. In either case, you need to specify a path to the .geodatabase file.
2. Instantiate a FeatureTable from one of the mobile geodatabase's tables or create a new one using a TableDescription and associated FieldDescription objects and calling Geodatabase.CreateTableAsync().
3. Create a new FeatureLayer from the feature table and add it to the map. Optionally, create a new Renderer to symbolize features in the layer. If the layer is based on a new geodatabase table, nothing will appear in the layer until features are created.

The following code opens a geodatabase at the given path. If it doesn't exist, a new geodatabase is created at that location and a new table and domain are added. Finally, the table is displayed as a feature layer in the map.

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public async void LayerFromMobileGeodatabase(string mobileGeodatabaseFilePath)
{
    Geodatabase localGdb;
    GeodatabaseFeatureTable trailheadsTable;

    // Open the geodatabase if the file exists at the specified path.
    if (File.Exists(mobileGeodatabaseFilePath))
    {
        // Get the geodatabase using the path.
        localGdb = await Geodatabase.OpenAsync(mobileGeodatabaseFilePath);

        // Access the "Trailheads" feature table in the geodatabase using its name.
        trailheadsTable = localGdb.GetGeodatabaseFeatureTable("Trailheads");
    }
    else // If the geodatabase doesn't exist, create it.
    {
        localGdb = await Geodatabase.CreateAsync(mobileGeodatabaseFilePath);

        // Create a new domain in the geodatabase for rating values from 1-10.
        var domainDef = new RangeDomainDescription("RatingDomain", FieldType.Int16, (Int16)1, (Int16)10);
        await localGdb.CreateDomainAsync(domainDef);

        // Create a table description for a "Trailheads" table that will store points.
        var tableDef = new TableDescription("Trailheads", SpatialReferences.Wgs84, GeometryType.Point);

        // Add field descriptions to define "Name" and "Difficulty" fields
        tableDef.FieldDescriptions.Add(new FieldDescription("Name", FieldType.Text));
        tableDef.FieldDescriptions.Add(
            new FieldDescription("Difficulty", FieldType.Int16)
            {
                // Apply the new range domain to the Difficulty field.
                DomainName = "RatingDomain"
            });

        // Create a new trailheads table in the geodatabase using the table description.
        trailheadsTable = await localGdb.CreateTableAsync(tableDef);
    }

    // Create a feature layer from the table and add it to the map.
    var trailheadsLayer = new FeatureLayer(trailheadsTable);
    MyMapView.Map.OperationalLayers.Add(trailheadsLayer);
}

GeoPackage

GeoPackage is an open, standards-based, platform-independent, portable, self-describing, compact format for transferring geospatial information. It uses a single SQLite file (.gpkg) that conforms to the OGC GeoPackage standard. You can create a GeoPackage file from your own data using the Create SQLite Database tool in ArcGIS Pro.

To display features stored in a GeoPackage file, you must do the following:

1. Instantiate the GeoPackage with the .gpkg file path.
2. Load the GeoPackage and then examine its list of GeoPackageFeatureTable()s.
3. Create a FeatureLayer from one of the GeoPackageFeatureTable()s and add it as an operational layer to the map.

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// Get the path to a local geopackage.
string geopackagePath = Path.Combine(Environment.ExpandEnvironmentVariables("%TEMP%"), "trails.gpkg");

// Open the geopackage by providing the path.
GeoPackage trailsGpkg = await GeoPackage.OpenAsync(geopackagePath);

// Iterate feature tables in the package to find one by name.
foreach (GeoPackageFeatureTable table in trailsGpkg.GeoPackageFeatureTables)
{
    if (table.TableName.ToLower() == "trailheads")
    {
        // Create a feature layer from the table and add it to the map's operational layers.
        FeatureLayer trailheadsLayer = new FeatureLayer(table);
        MyMapView.Map.OperationalLayers.Add(trailheadsLayer);
    }
}

Shapefile

A 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 is a vector data storage format that contains geometry and attribute data for geographic features. Despite the name, a shapefile dataset is composed of at least three physical files: .shp, .dbf, and .shx. A shapefile may include several other files, such as projection information, spatial indices, attribute indices, and so on.

To create a feature layer from a shapefile (.shp), do the following:

1. Instantiate the ShapefileFeatureTable with the path to the shapefile. This path must point to the .shp file. The .shp file's associated files (.shx, .dbf, and so on) must be present at the same location.

2. Create a FeatureLayer from the ShapefileFeatureTable and add it to the map.

If you have copied the shapefiles into the app's documents directory, you can instantiate a feature layer.

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// Get the path to a local shapefile.
string shapefilePath = Path.Combine(Environment.ExpandEnvironmentVariables("%TEMP%"), "trails.shp");

// Create a shapefile feature table using the path.
ShapefileFeatureTable trailsFeatureTable = await ShapefileFeatureTable.OpenAsync(shapefilePath);

// Create a feature layer from the table and add it to the map's operational layers.
FeatureLayer trailsLayer = new FeatureLayer(trailsFeatureTable);
MyMapView.Map.OperationalLayers.Add(trailsLayer);

Raster layer

Raster data consists of a matrix of cells in which each individual cell contains a value representing information. You can visualize this raster data by defining specific renderers. Several raster formats are supported that allow you to use data from satellite and aerial images or photographs, for example. To work offline, copy the raster data onto your device and add the raster dataset to your app using the Raster class. For more information and a list of supported raster formats, Add raster data.