Does ArcGIS Indoors require a CAD input?

Question

I have a PDF floorplan for a building and PDFs of the architectural detail, but I do not have a DWG. I can georeference the floorplan and digitize that in a geodatabase, but is that enough?

Alternatively, could I do my digitizing within the ArcGIS Indoors schema and get a viable output?

JasonHineEsri · Answer

Hi Mike –
ArcGIS Indoors does not require CAD or BIM input – you can georeference those PDFs and digitize the floor plans manually. Start here:
https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/data/indoors/data-creation-workflow.htm
A few tips to help you be successful:

* The ArcGIS Indoors Product Data includes quality checks (e.g., attribute rules) that can help with QA during data creation and preparation. Follow the instructions here to find and download the “Indoors Product Data” content from My Esri: https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/data/indoors/download-and-install-product-files.htm
* The ArcGIS Indoors Product Data also includes a sample project that can serve as a useful reference.
* Bookmark the ArcGIS Indoors Information Model and refer to it early and often! 😊 https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/data/indoors/arcgis-indoors-information-model.htm
Good luck!
Jason

Jade_Freeman · Answer

Depending on how the PDF was produced, there are tools, such as FME, that can extract vector data from PDF.  You would have to find a way to georeference then write to your Indoors schema.  However, you could also digitize directly to your indoors schema but you would have to manually supply all of the required indoors schema attribute values for every feature.  Once you have base floor plan data in the Indoors schema, I think you could then use the geoprocessing tools to start creating your routing network and additional feature classes such as people, events and other operational feature classes you might need.

Hope this helps!