HELP trying to open a .gdb file and convert to be opened in adobe

Question

Hi there!

I was just sent a folder (i believe it's a geodatabase) with the following file types:

.lock

.freelist

.gdbindexes

.gdbtable

.gdbtblx

.atx

.spx

I believe it's supposed to be a map with an animation that changes over time and I am trying to figure out

a) how to open the folder

b) how to convert the contents into something I can give to an animator (so vectors)

I know literally nothing about GIS software, please help if you can!!!

VinceAngelo · Answer

Yes, it's a file geodatabase. Be sure not to change the folder name (it will no longer work if you change the '.gdb' suffix) or add any other files beneath it (once it finds '.gdb' in the path, ArcGIS is looking in the file geodatabase catalog for the remainder of the name).

It is not, however, "a map."  Instead, it is mapping data. In the GIS model, a map is a characteristic of a application project file (e.g., ".mxd" for ArcMap or ".aprx" for ArcGIS Pro), where data is represented and the interactions of data sources are modeled. If the person providing the data didn't provide a project file, you need to go back to them for one (or learn to use GIS quickly), because you have nothing to pass on yet.

The good news is that GIS isn't all that hard to start learning. The bad news is that animation isn't in the shallow end of the GIS skill set pool.

- V

George_Thompson · Answer

You will need some sort of ArcGIS client, like ArcGIS Pro, to see the data.

Those file are part of a file geodatabase. Do NOT delete / rename those files or thing will break.