Data model for CAD

Question

Need some help! Currently working with law enforcement here and they have CAD and Maverick established but still using shapefiles to do all the editing.  Is there a set data model for CAD that anyone has used.  Or is anyone willing to share how their system is established.  I am looking at building a geodatabase and exporting all the shapefiles back out for CAD.

JoeBorgione · Answer

Need some help! Currently working with law enforcement here and they have CAD and Maverick established but still using shapefiles to do all the editing.  Is there a set data model for CAD that anyone has used.  Or is anyone willing to share how their system is established.  I am looking at building a geodatabase and exporting all the shapefiles back out for CAD.

Seems to me that you've already got a data model to work with.  As mentioned in another, each CAD vendor has it's own set of feature attributes it needs to work.  It's not uncommon to have to unload GIS data into Shapefiles and then run some sort of CAD-specific processor on the data to get into the CAD.  I work at two different 9-1-1 call centers that deploy different CADs.

My guess is you'd like a more generic data model that you can use across agencies; one that isn't CAD specific.  That's exactly what I have.  I manage the GIS data in a SDE geodatabase, then unload it into a cad specific feature class / shapefile.  All you need to do is map the field names properly.

Hope this helps-

RickyLaytonII · Answer

Thanks for the reply I greatly appreciate it.  The link is very helpful too, but i keep getting errors that it is corrupted.

JohnBeck · Answer

Ricky,
There is no CAD data model per se that Esri has created, as each CAD provider has their own proprietary model to function within their system. The Local Government Information Model for ArcGIS 10 may be of some help to you though:
http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=b8905e21104342afbe830da28d11b2b9