topic Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro in ArcGIS Pro Questions

Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

Katie_Clark — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 18:45:24 GMT

Hello Geonet!

Has anyone else had issues with georeferencing images in ArcGIS Pro? It's something I do on an almost daily basis in ArcMap, and I keep attempting to switch my workflow to ArcGIS Pro to practice using the software since I know Esri is planning on transitioning completely to Pro.

However, I find the experience to be so buggy that I can't even complete this simple task. After fitting an image to display, I try to pan around and my cursor is stuck on the rotate function, no matter which button on my mouse I click. If I change the transparency of the layer with the ribbon and then use the L keyboard shortcut to turn the layer off/on, the transparency doesn't save and it always goes back to 0%. However, if I turn the layer off/on in the TOC it seems to stick.

The biggest offender is that when I try to set a control point, once again my cursor is stuck on the rotate function. This has happened so often that I frequently can't georeference the image at all. On my most recent attempt, after several minutes somehow it seemed to change (though I have no idea what caused that to happen) and I was able to set a few control points, but then I opened the control point table and once again the pan function didn't seem to work using either my mouse or the C keyboard shortcut.

After enough frustration I went back to ArcMap for a completely smooth process and had several images georeferenced in less than five minutes.

Just want to know if I'm alone in this experience or if there are others who share my frustration? I am eager to embrace ArcGIS Pro and the changes that Esri is promoting, but I can't do this if I can't even complete simple workflows such as this.

Thanks for any thoughts or input!

Best,

Katherine

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

JarrettTaylor — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 13:41:15 GMT

Im having an issue with the Georeferencing where I can get it to fit, but when I hit "save" and then "Close Georeference", the image disappears. I literally have to remove the image and re import it for it to honor my Georeferencing... I don't think its just you.

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

SamanthaGriffore — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 18:31:40 GMT

I am in the same situation Katherine. I am trying my best to transition to ArcGIS Pro, but am so frustrated at trying to do basic georeferencing tasks. I have over 100 scanned drawings that need to be georeferenced and am creating a Task to get a Junior to help me out. The task option is great, but not working well with Georeferencing.

The issues I'm having are:

1. No obvious way to indicate which image file I am georeferencing. In my ArcMap workflow I would complete one, turn off the layer in TOC, add the next image, then choose the latest image in the Georeference Drop Down. Now, I find that I have to Close Georeference, Remove the current drawing from TOC, then add the next one and start over. (I don't want to remove the previous drawing as I use it as reference when putting in the next drawing along the road network.) Not conducive to georeferencing 100s of drawings!

2. The control points leave blue lines all over my view. I can't find an options button anywhere to remove the blue connection lines once I've completed my georeferencing. They get in the way when I'm trying to do the next drawing.

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

SimonWoo — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 20:16:21 GMT

In regards to the bugs that are seen, please contact Technical Support with the details so that they can get addressed: https://support.esri.com/en/contact-tech-support.

In regards to the image that you are georeferencing, it is displayed in the heads-up-display (top right corner).

ArcGIS Pro is context driven. No Need to remove the previous layer. After you close the georeferencing session, highlight\select the next raster you want to georeference and then Click the Georeferencing button again. The heads-up-display will update with the raster that you have highlighted when you started the session.

As for the blue lines, we have had reports of this on GeoNet and forums, but have have failed to replicate this. Please log a support incident so we have the exact steps and data so we can try and address this and all issues.

Thanks!

Simon W.

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

SamanthaGriffore — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 23:14:53 GMT

Thanks Simon. I've noticed the Georeferencing Heads-Up display in the corner, however it would be helpful if this had the ability to change the current raster being georeferenced as ArcMap did without having to close a session, and reopen. On that note, this process did not work for me every time (closing and reopening Georeference) and I ended up having to close the entire project and reopen as well as ensure I only had one raster in my TOC at a time for it to work consistently.

I'll make sure to follow up with ESRI Support on the blue lines. Pardon my ignorance, but what is the best way to "log a support incident"? I've called ESRI support before, but is there a way to log my actions? (unless I'm misunderstanding you).

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

SimonWoo — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 18:12:40 GMT

Hello Samantha,

You can log or create an incident however you would like (there are a few options on the Support website link that I posted). You can definitely call, to create a support incident.

I understand that changes in workflow are annoying at first. The drop-down to specify the layer was not allowed in the Pro implementation, so we had to use the contextual implementation. Furthermore, we had to have a concept of start and stop, otherwise a new raster would be georeferenced every time the Contents pane was edited\touched.

Once we fix any issues you have, hopefully the new workflow makes sense and can accomplish your project goals.

Thanks!

Simon W

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

KassandraRodriguez — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 20:31:08 GMT

Is there something else you have to do besides clicking the save button in the ribbon to keep the image's reference?

I understand the heads-up-display lets you know which one your working on so I did 7 of them but when I close it and try opening it back up it loses all the work i did. i followed these instructions here about saving https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/help/data/imagery/georeferencing-tools.htm

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

SimonWoo — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 20:43:37 GMT

Kassandra,

After you Save the raster and Close the session, your image should be georeferenced. After you Close the session, is the image in the correct location? Or did all your hard work already go away? (Out of curiosity, where did your raster originate from?)

Are you using a raster dataset or a raster product? We save raster datasets. We do not update the raster product at its source, since we do not want to edit\corrupt your satellite data that the provider has specific specifications for. For raster products, you can only save the layer within the project.

If it is still your standard raster dataset (e.g. tiff file) that is not updating properly, please call and log an issue with Technical Support.

Thanks!

Simon W.

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

KassandraRodriguez — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 21:22:32 GMT

Hi thanks for replying Simon it's single tiff files but they are saving the reference in Arcmap so I'll just stick to that for now Thank you

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

KassandraRodriguez — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 18:10:58 GMT

I logged a case with ESRI #02377502, we tried using 'saving as' but it heavily pixelated my tiffs and so I just walked the process with them on just saving and I was doing exactly what I was already doing but it worked when I opened it back up! However, it went back to not being georeferenced again..kept trying with other tiffs and it only sometimes saves the georeference. I'm using ArcGIS Pro 2.4. I want to use pro cz I like its georeferncing better than arcmaps but it's being super buggy

Can anyone else confirm that it's being buggy for them too or is it just me and my desktop?

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

VirajP — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 20:00:11 GMT

I'm having trouble with georeferencing as well. I'm georeferencing several dozen PDF pages saved to Tiff from Acrobat. Here is my procedure:

Open a map in Pro with the reference data in the same projection as the PDF files that were saved to Tiff.
Add in a Tiff in the approx location/scale.
Open Georeference tool bar and hit Fit to Display button, rotate if necessary.
Save.

Once I hit save the image disappears. I can close georeference, hit zoom to image and the image has shifted a full screen to the right.

I was collecting GCPs before saving and having the same issue.

My current work around is:

Open a map in Pro with the reference data in the same projection as the PDF files that were saved to Tiff.
Add in a Tiff in the approx location/scale.
Open Georeference tool bar and hit Fit to Display button, rotate if necessary.
Save.
Remove being georeferenced from map.
Go into Windows Explorer and delete the tfwx, tiff.aux.xml, and tiff.ovr just created by the georeferencing session.
Re-add the Tiff to the Pro map.
Open Georeference tool bar and hit Fit to Display button, rotate if necessary.
Add 2-3 GCPs.
Save
Close georeference session.

The bug seems to only happen once to each Tiff and only after saving.

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

KassandraRodriguez — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 15:46:23 GMT

So there is a bug! When you are working on an image if you keep saving it as your adjusting the image and then close it, it will lose it's georeferencing. You can only save it ONCE then close it and it should work. Simon Woo‌

• Bug Number: BUG-000125205

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

SimonWoo — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 15:05:59 GMT

Adam, Thanks for the information.

Can you upload a sample Tiff, or provide a link to such data?

Thanks!

Simon W.

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

TimothyCorner — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 14:55:09 GMT

I'm having that same problem.

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

AmyRoust — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 15:48:00 GMT

Yes, I've had that exact same experience many times. The only fix is to remove the image from the Project, close the Project, delete all of the auxiliary files that were created from the original georeferencing, then reopen the Project, readd the image, and georeference it again. Sometimes, I find that closing and reopening my Project after every successful georeference makes the next georeferencing operation successful. That's not always the case, but sometimes that works.

EDITED TO ADD: I started experimenting with raster formats this morning. Previously, I had been georeferencing TIFFs. I converted them to PNG to see what would happen, and I've successfully done three in a row with no issues. Perhaps it's an issue with file formats in Pro?

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

MichaelHewitt — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 20:41:30 GMT

I am having similar issues. It just started. I am running ArcGIS Pro 2.5. This started happening to one computer in our office months ago, then another earlier this week and now mine...

Heres the sequence I always follow: Georeferenced a MrSID map, saved and then closed georeferencing in the toolbar.

Outcome: My map immediately disappeared. It's there in the contents pane and it zooms to the right place when I zoom to layer. If I start georeferencing from the toolbar again the map comes back with the control points.

If I clear my map-cache in ArcGIS Pro (which reloads the map file), the map is still in the contents pane, but when I zoom to layer now it goes back to Central America coordinates (as if I never georeferenced it).

I think it has something to do with the aux.xml file... The sequence above made a 6KB AUX.xml file. All the rest of my good attempts at georeferencing make a 9KB file. Upon opening the aux.xml files with a text editor missing <SRS> and <GeodataXform information which includes the projection and control points.

At first, I thought it might be a network permissions issue because with a colleague's computer in our office it wouldn't even create the aux.xml file upon bringing the map image into ArcGIS pro content panel. Then there were times when it would create the aux.xml. Then I felt like it would not update the information after georeferencing maybe because of permission issues? But now we are working from home and all the files are on external drives and it is still happening and now to more of us. So... HELP...

I submitted case #02524546 to ESRI support. Waiting to hear back.

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

SimonWoo — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 15:29:31 GMT

Was your file read-only (while you were georeferencing)? So far that is the only case we have identified with this exhibited behavior.

I will look for your submitted case. Thank you!

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

MichaelHewitt — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 18:00:29 GMT

Sorry, my internet has been out of commission for a few days. My georeferencing issue went away. But my coworker used this old thread to fix hers. Georeferencing Problem - Image disappears when using Update Georeferencing . She said she thinks it had to do with the World File option. And, yes, she realizes it was for version 10.2 of desktop not pro 2.5.

She was methodically going through their suggestions. Applying a setting, rebooting ArcGIS and then testing georeferencing. If it didn't work she would back out of the setting and reboot ArcGIS. She got to the post where bmeyer3 suggests this:

"Customize > ArcMap Options > Raster > Raster Dataset >

and Un-check "Use world file to define the coordinates of the raster"

It didn't work initially after reboot (well it creates a .wld file) and then she unchecked the world file option, rebooted and tried again and noticed the .aux file was updated properly!

I still can't explain why 2 of our computers temporarily had the issue and it magically disappeared. It was not creating .wld files for us.

P.s. I don't think my files were read-only. When you check the properties of .sid, .sdwx or the .sid.aux.xml files individually they are not read-only. But when checking properties of the containing folder has that weird black square inside the checkbox which means some files in the folder may be read-only? That is why I said something about that in the previous post.

Thanks

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

SimonWoo — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 18:10:32 GMT

Hello Michael,

First off, I am glad that your colleague has solved their worldfile issue. And yes, a reboot of Pro is usually needed after you change the Options settings.

In regards to your issue, please keep us updated if you see the problem again and if you figure out what is causing it.

Thank you for the update,

Simon W.

Re: Georeferencing bugs in ArcGIS Pro

MichaelHewitt — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 19:50:12 GMT

Sure. Maybe I wasn't clear. She wasn't producing world files.

She was having the same georeferencing issue where it was not updating the .aux file. She started messing with the settings mentioned in the ArcGIS 10 desktop article I posted above. She thinks enabling the world file and disabling the world file setting fixed the issue.