Arcgis open data not allowing download (of large datasets?)

[JustinMeyers]

the website errors out when trying to download large datasets?  Does anyone know why this happens?

[AndrewTurner · Accepted solution]

Hey Justin - you've invoked the name of geocommons so <poof!>

Thanks for your feedback. It's always welcome.

Specific to the dataset you linked - it points to an HTTPS service that has an invalid security certificate. So in this case we should have shown you an message that said the dataset server is not working.

More generally, I'm particularly interested in that tantalizing list of questions and suggestions for improving ArcGIS Open Data (and all of ArcGIS). We deploy updates about every two weeks, and currently are doing a number of redesign & rebuild of functionality, so your input is extremely well timed.

Feel free to start a new thread, or ping me directly - andrew @ <you know who>.com

Andrew

CTO, Esri R&D DC, formerly of GeoIQ + GeoCommons

[JenniferMcCall4]

Could it have anything to do with the limitations of the format you're downloading (ex; Shapefile component size limit is 2GB)?

[C_EHoward]

I have had success at downloading huge tabular datasets of over a million records (related tables) as well as feature classes that have over 6,000 features. It is slow for sure and throws errors sometimes, but most of the time the downloads succeed. I am publishing as regular map services with no feature access for editing, if that matters at all. This is using Chrome most of the time.

But In order to get any of my very large datasets (the related tables) to be even included in Open Data, I have had to use SDE instead of file GDB. So in my opinion, there is a limitation of some yet-to-be-fully understood technical nature (after much discussion with open data, online, and server support) as using enterprise resources are not always possible for organizations. while I am OK for the moment, I am not OK with another workaround.