When ArcGIS IPS was first released with ArcGIS Pro 2.9 and ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps 100.13, the IPS data required to enable indoor positioning was stored in an indoor positioning file. This file, an SQLite database, stored IPS data in a non-native ArcGIS format as an attachment to a row in a table called IPS_Positioning, which is part of the IPS information model. The tools that enabled creating and populating the information model were:
- Enable Indoor Positioning
- Generate Indoor Positioning File
- Generate Indoor Positioning File Without Survey
Starting with ArcGIS Pro 3.3 and Native Maps SDKs 200.4, a new information model was introduced in ArcGIS IPS. In this updated model, IPS data is stored in Indoor Positioning Dataset, which is native to ArcGIS and provides advanced features and improvements over the indoor positioning files. We also introduced new tools to create the new model and populate the information model with the necessary IPS data. The original tools listed above were renamed as “Classic” within the Indoor Positioning toolbox.
With the release of ArcGIS Pro 3.7 in May 2026, we are deprecating the Classic tools and will eventually remove them from ArcGIS IPS starting with ArcGIS Pro 3.8.
If you need access to the latest enhancements in ArcGIS IPS, you should adopt the new information model. We recommend that you
- Upgrade to ArcGIS Pro 3.6 or later. Even though the new information model has been available since ArcGIS Pro 3.3, several new and enhanced features were added in subsequent releases that improve positioning accuracy and the overall user experience.
Some of those are:
- Adaptive radio positioning: improves positioning performance on low-end Android devices.
- Standing still filter: stabilizes the blue dot when the user is not moving.
- Geometry-aided IPS: uses indoor geometry to provide a smoother and more accurate blue dot.
- Migrate existing IPS data from the Classic model to the new model using the provided migration tool and workflow. Note that this tool will migrate the Classic indoor positioning file to new IPS positioning dataset that is compatible only with ArcGIS Pro 3.6.
- Update your applications to ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps 200.4 or later as earlier versions don’t support the new model.
If you use a custom native application built on ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps 200.3 or earlier versions and want to either generate new or update your IPS data in your existing Classic information model, you can do so via ArcPy scripting.
If you do not need to generate or update IPS data, you do not have to take any action.
If you use ArcGIS IPS through ArcGIS applications, such as ArcGIS Indoors Mobile, ArcGIS Field Maps, and ArcGIS Mission, which already run on ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps 200.4 or later, you will not be impacted.
If you are not yet able to move to the current version of ArcGIS IPS, you can still generate new or updated IPS data in your existing Classic information model. This can be done via ArcPy scripting (as deprecated tools will no longer be available through the ArcGIS Pro user interface). Since the Classic information model is supported from Native Maps SDKs 100.13 onwards, any existing custom or ArcGIS application continues to operate without the need to perform any action or upgrade.
If you have any questions, please post them in ArcGIS IPS Questions or reach out to your account manager.
