ArcGIS Pro - Default Spatial Reference System as 'none'

[RobertDavis]

I noticed that the default spatial reference system in ArcGIS Pro is automatically set to WGS, compared to the default spatial reference system in ArcGIS Desktop is set to 'none'. When adding files (.dwg or .dgn) that do not have a spatial reference system into a map that has a reference system different than the files, this can cause the elements to display in physically very different places. It's easy enough to remember to change the spatial reference system to the correct one before adding layers, but it's also just as easy to forget this step and wonder why elements that once lined up in your .dgn no longer do.

To minimize events like the one described above, I think it would be beneficial to either set the default spatial reference system to 'none' in ArcGIS Pro, or have it as a separate option so we can create a template project with spatial reference set to 'none'.

[JoeFlannery]

Additionally, set it up like ArcMap.  The first layer added to the map defines the coordinate system.

[KoryKramer]

Joe, in the Project options for the Application > Map and Scene you can set the Spatial Reference as 'Use spatial reference of first operational layer'

I think what is lacking and to robert.davis‌'s point, even if we set the default basemap to None, when I add a new map to a project, it still has a spatial reference of WGS84 Web Mercator Auxiliary Sphere, as if it were using an online basemap.

[JoeFlannery]

Kory:

Thank you for pointing that out to all of us.