View GeoPDF Files in ArcMap

[DouglasCaldwell]

GeoPDF formatted data represents a large and growing source of information. The US Geological Survey is creating all new US Topo products in GeoPDF format and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency is releasing scanned map products in GeoPDF format.

It would be a great help if ArcMap would be able to display these GeoPDF products ... at least as a background map ... if not exploit their content further.

[jimschmidt2]

Re: Python script correction: replace x = line[15:25] with x = line[14:25] ; otherwise coordinates for 1:250000 scale maps will be read incorrectly.

[JackGibbons1]

Jsschmidt, I just succesfully used your instructions for GDAL in MS4W to convert GeoPDF to GeoTIF.  It worked great!  Thanks a lot for posting those steps!

[jimschmidt2]

I have posted a Python script that will convert the historic USGS GeoPDF maps to GeoTiffs in UTM, NAD83 coordinates. It supercedes the multi-step process I posted here on June 27, 2013.  The script can be found at::

http://mappingcenter.esri.com/index.cfm?fa=ask.answers&q=2237

[Z__NahideAydin]

What's is taking yopu so long ESRI?

[JohnNiles]

@jsschmidt 

I went step by step through your instructions and they quickly went over my head... 

What on earth does this mean??

"for /R C:\USGS_Topos1 %%f IN (*.pdf) do gdal_translate.exe  -of GTiff %%f C:\Gtiff\%%~nf.tif"  

I'm desperatly what to make this work!

[JohnBean]

Seriously ESRI...  A user has just given you the python script, why don't you incorporate it, or something like it, in a tool???  This is a no-brainer.

[JohnKerr]

Good old Global Mapper comes through again. Kind of embarassing that there's a program that costs $400 and, in many relevant ways, outperforms ArcGIS!

[ChristianHeinz]

Come on ESRI go for it! This would be such an enrichment in performance!

[BenAppleby]

I'm surprised this wasn't done a few years ago. ESRI spends so much time on advanced features for niche audiences that it misses obvious opportunities that would be used and appreciated by a larger base of its users. Just look how long it took them to realize that .GPX was here to stay and perhaps they should make it easier to use. 

[DustinWittwer1]

FYI:  TerraGo's Publisher for ArcGIS (v6.0.4) no longer seems to work for viewing the USGS USTOPO product (GeoPDF) in ArcGIS 10.1 running windows 7.  However Global Mapper (Blue Marble) can ingest the GeoPDF as a native format.