How to create local Tile Package and its Tiling Scheme (offline)

[JeremieJoalland1]

I need to create customized Tile and Map Packages for our ArcGIS Runtime for Java Applications.
I'm using ArcGIS Desktop 10.1 SP1 and we are in disconnected/offline scenario, and I'm not administrator on my PC.

I am able to create Map Package file MPK with sample shapefiles data.

But I can't obtain any valid Tile Package, and don't understand why :
I have tried with raster data (geotiff) or only shapefiles, then Share Tile Package from menu or Create Map Tile Package Tool from toolbox, and when creation is executing, I doesn't have any error message, all treatments just ended by "succeeded" after few seconds only, and my TPK file always remain empty => like 200Ko ! if I open it in ArcGIS Desktop, there's only a GroupLayer but nothing for display.

As I need te create TPK, I have to create the Tiling Scheme XML file first : using "Generate Map server Cache Tiling Scheme" tool with my MXD.

I don't know if my issue is coming from the tiling scheme I created, from my coordinate system (I tried with GCS_WGS_1984, GCS_North_American_1983, World_Gall_Stereographic...), the fact I'm offline or without administrator privilege, the data format (only using shapefiles and/or geotiff) ...

attached file is my simple test with Canada sample data... prettry simple, but not working for TPK

thanks in advance for you help.

[EricBader]

Thanks for sharing these files.
I opened the mxd and created a tile package using your custom tiling scheme, using Share Tile Package from the ArcMap menu. I was successful in creating a 5+ Mb tile package.

Was this document below helpful to you at all?
http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/runtime-java/concepts/index.html#/How_to_create_a_tile_package/0...

[JeremieJoalland1]

Thanks for your answer...
yes, I've followed all documentation step by step, and it seems pretty simple once I've created my own tiling scheme file...
with Analyse, I don't have any critical/high issues.

I'm afraid something is wrong on my PC, but don't know what. As I mentionned in my first post, I don't have any error message, it's just that the Tile Package creation go very fast, and then the TPK is just empty as you can see with the TPK in my zip attached file.

my PC is running on WinXP, I've had ArcGIS Desktop/Engine 10.0 before, but unsintall them before installing ArcGIS Desktop 10.1 SP1 and ArcgIS Engine + Runtime for Java.
We don't have any ArcGIS Server, I'm developing ArcGIS Runtime application for disconnected scenario (offline).

But I now we have proxy issues with internet access on our computers (for example ArcGIS Runtime Java Sample are not able to load Tile/Map Service) as internet political constraints where I work. Also I'm not administrator on my PC.

Could these explain my problems ? I don't know what to do more than the simple "Share As > Tile Package" ?

more tests :
- if I Share on ArcGIS Online it's workinbg fine with MPK, for TPK it's the same, the TPK is published but is empty.
- when I click "Share" for Tile Package, the message box "generating tile for level 0 of 5" shows like 1 second and then I directly get the message "making package into files" (less than 1 sec), then "Successfully created the package".

[EricBader]

No, I don't think this has anything to do with internet connections.
Are you making sure that your tile_scheme XML is being used in the tile creation process?

[JeremieJoalland1]

I found it : the problem seems to come form missing Administrator privileges ! definitly from restrictions on my PC (process, folders... ?)

I was able to install ArcGIS Desktop on another PC (also WinXP) where I'm Administrator, and I am able to generate Tile Package !! (even succeeded with a 1.5 Go TPK with raster and shapefiles... in 8 hours).

Is there any documentation and/or explanation on the missing privileges to explain this Tile Pacakge issue ?

[EricBader]

Nice catch!
We need to find out if there is adequate documentation on this somwehere that is hard to find. Certainly not a good user experience to just end up with an unexplainable empty tile package.

[JeremieJoalland1 · Accepted solution]

I was finally able to generate valid Tiled Package (TPK) on my non-administrator PC.

It took us sometimes with France ESRI support because ArcGIS Desktop wasn't able to display error message, even if tiles weren't created.

Here are the solutions in my case :

1 / MXD with shapefile -> data were consolidated into a file geodatabase -> but TPK was empty:
- open the MXD on ArcMap and open another ArcMap with new blank map
- drag & drop all layers from existing map to the new map
- do basic steps to create TPK : "Share As..." -> when you clcik "Share" button, you can save the new mxd file
- in my case, it resolves my problem -> TPK was created with all tiles

2 / MXD with Coverage data -> data were consolidated into a file geodatabase (this file gdb is automatically created) -> but TPK was empty:
- previous solution didn't work !
- I renamed the File geodatabase name, and I renamed each Feature Dataset (automatically created from coverage structure)
- open your MXD, and update the source data for each layer (as names have changed)
- do basic steps to create TPK : "Share As..." -> when you clcik "Share" button, you can save the new mxd file
- in my case, it resolves my problem -> TPK was created with all tiles

Apart from these solutions, I don't clearly understand why I had so many problems to create tiles... but I hope ESRI will work on correct messages for next release, so if tiled package is created but without tiles, an error message will appear, and explicity explain what is wrong with the MXD file.

[Anonymous User]

@ jjoalland13

I encountered the same issue with empty TPK's with no explanation. Your method of pulling your layers into another MXD worked. One note is that when doing that, the link to my imagery broke. I wonder if there was an issue with that from the get-go. Nonetheless, thanks for figuring this one out!

[AlessandroValra]

Just to add something useful. I tried the good ol' "restart yuor machine" method ans that worked!