Installation

The application consists of two parts, a Microsoft Access database application and an ArcGIS toolbar. Either one can be installed and used separately, but they are designed to work together. These applications must be installed separately on every computer in your Info Center.

Installing the Database Application

The database application requires Microsoft Access 2010 or newer to run. It can be downloaded from this location:

Download link for database application

Depending on your web browser's settings, you may be able to run the installer directly, or you may have to download the installer and then run it. Please follow the installation prompts; the installer will create a desktop shortcut, which you can double-click to start the application:

The first time you run the application, you’ll be prompted to link it to the 'back-end' data file. This is the central location where the actual data are stored. The back-end data file may be a Microsoft Access database (most ICs use this), or a SQL Server database. Select the appropriate option for your IC. If you select Access, upon clicking the Link button you will then be prompted to navigate to the location of the back-end database. If you select SQL Server, you will need to enter the server and database names, and optionally credentials, before clicking the Link button.

In some cases, following this step (and upon every subsequent launch of the application), you may see messages indicating that the PDF library folder cannot be reached, or that the OHP database is not in its expected location. To correct these errors, please see the administration page entry on database settings.

Installing the ArcGIS Add-in

The ArcGIS toolbars are installed via an 'add-in' for ESRI ArcGIS 10.1 or higher. To install, use the link below:

Download link for ArcGIS add-ins

To install, just download the file, and double-click on the downloaded file. If nothing happens, or you receive an error message, or are prompted for which program to use to handle the file, you most likely do not have the correct version of ArcGIS installed.

The add-in tools require that you have a standard set of GIS layers in your map document. Your IC should already have an ArcMap template document set up with the required layers in it; or you can create your own ArcMap document using the prepackaged layer files below. Once you have added the layer files to your map, you can use the 'Change edit file' tool to specify the location of your IC's GIS data.

Note that because ArcGIS is a 32-bit program, it can only inter-operate with 32-bit versions of Microsoft Office. The 32-bit version of Office is the default, but some IT support staff may install a 64-bit version by default. To check the version of Office you have, open Access and then choose File from the main menu, then select Account, then About Access.

Depending on your version of Microsoft Office, in order to get the full functionality of the add-in you may also have to install the free Microsoft Access Database Engine redistributable component. This component is necessary so that the GIS add-in can control the Access application and read its data. The component is available from Microsoft here:

Download link for Access Engine redistributable

Revision History

Updates to the database application are released periodically. If your version is not the most recent one shown here, you can upgrade it simply by following the installation instructions above. When you re-install, any selections you have saved will be lost.

• Version 27 (7/23/2019): Uses the new (v4) back-end database format. Also provides improvements to processing of submitted template data, and numerous minor bug fixes.

• Version 26 (6/8/2017): Most current available version for use with the older (v3) back-end database format.

Older versions are no longer supported.