AutoCAD Integration

Problem

Campus planning and facilities management would like a geodatabase that contains the streets, existing and currently planned buildings, sidewalks, creek, lake and athletic fields but their existing data has been drawn in AutoCAD and it contains more data than just those six feature classes and it is not georeferenced.

Analysis Procedures

Strategies

ArcGIS Pro was used to import the CAD data. An orthographic file of the area was used for reference to georeference the client-provided CAD data. The six desired feature layers were then individually exported to the geodatabase using the feature class to feature class and feature to polygon tools.

Methods

First I began by defining the projection and coordinate system for the orthographic reference file. The CAD data was then georeferenced to it using the move feature and control points in the georeferencing tool. The six desired feature layers were then individually exported to the geodatabase using the feature to polygon tool (for lake, athletic field, existing and future buildings) and the feature class to feature class tool (for streets, sidewalks, and creek). The geodatabase can now be used to created a unified campus map including all the desired features.

Results

Application & Reflection

Indoor GIS is the latest trend in GIS and the skills I learned in this lesson allow me access to that type of data in ArcGIS Pro & ArcMap because now I know how to import CAD data into ArcGIS Pro/ArcMap and I know how to georeference it if needs be (without a world file and/or no coordinates provided). This could be used to created a detailed map of any (public) school or hospital campus where first responders may need to have detailed information about the outdoor and indoor spaces on a school campus so that they could respond to potential threats and/or reach those in need of emergency services most efficiently. They can plan the most efficient routes of entry and egress along the way as they are in transit to the call location. The Auto CAD drawings of the building could be obtained from the school district office or other governmental entity. Features included might include sidewalks, parking lots locations, entry/exit points, stairways, hallways and rooms. I can also imagine engineering & architectural applications that need to take both outdoor and indoor space planning into account. The outside might come from survey maps whereas the engineering/architectural firm would have the indoor space drawn in CAD.