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Floria Handheld support offline maps using the MBTiles format, which is an open source map file standard.
Below are two methods you can use if you either have your maps in ArcMap or QGis. For customers who use our map hosting service, we will prepare MBTiles files for the maps that have hosted with us as part of the service.
Preparing MBTiles using Esri ArcMap
Please note that this process requires a relativly high level of technical expertise.
Create an mbtiles map file by following these steps:
•Create a tile package from ArcMap.
•Convert the tile package to an MBTiles file using tpkutils (ArcGIS Tile Package Utilities).
Before you start
•Download the Botanical Software mbtiles tools from this link: http://support.botanicalsoftware.com/download/floria_mbtiles_tools.zip.
•Copy the content to a dedicated folder, such as C:\mbtilesconvert\.
How to create a tile package in ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro
•Make sure that the map follows the Web Mercator Projection (EPSG: 3857).
•Check the Map Extent and only include a map area that is strictly relevant for the App.
•When you produce a tile package, make sure you include sufficient zoom levels for detail, but don’t be too greedy either. Zoom level 20 or 21 is normally sufficient. For an Arboretum, 19 might be sufficient. Use jpg for satellite maps, otherwise png. The standard tile schema provided by older version of Esri products will not give you sufficient details. If you are unable to select below level 19, use the ArcGIS_Floria_TilingScheme.xml scheme, found in the download above, which will give you much more details.
•Note. Users of Esri products have reported issues with a generated tile package being incomplete. This appear to be linked to the how the extent and spatial reference. More details can be found in this thread on the Esri community.
•To produce a tile package from ArcMap, follow this guide: http://desktop.arcgis.com/en/arcmap/10.3/map/working-with-arcmap/how-to-create-a-tile-package.htm.
•To produce a tile package from ArcGIS Pro, follwo this guide: https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/tool-reference/data-management/create-map-tile-package.htm
How to configure the mbtiles converter (ArcGIS Tile Package Utilities).
•Install GIT on your windows computer: https://git-scm.com/download/win
•Ensure Python 2.7 is in place. The scripts in the download assume you have this in the ArcGIS 10.5 folder.
•Install the TPK utility package from command prompt.
•Example : C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.5\Scripts>pip install git+https://github.com/consbio/tpkutils.git –upgrade
•change the batch file if necessary. C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.5\python.exe C\mbtilesconvert\MbTilesConvert.py %1
More details about the “ArcGIS Tile Package Utilities”: https://github.com/consbio/tpkutils
How to convert tpk files to mbtiles
You can now drop tpk files onto the batch file to convert.
Preparing MBTiles using QGis
QGis has a raster tool found in the processing toolbox titled "Generate MBTiles".
We have tried to use this tool with a WMS server as a layer source, but without success. However, if you instead connect directly to the same server as a source (ArcGISMapServer) and load the layers that way, everthing works fine.
•Make sure that the map follows the Web Mercator Projection (EPSG: 3857).
•With QGis zoom into your preferred extent before you start. You can use visible Canvas as an extent.
•When you produce a tile package, make sure you include sufficient zoom levels for detail, but don’t be too greedy either. Zoom level 20 or 21 is normally sufficient. For an Arboretum, 19 might be sufficient.
•Use jpg for satellite maps, otherwise png.
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