Back to Blog
Enhance ArcGIS Urban with 3D Imagery and Data
Jun 2020
Layer Nearmap 3D textured mesh as a basemap into ArcGIS Urban for instantly improved visualization and rich data to manage your city projects.
Jun 2020
)
ArcGIS Urban now includes the ability to add Nearmap 3D textured mesh as a basemap to jump start cities.
ArcGIS Urban is a specialized Esri application, described as “a web-based 3D experience designed to drive smart urban planning and development”. First released in July 2019, it has seen broad adoption by city planning departments across the United States and beyond, including Australia and Sweden.
Despite its availability for nearly a year, one major challenge exists that prevents cities from using this powerful platform: accurate 3D location data. Access to usable 3D content that is current, easily integrated, and readily available has prevented many cities from taking advantage of the benefits ArcGIS Urban offers. Cities need 3D data that covers the entire city jurisdiction, not just a city block. Enter Nearmap.
)
Nearmap is an Esri Gold Partner and has developed simple integrations into most Esri products.
Nearmap 3D coverage in the US, Australia, and Canada aligns perfectly with existing and potential ArcGIS Urban users, providing the ability to get started using ArcGIS Urban immediately. Version 2.0 of ArcGIS Urban, released this week, gives users access to a Nearmap offline 3D textured mesh file of their entire city as a scene layer package (SLPK) to be used as a 3D basemap. Layering in Nearmap 3D instantly improves your visualization, giving you rich data to start and manage your city projects.
Get true location intelligence
Why choose Nearmap for your 3D content? Nearmap is uniquely positioned with Esri to offer city extents of textured mesh for use in ArcGIS Urban v2.0 due to the extensive and continually updated library of 3D content. The Nearmap 3D library is so extensive that 85% of US cities with a population over 100,000 are already covered, plus hundreds more cities in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
)
ArcGIS Urban with Nearmap 3D basemap creates a realistic urban planning platform for cities
Esri has created a demonstration and training site for ArcGIS Urban that includes Nearmap 3D textured mesh as a 3D basemap using Boston and Melbourne as examples. This allows new users access to an example city paired with free tutorials via YouTube. Learn while you watch! In addition, the site can be used in conjunction with a free 21-day trial of ArcGIS Urban available from Esri.
City staff in planning and economic development can now quickly realize the value of a 3D basemap for supporting key initiatives citywide. Zoning and land use plans created in ArcGIS Urban allow users to quickly test policy scenarios moving the traditional practice towards a more analytical and data-driven process. Users can compare development proposals and review designs as they are submitted through the BIM process from architectural software like Revit, within full and accurate context of their city. Nearmap 3D textured mesh further adds to the urban context by adding photo realistic 3D data as illustrated in the image above.
To load Nearmap textured mesh as a base layer, users merely select the Nearmap SLPK file in their ArcGIS Online account and hit publish. Once in ArcGIS Urban in the Data Manager tab, under 3D Base Layers you’ll see an item named Existing buildings layer for satellite visualization (SceneLayer). Click Select Item and navigate to your published Nearmap 3D Mesh layer that is in your ArcGIS Online account.
)
ArcGIS Urban now includes an additional Base Layer item for a textured mesh basemap
Are you ready to start planning and creating the cities of the future with Nearmap 3D in ArcGIS Urban? Find more information about ArcGIS Urban. To discover what Nearmap 3D can do for you across all of your project planning needs, visit our 3D aerial imagery page for additional insight.