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Coordinate system requirements

To perform geographic transformations (for example, NTv2, GEOCON, and NADCON5) and vertical transformations (for example, EGM and VERTCON) requires additional coordinate system files to properly transform and render features.

The following are the additional coordinate system files that you can use on ArcGIS Server machines:

  • ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data—Install ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data on all machines in stand-alone and federated ArcGIS GIS Server sites, including the hosting server site.
    Note:

    When you upgrade ArcGIS Server to 11.2, you must uninstall the previous version of ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data before you install the 11.2 version of ArcGIS Coordinate System Data.

  • Third-party transformation grids—You may need to obtain transformation grids from the appropriate third-party providers and place them on machines in stand-alone and federated ArcGIS GIS Server sites, including the hosting server site.

Install ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data

The ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data component is required if you will perform geographic or vertical transformations.

Follow the steps below to install ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data.

  1. Download the ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data installation from My Esri.

    The downloaded file name is ArcGIS_Coordinate_Systems_Data_Windows_<release_part#>.

  2. Place the installation file on each machine in all GIS Server sites in your deployment.
  3. Browse to the location where you placed the ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data file, and double-click it to start the installation process.
  4. Accept the destination folder to which files are extracted and placed in a folder named CoordinateSystemsData, or click Browse to select a different destination.

    The default destination folder for the CoordinateSystemsData folder and files is <System Drive>\Users\<username>\Documents\ArcGIS <version>.

  5. Click Next.

    A message indicates when the files have been successfully extracted, and the Launch the setup program check box is checked by default.

    Note:

    To install the software later, uncheck the Launch the setup program check box and click Close. When you're ready to install, browse to the CoordinateSystemsData folder in the destination you specified in the previous step, and double-click Setup.exe.

  6. Click Close.
  7. In the Welcome to the ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data Setup program window, click Next.
  8. Review the license agreement and choose an option:
    • If you agree to the terms, click the option to accept the agreement and click Next.
    • If you do not agree to the terms, click Cancel to exit the installation.
  9. Optionally, in the Select Features window, choose the grids to exclude from the installation. Click the corresponding button in the list and choose This feature will not be available.

    If you later require a feature you excluded from the original installation, you can modify the installation.

  10. In the same window, accept the default installation folder location, or click Change to specify a different folder.

    Ensure you selected one of the features to install to enable the option to change installation folders.

  11. Click Next.
  12. Click Install.
  13. When the installation is complete, click Finish.

Modify or remove ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data

If you require additional coordinate system grids that you did not install initially, you can modify the ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data installation to install those missing files.

Uninstall ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data before you install a newer version of ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data or if you no longer need any of the coordinate systems it provides.

Follow these steps to modify the ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data installation:

  1. Sign in to the machine as a Windows administrator and open the list of installed software.

    There are multiple ways to access the list of software installed on Microsoft Windows machines, and how you access the list varies by Windows version. If you are unsure how to access the software list, consult the Microsoft documentation for the version of Windows that you are using.

  2. Select ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data from the software list.
    • To uninstall all components of ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data, click Uninstall. When prompted to confirm that you want to uninstall, click Yes.
    • To alter what features are installed, click Modify or Change to access the ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data Setup wizard, and proceed with the remaining steps.
  3. Ensure Modify is selected and click Next.
  4. Choose which set of coordinate systems data to add or remove from this machine:
    • To install all coordinate system data, click the drop-down menu next to Coordinate Systems Data and choose This feature, and all subfeatures, will be installed on local hard drive.
    • To install an individual coordinate systems dataset, click the drop-down menu next to the dataset and click This feature will be installed on local hard drive.
    • To remove an individual coordinate systems dataset, click the drop-down menu next to the dataset and click This feature will not be available.
  5. Click Next.
  6. Click Install.

Add third-party transformation grids

For some grid-based geographic and vertical transformations, ArcGIS Server includes their definitions but does not distribute the grid files due to license restrictions. You must obtain these grid files directly from their third-party provider or government agency. In some cases, you may need to purchase the grid files from their provider.

Once you obtain the grid files you require and you have installed ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data on each machine in the ArcGIS Server site, create subfolders in the CoordinateSystemsData\pedata folder in the installation location on each machine in the site. Sort files into folders by transformation type, region, country, and transformation method name. For example, an NTv2 file should be added into a ...\pedata\geographic\<your_region>\<your_country>\ntv2 subfolder and a geoid model can be added to a ...\pedata\vertical\<your_region>\<your_country>\geoid subfolder. For detailed instructions, contact your local distributor.