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The Geospatial Competency Centre (GCC) is committed to maintaining the Enterprise Geospatial Environment (EGE) in a State of Good Repair in order to provide consistent and reliable service to all City divisions, as well as access to new technologies.

...

1 ArcMap & ArcCatalog require a 32-bit Oracle Client. ArcGIS Pro requires a 64-bit Oracle client. 
2 Upgrading to a newer version of ArcGIS Pro is not supported by Esri while we are using Oracle 18c databases.

Required Actions for GCCView users

Upgrade license manager – Deadline: Dec 31st, 2023

...

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titleCoordinate System Migration NAD27 MTM Zone 10 to NAD83 (CSRS) / MTM zone 10

Migration of the coordinate system


from

:

NAD27 MTM Zone 10


to

:

NAD83 (CSRS) / MTM zone 10

NAD83 (CSRS)

North American Datum of 1983 (sometimes called NAD83) is the current reference system adopted as a national standard by most federal and provincial agencies in Canada. Neighbouring municipalities of the City of Toronto are mostly using NAD83. The previous datum used (NAD27) made it difficult to share accurate geographic data with external municipalities and consultants.

The North American Datum of 1983 (Canadian Spatial Reference System) is the improved realization of NAD83 for Canada. It is often referred to as NAD83 (CSRS) or just CSRS. It is the most current and practical representation of the City of Toronto.

For further information, see The Canadian Spatial Reference System (CSRS).

NAD83 (CSRS) / MTM zone 10

The City of Toronto uses the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) Canadian Spatial Reference System (CSRS) with a Modified Transverse Mercator (MTM) projection with for its geographic layers.

It is available in the CITYMTM data schema in GCCVIEW IGEDMG2.

This coordinate system can be referred to using EPSG code: 2952 and Well-known Text: NAD83 (CSRS) / MTM zone 10. Technical details of this coordinate reference system can be found in the IOGP's EPSG Geodetic Parameter Dataset.

NAD83 (CSRS) / MTM Zone 10 is the recommended coordinate system for data management purposes going forward.

Migrating to NAD83 (CSRS) / MTM zone 10

CITYPRJ (NAD27 MTM Zone 10) and CITYGCS (WGS84) data will remain active in the IGEDM database until the end of 2019. The GCC highly encourages you to transition to the IGEDMG2 database using CITYMTM (NAD83 (CSRS) / MTM Zone 10) data as early as possible. Please contact gcc@toronto.ca if you need assistance.

There will be very limited corporate support for NAD27 MTM Zone 10 going forward. It is recommended to switch to NAD83 (CSRS) as soon as possible.

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titleReprojection of Data from NAD27 MTM Zone 10 to NAD83 (CSRS) / MTM Zone 10

Reprojection of Data from NAD27 MTM Zone 10 to NAD83 (CSRS) / MTM Zone 10

ArcCatalog

Prerequisites – ArcCatalog:

  • Download this geographic transformation file (.gtf) to your ArcGIS Desktop user profile location:
    C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\ESRI\Desktop10.x\ArcToolbox\CustomTransformations
    – Create the "CustomTransformations" folder if necessary

  • Download this transformation file (.gsb) to the ArcGIS Desktop install folder location:
    C:\Program Files (x86)\ArcGIS\Desktop10.x\pedata\ntv2\canada
    – Create the "canada" folder if necessary

For Internet Explorer (IE) users

Please "right click" the file "Save target as..." to initiate the above file downloads.

Steps to Project in ArcCatalog:

Project Geoprocessing ToolSpatial Reference PropertiesSpatial Reference Properties screen, click on the star iconSpatial Reference Properties screen, click OKProject screen, all values populated

  1. Open ArcCatalog

  2. Launch ArcToolBox

  3. Launch the Project Geoprocessing Tool (Data Management Tools> Projections and Transformation > Project

  4. In Input Dataset or Feature Class, browse to your input NAD27 MTM 10 dataset

  5. The Input Coordinate System updates to show MTM_3Degree

  6. Specify an Output Dataset or Feature Class

  7. Click on the button beside Output Coordinate System screen to bring up the Spatial Reference Properties window

  8. In the Search text box, type CSRS and click Search

  9. Expand Project Coordinate Systems > National Grids > Canadaand then select NAD 1983 CSRS MTM 10

  10. Click on the star icon to add to your list of favorites for easy access

  11. With NAD 1983 CSRS MTM 10 selected, click OK

  12. By default, the tool selects the custom transformation installed Toronto NAD 1927 (1974) to NAD 1983 CSRS (1997) Version 1. Click OK to begin reprojecting

ArcGIS Pro

Prerequisites – ArcGIS Pro:

  • Download this geographic transformation file (.gtf) to your ArcGIS Pro user profile location:
    C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\ESRI\ArcGISPro\ArcToolbox\CustomTransformations
    – Create the " CustomTransformations" folder if necessary

  • Download this transformation file (.gsb) to the ArcGIS Pro install folder location:
    C:\Program Files\ArcGIS\Pro\Resources\pedata\ntv2\canada.
    – Create the "canada" folder if necessary

For Internet Explorer (IE) users

Please "right click" the file "Save target as..." to initiate the above file downloads.

Steps to Project in ArcGIS Pro:

Find Tool,search for ProjectCoordinate System screenCoordinate System, select NAD 1983 CSRS MTM 10Coordinate System screen, select star iconGeoprocessing screen, populated with all required values

  1. Open ArcGIS Pro

  2. In the Analysis ribbon, click on Tools to open the Geoprocessing window

  3. In Find Tools, search for Project and launch the Project (Data Management Tools) tool

  4. In Input Dataset or Feature Class, browse to your input NAD27 MTM 10 dataset

  5. Specify an Output Dataset or Feature Class

  6. Click on the button beside Output Coordinate System to bring up the Spatial Reference Properties window

  7. In the Search text box, type CSRS and hit Enter on your keyboard

  8. Expand Projected Coordinate Systems > National Grids > Canadaselect NAD 1983 CSRS MTM 10

  9. Click on the star icon to add to your list of favorites for easy access

  10. With NAD 1983 CSRS MTM 10 selected, click OK

  11. By default, the tool selects the custom transformation installed Toronto NAD 1927 (1974) to NAD 1983 CSRS (1997) Version 1. Click OK to begin reprojecting

Expand
titleReprojection on-the-fly NAD83 CSRS to and from WGS84

Reprojection on-the-fly NAD83 CSRS to and from WGS84

In ArcGIS Desktop, the geographic coordinate system of a data frame or map can be different from the native geographic coordinate system of the data sources. When displaying multiple datasets with different geographic coordinate systems, you need a geographic transformation. Geographic transformations translate coordinates from one geographic coordinate system to another. ArcGIS Desktop will then project the data 'on-the-fly' to the coordinate system that is set for the data frame or map using the geographic transformation chosen.

When working with geographic transformations, if no mention is made of the direction, ArcGIS Desktop will handle the directionality automatically. For example, if converting data from WGS 1984 to NAD 1983 CSRS, you can pick a transformation called NAD_1983_CSRS_to_WGS_1984_1 and the software will apply it correctly.

Caution: If you need to edit or perform analysis on your data, it is good practice to work with data in the same coordinate system. Use the Project tool to project spatial data from one coordinate system to another. Please refer to the 'Reprojection of Data' Section for detailed instructions.

ArcMap

Steps to Project in ArcCatalog

:

Coordinate System Favourites

  1. Open ArcMap

  2. Add your first layer to the map, for example a CITYMTM layer (NAD 1983 CSRS MTM 10).

  3. Right click on the active Data Frame 'Layers' < Properties < Coordinate System tab

  4. Currently, the data frame coordinate system is defined as the first layer that was added to ArcMap, in this case, NAD_1983_CSRS_MTM_10.

  5. You may add this projection to your favorites list for easier access in the future

  6. Add your second layer to the map, for example, a layer from a web service. City's web services are published in WGS84 Web Mercator Auxiliary Sphere. ArcMap recognizes that there is a datum difference and displays A Geographic Coordinate System Warning.

  7. Click the Transformations button

  8. Choose Convert from 'GCS_WGS_1984' into 'GCS_North_American_1983_CSRS' using 'NAD_1983_CSRS_To_WGS_1984_1' and click OK.

  9. Same transformation method can be used when converting from 'GCS_North_American_1983_CSRS' into 'GCS_WGS_1984' depends on which coordinate system the user choose to see their data in.

This process merely transforms the coordinates 'on-the-fly' without having to re-project the data. Failure to do so will result in an apparent shift when displaying both coordinate systems together.

ArcGIS Pro

Transformation Warning in ArcGIS Pro

Steps to Project on-the-fly in ArcGIS Pro

:

  1. Open ArcGIS Pro

  2. Add a new map to your project, the map will start with the default Basemap (WGS84 Web Mercator Auxiliary Sphere)

  3. Add your layer to the map, for example a CITYMTM layer (NAD 1983 CSRS MTM 10).

  4. ArcGIS Pro recognizes that there is a datum difference and displays the Transformation Warning window from NAD 1983 CSRS MTM 10 to the datum of the Basemap (GCS WGS 1984)

  5. In the GCS WGS 1984 Transformation drop down list, select 'NAD 1983 CSRS To WGS 1984 1' and click OK

  6. Your features will now draw on the Basemap with no apparent shift

Same transformation method can be used when converting from 'GCS WGS 1984' into 'GCS North American 1983 CSRS' depends on which coordinate system the user choose to see their data in.

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titleReprojection on-the-fly NAD83 CSRS to and from NAD27

Reprojection on-the-fly NAD83 CSRS to and from NAD27

In ArcGIS Desktop, the geographic coordinate system of a data frame or map can be different from the native geographic coordinate system of the data sources. When displaying multiple datasets with different geographic coordinate systems, you need a geographic transformation. Geographic transformations translate coordinates from one geographic coordinate system to another. ArcGIS Desktop will then project the data 'on-the-fly' to the coordinate system that is set for the data frame or map using the geographic transformation chosen.

When working with geographic transformations, if no mention is made of the direction, ArcGIS Desktop will handle the directionality automatically.

Caution: If you need to edit or perform analysis on your data, it is good practice to work with data in the same coordinate system. Use the Project tool to project spatial data from one coordinate system to another. Please refer to the 'Reprojection of Data' Section for detailed instructions.

ArcMap

Steps to Project on-the-fly in Arc Map

Transformation method: Toronto NAD 1927 (1974) to NAD 1983 CSRS (1997) Version 1

Prerequisites: Install the custom geographic transformation file (.gtf) and transformation file (.gsb) to ArcGIS Desktop. Please refer to the 'Reprojection of Data' < 'ArcCatalog'/'ArcGIS Pro' 'Prerequisites' Section for detailed instructions.

Follow same steps as in the NAD83 CSRS to and from WGS84 section.

MTM to CSRS in ArcMap

Steps to Project in ArcGIS Pro

:

Follow same steps as in the NAD83 CSRS to and from WGS84 section.

MTM to CSRS in ArcMap

Expand
titleWeb Service Changes to Web Mercator

Web Service Changes to Web Mercator

The NAD27 MTM Zone 10 web services (e.g. cot_geospatial_mtm) will be decommissioned at the end of 2019. From that point forward web services will only be available in Web Mercator (EPSG: 3857).

Web Mercator is currently the standard for sharing data on the Web. By decommissioning the NAD27 MTM Zone 10 web services, we will ensure that our map data aligns properly with other services such as popular content providers Microsoft Bing Maps, Google Maps, and ESRI ArcGIS Online, which have standardized their services on the Web Mercator coordinate system.

If you have web applications that are using the NAD27 MTM Zone 10 web services or basemaps, please contact gcc@toronto.ca as early as possible for assistance.

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titleNew Map Services new URL structure

New Map Services new URL structure

Traditionally, the GCC served two sets of map services, one set for NAD27 (e.g. cot_geospatial_mtm) and another set for Web Mercator (e.g. cot_geospatial_webm).

With the migration to NAD83 CSRS coordinate system, no custom transformation file is needed when publish the map service to Web Mercator, which greatly simplifies the way GCC serves map services:

  • Web services will be only available in Web Mercator, the suffix (webm) on the web service name will be removed. For example, cot_geospatial_webm will become cot_geospatial

  • All web services will be moved from the primary folder to the root directory of the ArcGIS Server

  • HTTPS is now enforced on all web services

For users who consumes the GCC map services, the change is reflected in the URL of the web service. For example, to get to map service cot_geospatial:

Old URL:

New URL:

Note: Cloud hosted layers on ArcGIS Online will not be affected by this change.

Expand
titlePublishing NAD83 CSRS layer as Hosted Feature Layer to ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise

Publishing NAD83 CSRS layer as Hosted Feature Layer to ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise

To web enable feature layers from your local file geodatabase or shapefiles (packaged in a .zip file), upload your files to ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise and have them hosted as services. These services are referred to as hosted feature layers. The features are published in the WGS 1984 Web Mercator (Auxiliary Sphere) coordinate system. This is a useful workflow to visualize your data on the web.

To publish NAD83 CSRS layer to ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise as hosted feature layer, please follow the instructions below:

ArcMap

  1. Open ArcMap

  2. Add your NAD83 CSRS layer to the map document

  3. Right click on the active Data Frame 'Layers' > Properties > Coordinate System tab

  4. Currently, the data frame coordinate system is defined as the first layer that was added to ArcMap, in this case, NAD_1983_CSRS_MTM_10

  5. ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise web maps use Web Mercator Basemaps, so we will publish this web service as Web Mercator projection

  6. In the Search, search for Web Mercator and expand Projected Coordinate Systems > World > WGS 1984 Web Mercator (auxiliary sphere).

  7. Save this projection to your favorites for easier access in the future

  8. With the projection selected, click Apply

  9. You may be prompted to apply a Transformation. If you are not prompted, click on the Transformations button

  10. Based on the projection selected in the previous step, ArcMap determines that you are converting from the GCS_North_American_1983_CSRS datum to the GCS_WGS_1984 datum

  11. In the Using drop down list, select the NAD_1983_CSRS_To_WGS_1984_1 method and click OK

  12. You can now proceed to publish your map to ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise

Layer Properties coordinate system

Note: All hosted feature layers are stored in Web Mercator (auxiliary sphere) coordinates. This process merely transforms your NAD 83 CSRS data to Web Mercator (auxiliary sphere) coordinates without having to first re-project your data. Failure to do so will result in an apparent shift.

ArcGIS Pro

  1. Open ArcGIS Pro

  2. Add a map to your project

  3. Add your NAD83 CSRS layer to the map document

  4. ArcGIS Pro recognizes that there is a datum difference and displays the Transformation Warning window from NAD 1983 CSRS MTM 10 to the datum of the basemap project (GCS WGS 1984)

  5. In the GCS WGS 1984 Transformation drop down list, select NAD 1983 CSRS To WGS 1984 1 and click OK

  6. Your features will now draw on the Basemap with no apparent shift

  7. In order to publish this as a web service to ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise, we will need to also define the feature service projection to be Web Mercator Auxiliary Sphere.

  8. R-click on the Map object in the Contents pane of ArcGIS Pro > Properties > Coordinate Systems. Currently it is defined as the layer's source projection

  9. Search for Web Mercator and expand Projected Coordinate System > World > WGS 1984 Web Mercator (auxiliary sphere)

  10. You may add this projection to your favorites list for easier access in the future

  11. With the Web Mercator projection selected, click on Transformation and verify that the Transformation Method selected for GCS North American 1983 CSRS is set to NAD 1983 CSRS To WGS 1984 1

  12. Click OK

  13. You can now proceed to publish your map to ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise

  14. Note that you should remove the basemap before publishing

  15. Please also note that all hosted feature layers are stored in Web Mercator (auxiliary sphere) coordinates. This process merely transforms your NAD 83 CSRS data to Web Mercator (auxiliary sphere) coordinates without having to first re-project your data. Failure to do so will result in an apparent shift.

ArcGIS Pro Transformation Warning

Note: All hosted feature layers are stored in Web Mercator (auxiliary sphere) coordinates. This process merely transforms your NAD 83 CSRS data to Web Mercator (auxiliary sphere) coordinates without having to first re-project your data. Failure to do so will result in an apparent shift.

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titleTechnology Upgrades ArcGIS and Oracle Client version upgrades

Technology Upgrades ArcGIS and Oracle Client version upgrades

Desktop users might require upgrades to software installed on users' computers to ensure uninterrupted access to corporate data. You will need to contact the TSD Service Desk for software upgrades.  Below are the recommended configurations (detailed reason follows below):

  • ArcGIS Desktop 10.3.1 with 32bit Oracle 12c Client

  • ArcGIS Pro 2.1 or higher with 64bit Oracle 12c Client

Both configurations can be installed simultaneously on users' PCs

As part of the Enterprise Geospatial Environment State of Good Repair, the GCCVIEW geospatial data environment will be upgraded to the following:

  • Oracle: 12c R1 (12.1.0.2)

  • Esri Geodatabase: 10.4.1

The following table indicates which version of ArcGIS client applications can connect to the current (IGEDM) and new (IGEDMG2) environment:

Current (IGEDM)

New (IGEDMG2)

Oracle

11g R2 (11.2.04)

12c R1 (12.1.02)

Geodatabase

9.3.1

10.4.1

Oracle Client*

11g

12c

Supported ArcMap & ArcCatalog (32bit) versions

9.3 – 10.3.1

10.3.1 – 10.6.1

Supported ArcGIS Pro (64bit) versions

NA

2.1 – 2.3

*ArcMap & ArcCatalog require 32bit Oracle Client. ArcGIS Pro requires 64bit Oracle Client. Of note, Oracle 12c Client supports connections to 11g databases.

To prepare for this migration, ArcGIS Desktop 10.3.1 is the only version that can connect to both the current and the new EGE environment. If you are using older versions of ArcMap and Oracle Client, the GCC highly encourages all users to upgrade to ArcGIS Desktop 10.3.1 and upgrade the Oracle Client to 12c. You will need to contact the TSD Service Desk to have these software versions installed on your computer.

For users that would like to upgrade to versions of ArcGIS Desktop client software newer than 10.3.1, including any versions of ArcGIS Pro, please refer to the table above for versions supported. For further information, see client and geodatabase compatibility for ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro.

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titleNew Database Connections Connection to IGEDMG2

New Database Connections Connection to IGEDMG2

Connect using ArcCatalog

Database Connections folder icon

  1. Open ArcCatalog.

  2. In the  Database Connections folder, double click  Add Database Connection

  3. Database Connections window, enter the following connection information:

    • Database Platform: Oracle

    • Server: IGEDMG2

    • Username: username

    • Password: your new password

  4. Uncheck the Save username and password.
    If it remains checked whenever you save your map project, it will save your password information. Issues arise if in the future you change your password and reopen the map project. Account will lock because it is accessing the old stored password information.

  5. Click OK

Connect using ArcGIS Pro

Database Connections folder iconDatabase Connection window details

  1. Open ArcGIS Pro.

  2. In the  Database Connections folder, right click to create New Database Connection

  3. Database Connections window, enter the following connection information:

    1. Database Platform: Oracle

    2. Server: IGEDMG2

    3. Username: username

    4. Password: your new password

  4. Uncheck the Save username and password.If it remains checked whenever you save your map project, it will save your password information. Issues arise if in the future you change your password and reopen the map project. Account will lock because it is accessing the old stored password information.

  5. Click OK

Database Connections in the Catalog Tree in ArcGIS ProDatabase Connection window details

If you do not have a User name and password, please contact gcc@toronto.ca to request access.

Connect using QGIS

Creating a stored Connection to a Database

The first time you use an Oracle Spatial data source, you must create a connection to the database that contains the data.

  1. Begin by opening the Data Source Manager. To access the data source manager, click on the Layer / Data Source Manager, or press CTRL+L.

  2. To create a new connection, click on Oracle on the left side of the dialog box.

  3. Click the [New] button to display the Create a New Oracle Spatial Connection dialog.

QGIS - Oracle database connection newQGIS - Oracle database connections

IGEDMG2

The parameters required for a connection are:

Name:IGEDMG2

Database:igedmg2

Host:gccview.corp.toronto.ca Please note that if you get a TNS error then try leaving this field blank.

Port:1526 Please note that if you get a TNS error then try leaving this field blank.

Username:<your SDE username>

Password<your SDE password>

Activate the following checkboxes:

  1. Save username

  2. Save password

  3. Only look in metadata table (this can speed up the initial display of the spatial tables)

  4. Use estimated table statistics for the layer metadata

  5. Only existing geometry types

  6. Only list the existing geometry types and don't offer to add others

Once all parameters and options are set, you can test the connection by clicking on the Test Connect button. If successful, hit Ok. Click Close.

Adding database layers to a map

To add layers from a spatial database to a map, follow the steps outlined below:

QGIS - oracle database connectionsQGIS - oracle database connectionsQGIS - oracle database connectionsQGIS - oracle database connections

  1. in QGIS, locate the Browser window, and double click on Oracle

  2. . It will expand and show all the Oracle Spatial database connections that you have created.

  3. Double clicking on the connection name or clicking its > will open the connection and display all the schemas you have permission to read.
    Note:

    With large databases such as GCCVIEW (IGEDM or IGEDMG2), this can take a few minutes to populate all schemas and tables. Progress is shown in the status bar on the bottom left of the application.

  4. Double clicking on the schema name, or clicking its > will open the schema, and show all its related layers.

  5. Double-clicking on, or dragging a layer down onto the Layers frame will add the data to the map. Before the information can be shown, QGIS requires information about the projection of the data. By default, it assumes data is in WGS 84. Ensure you select the correct Coordinate Reference System for the data you are trying to load.
    When loading data from the CITYMTM schema, use the Toronto - NAD83 (CSRS) / MTM Zone 10Warning!

    Selecting the wrong Coordinate Reference System will result in data misalignment.

  6. The data will now begin to load in the map window.

Expand
titleDecommissioning of IGEDM database Including associated layers and web services

Decommissioning of IGEDM database Including associated layers and web services

At the end of 2019, these services will be decommissioned:

  • IGEDM (GCCVIEW) database

  • CITYPRJ layers

  • CITYGCS layers

  • Web services ending in "mtm"