Using OS Building Height Attribute data from Digimap in ArcGIS Pro

Guy McGarva

Ian Holmes

EDINA Geosupport

Contents

- What is Digimap?- What are BHA data from Ordnance Survey?- How can you access it through Digimap?- What have we done to it?- How can I use it in ArcGIS Pro?- 3D visualisation in ArcGIS Pro

Who is EDINA?

delivers online services and tools to UK Higher and Further Education

Based at Supported by

“enhance the productivity of research, learning and teaching in UK higher and further education”

We aim to

Geo Services at EDINA

The Digimap Service - Overview

• An online mapping and data delivery service

• Originally built to provide access to Ordnance Survey (GB) maps and data - a 'virtual map library’

• Content extended to include: - Historic OS maps, - British Geological Survey data- Marine maps and data (UKHO

via Seazone)- Environment data (from CEH)

• Subscription service available to all Higher and Further Education Institutions in UK with approx. 50,000 active users

http://digimap.edina.ac.uk/

Digimap – Accessing the data

Digimap provides access to data in 2 main ways:

1) Roam online mapping application: includes annotation and printing

2) Data Download application: use in your desktop GIS/CAD in various formats

Data Download: OS Data Products Available

OS Licensed Products - OS MasterMap

• Topogrpahy• ITN• Sites Layer• Urban Paths• BHA

- VectorMap Local- 25K Raster- 50K Raster- Terrain 5- PointX POI

OS Open Products – All OS Open Data

New Formats – Creating new formats for some products such as DWG for VML and File Geodatabase for OS MasterMap to make them easier to use

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What are BHA?

• BHA are Building Height Attributes from Ordnance Survey

• Released as Alpha product in 2014

• Provide multiple values for heights of buildings (both absolute and relative)

• Covers most major cities and towns (but not all)

• Supplied by Ordnance Survey as 5km tiles in CSV format

• Linked to OS MasterMap Topography Layer (i.e. building footprints) by TOID

Using BHA CSV and OS MasterMap

To start with we created a version of the BHA CSV with a modified TOID that could be joined more easily

Need to Join the data on TOID

Using data from OS directly

However…- Lot of steps- Slow when dealing with large datasets- Needed to use a schema.ini file to load the CSV correctly- Required ArcGlobe or ArcScene to visualise the 3D buildings

Help

So what have we done?

So, to make is easier to use we have:- Created a File Geodatabase version using FME that

contains the Building geometries from OS MasterMap Topography Layer combined with the BHA data.

- Used ArcGIS Pro to visualise the data.

Using File Geodatabase BHA in ArcGIS Pro

• Download BHA File Geodatabase from Digimap

• Open BHA File Geodatabase• Convert map to 3D• Extrude buildings

• More advanced steps– Add background data– Add in more detailed Terrain 5 data– Set up symbology and representation– Add in other vector data (e.g. Trees, POI)

Now the steps are:

First step is to download all the data

For Example:- Building Height

Attributes- MM Topography

Layer- OS Terrain 5 DTM- VectorMap Local

Raster- PointX POI

Download in File Geodatbase, Shape or other suitable format

Load Data in ArcGIS Pro

Add data…

(same as in ArcGIS)

Convert to 3D

Convert map to 3D

(on the View tab)

Then drag vector layers to the 3D Layer

Extrude to 3D

1. Set the Ground

Extrude the building to Max Height using attribute [relhmax]

Add Backdrop Data

Using VML Raster data from Digimap

Add More Detailed Terrain• By default ArcGIS Pro will use a global terrain

dataset• To use more accurate terrain, download the

OS Terrain 5 dataset from Digimap• Add Preset Ground• Select downloaded .ASC files

Add Representation

Can do simple solid colours or use more complicated ‘Procedural Symbols’

Use Procedural Rules

Can either use ones that come with ArcGIS Pro or import ones from City Engine

• Using built in “International Building” Procedural Rule

• Set [TotalHeight] to be calculated from the [relhmax] attribute

• Building type set to “Office”

Add Trees and POI

Add “Realistic Trees” for tree features from OS MasterMap and 3D Symbols for features from PointX POI

Add Imagery background

Using Esri Imagery Basemap

Also set background colour for sky and Illumination for shading

Caution!

• Remember projections!• If you overlay OS data on one of the Esri

Basemaps you must use a Transformation (preferably OSTN02)

• In ArcGIS Pro this is done by selecting the Properties of the Map and then Transformation

The Final Result

Support

If you need any help with Digimap or using data from Digimap get in touch with EDINA Geosupport.

on the stand outside

edina@ed.ac.uk0131 650 3302

EDINA Digimap