{"id":2070862,"date":"2023-11-08T13:05:59","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T21:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2070862"},"modified":"2025-02-05T07:49:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T15:49:05","slug":"terrain-datasets-surfaces-in-a-centralized-location","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-pro\/aec\/terrain-datasets-surfaces-in-a-centralized-location","title":{"rendered":"Terrain datasets\u2014Surfaces in a centralized location"},"author":164582,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[23771,615021,23851],"tags":[771842,759052,771652,759062,771642],"industry":[],"product":[36561],"class_list":["post-2070862","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-3d-gis","category-aec","category-data-management","tag-arcgis-pro-3-2","tag-autodesk-civil-3d","tag-ground","tag-surface","tag-terrain-dataset","product-arcgis-pro"],"acf":{"short_description":"Surfaces in a centralized location ","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Physical infrastructure projects generally involve modification of ground, requiring considerable efforts for planning, design, and construction. Establishing centralized access to ground surface models for use by designers and stakeholders during these project stages promotes collaboration and allows for more broadly informed design decision-making. Additionally, removing data silos when characterizing existing ground\u2014and managing frequent changes to proposed ground surface models\u2014reduces the chances of discrepancies and rework.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Workflows that avoid use of surface models siloed in files also lead to smoother cross-team collaborations, such as those involving civil engineers and GIS professionals. Maintaining centralized, readily accessible models of surfaces across the teams of organizations is crucial for ensuring data consistency and accuracy throughout the project lifecycle (for example, ensuring up-to-date analysis of proposed surface models for design). ArcGIS Pro provides a set of tools that facilitate non-siloed workflows, drawing upon commonly used triangular irregular networks (TIN) as surface model representations. Namely, the <\/span>terrain dataset<\/span><\/a> in ArcGIS Pro is a multiresolution, TIN-based surface built from measurements stored as features in a geodatabase, including an <\/span>enterprise geodatabase<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Streamlined approach for generating terrain models<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Previously implemented capabilities in ArcGIS Pro support a <\/span>manual process<\/span><\/a> for working with <\/span>terrain datasets<\/span><\/a>. However, the manual process requires use of several <\/span>geoprocessing<\/a> tools in sequence. Furthermore, in certain tools, you must also specify parameters related to the surface model characteristics (for example, the extents) as well as parameters that may involve separate calculations.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Available feature classes relevant to <\/span>surface modeling<\/span><\/a> (SurfaceBorder, SurfaceBoundary, Breakline and SurfacePoint) provide a backdrop for streamlined use of terrain datasets. Terrain models generated in this way uphold the accuracy of TIN surface models originating in <\/span>Autodesk\u00ae Civil 3D\u00ae<\/span><\/a>. To further streamline this process, a script is available: <\/span>Convert Civil 3D Surface to Terrain<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2070892,"id":2070892,"title":"2_Surface_Script","filename":"2_Surface_Script.png","filesize":12923,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2_Surface_Script.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-pro\/aec\/terrain-datasets-surfaces-in-a-centralized-location\/2_surface_script","alt":"Surface Script","author":"164582","description":"","caption":"","name":"2_surface_script","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2070862,"date":"2023-09-08 17:06:40","modified":"2023-09-08 17:06:57","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":457,"height":220,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2_Surface_Script-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2_Surface_Script.png","medium-width":457,"medium-height":220,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2_Surface_Script.png","medium_large-width":457,"medium_large-height":220,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2_Surface_Script.png","large-width":457,"large-height":220,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2_Surface_Script.png","1536x1536-width":457,"1536x1536-height":220,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2_Surface_Script.png","2048x2048-width":457,"2048x2048-height":220,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2_Surface_Script.png","card_image-width":457,"card_image-height":220,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2_Surface_Script.png","wide_image-width":457,"wide_image-height":220}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

After connecting the script to the project <\/span>toolbox<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>terrain dataset<\/span><\/a>s can be created in a streamlined process, in which the script combines the following steps:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n