"}],"short_description":"Learn about the latest updates in the ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps v200.6 to edit, trace, and synchronize offline utility networks.","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The ArcGIS Utility Network is Esri\u2019s next generation network management technology, built to document and analyze networks for electric, gas, water, and wastewater utilities. Over time, we have been adding additional utility network capabilities to the ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps and documenting them in a series of blog posts. Today, we\u2019re happy to announce full support for offline editing and tracing, along with the ability to synchronize edits back to ArcGIS Enterprise.<\/p>\n
Offline tracing was documented in Part 1<\/a> of this blog series. Part 2<\/a> shared how we could take utility networks offline, while Part 3<\/a> announced some additional offline tracing capabilities. At the time these posts were published, users were forced to choose between editing and tracing while offline. That choice is no longer required- you can do both! You can now edit, trace, and sync using the same offline geodatabase. In addition, we\u2019ve also added the ability to synchronize network changes from the server to a mobile client for users who want to trace but not edit.<\/p>\n In this part four, we\u2019ll walk through how to support the following workflows using version 200.6 of the Native Maps SDK along with ArcGIS Enterprise 11.3:<\/p>\n Finally, we\u2019ll also show how you determine the sync capabilities of a connected server.<\/p>\n For these examples, we\u2019ll be providing code snippets written in C# using the ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET, but the concepts apply to the Qt, Swift, and Kotlin Maps SDKs.<\/em><\/p>\n Configuring a utility network\u2019s offline capability has evolved since the process was explained in Part 2<\/a> of this series. With version 200.6 of the Native Maps SDKs, utility networks can now be edited offline in a mobile geodatabase and synchronized back to an ArcGIS Enterprise 11.3 feature service. Changes made on the client app can be uploaded to the feature service, and changes made on the feature service can be downloaded to the client app.<\/p>\n As mentioned above, the offline workflows described in this blog post require ArcGIS Enterprise 11.3. In addition, it\u2019s important that you install the ArcGIS Server 11.3 Offline Utility Network Patch 1<\/a>.<\/p>\n Note that ArcGIS Enterprise 11.4 is not a supported Network Management release<\/a> and does not contain some of the enhancements included in the offline patch. Future Network Management releases will also support all the workflows described in this post.<\/p>\n ArcGIS Utility Network users are already familiar with the process to create a feature service that contains a utility network.<\/a> Doing so is a prerequisite for using enterprise data in the ArcGIS Pro desktop product. There are some special considerations when creating a feature service that can be taken offline.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2683792,"id":2683792,"title":"Picture1","filename":"Picture1.jpg","filesize":47895,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture1.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/utility-network\/developers\/offline-utility-networks-in-arcgis-maps-sdks-for-native-apps-part-4\/picture1-105","alt":"Screenshot of configuration settings in ArcGIS Pro to publish a syncable feature service","author":"368412","description":"","caption":"Configuration settings in ArcGIS Pro to publish a syncable feature service","name":"picture1-105","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2683642,"date":"2025-02-14 23:04:21","modified":"2025-02-15 00:21:15","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":400,"height":648,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture1-213x200.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture1.jpg","medium-width":161,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture1.jpg","medium_large-width":400,"medium_large-height":648,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture1.jpg","large-width":400,"large-height":648,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture1.jpg","1536x1536-width":400,"1536x1536-height":648,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture1.jpg","2048x2048-width":400,"2048x2048-height":648,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture1-287x465.jpg","card_image-width":287,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture1.jpg","wide_image-width":400,"wide_image-height":648}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" The code to download the replica to your device is mostly the same as before. Using a web map that contains a utility network, you would use the Similar code can be used with the GeodatabaseSyncTask.<\/p>\n Once your mobile geodatabase replica has been created, it can be edited as usual. If your map contains a dirty area layer, you\u2019ll see dirty areas created by network edits. These dirty areas can be cleaned up using the same validate network topology routines that were described in the 2024 recap of utility network enhancements in the Native Maps SDKs blog.<\/a>\u00a0Attribute, feature, and even association edits are all supported.<\/p>\n At the time of publishing this blog, attribute rules are not included in offline mobile geodatabases, but this capability will be added with the forthcoming ArcGIS Enterprise 11.5.<\/p>\n All the online tracing capabilities are supported while offline. Note that if a trace is impacted by a dirty area, and the ValidateConsistency trace configuration option is set to true, an error is returned. You can fix that error by removing the dirty areas by calling validate network topology<\/a>– the same as users do in ArcGIS Pro.<\/p>\n There are two things to be aware of when synchronizing data with the server.<\/p>\n First, your offline mobile geodatabase is connected to a dedicated branch version on the server. This version must be reconciled with the default version for changes posted to the default version to be downloaded to the client on the next sync. There\u2019s two ways to do this:<\/p>\n The following code sample demonstrates how to synchronize a replica with a reconcile.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" The second thing to realize is that when server-side edits are brought down to your mobile geodatabase, these edits are replayed locally. As with any network edit, these will result in the creation of dirty areas. Depending on the type of user workflows you are supporting in your application, you may wish to validate network topology after a sync operation.<\/p>\n The ArcGIS Enterprise online documentation has more information about creating replicas and synchronizing with branch versioning<\/a>.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the capabilities described in this post are currently only supported with ad-hoc or on-demand workflows. Ahead-of-time workflows, where you create an offline map using Portal for ArcGIS, will be supported with ArcGIS Enterprise 11.5, shipping in mid-2025. Until then, this support remains as described in the 2024 utility network recap blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n The scenarios above work great for users who want to edit and trace utility network data. But not every mobile user needs to edit. Many utility field tasks require the ability to trace but not to edit network features.<\/p>\n Editing a utility network, which includes running validate network topology, requires the Advanced Editing extension, enabled through a portal user configured with the Advanced Editing User Type Extension (UTE) or a Runtime license string. Can read-only applications allow tracing without the need for this additional license? Yes!<\/p>\n The key is to set up a second read-only utility network feature service. Create this second service as follows:<\/p>\n Alternatively, you can publish the exact same way you usually do and turn off editing by using the Server Manager site for ArcGIS Server. Under Services > Site(root)<\/em>, stop the service intended for download-only sync by clicking the square icon to the far-right of the services, name, then click the name of the feature service to access its properties. Under Capabilities<\/em>, click Feature Access<\/em> (the words, not the checkbox). The Operations Allowed<\/em> section will appear below, presenting six options. Uncheck all options related to feature editing: Create<\/em>, Delete<\/em>, and Update<\/em>. This section should now match the following image:<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2683822,"id":2683822,"title":"Picture3","filename":"Picture3.jpg","filesize":15351,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture3.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/utility-network\/developers\/offline-utility-networks-in-arcgis-maps-sdks-for-native-apps-part-4\/picture3-65","alt":"Screenshot showing how to configure a read-only feature service using the Server Manager site in ArcGIS Server","author":"368412","description":"","caption":"Configuring a read-only feature service using the Server Manager site in ArcGIS Server","name":"picture3-65","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2683642,"date":"2025-02-14 23:30:09","modified":"2025-02-15 00:22:19","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":854,"height":160,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture3-213x160.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":160,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture3.jpg","medium-width":464,"medium-height":87,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture3.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":144,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture3.jpg","large-width":854,"large-height":160,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture3.jpg","1536x1536-width":854,"1536x1536-height":160,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture3.jpg","2048x2048-width":854,"2048x2048-height":160,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture3-826x155.jpg","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":155,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture3.jpg","wide_image-width":854,"wide_image-height":160}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" Your app can use this read-only feature service and keep the features and network up-to-date with a download-only sync. Notably, although the mobile geodatabase cannot be edited by the user, it will be updated with changes that are brought down by the server. In addition, after these edits are applied locally, the synchronize routine will automatically call validate network topology. This clears out the dirty areas and allows continued tracing. All without the extra Advanced Editing Extension.<\/p>\n The code to create a replica that uses download-only sync is almost identical to the synchronization sample above. The only difference is to change this line:<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" to this<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" There are now a few different ways that utility networks can be taken offline with the Native Maps SDK. Your software may need to work with different services that have different capabilities. We\u2019ve extended the SyncCapabilities<\/a> class to help you determine the capabilities of a connected server.<\/p>\n From an instance of \n
Edit and Trace Offline<\/h1>\n
Setting up your server environment<\/h2>\n
Creating a syncable utility network feature service<\/h2>\n
\n
Downloading your utility network with the Native Maps SDKs<\/h2>\n
OfflineMapTask<\/code> as shown below:<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"var<\/span> task = await<\/span> OfflineMapTask.CreateAsync(map); \r\nvar<\/span> parameters = await<\/span> task.CreateDefaultGenerateOfflineMapParametersAsync(areaOfInterest); \r\nvar<\/span> job = task.GenerateOfflineMap(parameters, downloadDirectoryPath); \r\nvar<\/span> result = await<\/span> job.GetResultAsync(); \r\nmapView.Map = result.OfflineMap;\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Editing your utility network<\/h2>\n
Tracing your utility network<\/h2>\n
Synchronizing your edits with the server<\/h2>\n
\n
var<\/span> task = await<\/span> OfflineMapSyncTask.CreateAsync(map);\r\nvar<\/span> parameters = await<\/span> task.CreateDefaultOfflineMapSyncParametersAsync();\r\nparameters.SyncDirection = SyncDirection.Bidirectional; \/\/ Upload orDownload <\/span>\r\nparameters.ReconcileBranchVersion = true<\/span>; \r\n\r\nvar<\/span> job = task.SyncOfflineMap(parameters); \r\nvar<\/span> result = await<\/span> job.GetResultAsync(); \r\nif<\/span> (result.HasErrors) { \r\n \/\/ inspect Layer\/Table results for errors <\/span>\r\n}\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"How about working with offline maps created with Portal for ArcGIS?<\/h2>\n
Trace Offline (read-only)<\/h1>\n
\n
parameters.SyncDirection = SyncDirection.Bidirectional; \/\/ Upload or Download<\/span>\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"parameters.SyncDirection = SyncDirection.Download; \/\/ Download only<\/span>\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Sync Capabilities<\/h1>\n
ServiceGeodatabase<\/code>, use the ServiceInfo<\/code> property to obtain an ArcGISFeatureServiceInfo<\/code> object. This object, in turn, contains a SyncCapabilites<\/code> property that returns an object of type SyncCapabilities<\/code>. There are four properties on this class that are useful for utility network applications, the latter three of which were added to 200.6 of the Native Maps SDKs.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"