Integrated Services Program | James Monroe Building | Richmond, VA | www.vita.virginia.gov | April 2020

Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 1

Connecting in ArcCatalog .................................................................................................................................. 2

Getting Features in ArcMap .............................................................................................................................. 3

Connecting in ArcGIS Pro ................................................................................................................................. 5

Getting Features in ArcGIS Pro ........................................................................................................................ 6

Next Steps for Provisioning to NG9-1-1 ............................................................................................................ 7

Introduction

As part of the NG9-1-1 Deployment, VGIN receives

line segment data from PSAPs and localities across the

commonwealth. These data reflect mutual agreement

with neighbors about boundaries for geospatial call

routing to PSAPs and boundaries for “provisioning”

GIS data into the NG9-1-1 spatial interface. VGIN

reviews these lines for mutual agreement, attribution,

geometry, and fit within lines received from others.

These are updated weekly and are used to create the

PSAP boundary and provisioning boundary polygons for Virginia, the same polygons you see on the Virginia NG9-1-1

Dashboard . This development method insures PSAP and GIS coverage will be complete with no gaps or overlaps.

This data sometimes changes quickly and frequently. In an effort to quickly and efficiently distribute one version of the

data, VGIN shares these NG9-1-1 layers as feature services from an ArcGIS Server.

There are several ways to interact with these feature

services. This guide discusses how to connect to VGIN’s

ArcGIS Server

(https://gismaps.vita.virginia.gov/arcgis/rest/services)

and download copies of these data to your local

environment in ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Pro.

ISP recommends uploading data in your local coordinate

system (projection and datum). As such, polygon

features are available in:

o Virginia State Plane North NAD 1983 (WKID 2283; EPSG) FIPS 4501 Feet

o Virginia State Plane South NAD 1983 (WKID 2284; EPSG) FIPS 4502 Feet

NG9-1-1 systems requires all of your data to be submitted in the same coordinate system and will transform it to match

the WGS 1984 required by NG9-1-1 systems. If you locally use a datum other than NAD 1983, such as NAD 1983

(2011) or NAD 1983 HARN, please let us know.

Working with Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN) Feature Services

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Connecting in ArcCatalog

Open ArcCatalog and go to the GIS Servers section of the Catalog Tree:

Double-click "Add ArcGIS Server"

In the new box, leave the option on "Use GIS Services" and click Next

In the next box, enter in this url for Server URL: https://gismaps.vita.virginia.gov/arcgis/rest/services

As this is a public-facing server, no authentication

is needed.

Click Finish

The new connection will now show and you can expand and navigate the services offered. The “feature services” have

the checkbox on the icon. This means that you can select them, use them in geoprocessing tools, and change how they

appear through symbology. “Map services” also appear, which tend to load more quickly into desktop environments.

However, you cannot select map service elements, use them in tools, or change how they appear.

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Getting Features in ArcMap

Using ArcMap, there are two main ways to turn feature services in to a locally stored file geodatabase or a

shapefile copy on your C:\ drive or network drive.

The first choice you have is if you want to extract the whole dataset, or only a selection of the dataset. If you

want the whole dataset, skip to the next paragraph. If you only want a few features, select them interactively

or based on another feature so they show up in bright blue. When you move to the next steps, only these

features will be copied.

For ArcMap users, the easiest way may be the right-click --) Data Management Tools --) Export Data option.

Then use the dialog box to save selected or all features and specify the output file location and name.

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The CopyFeatures geoprocessing tool is also available.

In ArcToolbox, look under Data Management --) Features --) Copy Features.

From the Python window, start with arcpy.CopyFeatures_management.

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Connecting in ArcGIS Pro

Open ArcGIS Pro and from a Map, go to the Insert tab, go to the

Connections drop-down and select New ArcGIS Server.

In the next box, enter in this url for Server

URL: https://gismaps.vita.virginia.gov/arcgis/rest/services

As this is a public-facing server, no authentication is needed.

Click Ok

Open the Catalog tab and expand the Servers folder. The new

connection will now show and you can expand and navigate the services

offered.

The “feature services” have the checkbox on the icon. This means that

you can select them, use them in geoprocessing tools, and change how

they appear through symbology. “Map services” also appear, which tend

to load more quickly into desktop environments. However, you cannot

select map service elements, use them in tools, or change how they

appear.

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Getting Features in ArcGIS Pro

Using geoprocessing tools is the primary way to turn feature services in to a locally stored file geodatabase or

shapefile copy on your C:\ drive or network drive using ArcGIS Pro, as the “right-click --) Data Management

Tools --) Export Data” method is not supported.

This tool works best if you copy the entire dataset, then only work with the features that you need.

There are two ways to access the CopyFeatures geoprocessing tool. First, you can go to the Analysis tab and

select Tools to open your Geoprocessing Toolboxes. Then, you can search for “CopyFeatures” or navigate to

Data Management --) Features --) Copy Features.

Either way, select the tool to open the dialog box. Then, select your input, specify your output, and run the

tool.

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From the Python window, start with arcpy.CopyFeatures_management.

The Python method works best if you have already loaded the feature services into your ArcGIS Pro map.

Next Steps for Provisioning to NG9-1-1

As the VGIN-hosted provisioning boundary is built from the submitted and mutually agreed to lines from all

Virginia localities, it is the best point of departure to use as the provisioning boundary when uploading to a

NG9-1-1 spatial interface, such as EGDMS.

ISP recommends:

1) Using these steps to download a local copy of your provisioning boundary, either State Plane North or

State Plane South, in NAD 1983.

2) Upload only the local coordinate system version of the provisioning boundary. EGDMS will convert this to

WGS 1984. 3) After Intrado lets you know that the boundary is accepted, upload your address points and road centerlines.

In testing with Virginia localities and Intrado’s EGDMS system, this method gives the greatest success that

the provisioning boundaries continue to align when uploaded into EGDMS.

If you use your provisioning boundary to clip features from the VGIN PSAP boundary feature service or use it

as a starting point for your NG9-1-1 required fire, law, and EMS response layers, consider the coordinate

systems involved. Spatial processes like clip or select by location should only be done between datasets

confirmed to be in the same coordinate system, such as your local NAD 1983 coordinate system. Contact

NG911GIS@vita.virginia.gov for assistance or support.