For ArcGIS 10.1 users, here are the instructions on how to prepare GeoTiffs for use in the FAIMS app using the ArcGIS tools.

Step-by-step guide

The preparation of rasters in ArcGIS for FAIMS deployment comprises three basic steps: reprojection, tiling, transfer. The second is optional, depending on your raster size. This procedure has been tested in ArcGIS 10.1 SP1, and we welcome any feedback on other versions of the software.

  1. Make sure your file is a GeoTiff format

  2. Reproject the file to EPSG 3857

  3. Tile the image. This step is optional and applies especially to large files (100Mb and higher), or if for some reason your raster is not displaying fast enough on your device (low power processor).

  4. Upload the tile(s) (GeoTiffs) onto the FAIMS Server using this route:

    1. Open the web browser with your FAIMS server and login

    2. Navigate to your "Module Actions" > click "Upload Files"

    3. Use the existing "Data" directory or create additional sub-directories using the "create directory"  button

    4. Upload individual files using the "upload file" button next to "create directory".
    5. If you have multiple files, you can use the black  "Upload" button after you zip all your files up using 7zip. The zipped files needs to have a .tar.gz extension for the batch upload to work.

  5. Propagate the newly added files to all your devices by connecting your devices to the Server, clicking on the Module and selecting "Download" 

  6. There is a substitute way of uploading rasters onto the device via USB cable from your desktop, without putting them up on Server first. This route is explained in the note below. It is disrecommended for multiple reasons and may cause problems with your raster rendering, please use it as the last resort.

Note that you can also transfer the ArcGIS raster files from your desktop onto the USB-connected device via a File Explorer. You need to navigate to the appropriate FAIMS Module folder on your Device (Internal memory > Emulated > 0 > FAIMS > Modules > Module UUID; UUIDs can be tricky to identify with a particular module if you have multiple modules loaded, as it is not a human-readable name!). Inside the module folder you navigate to Files>Data folder. You can create Maps folder inside or simply deposit the rasters in the Data folder. Make sure all have transferred. Back on the device, open the module, navigate to Map screen, click on Layers > Add Raster file > navigate to the folder where you deposited the files > click one of the files and watch it render. Again, this is a disrecommended* option. Use it as the last resort, if you use one and only one device in the field, or if your network connection fails fatally.