Tutorial: Creating and Validating IMDF Datasets

IMDF, Apple Maps, and Indoor Mapping

Indoor Mapping Data Format (IMDF) is a complex spatial data format based upon GeoJSON. It's a data model built by Apple which enables indoor positioning.

Apple Maps is an online mapping service that allows users to plan trips and navigate to locations in real time. In recent years, Apple Maps added support for indoor mapping, where visitors can plan trips and navigate around buildings, instead of outdoors. Such buildings often involve complex facilities such as shopping malls and airports.

Facilities may submit maps of their venue's buildings to be included in Apple Maps. Such data must be submitted in the indoor mapping format IMDF.

Creating IMDF Datasets

FME is an ideal tool for creating IMDF datasets, not just because it supports the translation of data to IMDF format, but also because it supports reading several hundred types and formats of data in which source maps might be stored.

This tutorial includes FME templates that convert data to IMDF using an example dataset.

The article for converting Victoria Airport Geodatabases to IMDF includes the data and shows how Esri Geodatabase data can be converted to IMDF format using FME. Please note that to use this data with the other articles, the workspaces will need to have their parameters changed.

The article on converting ArcGIS Indoors to IMDF shows how ArcGIS Indoors data (and GIS data in general) can be converted to Apple IMDF format using FME.

The articles on converting CAD data in general (in this example AutoCAD DWG) shows how CAD data can be converted to IMDF using FME. It consists of three parts: Preprocessing the Data using FME, Preparing the Preprocessed Data using AutoCAD, and Writing the Prepared Data to IMDF using FME.

The article on Converting IFC to IMDF has a well documented workspace to explore what each part of the workspace does as well as asks questions to help you understand your data. This article includes a link to downloadable data.

Validating IMDF Datasets

IMDF files submitted to Apple must follow strict guidelines to ensure data integrity and maximize the usefulness of the data. Pre-submission validation ensures that the data follows these guidelines and that it can be uploaded to Apple Maps without any issues.

A final article in this tutorial explains how to validate IMDF data.

Two validation methods are provided. The first is a free online tool that accepts IMDF data uploads, assesses the data quality, and sends a validation report via email.

The second validation method is a custom transformer for use inside FME workspaces. It can assess the quality of data before it is even written to IMDF format!