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Octo × Map production PT Request an assessment

Octo for map production in ArcGIS

The whole atlas, sheet by sheet. The cartographer approves.

Almost everything done by hand in an ArcGIS Pro layout has an equivalent in the ArcPy mapping module (arcpy.mp): opening the .aprx project, swapping data sources, adjusting the legend, exporting map series and reports, merging PDFs and importing ArcMap .mxd files. With that, Octo can build entire atlases, audit hundreds of projects and check migrations, all prepared for human review. Publishing, editing the official database and signing the map stay with authorized people.

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Grid of atlas index cells over a municipality outline; one cell becomes a sheet with a map frame, legend, scale and north arrow; the stacked sheets go through Octo and come out as a single PDF with bookmarks and a verification report INDEX · 5,000 CELLS PAGE 2,317 LEGEND 2317 ATLAS.PDF INDEX + 5,000 PP. BOOKMARKS REPARO.CSV FOR REVIEW ms.export(pdf, opcoes) OCTO × ARCGIS PRODUCTION A-02
ArcGIS Pro, Windows3.7available since May 14, 2026 (Esri lifecycle)
MapSeries.export3.4replaces exportToPDF as of this version
ArcMap10.8.xlast series; Esri asks users to migrate to ArcGIS Pro
Sources13listed at the end of the page
01

What Octo does in map production.

Six possible deliverables, drawn from the survey. All of them start from the client's project and data; none of them publishes anything on its own, and all go to review by whoever is responsible for the map.

Atlases and map books

Can export an entire map series in batches, with the legend showing only what appears on each sheet, the sheet index coming from a report, and a single PDF with bookmarks.

Deliverable: single PDF + control CSV per batch

Broken sources, in bulk

Can sweep the network folders, open each .aprx project read-only, list the broken layers and, with an approved mapping, repair them on a copy with updateConnectionProperties.

Deliverable: inventory + before/after report

ArcMap migration

Can import the .mxd collection into ArcGIS Pro projects with importDocument, export each layout and compare it with the before image, ranking what changed most.

Deliverable: migrated projects + ranked list for review

Batch printing from the server

Can call the ArcGIS Enterprise printing service (Export Web Map Task) with curl, changing the extent and layout template text for each neighborhood or project. It even runs on Linux.

Deliverable: PDFs per area + a record of each request

Tile packages

Can prepare vector tile package (.vtpk) generation and check beforehand what the symbology loses: hatching, gradients and most effects do not carry over.

Deliverable: package + list of what changed in the symbology

Record of each export

Can note the ArcGIS Pro version, project, layout, resolution and pages of each product, so the atlas can be redone the same way next year.

Deliverable: record of version and parameters
02

The maps that come out of the procedures.

Three hand-made drawings to show the type of product, not screenshots or real maps. The layout, names and numbers are fictitious.

Fictitious atlas sheet: frame with coordinates, map of blocks, parcels, river and avenues; on the right, sheet title, compass rose, scale bar, legend and municipality locator map with the sheet marked AV. CENTRAL PRAÇA Ribeirão das Pedras E 100E 200E 300 MUNICIPAL ATLAS Sheet 2,317 Downtown · scale 1:2,000 N 04080 m Legend Block Green area Arterial road Watercourse Point of interest LOCATION IN THE MUNICIPALITY Fictitious data · produced by script Page 2,317 of 5,000
Atlas sheet: frame with coordinates, compass rose, scale bar, legend and locator map. Illustration: example of the type of map the procedure generates; fictitious data.
Grid of twelve thumbnails from a map series, sheets 2,313 to 2,324, each showing a neighboring section of the same fictitious map of blocks, river and roads; sheet 2,317 is highlighted SHEET 2,313 SHEET 2,314 SHEET 2,315 SHEET 2,316 SHEET 2,317 CURRENT SHEET 2,318 SHEET 2,319 SHEET 2,320 SHEET 2,321 SHEET 2,322 SHEET 2,323 SHEET 2,324
Map series: neighboring sheets cut from the same map, numbered in sequence. Illustration: example of the type of map the procedure generates; fictitious data.
Before and after a data source repair: on the left, the contents pane shows three broken layers with warnings and the map without parcels, hydrography and buildings; on the right, after the path change, the four layers appear with a check mark and the map is complete Before: 3 broken sources CONTENT !LotsBlocks!Hydrography!Buildings 3 layers without data source not found After: sources repaired CONTENT LotsBlocksHydrographyBuildings updateConnectionProperties(antigo, novo, validate=True) \\srv-gis-antigo\dados\Cadastro.gdb → \\srv-gis\dados\Cadastro_2026.gdb (copy saved; original intact)
Broken source repaired: the same project before and after the path change. Illustration: example of the type of map the procedure generates; fictitious data.
03

Eight arms, one atlas.

The same Octo cycle, applied to map production. Each arm has a narrow role; whoever publishes and whoever signs the map are authorized people.

  1. Discovery

    Maps the collection

    How many .aprx, .lyrx and .mxd projects exist, in which folders, saved by which ArcGIS Pro version, and which layouts and map series are already set up.

  2. Data

    Checks the sources

    Geodatabases, .sde connections, services and image folders for each layer; what is broken and where it should point. Without the right source, there is no right map.

  3. Security

    Respects the client's data

    Property registries, health and public safety may contain personal (LGPD) or confidential data. Sending anything to an external service, including AI, is assessed with the client first; credentials do not go into reports.

  4. Architecture

    Picks the path

    arcpy.mp on the licensed Windows machine when the project needs to be opened; the printing service over REST when the map is already published; plain Python to check images and reports.

  5. Development

    Writes the script

    Batch export with resume, repairs always on a copy, before/after comparison, with the documentation for each call noted in the file itself.

  6. Review

    Rehearses before scaling

    Fifty sheets before five thousand, one known project before three hundred. Checks by the content of the PDF, not by the absence of errors in the terminal.

  7. Release

    Delivers for review

    Only with your OK, it runs in the environment the client approved and leaves the PDFs, copies and reports there. Publishing a service or replacing the original project is your decision.

  8. Documentation

    Records what holds in your collection

    ArcGIS Pro version, project, layout, resolution and the mapping for each run. Next year's atlas starts from this record, not from someone's memory.

Octo does not publish services to production, edit the official database or sign maps. That belongs to the data owner and the licensed professional.

04

Each task, its path.

The criteria Octo uses to choose. The ArcGIS Pro project remains the reference; the scripts produce, check and record.

TaskPathNote
Atlas of thousands of sheetsSpatial map series + MapSeries.export in batches + PDFDocumentCreateexport replaced exportToPDF in 3.4
Legend that changes per sheetLegendItem.showVisibleFeaturesNot every renderer supports it
Sheet indexArcGIS Pro report + Report.exportReport set up beforehand, in the interface
Broken sources across many projectslistBrokenDataSources + updateConnectionPropertiesRepair on a copy, with validate=True
Migrating .mxdimportDocument + PNG export + image comparisonNo ArcMap needed to import
Web printing, in batchExport Web Map Task via curlRuns on Linux; layout templates vary by server
Vector tile packageCreateVectorTilePackageWeb Mercator in ONLINE mode; simplified symbology
05

From rehearsal to routine.

Three steps. Each one only makes sense after the previous one has shown results in your cartography department.

A proposal, not a promise

1 Today

Inventory and verification

With read access to the folders, Octo shows the state of the collection before any change.

  • List of projects, versions and broken sources
  • Proposed mapping for you to approve
  • Rehearsal of 50 sheets from an existing atlas
Benefit: knowing the size of the problem before touching anything
2 Next

Batch production

Atlases, repairs and prints now run by script, with control and resume.

  • Full atlas in a monitored run
  • Repair on a copy with a before/after report
  • .mxd migration with visual verification
Benefit: the team reviews lists, not file by file
3 Later

Recorded production

Each cartographic product now has a recipe: project, version, parameters and verification.

  • Annual atlas redone the same way, with the changes pointed out
  • Periodic audit of sources in the collection
  • History of each export
Benefit: the department's knowledge stays in the record
06

Confirmed by source.

Each point below has a source published by the vendor, the project or the responsible agency. The sources are in the next section.

4

points with a published source, each with its reference alongside.

ConfirmedMap series export
MapSeries.export(export_format, {mapseries_export_options}, {display_options}) replaced exportToPDF in 3.4. Pages are chosen with setExportPages (ALL, CURRENT, CUSTOM, SELECTED_INDEX_FEATURES) and customPages.Source: ArcGIS Pro documentation, MapSeries and MapSeriesExportOptions classes
ConfirmedData source swap
updateConnectionProperties exists on projects, maps, layers, layer files and tables; by default it only swaps if the target is valid. If nothing matches, it finishes without errors and without changing anything; the project must be saved.Source: ArcGIS Pro documentation, "Updating and fixing data sources"
ConfirmedArcMap migration
importDocument accepts .mxd, .sxd, .3dd, .mapx, .pagx and .rptx. ArcMap 10.8.x is the last series; Esri asks users to migrate to ArcGIS Pro.Source: ArcGISProject class; ArcMap lifecycle, Esri
ConfirmedVersion and system
ArcGIS Pro 3.7, available since May 14, 2026, patch 3.7.3 on October 15, 2026; runs on Windows 11 and Windows Server 2019, 2022 and 2025. The printing service accepts Layout_Item_ID since 11.3.Source: ArcGIS Pro lifecycle, Esri; ArcGIS Pro system requirements; Export Web Map Task
07

What Octo does and what stays with you.

Octo prepares everything, but does not sign. The document of record stays with whoever is accountable for it.

Octo prepares

Gathers, calculates, organizes and produces the documents: spreadsheets, reports, maps and drafts.

Deliverable: material ready for review

Your team reviews

The licensed professional reviews what Octo delivered before signing. If something doesn't add up, it goes back to Octo with the correction.

Step: review by whoever signs

Who signs

Octo does not sign. Designs, technical reports, ART/RRT, accountability reports and any official document are still signed by the licensed professional at the company or agency: here, the professional of record for the map or survey.

Signature: professional of record for the map or survey
08

Sources.

Esri documentation used in the research, accessed October 29, 2026.

Your map collection, produced and checked.

The assessment starts with an atlas or a set of projects you already have, read-only. You get a snapshot of the collection and a proposal for what can be produced in batch, and decide with it in hand.

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