Adding PDF (especially GeoPDF) to ArcMap as data?

Question

I receive a lot of PDF maps (vector, image, with georeference and without) and I am having to convert them to an image file before I can add them to ArcMap and georeference.

I can't see any obvious out-of-the-box utility that would allow me to add and georeference a PDF directly without having to convert to an image file first.

Any ideas?

I would prefer to add a PDF to map directly without any prior "pdf to image" conversion

Answer 1

A new PDF to TIFF tool has been added to ArcGIS 10.3 for Desktop:

Exports an existing PDF file to a Tagged Image File Format (TIFF). If the PDF has georeference information, the TIFF can be a GeoTIFF. These TIFFs can be used as a source for heads-up digitizing and viewing in ArcMap. Both GeoPDF and ISO standards of georeferenced PDFs are supported.

You will still be doing a conversion step but at least any georeferencing within your PDFs should be honoured to save you needing to do that.

Answer 2

TerraGo Publisher currently has a ArcGIS toolbar that does this for a GeoPDF.

There is currently an ArcGIS Ideas link about adding GeoPDFs into ArcMap.

Answer 3

Download QGIS and follow the instructions here How can I import a GeoPDF file as a layer in QGIS 3? . It's straight Add Vector Layer. It's incredibly slick; you can choose which layer to import and even import separate label layers.

Answer 4

ArcGIS 10.3 has a PDF to TIFF conversion tool, but it doesn't work on USGS geoPDF files. You get a mostly white image with some junk data from the PDF.

Answer 5

All methods recommended are correct and you can solve your problem. But based on esri documents for ArcGIS 10.3 version is something "KMWPJPL" wrote here already.

"Exports an existing PDF file to a Tagged Image File Format (TIFF). If the PDF has georeference information, the TIFF can be a GeoTIFF. These TIFFs can be used as a source for heads-up digitizing and viewing in ArcMap. Both GeoPDF and ISO standards of georeferenced PDFs are supported."

Usage

1. If the PDF consists of more than one page, PDF Page Number lists the pages in the PDF. You will get an error if you try to enter an invalid page number.
2. PDF Page Number can only be one page; it cannot be a range of pages.
3. If the PDF doesn't contain a spatial reference, PDF Map and Write GeoTIFF Tags are disabled.
4. 3D GeoPDF version 1.0 is not supported. The tool will output a TIFF but it may not be georeferenced.

Finally: I think your answer is "No" you can't do that without covert GeoPDF to image