Live From CAD drawing to a GIS layer you can trust
CADabra takes Israeli statutory plans (MABAT) and AS-MADE surveys as DWG or DXF, converts them into GIS layers, checks topology and spec compliance, writes a quality report and publishes to your organization's ArcGIS Online. A CAD layer it doesn't recognise waits for your decision instead of a guess.
A DWG plan loaded as GIS layers over the aerial photo
The problem
Drawings arrive as DWG. GIS needs layers.
Statutory plans and contractors' AS-MADE surveys arrive as AutoCAD files. Converting them to GIS by hand takes days, depends on one person, and the quality checks get lost along the way: lines that never close into polygons, layers with unexpected names, Hebrew text that turns into garbage, and a coordinate system nobody verified.
Two modules
MABAT and AS-MADE
- MABATCAD ingestion for statutory plans, spatial joins, topology QC, plan-boundary (GVUL) creation, lot-number (CELLNO) refresh, a bulk editor, reports, an attribute table, and distance, area and angle measuring.
- AS-MADESurvey DWG/DXF to GIS under the Israeli national mapping spec 2.1: a conversion class per feature (to spec, estimated or not converted), a fixed set of point, line and polygon layers in ArcGIS Online with Hebrew domains and spec symbology, a CAD view, a quality grade and heights.
What CADabra does
From the file to a published layer
- DWG, DXF or ZIPUpload single files or a bundle. DWG files are read with LibreDWG.
- Coordinate systemDetects the Israeli Transverse Mercator grid (ITM, EPSG:2039) and transforms between ITM and WGS84 using the Survey of Israel 108021 transformation.
- Hebrew text from legacy drawingsRecovers Hebrew text in DOS and Windows encodings, keyboard fonts and MTEXT.
- Unknown layersA CAD layer that isn't in the mapping dictionary is never converted silently. It waits for a decision, with a suggested family.
- Quality reportAn HTML or PDF report, in Hebrew or English, with a quality grade and maps.
- Open-format exportGeoJSON, Shapefile, KML, File GDB and GeoPackage in a single ZIP.
- Publish to ArcGIS OnlinePublishes to your organization after checking the user's privileges. CADabra never deletes ArcGIS Online items.
- SharingShare a work session with users in your organization for viewing or editing, plus share links.
- Organization managementOrganizations, groups, module access, quotas, a geofence per organization and usage screens.
- SecurityTwo-step verification with recovery codes, sign-in through your organization's identity provider (OIDC SSO), an IP allow-list, an audit log, and CAD parsing in an isolated sandbox.
- Hebrew and EnglishA full interface in both languages, right-to-left and left-to-right.
How it works
Six stations from drawing to layer
- TAKE 01 · ST-01UploadA DWG, DXF or ZIP into the MABAT or AS-MADE module.
- TAKE 02 · ST-02Read and locateThe drawing is parsed, Hebrew text is recovered and the coordinate system is detected.
- TAKE 03 · ST-03ConvertEach CAD layer is mapped to a GIS layer through the mapping dictionary. An unknown layer stops for your decision.
- TAKE 04 · ST-04CheckTopology and spec checks, with a conversion class for every feature.
- TAKE 05 · ST-05ReportA quality report with a grade and maps, in Hebrew or English.
- TAKE 06 · ST-06Export or publishA ZIP in open formats, or direct publishing to your organization's ArcGIS Online.
From a real demo
Sample AS-MADE drawing M652
The result for one demo drawing. Every drawing is different, which is why the report shows the result for your file.
Who it's for
For anyone who receives drawings and needs layers
- Municipal engineering and planningBring contractors' AS-MADE files and statutory plans into the authority's layers.
- Regional councils and planning committeesPre-check plans, keep plan boundaries and lot numbers current.
- Water and sewage corporationsAs-built surveys that land in spec-compliant GIS layers, with a quality report.
- Survey and planning officesCheck the deliverable before it goes to the client, and export in whatever format they ask for.
Use cases
Where CADabra replaces manual work
- Contractor AS-MADE into infrastructure layersThe survey is converted to spec and lands in the fixed point, line and polygon layers in ArcGIS Online, with Hebrew domains.
- Pre-checking a planTopology QC and a report before the plan moves on, so issues get fixed in-house rather than after review comments.
- Plan boundaries and lot numbersCreate the plan boundary and refresh lot numbers straight from the drawing.
- Legacy drawings with HebrewFiles saved in old encodings open with readable Hebrew text.
Integrations and formats
CAD in, open formats out
- AutoCAD DWG / DXFInput
- ArcGIS OnlinePublishing to your organization
- ShapefileExport
- File GeodatabaseExport
- GeoPackageExport
- GeoJSON / KMLExport
- OIDC SSOSign-in through your identity provider
- Google CloudHosting
Status
Live in production
CADabra runs as a production release at cadabra.city, behind sign-in. Work with the first customers runs as a pilot, and the platform ships in regular releases.
Frequently asked questions
What is CADabra?
CADabra is browser-based software that turns AutoCAD plans and AS-MADE surveys into clean, validated GIS layers. It checks topology and spec compliance, writes a quality report, exports to open formats and publishes to your organization's ArcGIS Online. It has two modules: MABAT and AS-MADE.
Which files can I upload?
DWG and DXF files, individually or bundled in a ZIP.
Is the conversion fully automatic?
No, by design. Layers in the mapping dictionary convert on their own. An unknown layer waits for the user's decision, with a suggested family, and every feature gets a conversion class that shows up in the report.
What's the difference between the MABAT and AS-MADE modules?
MABAT is for statutory plans: spatial joins, topology QC, plan boundaries and lot numbers. AS-MADE is for as-built surveys: conversion under the national mapping spec 2.1 into a fixed set of three layers in ArcGIS Online, with a quality grade.
Where can the result go?
To GeoJSON, Shapefile, KML, File GDB and GeoPackage in one ZIP, or straight to your organization's ArcGIS Online.
Can CADabra delete anything in our ArcGIS Online?
No. CADabra checks the user's privileges first, publishes items, and never deletes ArcGIS Online items.
How is our data secured?
Two-step verification with recovery codes, sign-in through your organization's identity provider (OIDC SSO), a per-organization IP allow-list, an audit log, and CAD parsing in an isolated sandbox.
Does the output replace a licensed surveyor or the planning authority?
No. CADabra converts and checks data and produces a report that helps you fix issues early. Professional responsibility and statutory approval stay with the surveyor, the planner and the planning authority.
Got a drawing waiting to be converted?
In a demo we'll run a drawing, walk through the checks and the quality report, and show the layers arriving in ArcGIS Online.