One of the primary capabilities of any geographic information systems is the ability to create maps that allow multiple data layers to be overlaid on one another. This allows you to visualize the spatial relationships between features in one or more layers.
ArcGIS Pro allows you to use data from multiple sources and formats as layers in a map. This includes data from other Esri ArcGIS applications and other sources as well, such as AutoCAD and web services. This support for multiple data sources and formats expands your ability to visualize and analyze data, regardless of where it comes from and how it was created.
In this chapter, you will learn how to add new layers to a map using data from different sources. You will then learn how to configure various settings for the layer, such as symbology, labeling, and more.
We will cover the following recipes:
A geodatabase is the primary data storage format for the ArcGIS platform, which includes ArcGIS Pro. So much of the data that you will visualize, edit, and analyze using ArcGIS Pro will come from a geodatabase. There are several types of geodatabases, including personal, file, enterprise, and mobile.
A geodatabase stores related features as feature classes. A feature class is a collection of features that share the same geometry (point, line, polygon, annotation, or multipatch), attribute table, and coordinate system. A feature class can then be added as a layer to a map so that you can see both the spatial and tabular data. To take a deeper dive into the geodatabase format, go to https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/data/geodatabases/overview/what-is-a-geodatabase-.htm.
In this recipe, you will act as a GIS analyst for the City of Trippville. The city manager has asked you to create a simple map showing some basic information about the city, including city limits, roads, railroads, and points of interest.
This recipe requires the sample data to be installed on your computer. It is recommended that you complete the recipes in Chapter 1, ArcGIS Pro Capabilities and Terminology, before starting this recipe. This will ensure you have a better foundational understanding of navigating within a map. You can complete this recipe with any ArcGIS Pro licensing level.
In this recipe, you will add the required layers to a map using different methods and then configure them.
To start, you must launch the ArcGIS Pro application and open a project. Follow these steps:
Figure 2.1 – Starting ArcGIS Pro from the Start button
Figure 2.2 – Open another project
Student
folder, followed by the ArcGISPro3Cookbook
and Chapter 2 folders.AddingLayers
folder and select the AddingLayers.aprx
project file. Then, click the OK button to open the project.The project you selected should open with a single map. This map will contain a basemap but no other layers.
You will now begin adding the requested layers to this map. You will start with the city limits:
Databases
folder located under Project in the left panel.Trippville_GIS.gdb
geodatabase in the right panel of the window.Base
feature dataset.Information
Feature datasets are organizational units in a geodatabase. They act in a similar way as folders on your computer. They allow you to store related feature classes in a common container within the geodatabase so that you can easily find them. All feature classes stored within a feature dataset share the same coordinate system. This allows the feature classes stored in the feature dataset to take part in a topology and geometric network. Feature datasets only exist in geodatabases. You will not find them in other GIS data formats, such as shapefiles.
City_Limit
feature class. This is a polygon feature class. You can tell this by the icon located to the left of the feature class name. Click on the OK button to add this feature class to your map as a layer.Your map should look similar to what’s shown in the following screenshot. Upon adding the new layer, your map should have automatically zoomed into the area covered by the new layer. ArcGIS Pro assigns random colors when a new layer is added, so your City_Limit
layer might be a different color:
Figure 2.3 – Map with the City_Limit layer added
Next, you will add the street centerlines to represent the roads in the city. You will use a different method to add this layer to the map:
Databases
folder.Trippville_GIS.gdb
geodatabase and then expand the Base
feature dataset.Street_Centerlines
feature class and select Add To Current Map from the menu that appears, as illustrated here:Figure 2.4 – Adding a feature class to a map from the Catalog pane
Street_Centerlines
should now be visible on the map you are creating as a new layer. It should appear above the City_Limit
layer in the Contents pane.
There is another way you can add a feature class to a map as a layer from the Catalog pane: you can drag and drop the feature class from the Catalog pane into the map. You will use this method to add the RR_Tracks
feature class to your map:
RR_Tracks
feature class in the Trippville_GIS.gdb
geodatabase and the Base
feature dataset.RR_Tracks
feature class and then drag and drop it onto the map view area, as shown in the following screenshot:Figure 2.5 – Dragging and dropping to add a layer to a map
The RR_Tracks
layer will be added to your map as the Railroads
layer. This is another method you haven’t used to add a new layer to your map. Now, you will add the last required layer to the map – points of interest.
POI
feature class to the map. This feature class is located in the Trippville_GIS.gdb
geodatabase and the Base
feature dataset.Figure 2.6 – The Save Project button on the Quick Access toolbar
The POI
feature class will appear as the Points of Interest layer in your map. Points of interest is an alias that is applied to the POI feature class when it is added to a map automatically. An alias is a more descriptive name that can be created as part of the properties of a feature class or database field name. The newly added layer should be located at the top of the layer list. Now that the layers have been added to the map, you need to configure them so that you can distinguish one layer from another.
Note
ArcGIS Pro will automatically order layers based on the layer’s geometry type. It will put points on top of lines, lines on top of polygons, and polygons on top of rasters as you add them.
Now that you’ve added multiple layers to your map, you need to change the symbology so that each layer is easily distinguishable from the others. ArcGIS Pro allows you to symbolize layers using several methods, depending on the layer’s purpose in the map and the data associated with that layer.
In this section, you will explore how to change simple symbology settings such as color, line type, and fill patterns, depending on the type of feature:
Railroads
layer, as shown in the following screenshot. This will open the Symbology pane:Figure 2.7 – Clicking on the symbol patch to open the Symbology pane
City_Limit
layer in the Contents pane.Black Outline (2 Points)
option located in the ArcGIS 2D style. The symbology for the City_Limit
layer should change. It should now be displayed as a hollow polygon with a black outline.2 pt
to 4 pt
using the small up arrow. Then, click Apply.You have just adjusted basic symbology settings for a layer that impacts all features contained in that layer. Now, you will set up a symbology that is based on unique attribute values contained in the layer’s attribute table:
Street_Centerlines
layer in the Contents pane.Figure 2.8 – Selecting Unique Values for symbology
RD_Class
using the drop-down arrow. You should see that classes have been added for city, county, and highway in the lower section of the Symbology pane.Tip
There are two ways to see the names of the included color ramps. The first is to hover your mouse pointer over the color ramp; its name should be displayed as a small pop-up window. Second, you can check the box that says Show names. This will display the name of each color ramp above the graphic representation of that ramp.
RD_Class
, type Owner
and press Enter. Watch what happens in the Contents pane under the Street_Centerlines
layer.Your map should now look as follows:
Figure 2.9 – Map with new layers added and some symbology configured
You have just configured the symbology for three of the four layers you’ve added to your map using two different methods. That leaves the Points of
Interest
layer.
You will use an existing layer file to not only update the symbology for the Points of Interest
layer but also to apply label settings:
Points of Interest
layer in the Contents pane.Points of Interest
because that was the selected layer. Click the Browse button located to the right of Symbology Layer.Adding Layers
folder in the right panel of the window.Points of Interest.lyrx
layer file and click OK. This should return you to the Import Symbology tool. The symbology layer should now be set to the layer file you just selected.Figure 2.10 – Import Symbology with completed parameters
The symbology for the Points of Interest
layer should now be set up to display based on the location type for each feature. By importing the settings from the layer, you did more than just update the symbology, as you will see next.
Points of Interest
features grouped in the center of town, as shown here:Figure 2.11 – Zoom into this area
As you zoom in to this area, text labels should appear showing the name of each point of interest. The label settings for this layer were also applied when you imported the symbology from the layer file.
You will now manually configure labels for the Street_Centerlines
layer:
Street_Centerlines
layer in the Contents pane.The text should appear on your map just above each street centerline feature. If you look at the text, you may notice it is incomplete. It does not show the full name of each road segment. It is missing the suffix that identifies if it is a street, circle, court, avenue, or lane. Also, some labels overlap with other features. You will now adjust some settings to see whether you can improve how the labels are displayed:
Label_Name
using the drop-down arrow. You should see the labels for the Street_Centerlines
features change so that they now include the suffix.Information
Labels are dynamic text that ArcGIS Pro will automatically generate and display based on values found in the attribute table of the layer. You can also build expressions using various programming languages, including Arcade, Python, VBScript, and JScript. To learn more about labeling in ArcGIS Pro, go to https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/mapping/text/labeling-basics.htm.
Street_Centerlines
layer.As you zoom in and out of the map, you should see that the labels turn on and off automatically based on your view scale. Setting visibility scales such as this helps reduce clutter within a map, making it more readable.
In this recipe, you added four feature classes from a geodatabase to a map as new layers. You did this using three methods:
Trippville_GIS.gdb
geodatabase and expanded the Base
feature dataset. From there, you selected the City_Limit
layer and clicked OK. This created a new layer in your map that references back to the City_Limits
feature class.Street_Centerlines
feature class to the map from the Catalog pane. To do this, you expanded the Databases
folder to access the Trippville_GIS.gdb
geodatabase that was connected to the project. Then, you expanded the Base
feature dataset. You located the Street_Centerlines
feature class and right-clicked on it. Lastly, you selected the Add To Current Map option from the menu that appeared.RR_Tracks
feature class in the Catalog pane and drag and drop it into the map. This created a new Railroads
layer in the map.Once you added the new layers to your map, you had to configure them by setting up their symbology and labeling. You did this using the Feature Layer tab in the ribbon and by importing the settings from an existing layer file or manually setting them up.
One of the powerful capabilities of ArcGIS Pro is its integration with Esri’s cloud solution, ArcGIS Online. ArcGIS Online allows users to share GIS content, including maps, data, and applications, with others. ArcGIS Pro’s integration with this cloud solution allows users to access data and maps quickly and easily so that they can display, edit, and analyze them. It does this by utilizing web services.
ArcGIS Online contains a vast array of data that can help enrich your maps. A good example of this is Esri’s catalog of basemaps. At the time of writing, ArcGIS Online hosts around 30 basemaps that you can use in ArcGIS Pro as backdrops for your maps and data. But that just scratches the surface. ArcGIS Online is not just limited to data published by Esri. Many organizations have published and shared data and maps that you can also access and use. To learn more about ArcGIS Online and its capabilities, go to https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-online/overview.
In this recipe, the city of Trippville’s water system superintendent has asked you to review data that a consultant working for the city has created. The consultant has published the data via ArcGIS Online so that you can view it. You must add the data that the consultant published to ArcGIS Online to a map in ArcGIS Pro.
This recipe will require you to have an ArcGIS Online Named User account or higher in addition to your ArcGIS Pro license. If your organization does not have an ArcGIS Online Named User account that can be assigned to you, you can sign up for a free trial at https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-online/trial. As with all the recipes in this book, you must also have the sample data installed. You will also need to ensure you have a connection to the internet.
You don’t need to have completed the previous recipe to complete this one. However, it is recommended that you complete the recipes in Chapter 1 to ensure you have a foundational understanding of terminology and the ArcGIS Pro interface.
Follow these steps to learn how to add layers that are stored in ArcGIS Online to a map:
Figure 2.12 – Open another project
Student
folder, followed by the ArcGISPro3Cookbook
and Chapter 2 folders.AGOL Layers
folder and select the AGOL Layers
project file. Then, click the OK button to open the project.The project should open in ArcGIS Pro and display a map containing the City_Limit
, Parcels, World Topographic Map
, and World Hillshade
layers. The World Topographic Map
and World Hillshade
layers are from ArcGIS Online as part of the Topographic
basemap.
Now, you must verify where the Topographic
basemap is coming from and then change the basemap to another one to help verify the consultants’ water data:
World Topographic Map
and World Hillshade
layers in the Contents pane. Note where the sources for these layers are.As shown in the following screenshot, both of these layers reference two different web services. World Topographic Map
points to a web map that is hosted via arcgis.com, whereas World Hillshade
points to a feature service that is hosted via arcgisonline.com. Both URLs are part of ArcGIS Online:
Figure 2.13 – Basemap sources from ArcGIS Online
As basemaps, you cannot change their display settings, edit their data, or use them for analysis. Basemaps just help provide context for the rest of your layers. You can, however, change the basemap being used in your map. You will do that now.
To help verify the water system data created by the consultant, you will switch to the Imagery
basemap.
Figure 2.14 – Basemap changed to World Imagery from ArcGIS Online
As you saw in the gallery, Esri provides a wide range of basemaps you can use in your maps. These are available to all ArcGIS Pro users as part of your license.
Basemaps are just the start of the data you can access via ArcGIS Online. Next, you will add layers for the city of Trippville that were created by the city’s consultant and hosted in ArcGIS Online:
Figure 2.15 – The ArcGIS Online button in the Catalog pane
Trippville Water System Map 2023
and press Enter to run the search.Trippville Water System Map 2023
feature service under Search Results and select Add To Current Map, as shown in the following screenshot:Figure 2.16 – Adding an ArcGIS Online feature service as a layer to the current map
You should now see a new group layer that’s been added to your map called Trippville Water System Map 2023
. This contains the data that was created and shared by the consultant. This is hosted in the ArcGIS Online cloud solution from Esri and is displayed on your computer.
To help you evaluate the data, you will adjust the symbology for the Water Lines
layer located within the group layer you just added:
Trippville Water System Map 2023
group layer in the Contents pane so that you can see the layers that are included.Water Lines
layer. Then, activate the Feature Layer tab in the ribbon.Water Lines
because you have it selected in the Contents pane. Set the Symbology Layer parameter by clicking on the Browse button.AGOL Layers
to open it. Then, select the Water Lines by Size and Material.lyrx
layer file and click OK.Figure 2.17 – The Import Symbology tool with completed parameters
When the tool finishes running, the symbology for the Water Lines
layer will change and show the pipe size and material for each section of the water line. Symbolizing the water lines in this fashion will allow you or others to easily assess the completeness of the data and find possible errors.
Even though data is hosted in ArcGIS Online, you can interact with it just like you can data stored within your system or network, depending on the type of web service and your permissions.
Information
ArcGIS Online allows users to publish and share many types of content. From a map perspective, two basic types of web services can be published and shared – a Map Service and a Feature Service.
Map Service: A rasterized version of the published map that allows data to be displayed, queried, and printed. It does not allow data editing.
Feature Service: A vector version of the published map that allows all the functionality of a map service, plus it allows data editing.
There is a lot more to web services and layers. To learn more, go to https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/sharing/overview/introduction-to-sharing-web-layers.htm.
Save your project and close ArcGIS Pro.
You have just added a new group layer to your map that references data stored in ArcGIS Online and changed how one of the individual layers within the group layer was displayed.
In this recipe, you got to experience some of the basic integrations between ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online by changing the basemap included in the map and adding new layers that reference data stored in ArcGIS Online. You started by verifying the source for the Topography
basemap included in the map. You did this by clicking on the List by Source button in the Contents pane. That allowed you to see that the Topography
basemap source referenced different URLs – that is, arcgis.com and arcgisonline.com. Then, you changed the basemap to World Imagery
, which is also hosted by Esri in ArcGIS Online.
Next, you added data to the map that represented the water system for the city of Trippville, which was also stored in ArcGIS Online. You did this by going to the Catalog pane and selecting the Portal tab. Next, you selected the ArcGIS Online button and performed a search for the data you needed. Then, you right-clicked on the returned result and selected Add To Current Map. This created a new group layer that contained several individual layers, including Water Tank
, Water Meters
, Fire Hydran
ts, and Water Lines
. Lastly, you imported a layer file that changed the symbology for the Water Lines
layer so that you could see the pipe size and material for each pipe segment.
It is not unusual to get data from outside sources that is nothing more than a table with some information that includes X and Y data. This may come from a surveyor, someone who collected data with their smartphone, or some other source. The data might be a spreadsheet, a text file, a CSV file, or even a database table.
If the data includes coordinates for the location, you can turn these into points within a map. This is called an event layer. The coordinates can be in any known coordinate system if they are all the same, meaning that all the coordinates for all the records in the table must be listed in the same coordinate system.
In this recipe, you will plot the locations of crimes from a standalone database table. This table contains several records, each of which has a latitude and longitude coordinate. You will use that information to plot the location.
While not required, it is recommended that you complete the recipes in Chapter 1 before starting this one to ensure you have basic skills in using ArcGIS Pro and understand the terminology associated with the application. This recipe does not require any previous recipes to have been completed. The sample data must be installed before you continue. This recipe can be completed with all license levels of ArcGIS Pro.
You will start by working through the process required to plot the locations of events listed in a standalone table found in a geodatabase:
Plot XY from Table.aprx
project located in C:\Student\ArcGISPro3Cookbook\Chapter2
. Click the Open another project button and navigate to C:\Student\ArcGISPro3Cookbook\Chapter2
. Select the desired project file (.aprx
) and click OK.The project will open with the Trippville map being displayed. This map contains two layers – City Limit
and Parcels
. Next, you will add the standalone table that contains the data you need to plot and examine.
Databases
folder to reveal its contents.Trippville_GIS.gdb
geodatabase so that you can see what it contains.Trippville_GIS.gdb
geodatabase until you see the Crimes_2023
standalone table. Right-click on the table and select Add To Current Map, as shown in the following screenshot:Figure 2.18 – Adding a table to a map from the Catalog pane
When added successfully, the table should appear at the bottom of the Contents pane.
Information
A standalone table is any table that is not directly associated with spatial data. This means it does not initially include a spatial component that is automatically displayed in a map. A standalone table might contain fields that hold coordinates, addresses, or other location information that can be used to display spatial information but requires additional steps to do so. Tables that are directly associated with spatial data are called attribute tables.
Crimes_2023
table you just added and select Open from the menu that appears. Take a moment to review the fields and data contained in the table so that you know what information is available for you to work with.You should see six different fields. The most important are the two at the end – Lat and Long. These are the coordinates that identify the location of each crime. You will use those to create points on your map that show the location.
Crimes_2023
table by clicking the small X in the tab at the top of the table.Crimes_2023
table in the Contents pane and select Create Points From Table, then XY Table To Point, as shown in the following screenshot:Figure 2.19 – Accessing the XY Table To Point tool
Figure 2.20 – The XY Table To Point tool with completed parameters
A new layer will appear in your map named Crimes_2023_XYTableToPoint
. This is the results of the XY Table to Point tool. It generated a new point layer based on the latitude and longitude coordinates that were in the standalone Crimes_2023
table. But it did more than that. You will explore the results later to see exactly what the tool created.
Crimes_2023_XYTableToPoint
layer and select Attribute Table from the menu that appears. This will open the attribute table for the new layer you created.Crimes_2023
table.As you can see, the data in the two tables is very similar. The attribute table contains an additional field called Shape.
Trippville_GIS.gdb
geodatabase. If needed, expand it so that you can see its contents.Crimes_2023_XYTableToPoint
.Crimes_2023_XYTableToPoint
layer to open its properties.Database
and Name
parameters.As you can see, the new layer references back to the new feature class you saw in the Trippville_GIS.gdb
geodatabase. The XY Table To Point tool not only created a new layer but also created a new feature class in the geodatabase.
You have successfully created a new layer using data stored in a standalone table. This same process will work for data stored in other files, such as Excel spreadsheets, text files, or CSV files.
In this recipe, you created points on a map showing the location of crimes using a standalone database table. You did this by adding the table to your map by right-clicking it in the database and selecting Add To Current Map.
Once you added the table to the map, you viewed the table to ensure it included the coordinate values for each record. This was as simple as opening the table and looking at the data it contained.
Lastly, you right-clicked the table in the Contents pane and selected XY Table to Point. This opened the XY Table to Point tool window displaying all the tool parameters. Because your table used several default fields, it automatically populated the required variables. Once this tool ran, a new point layer appeared in the map showing the actual location of the crimes from the table.
In the previous recipe, you saw how data can be in something other than a traditional GIS format. It can be a standalone table that contains X and Y coordinates, along with other information. This can then be turned into points on a map. X and Y coordinates are not the only way we can identify a location.
Another even more common way to show a location is with a postal address. This is how postal carriers know where mail needed to be delivered well before the days of global navigation satellite systems such as GPS. ArcGIS Pro can also use an address to identify a location. This is called geocoding.
Simply put, geocoding is the process of converting an address or series of addresses into a location on a map or in a GIS. In this recipe, you will learn how to geocode addresses within ArcGIS Pro. This will include determining reference data in your GIS, creating an address locator, and geocoding an Inspections spreadsheet.
In this recipe, the city manager for the city of Trippville has a spreadsheet containing all the inspections recently completed by inspectors from various departments in the city. They want you to show where these inspections occurred on a map. The spreadsheet includes the address where each inspection occurred, so you will need to geocode this data.
To complete this recipe, you will need a spreadsheet application, such as Microsoft Excel or similar, that can open a .xlsx
file. You also need to have the sample data installed. It is recommended that you complete the recipes in Chapter 1 to ensure you understand the basic terminology associated with ArcGIS Pro and how to navigate the interface. This recipe can be completed with any license level of ArcGIS Pro (Basic, Standard, or Advanced).
You will now work through the process needed to bring in data from a spreadsheet and then geocode it so that those locations will be displayed on a map:
C:\Student\ArcGISPro3Cookbook\Chapter2
.Inspections.xlsx
file and double-click on it to open it.Tip
You will need an application such as Microsoft Excel or similar installed for this to work. If you do not have Microsoft Excel or a similar application, you can download and install Open Office for free. This is an open source application that has comparable functionality with Microsoft Office. You can download it from https://www.openoffice.org/download/index.html.
Figure 2.21 – The Inspections spreadsheet open in Microsoft Excel
This spreadsheet, provided by the city manager, represents an export from a permitting and inspections system used by the city. That system cannot display data on a map, but the city manager wants to see where inspections have been completed within the city. As you can see, the spreadsheet does include the address where the inspection took place. You will use that to geocode the location of each inspection onto a map.
Follow these steps to add the spreadsheet you just examined to an ArcGIS Pro project so that you can start using that data:
Geocoding.aprx
project located in C:\Student\ArcGISPro3Cookbook\Chapter2
. Click on the Open another project button and navigate to C:\Student\ArcGISPro3Cookbook\Chapter2
. Select the desired project file (.aprx
) and click OK.Chapter2
folder.Inspections.xlsx
file and expand it so that you can see the individual sheets included in the file. Right-click on the Inspections$ sheet and select Add To Current Map, as shown in the following screenshot:Figure 2.22 – Adding a spreadsheet to the current map from the Catalog pane
You have just added the spreadsheet you examined to your map so that you can geocode it.
Before you can geocode the data in the spreadsheet, you will need to create a locator. Geocoding in ArcGIS Pro requires three components if you are using just your own data. You will need the table you want to geocode, the reference data in your GIS that contains address information, and a locator.
Reference data is typically road centerlines, address points, or parcel polygons. Address points typically provide the greatest level of accuracy. This is followed by parcel polygons. The least accurate is road centerlines.
The locator is the translator between your source data and the data you are trying to geocode. It provides basic settings and options required to geocode. Several styles of locators are dependent on your reference data and how the address information is formatted.
So, before you can create your locator, you must first identify your source data. This will be a GIS layer that already contains address information:
Trippville_GIS.gdb
geodatabase, you know that will not be your reference data. You do have parcel polygons, so right-click the Parcels
layer in the Contents pane and select Attribute Table:Figure 2.23 – Opening the Parcels layer attribute table
Parcels
layer to determine whether it contains address data. Review the field names contained in the table, along with the data itself.The Parcels
layer does include some address information. It has the street name
, street number
, and street suffix
fields. However, the data is incomplete. Also, it is missing other information that is typically included in a complete address. Therefore, the parcels
layer is not well-suited to be your reference layer. It’s time to look at the street centerlines to see whether they have more complete address information.
Parcels
layer you just reviewed.Street Centerlines
layer using the same process you did for the Parcels
layer.Street Centerlines
attribute table to see whether it includes the data needed to identify a complete address. You may need to scroll over to see the entire table.The Street Centerlines
layer does have more complete address information. It has address ranges for both the left and right sides of the road. It also has fields for the road name and type. In addition, it has fields for the ZIP code and city on the left and right sides of each road. This is enough information to create complete addresses. So, the Street Centerlines
layer is the best choice as your reference layer, even if it might not produce the most accurate data points. Now, you are ready to create your locator.
Street Centerlines
attribute table.Figure 2.24 – Accessing the Create Locator tool in the Geoprocessing pane
United States
using the drop-down arrow.Street Centerlines
using the drop-down arrow. Then set Role to Street Address
, also using the drop-down arrow. You should see Field Mapping options appear when you do this.Information
Field mapping allows you to identify which fields in the primary table you want the locator to consider when you geocode your data. Those with an asterisk (*
) before the field name are required. Those without an asterisk are not required by the locator to work but might improve your geocoding results if you have them. To learn more about the Create Locator tool, go to https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/tool-reference/geocoding/create-locator.htm.
L_F_ADD
L_T_ADD
R_F_ADD
R_T_ADD
PREFIXDIR
NAME
GEONAME_L
GEONAME_R
STATE_L
STATE_R
POSTAL_L
POSTAL_R
COUNTRY
C:\Student\ArcGISPro3Cookbook\MyProjects
.Trippville_Locator
, as shown in the following screenshot, and click Save:Figure 2.25 – Naming the new locator and creating it
Information
If the tool completes but has warnings, you can ignore them for the sake of this recipe. In a real-world situation, you would want to investigate the warnings and determine whether they will affect your ability to use the locator successfully. If they negatively affect the use of the locator, you will need to fix the issues causing the warning. In this case, most of the issues involve street centerlines located outside the city limits for Trippville so that they do not impact the use of the locator within the city.
Now that you created the address locator, you will need to adjust some of the property settings to improve the final results when you geocode the spreadsheet of addresses:
Trippville_Locator
locator you just created and select Properties from the menu that appears.35
.Information
Side Offset is how far off the centerline the geocoding process will create a new point along the edge of the centerline. End Offset works similarly but is at the end of the line segment. Since we know most of the street rights-of-way are between 50 and 60 feet, 35 should put the point on or close to the parcel it belongs on.
Figure 2.26 – Locator Properties with adjusted settings
You are now ready to geocode the address locations shown in the spreadsheet you reviewed at the start of the recipe. This will create points in the map at the address locations:
Inspections$
table and select Geocode Table from the menu that appears, as illustrated in the following screenshot:Figure 2.27 – Selecting Geocode Table from the Contents pane
Trippville_Locator
using the drop-down arrow. Then, click Next.Inspections$
, which it should be because you right-clicked on that table to start this process.More than one field
. Then, click Next.Street
City
State
ZIP
<None>
Trippville_GIS.gdb
geodatabase in the right-hand panel of the Output window.Inspections_Geocoded
and click Save.Address location
using the drop-down arrow and set Output fields to All
. Then, click Next.Address
by clicking the checkbox. Then, click Finish. This might be listed as Step 5 of 5 at the bottom of the tool. This isn’t a cause for concern.Figure 2.28 – The Geocode Table tool with completed parameters
When the tool completes, a new window will appear showing you the results. Luckily, you don’t have any unmatched locations. A new layer should appear on your map showing the results of your geocoding efforts.
Inspections_Geocoded
layer and select Zoom to Layer. Your map should look similar to the following:Figure 2.29 – Map zoomed into the geocoding results
Inspections_Geocoded
layer. Examine the table to see what fields and data it contains.When you examine the attribute table, you should recognize several of the fields as coming from the Inspections$
table you geocoded. You will also see several fields that were created by the geocoding process. This includes Status
, Score
, Match_type
, and many more. The Status
, Score
, and Match_type
values are calculated from the Geocode Table tool. The Status
field will contain one of three values – M = Match, T = Tie, or U = Unmatched. The Score
field indicates how well the address in the input table (Inspections$
) matched the reference data (Street Centerlines
) used by the locator. It will be between 1 and 100, with 100 being a perfect match. Match_type
is how the location was geocoded. A is automatic and M is manual.
You have successfully geocoded the data in an Excel spreadsheet so that it is displayed on a map.
In this recipe, you geocoded a spreadsheet of inspections that had been exported from a permitting and inspections system that was external to your GIS. To do this, you had to determine a reference layer. This reference layer was a GIS layer that contained address data. You examined the Parcels
and Street Centerline
layers to determine which one would be the best reference layer. You determined that the Street Centerlines
layer was best due to the completeness of the address information.
Then, you created a new locator that allowed you to use the centerlines for reference. You used the Create Locator geoprocessing tool found in the Geocoding Tools toolbox to do this.
Once the locator was created, you were able to geocode the Inspections spreadsheet. This created a new point layer in your map showing the locations of the inspections.
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