How do I change the units of distance for the neartable tool?

Question

Hi all,

I am using the neartable function in Arcmap to estimate the distances between objects on a map. At the moment, the neartable function is giving the distances in what appear to be degrees. Is there are way that I can specify the units that I want, for example, meters?

thanks!!

Sean

OwenEarley · Answer

From the tool help - you will need to project your input data to an appropriate coordinate system that uses meters:

* The distances calculated by this tool are in the unit of the coordinate system of the input features. If your input is in a geographic coordinate system and you want output distances to be measured in a linear unit (as opposed to decimal degrees), you must first project your input to a projected coordinate system using the Project tool. For best results, use an equidistant projection or a projection intended for your study area (UTM, for example).