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Distance trace - how to?

JürgenBiendara

Hello,

I am trying to figure out how to do a distance trace in the Utility Network. I want to trace a line starting from a specific device (trace location), the trace should stop after a given distance. I want to find out exactly where this distance point is on the traced route. The route may well belong to different tiers and have branches.

I have searched this community in vain and also consulted various Esri videos on the subject of network tracing (including this one: Trace Operations in the Trace Network). My own attempts with the Electric Utility Network Foundation Solution data have also been unsuccessful so far.

What I think I have understood so far is that you have to define the distance via a Function Barrier with "Add - Shape.Length" (or any other lenght attribute) and use the "Aggregated Geometry" option as the Output Result Type in order to be able to visualize the exact distance position on the map. Unfortunately, I have not been able to do this in all my attempts, and depending on the choice of trace location, various errors have occurred when executing the network trace.

Is there a detailed description somewhere, or better still a video, that shows how to formulate the trace in order to find the desired distance position on the route?

I would be very grateful for any hints or help.

Best regards,
Jürgen

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Accepted answers

RobertKrisher

You can find an example of this here: https://mediaspace.esri.com/media/t/1_nl5m6g2p?st=1848:

If you are still having issues, please post the error message you are seeing.

All comments

RobertKrisher

A new article has just been published on the ArcGIS Blog that discusses several techniques for doing distance tracing. One technique that uses subnetworks for upstream/downstream analysis, and another technique using a basic Connected trace.

TamikoStone1

I am using just a trace network... but I may try the utility network tools. This will helpful, thank you.

RobertKrisher

@TamikoStone1 if you're seeing an issue with the trace network on 3.3.5, please log an issue. That fix was explicitly for the utility network, and while there is some common functionality between the two, this issue may be separate.

Jens_Dalsgaard

Using ArcGIS Pro v 3.5.2 I'd say it now works.

Below you see a distance trace starting from the green trace starting point. In this trace I stop the trace at a certain network category, so it doesn't run 'the other way'.

Here the distance is set to 425 meters:

Here the distance is set to1,475 meters:

Here the trace configuration used:

This is where I set the trace to stop after a certain distance having been reached:

And here I specify that I want the trace to only return cables and overhead lines. PLUS, and this is important, that I want the trace to be returned as an aggregated geometry (rather than as a selection).

TamikoStone1

Hi, do you know if this is still a bug? I see that bug # BUG-000162011 has been fixed. I am using version 3.3.5 and do not get partial results of the aggregated lines. I'm using the Trace Network Tools not the Utility Network Tools.

Screenshot 2025-09-04 130704.jpg

Jens_Dalsgaard

Has any bug been reported on this so far? If so, could you tell the bug-ID and hint an expected release date for a patch, please?

I likewise have encountered mysterious behavior on the distance traces - using ArcGIS Pro 3.3.1.

Having this bug fixed is needed for us to deliver according to contract with a large Danish DSO.

RobertKrisher

This appears to be a bug, please log a case with support.

JürgenBiendara

Hi Robert,

I would have expected the result of my trace to be as shown in your screenshot.

Here are the parameters and a few screenshots of my test case, which I can use to reproduce my observations at any time.

ArcGIS Enterprise: 11.1
ArcGIS Pro: 3.1.3

Trace Location: Electric Device - Medium Voltage Transformer - Overhead Single Phase - MV->LV - MV-XFR-12 (Object ID 1387) - 2wXFR:Primary
Trace parameter: Upstream trace with filter barrier at distance 50 units (no other barriers)

The result is the same with a distance value of 20 or 100 (UpstreamTraceResult50.jpg). With a distance value of 110 the result changes, the aggregated line geometry now goes to the next vertex (UpstreamTraceResult110.jpg).

Perhaps you can use this information to try to recreate my test case. If you get a different result than me, we can also have a look at the test on my system.

Many thanks and best regards,
Juergen

TraceLocation_Object.jpg

TraceLocation_Terminal.jpg

UpstreamTraceParameters1.jpg

UpstreamTraceParameters2.jpg

UpstreamTraceParameters3.jpg

UpstreamTraceResult50.jpg

UpstreamTraceResult110.jpg

RobertKrisher

Can you reproduce the problem on the sample data included with the electric utility network foundation?

When I test this out, I see the trace correctly stop midspan within a line segment (i.e. it's not stopping at line vertices).

JürgenBiendara

Hi Robert,

Thank you for pointing out this very interesting video. Unfortunately, it didn't help me with my problem. Although it is explained at the end of the video that, as I had assumed, in order to be able to identify the exact distance position X, the “Aggregated Geometry” option must be used as the Result Type, this has not worked so far in my attempts. (However, thanks to the video, I have not received any further error messages when trying again).

My test case looks like this: I select any mid-voltage transformer (of the Electric Utility Network Foundation Solution) and define the primary terminal as the trace location. Then I execute an upstream trace in the distribution tier with the following filter function barrier: Add - Shape length - Is greater than or equal to - 20 (so my distance position is 20 units). Before running the trace I have deleted the traversability barriers of the trace configuration. My output options are “Aggregated Geometry” and “Selection”.

In fact, the trace delivers a result - it selects the line connected upstream to the transformer and generates an aggregated line geometry. However, this is not 20 units long, but goes as far as the vertex of the line that most closely fulfills the function barrier condition. However, I would have expected the aggregated geometry to be exactly 20 units long.

On further attempts with other X values (50, 100, 200), it can be seen that the aggregated geometry always runs up to a vertex of the line, but never ends at the exact X value.

I am now wondering whether I am doing something wrong here, or whether it generally does not work to determine the exact distance position.

I would be happy to demonstrate my test case in a web session.

Best regards, Jürgen

RobertKrisher

You can find an example of this here: https://mediaspace.esri.com/media/t/1_nl5m6g2p?st=1848:

If you are still having issues, please post the error message you are seeing.

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