topic Re: merge multiple, identical polygon feature classes and sum selected fields in Cartography and Maps Questions

merge multiple, identical polygon feature classes and sum selected fields

HCCGISICT_ — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 22:58:39 GMT

Running ArcGIS desktop 10.3.1

I have multiple identical polygon feature classes I wish to combine into a single polygon. several of the fields have dollar values associate with these land parcels. I need to end up with a single polygon with a total value of the original multiple polygon land values. the Merge tool obviously combines the polygons but doesn't sum other values other than polygon spatial values such as length, area etc

Any thoughts on which tool I could use?

Roy Langman

City of Hobart

Re: merge multiple, identical polygon feature classes and sum selected fields

DanPatterson_Retired — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 23:46:34 GMT

the help suggests otherwise in the field mapping section Merge—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop there is a total option

Union—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop offers the possibility to keep the fields separate and transfered over to the final.

In both cases, it appears you really don't care about the affects to geometry, so I would suggest working with copies in any event

Re: merge multiple, identical polygon feature classes and sum selected fields

HCCGISICT_ — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 00:00:03 GMT

Thanks Dan, I did not read that. Yes, not worried about the final geometry, more the totals for the data fields.

Re: merge multiple, identical polygon feature classes and sum selected fields

DanPatterson_Retired — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 00:09:23 GMT

It is worth a look both ways... in the case of union, you would have to produce a new field and add the fields together using the field calculator. In the merge, it is ... hopefully... done for you. I however, like to cross-validate...if I am going to be wrong, I want to make sure I am really wrong

Re: merge multiple, identical polygon feature classes and sum selected fields

HCCGISICT_ — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 00:16:20 GMT

Oh yes, lots of trial and error (and working with copies of the data sets) to understand the tool functions.

Thanks for the replies Dan.

Re: merge multiple, identical polygon feature classes and sum selected fields

ChrisDonohue__GISP — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 02:36:37 GMT

Some more ideas, assuming the data is spatially identical:

Spatial Join - start with one layer then do Spatial Joins to the rest. Spatial Join—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop
Identity (Analysis), with the Join Attributes (optional) set to All. Identity—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

Caveat - both of these this place all the attributes into one feature class, but you will still to follow up with an additional process step to do the sum.

Chris Donohue, GISP

Re: merge multiple, identical polygon feature classes and sum selected fields

RebeccaStrauch__GISP — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 16:01:38 GMT

I might be over simplifying this, but once you get them all in one file ( you could even use Append—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop or similar if you don't care about the geometry and the attribute table structure is the same)

you could also look at An overview of the Statistics toolset—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

Re: merge multiple, identical polygon feature classes and sum selected fields

WesMiller — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 19:05:36 GMT

You may also be interested in the Dissolve—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop tool

Re: merge multiple, identical polygon feature classes and sum selected fields

HCCGISICT_ — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 22:19:23 GMT

Thanks people, I am back on this issue in the next day or so, will work my way through. In thinking about it over the weekend, I may have been looking at the issue from the incorrect angle. I will however work my way through the suggestions, I like the spatial join suggestion in particular - very familiar with this when we join across or corporate databases GIS to Asset databases in particular.

Cheers,

Roy.