topic Re: Create a shapefile of circles without using arcpy in Python Questions

Create a shapefile of circles without using arcpy

SeanWhipple — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 18:11:23 GMT

I have a process that will run on a remote server that does not have arcgis on it but it does have python2.7. I need to create shapefiles with that hold circles with varying radii (specified in miles). I have code that can create a shapefile of points (lat, lon in WGS84), is there a way to tell arcgis to add a buffer to each point when the shapefile is loaded?

Re: Create a shapefile of circles without using arcpy

RhettZufelt — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 18:46:51 GMT

Don't think so. One option would be to load it in with a large point symbol. Would look just like a circular buffer around each point if you make the fill color null.

Can make the point size relative to a field, so if you have the miles column, use that to get the varying sizes. http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#//00q8000000st000000

Can then save as a layer file, and load that into ArcMap instead of the shapefile directly. this will apply your symbology.

R_

Also, keep in mind that there are python shapefile libraries out there that allow you to create any geometry shapefile with just python, so could make them as polygons off the get go.

Re: Create a shapefile of circles without using arcpy

StacyRendall1 — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 21:18:30 GMT

EDIT:
Your question is not very clear... You have already made the shapefiles? Arcpy can definitely be used to add a buffer to some existing points based upon a field value, is that all you want to do?

The answer below is assuming that you want to create the circle polygons on the remote computer...

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Your other option is to use GDAL/OGR, which is a free and open source GIS library that has Python bindings (things that let you manipulate it from Python). It would still have to be installed, but this is a lot smaller and easier to do than installing ArcGIS just to get Arcpy. GDAL/OGR works quite different to Arcpy, so there will be a learning curve, but it is still pretty easy to create polygons like you want.

The other thing you could try (75% certain it will not work) is provide the remote Python with a modified version of Desktop10.1.pth that points to the relevant folders that will have to be shared on a computer that has ArcGIS, this might allow the remote Python to import Arcpy...