New Tools in GeoAnalytics Toolbox beyond ArcGIS Pro 2.1?

[DalindaDamm]

Is there a plan to add tools to the GeoAnalytics toolbox in future versions beyond ArcGIS Pro 2.1?

If so, what will those tools (or at least the focus of those tools) be?

[SarahAmbrose · Accepted solution]

Hi DalindaDamm‌,

It is expected that there will be new tools exposed in the GeoAnalytics Toolbox in ArcGIS Pro at each release (and we’re working on more now!). It’s important to point out that Pro is a client for GeoAnalytics Server. This means that tools are first implemented in GeoAnalytics Server, and Pro is just one way of running the tools you have on your GeoAnalytics Server (you can run them through the Portal Map Viewer, the ArcGIS API for Python and REST as well).

At 10.5 and 10.5.1 there are 12 GeoAnalytics Tools. At 10.6 we introduced three new tools, Calculate Field, Detect Incidents, and Geocode Locations from Tables. The Pro 2.1 release went out around the same time as 10.6, and exposed the Calculate Field and Detect Incidents tool.

We’re currently working on 10.6.1 which will include some new tools. It is planned that these new 10.6.1 tools will be exposed in Pro 2.2. We’ll be continuing this pattern in future releases. Please note, if you have GeoAnalytics Server version 10.5 and Pro 2.2, you can only use the tools from 10.5, not the tools that were created at 10.6 even though your Pro version is recent.

The focus of the new tools can be broadly categorized into a few groups:

1. Classic GIS tasks (similar to join features, this could be something like appending data or applying overlays, as well as more track analysis to tie in with real-time data)
2. More sophisticated analysis – we’re currently researching and working on machine learning and statistical techniques that are relevant to big data.

Are there any tools or workflows you were hoping to use GeoAnalytics for?

Please let me know if that doesn’t answer your question. Let me know if you’ll be at the upcoming DevSummit, User Conference, of Federal User Conference and I can recommend some sessions to attend related to GeoAnalytics.  

Sarah Ambrose

Product Engineer, GeoAnalytics

[DalindaDamm]

Hello Sarah,

Thanks for your quick response! This is exactly the type of information I have been searching for. For clarification, we are looking to run the GeoAnalytics Server 10.6 along with ArcGIS Pro 2.1.1. You mentioned 'applying overlays' in the part about 'Classic GIS tasks'. By chance would that include some of the very commonly used Analysis Overlay tools like Intersect and Union?

Regarding tools we're hoping to use with GeoAnalytics: (1) Has there been any discussion on creating tools for basic data maintenance tasks such as Repair Geometry or Projecting? (2) What about other commonly used geoprocessing tools such as Merge, Dissolve, and Clip?

Unfortunately, I won't be at any of the events you mentioned, but if recordings of sessions are made available, I would be very interested in finding out about them. Thanks again 

[SarahAmbrose]

Hi Dalinda,

Intersect and Union are exactly what I’m talking about for Overlay Layers! Those are being worked on now.

We haven’t had any other requests for Repair Geometry, but we’ve noted it down. If you would like to email me a few more details about your use case, that would help us in prioritizing this tool (sambrose at esri.com). If you could also send me some details in what you are interested in dissolving (just generally something like “I want to dissolve overlapping polygons”, that would help as well).

We don’t currently have a standalone tool for projecting data, but you are able to set a processing spatial reference through Pro and Portal. This will project the data on the fly, and if it’s saved to the relational data store, maintain that projection.

As for Merge, we’re currently working on a way to Append Data, which would give similar functionality. The only difference would be that you can’t modify the original input data. If you don’t think Append will meet your needs, please let me know what would be missing from it.

We don’t currently have a way to clip data to a specified polygon. You can specify an analysis extent, but it won’t change polygon boundaries, only isolate and use the intersecting features in analysis.

We’ll be sure to post in the Big Data place if the GeoAnalytics videos become available. I really do recommend the conferences if you get the opportunity! Product teams are there in person to talk and discuss with ArcGIS users. A win for users, and a big win for us to hear what you’re looking for in the product!

Let me know if I missed anything,

Sarah

Product Engineer, GeoAnalytics Team

[DalindaDamm]

Sarah,

I will definitely send you an email to providing the information you are asking for on the Repair Geometry and Dissolve Tools. Regarding the Append tool y'all are working on, can you elaborate on what you mean by "you can't modify the original input data"?

[SarahAmbrose]

Hi Dalinda,

The way I conceptually think about append is “I have an existing feature service that I am appending to, and I won’t be modifying the original schema. I can mix and match how fields are appended, but the original fields will remain”. It’s one existing dataset, and you are adding a new dataset to that existing one. Merge is more like taking two new datasets, and create 1 “new” one from those. With the append operation, the data that's already "there" stays, and we can only modify what’s being added. I think its best explained with an example though:

Say I have a feature service layer with fields named [Field1, Field2, Field3] and I want to append a dataset with fields named [Field1, Field2, Field4, Field5]. There is nothing I can do so that the appended dataset will have 4 fields, because the original schema will remain. I can do some mixing and matching if I want in the field mapping (say, Field4 is appended to Field 3), but the schema of the data, once everything has been appended will always have 3 fields, named Field1, Field2, Field3.

Does that make sense? Is that the functionality you are looking for, or would a merge be more suitable? This is similar to how ArcGIS Pro append works.

“Because the input datasets' data is written into an existing target dataset that has a predefined schema (field definitions), the Field Map control does not allow for fields to be added or removed from the target dataset.”

Thanks,

Sarah

[DalindaDamm]

That makes total sense, and matches my understanding of Append vs Merge. In my experience, Merge seems to be the more popular tool when compared to Append; and there are many times when being able to keep all the fields from all the inputs is important to the workflow. For instance, I have worked with cases where annually collected data or data specific to particular units doesn't have identical schemas, and thus being able to Merge and manage attributes after the fact is the best option.