Dissove Network - throws "Invalid Network" error

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12-05-2012 03:09 AM
JuarezBelgrano
New Contributor
I'm trying to use the dissolve network tool to dissolvle lines in a SHP file where all streets have a directional heading applied to them (start point to end point). But I simply can't get "Dissolve Network" to work. Here's what I'm doing:

- Right clicking on the supplied SHP file (see attachment) in Catalog -> New Network Dataset
- Leaving all settings in the New Network Dataset Wizzard default (tried other settings as well but it didn't help for me).
- Message "New Network Dataset has been created. Would you like to build it now?" - Yes
- Message "Do you also want to show all feature classes that participate?" - Yes
- After that the new network is created and visible.
- Catalog -> System Toolboxes -> Network Analyst Tools -> Network Dataset -> Dissolve Network
- Using the pulldown menu to select recently created "tester.nd" as input network dataset
- That's where I'm getting the following error message: "ERROR 030070 Invalid network dataset type."

I spend a few hours browsing the forums, reading through the help files supplied by ArcGis but I couldn't find out what's wrong with my input file. Any ideas would be highly appreciated.
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DougSterling
Esri Contributor
Still fighting with the same problem. I could get rid of the warning message mentioned in my previous post by changing the oneway attribute type to boolean (with "1" being an a active oneway and "0" both ways).

But whatever I do my problem remains: After applying "Dissolve Network" the directions of the lines go wild - even those that are restriced to oneway. They simply don't comply with the directions given in the source network that was created based on the initially uploaded shapefile. Can anyone recreate this problem or even better: Give a hint what I could have done wrong? 🙂


Dissolve doesn't honor the digitized direction of your edges but it does guarantee that the resulting digitized directions are consistent with the attributes.  What this means is that dissolve will flip edges but it will change the oneway attribute from a 'F' to a 'T' because not doing so would result in inaccurate attributes.  Depending on what other attributes you have you may be able to:

Select all dissolved rows with a oneway value of 'T'
Use the Flip Line tool to reverse the selected rows http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#//001v00000005000000
Calculate field values to change the 'T' values back to an 'F'
Calculate field values for any other directional attributes (speed, length, hierarchy, and lane count aren't directional)
Rebuild your network
Solve

This won't change the direction of lines without oneway attributes.

Generally the digitized direction of a line is irrelevant.  It is simply necessary for the relationship between digitized direction and attribute direction to be handled consistently.  Dissolve will merge features that have been digitized in opposing directions so long as the attributes can be merged without issue.

Doug

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JaySandhu
Esri Regular Contributor
"ERROR 030070 Invalid network dataset type."

Shape file based networks are not supported.  From the help:

http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/#/Dissolve_Network/00480000000w000000/

The input network dataset must be a file or personal geodatabase network dataset with exactly one edge source. Any number of junction sources and turn sources is allowed. The edge source must have:

  • End point connectivity policy

  • An elevation policy of either None or Elevation Fields

So change the input to be file bases network dataset and try again.

Regards,
Jay Sandhu
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JuarezBelgrano
New Contributor
Shape file based networks are not supported.


Thanks for the answer. That wasn't clear right away but I just found some more info that confirms it (unfortunately):
http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#/What_is_a_network_dataset/0047000000070000...

"The shapefile-based network dataset provides ArcView GIS users with the opportunity to rapidly migrate their data. The shapefile network dataset is created from a polyline shapefile containing the network source (for instance, a street network) and, optionally, a shapefile turn feature class. Such a network dataset cannot support multiple edge sources and cannot be used to model multimodal networks."

Is there any workaround for this like an option to convert the shapefile to a "real" network?

If not: My intention is to "join" lines with a similar number of lanes (see attributes) but they mustn't loose their directional heading (meaning that a oneway road consisting of several shapelines should still have its end/start points at the right ends after joining the lines). I thought that creating a network -> Dissolve Network was the only way to archive this but maybe there's another way?
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JaySandhu
Esri Regular Contributor
You can create shapefile based network datasets and use them with ArcGIS Network Analyst. The dissolve tool does not support them to create a new dissolved network directly. But it is easy to create a new file geodatabase, then a feature dataset using the spatial reference of the shape file, copying the shapefile into that feature dataset and then creating/building a network dataset.

You can use the Dissolve Network tool to "merge" connected edges with the same number of lanes IF when your create the network dataset, you add a Descriptor attribute called Lanes and set it's evaluators to the lane field. This way, when the dissolve network tool is running, it will merge the two adjacent edges with same number of lanes if their descriptor attributes match (it will replace them by one edge). Note that the tool adds up the cost attributes, but replicates the descriptors values.

Jay Sandhu
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JuarezBelgrano
New Contributor
But it is easy to create a new file geodatabase, then a feature dataset using the spatial reference of the shape file, copying the shapefile into that feature dataset and then creating/building a network dataset.


Not sure how I'm supposed to copy a shapefile into a feature dataset but I did it as follows:

- Data Management Tools -> Workspace -> Create File GDB
- Data Management Tools -> Feature Class -> Create Feature Class
- Set the previously created GDB as feature class location, feature name temp, geometry type POLYLINE, coordinate system WGS84 (same as the shapefile I uploaded)
- Right click on the newly created feature class in catalog, load data, loading the shapefile
- The result is a feature class with the lines from the shapefile, looks fine so far. But unlike with the shapefile I'm not seeing a "New Network Dataset" option when I right click it (although the help file says "To open the New Network Dataset wizard, right-click a feature dataset or a line shapefile in the catalog tree and choose New > Network Dataset.")
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JaySandhu
Esri Regular Contributor
You could have used the Feature Class To Feature Class tool to copy data around.
http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/#/Feature_Class_To_Feature_Class/001200000020000000/

As far as creating a network dataset in a File geodatabase, as I mentioned before, first create a Feature Dataset with the SAME spatial reference as the shape file. Then copy the shape file into that feature dataset. Then right-click on the Feature Dataset to create a new network dataset. In a geodatabase, networks can be made with more than one feature source. So Feature Datasets (think of it like another folder on your hard disk to organize your data) are used to ensemble all the network sources in one place with the same spatial reference so that network connectivity is easy to create.

Note that, to create a feature dataset with the same spatial reference, use the Create Feature Dataset tool and then the third input will let you import the spatial reference from your shape file.
http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#//0017000000pv000000

Jay Sandhu
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JuarezBelgrano
New Contributor
In a geodatabase, networks can be made with more than one feature source. So Feature Datasets (think of it like another folder on your hard disk to organize your data) are used to ensemble all the network sources in one place with the same spatial reference so that network connectivity is easy to create.


Ok, that helped me to solve that issue. Thank you!
The network is now created. Next I'm running the Dissolve Tool and again I'm running into a problem that I seem to be unable to solve (I really hope you're not running out of patience with me now):

While running dissolve network it throws a little warning that says: "The restriction attribute Oneway is assumed to be a oneway restriction that uses differing script logic to determine attribute values for the along and against digitized directions."
The resulting network looks just fine at first (after rebuilding) but the oneway roads have lost their directions and are often going into the wrong direction.

I checked the original shapefile what could be wrong there and went through the whole Network creation process again several times to find out what could be done different in regards of the oneway attribute. The Network creation wizard finds the Oneway attribute and the only values in there are either "no" (any value for two way as per help file) or "F" (oneway from beginning to end of line as per help file). Strange thing is that the directions are shown perfectly ok in the initially created Network, only the Dissolve Network Tools seem to have some problem with the input?
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JuarezBelgrano
New Contributor
Still fighting with the same problem. I could get rid of the warning message mentioned in my previous post by changing the oneway attribute type to boolean (with "1" being an a active oneway and "0" both ways).

But whatever I do my problem remains: After applying "Dissolve Network" the directions of the lines go wild - even those that are restriced to oneway. They simply don't comply with the directions given in the source network that was created based on the initially uploaded shapefile. Can anyone recreate this problem or even better: Give a hint what I could have done wrong? 🙂
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DougSterling
Esri Contributor
Still fighting with the same problem. I could get rid of the warning message mentioned in my previous post by changing the oneway attribute type to boolean (with "1" being an a active oneway and "0" both ways).

But whatever I do my problem remains: After applying "Dissolve Network" the directions of the lines go wild - even those that are restriced to oneway. They simply don't comply with the directions given in the source network that was created based on the initially uploaded shapefile. Can anyone recreate this problem or even better: Give a hint what I could have done wrong? 🙂


Dissolve doesn't honor the digitized direction of your edges but it does guarantee that the resulting digitized directions are consistent with the attributes.  What this means is that dissolve will flip edges but it will change the oneway attribute from a 'F' to a 'T' because not doing so would result in inaccurate attributes.  Depending on what other attributes you have you may be able to:

Select all dissolved rows with a oneway value of 'T'
Use the Flip Line tool to reverse the selected rows http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#//001v00000005000000
Calculate field values to change the 'T' values back to an 'F'
Calculate field values for any other directional attributes (speed, length, hierarchy, and lane count aren't directional)
Rebuild your network
Solve

This won't change the direction of lines without oneway attributes.

Generally the digitized direction of a line is irrelevant.  It is simply necessary for the relationship between digitized direction and attribute direction to be handled consistently.  Dissolve will merge features that have been digitized in opposing directions so long as the attributes can be merged without issue.

Doug
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JaySandhu
Esri Regular Contributor
The resulting network looks just fine at first (after rebuilding) but the oneway roads have lost their directions and are often going into the wrong direction.


Just to re-emphasize what Doug said in the previous post, the dissolve tool can flip the digitized direction of the edges BUT it will also the flip the attribute of the ONEWAY field to match the flip. So you should get the same routes on the resulting network as you did before.


Jay Sandhu
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