Simple TSP problem with open area

[DavidChevrier]

Hi,   I have a feature class with about 400 points that are in the ocean.  I'm trying to use the network analyst extension to find the shortest route to travel to each point (as the crow flies more or less).  I'm having trouble creating my network dataset.  I read in another post that I should make a fishnet feature class (of polylines I'm assuming) of the whole area and use that as the roads.  I would have to add a land feature class as a sort of barrier.  Then I could solve the route with using the reorder option.  None of the tutorials I've read have really shown me how to deal with this situation.  Could someone please point me in the correct direction for solving this traveling salesman problem?  Thanks

[DavidChevrier]

Thanks for looking into this!

[DavidChevrier]

I think I got it to work.  I had to create the grid as a polygon then use the polygon to line tool making sure the "identify and store polygon neighboring information" is checked.

Thanks for all your help!

[JoeBorgione]

I think I got it to work.  I had to create the grid as a polygon then use the polygon to line tool making sure the "identify and store polygon neighboring information" is checked.

Thanks for all your help!

I looked at the online help, and at 10.0 and 10.1 it gives you the option of lines (that intersect) or polygons.  At 9.3.1 creating a fishnet is useless to create intersecting lines. Glad you got it to work.

[JoeBorgione]

I think I got it to work.  I had to create the grid as a polygon then use the polygon to line tool making sure the "identify and store polygon neighboring information" is checked.

Thanks for all your help!

Just a follow up; I knew there was a tool that will split lines where interections should be.  It's the planerize tool on the topology toolbar.  Somebody mentioned it in a recent thread.

http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisdesktop/10.0/help/index.html#//001t0000008t000000.htm