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Load Sketch into the Traverse tool without Parcel Fabric/COGO Enable for ArcGIS Pro

4494
29
11-22-2021 03:16 PM
Status: Open
by Anonymous User
Not applicable

In ArcMap, you can Load Sketch into the COGO Traverse tool and modify the survey calls(Metes and Bounds) of a polygon. It seems there is not an exact way to do that in ArcGIS Pro.

Every documentation keeps pointing to COGO enable this or that or Parcel Fabric. This isn't ideal, I would like to see development team to build that feature into ArcGIS Pro Modify Tool suite. 

 

 

https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/editing/create-a-traverse.htm

https://www.reddit.com/r/ArcGIS/comments/mblcfz/question_about_arcgis_pro_cogo_traverses/

29 Comments
DarylHochhalter
by
‎04-07-2025 06:37 AM

@DucksInaRiver  You could try creating line features for the traverse manually fixing the misclose issue then tracing to a polygon FC. I've just accepted some degree of error and try to keep it internal to particular parcels so that adjoining property lines are the same. 

AmirBar-Maor
by Esri Regular Contributor
‎04-08-2025 08:28 AM

@DucksInaRiver 

The workflow to create a traverse that includes calls to natural boundaries (bounds) as well as 'metes' is supported and well documented.

The general outline of the workflow would be:

  1. Create an active record - all the created features will be associated with the legal record they came from such as a deed or a plat.
  2. Assuming the dimensions are in 'ground', set your Ground To Grid correction
  3. Enter the boundary lines of the parcel, you can alternate between entering COGO dimensions and digitizing or tracing natural features. In that case you should not have any misclose information and hence no need for any misclose adjustment, as you have stated.
  4. Create a Parcel Seed and Build to create a parcel
  5. Attribute your parcel

At any point you can press the toggle "Show Only Active Record" to only see the feature you are entering.

 

I hope this help

There are many videos online and on the parcel fabric community videos that show that.

DucksInaRiver
by
2 weeks ago

@AmirBar-Maor 

Step 1 - Are these steps specific to a workflow for Parcel Fabric because I am not clear on what you mean by 'creating an active record'. I create feature layers or feature classes depending on the property project I'm working on. Usually, it's a simply objective to digitize a boundary from a plat, nothing more. I have no experience using Parcel Fabric, in case that's the context of your help.

Step 2 - yes, I do set the Ground to Grid correction

Step 3 - I could not figure out how to switch between the COGO mode and tracing the natural feature. Can you include some screen shots on which things to toggle in the menu in order to do that? 

Step 4 - What is Parcel Seed and Build?? Is this another reference to Parcel Fabric?

Which Parcel Fabric tutorial videos specifically show how to enter plats/metes and bounds that may not have the best misclosures, and how to deal with that? The tricky situations are what I need the most help on. 

DucksInaRiver
by
2 weeks ago

@DarylHochhalter Thank you for weighing in with a suggestion. I could not get the unclosed and half-finished polygon to remain on the screen long enough to trace it. For this property specifically, I noticed that the distance of the line was significantly shorter as reported on the Plat than reality, even accounting for the curve of the earth. Granted, it was also a +/- distance and easily significantly off regardless. It's bothersome that the confidence in accuracy is reduced quite a bit by this method, although to your point, we just accept more of a margin of error than we already are to begin with. 

AmirBar-Maor
by Esri Regular Contributor
2 weeks ago

@DucksInaRiver 

If you can share your plat we can record a video showing how to enter it. 

Please also supply the spatial reference and the combined scale factor. 

We will also show how easy it is to create a new parcel fabric and migrate to it (it takes less time than entering a plat)

DucksInaRiver
by
2 weeks ago

@AmirBar-Maor That's a very generous offer, I appreciate that.

I converted the (composite) plat to jpg. I can provide you with a PDF directly if needed. 51-00148 9.jpg

Survey metes and bounds are in State Plane Virginia Coordinate System of 1983, South Zone, and so the polygon has the same projection.

We use a state-level imagery service for the basemap found here: https://vgin.vdem.virginia.gov/maps/36386a7e7dae4032a33cb0b83a1711f1/about

Spatial reference of this imagery basemap is WGS 1984 Web Mercator (Auxiliary Sphere). 

I have been setting my ground to grid correction to a distance factor of 0.30480061 for feet, but I am not familiar with how to include combined scale factor and accounting for elevation. 

In my work I will not have neighboring parcels from plats in the majority of situations. These are standalone properties, and we'd like to have the best idea of where the boundary is when viewing on aerial imagery or physically standing on the property. The goal is to have something that's better than a digital tax map boundary.

AmirBar-Maor
by Esri Regular Contributor
Tuesday

@DucksInaRiver 

I had time yesterday to look into it. Apologies for the wait time.

This is a challenging plat:

  1.  No coordinates or control point to tie to making it hard to georeference
  2. No surrounding parcels to tie to
  3. Poor spatial accuracy
  4. Natural boundaries without COGO dimensions --> no misclose information to detect blunders
  5. Missing COGO information

 

For example: 

There is a missing course  in this location 

AmirBarMaor_0-1747725870253.png

 

But I assume you are used to that reality in VA.

When you use parcel fabric lines to enter the data, you can switch to digitizing mode which allows you to enter natural boundaries by digitizing them. You can even prepare different boundary line types to distinguish between natural boundaries, road frontage, side lots lines etc.

I decided to start with Parcel A with the point marked as '1', encountered a missing course marked as point '2', and never reached the water with the course of 470' (+/-) marked as '3'.

AmirBarMaor_1-1747726562238.png

 

 

Maybe the course going to the river should have been 870' instead of 470'?

AmirBarMaor_3-1747726672130.png

 

You can see in the screenshot about that when you use lines to enter the traverse:

  1. Your edits are saved as individual features - making it easy to stop, save edits and return to it at a later time.
  2. Labels show you the COGO attributes you have entered - making it easy to compare to the georeferenced dimensions on the plat.
  3. You can switch to digitising mode for natural boundaries.
  4. You can maintain different boundary line types, which have an impact on zoning.

When you use the parcel fabric you have additional benefits in the context of entering this plat:

  1. All the features you create (boundary lines and parcels) are associated to the 'Point Of Rocks Park' record.
  2. You can filter the data to only see the features associated with the 'Active Record' = 'Point Of Rocks Park' record.
  3. You can use the Align Parcels tool to align the newly entered parcels with the surrounding parcels / subdivisions.
  4. You can maintain historic parcels.
  5. You can run a LSA to detect blunders in your COGO.

I hope this helps

Amir

 

 

 

 

DucksInaRiver
by
Tuesday

@AmirBar-Maor 

This is extremely helpful to see, thank you!

The missing course between L14 and L16 is L15 from the table. I am sorry that the label on that was invisible on what I scanned. Your instinct to pursue Parcel A was correct. That is the one I am working with. 

Composite plats are famously terrible regarding accuracy for the +/- distances that negatively impact closures. I do account for that when finalizing these types of boundaries, and how much faith we put into the accuracy. I'd consider this a step up from a tax map polygon at best. Nevertheless, it's helpful to have a better reference than nothing at all. I have seen typos and mis-keys like you are guessing on for the 470 versus 870. I may be able to find the plat for the shared line to see if that's the case here. 

I'm going to replicate what you did and see if I have the same success. I am embarrassed to ask at this point, but how exactly do I launch Parcel Fabric in Pro? I see a few options from the Search bar including a geoprocessing option 'Parcel Fabric' (Create a parcel fabric and it's associated features...), a tool option 'Create Parcel Fabric', and another tool option 'Build Parcel Fabric'. 

 

Thank you so much!

AmirBar-Maor
by Esri Regular Contributor
Tuesday

@DucksInaRiver 

Migrating to the parcel fabric is easy, but to make it even easier you I have zipped the map package with the georeferenced plat. I'll find how to upload it later today