When Align Parcels merges points, it should preserve the lowest Object ID

[MizukiKayano2]

Currently, when the Align Parcels tool merges overlapping points as a result of an alignment it appears the tool preserves the point with the higher Object ID.

For our organization, we need the tool to preserve the lowest Object ID, since this has implications for our publication system. We currently produce a Change Vector spatial product that allows organizations that consume our parcel mapping data to keep their data in alignment with our parcels. This change vector spatial product tracks how existing points in the parcel fabric move. So, as much as possible, we try not to overwrite existing fabric points.

Currently, our organization is working on ArcGIS Pro 3.2, and we are running into BUG-000162466: Align Parcels does not merge coincident points if you are projecting on the fly. So, for us, the Align Parcels tool does not currently merge points anyway. We run the Delete Identical tool based on shape afterwards – and the Delete Identical tool does preserve the lower ObjectID. So far as we know, this bug has been fixed at version 3.3, so we would like also for the Align Parcels tool to be enhanced to preserve the lower ObjectID when merging points (or at least provide the user an option – preserve new or preserve old – keep in mind this has nothing to do with the spatial location of the point, this is just about what object ID is preserved).

[AmirBar-Maor]

To track point movement we have a tool called Generate Parcel Fabric Links.

I am also wondering if different organizations will have different requirements. E.g. lowest OID, highest spatial accuracy, points with more attributes populated...

[BrianGreening]

Hi Amir - Thanks for looking into this to help us support our ParcelMap BC customers.  

We are aware of the Generate Parcel Fabric Links tool however, as Mizuki noted, we have an established system that generates our data products for customers from the parcel fabric and this tool would fatally break the change reporting logic of if we used it. There are many local governments, provincial organizations, and utility organizations that rely on the information we currently provide, and changes to this publication system will take costly effort and thought. We will consider leveraging the Generate Parcel Fabric Links tool as scope for when we target modernizing our publication but that is not on our current roadmap...

Back to Align Parcels -- Curiously, other tools in ArcGIS Pro seem to default to preserving the lower (older) ObjectID (ex. Merge Parcel Points and Delete Identical are two examples). Is there a reason Align Parcels works the opposite way and preserves the higher (newer) ObjectID?

Noting your point that different organizations may have different requirements: perhaps this can be an option in the Align Parcels tool - a toggle that sets whether the tool will preserve the older ObjectID or the newer ObjectID? Your ideas about other attributes or accuracies could possibly come as additional enhancements down the line...

(For our future consideration - Maybe the team isn't picking up all the capabilities of the current Generate Parcel Fabric Links tool, but how does it track movement/change of an existing point in the parcel fabric when, after align, the older point globalID/ObjectID no longer exists?)

Thanks Again!
Brian 

[AmirBar-Maor]

@BrianGreening @MizukiKayano2 

The align parcels tool preserves the points that are held fixed. 

The common scenario is that newer data is more accurate and therefore held fixed. Surrounding older less accurate parcels are selected and aligned to the new parcels. Newer features are likely to have higher objectIDs, though the parcel fabric, and any branch version data, rely on the GlobalIDs.

Merge Parcel Points does not preserve the lowest ObjectID but the point the user selects to preserve. The geoprocessing tool Delete Identical does not mention any OID preservation in the help doc.

The only method we support to generate links is using the geoprocessing tool Generate Parcel Fabric Links. If I understand correctly you have a custom solution that you plan to migrate from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro. It doesn't make much sense to change the software to support a custom solution. Instead, we can consider enhancing the existing geoprocessing tool to the benefit of everybody.

[AmirBar-Maor]

Implemented in ArcGIS Pro 3.3