Nodedistance solver to Network Analyst

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05-27-2014 11:49 PM
Status: Open
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CarstenSchuermann
Occasional Contributor
Please add a new solver to the network analyst representing functionalities of the ArcInfo Workstation NODEDISTANCE command, i.e. the option to generate o/d-matrices based upon airline or Manhattan-distances. It would be great if this solver would allow to calculate network distances (i.e. shortest paths over a network dataset), airline distances and Manhattan distances simultanously, and would store all three results in one matrix. This would enable us to directly compare results of the three procedures easily.
2 Comments
MelindaMorang

In case it's relevant to you or anyone else all these years later, you can accomplish this using the Generate Near Table tool.

Generate Near Table—Help | ArcGIS Desktop 

CarstenSchuermann

Well, the Generate Near Table tool only calculates the airline distance between points, i.e. it only accomplishes parts of what is proposed in this idea. The idea here goes beyond that, i.e. to have a solver in the network analyst generating O-/D matrices simultanuously for

(1) shortest paths over a network dataset (in meters, miles or km), plus

(2) airline distance (in meters, miles or km), plus

(3) manhattan distance (in meters, miles or km)

between origins and destinations. The result of this solver would then be one O/D matrix with all three information calculated in one run. At the moment, for (1) we need to apply the OD cost matrix solver in the network analyst, for (2) we have to run the Generate Neae Tables tool and as regards (3) I am not sure whether this is possible at all in ArcGIS Pro at the moment. In any case, sometimes there is need to compare results of all three indicators. Instead of happy to apply two or three individual tools it would be nice if one tool would allow for a simultanuous calculation. This would simplify (and thereby speed up) workflows significatly.