Converting LAS Points to Point Features

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03-07-2019 04:55 AM
MitchellWade
Regular Contributor

I am trying to use the XY Table to Point operator to create point features; however, it doesn't appear on the map. My end goal is to intersect these point features with a polygon layer, but the projection or spatial location of the points doesn't show up. This causes the intersect between the points and the polygons to return an empty set. What is the proper way to convert LAS points to point features?

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16 Replies
MitchellWade
Regular Contributor

I have a bunch of shapefiles, and I have never seen prj files in the same directory as them nor in a geodatabase. However, I have seen prj files for LAS files. I mentioned above that I will use Define Projection and Project because the point features don't show up in ArcGIS, but I have checked mutiple times that I am using the correct projection

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DanPatterson_Retired
MVP Emeritus

given the coordinates that were in your table (which are projected) what did you define it as then?

looks like web Mercator, it certainly isn't decimal degrees or UTM (metric anyway)

MitchellWade
Regular Contributor

The projection for the las files and all features is NAD_1983_2011_StatePlane_Indiana_East_FIPS_1301_Ft_US.

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DanPatterson_Retired
MVP Emeritus

If you open a new map, making sure that there is nothing else added, especially a basemap, can you add that layer and see it?

It is important that nothing else preceed the addition of that layer.

If you can't see it, then there is something wrong with the featureclass.

If you can see it, and other data doesn't align with it, then there is something wrong with the coordinate definition.

MitchellWade
Regular Contributor

I just added a new map, and it rendered this time! However, it isn't projecting on the world at all. It's off in a white space. It's crazy that adding a new map allowed it to render correctly. I tried running Define Projection and Project, but it didn't work. I think there is a problem with the csv to point conversion. When I use XY Table to Point and Make XY Event Layer it asks for the X and Y coordinates so I am not sure why it isn't converting correctly.

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DanPatterson_Retired
MVP Emeritus

Check that 30 million feet (first row X) is an appropriate X value for your area, given you are saying that the coordinate system is

NAD_1983_2011_StatePlane_Indiana_East_FIPS_1301_Ft_US.

Also note, that

longitude => easting => X

latitude => northing => Y

A lot of times, people swap those equivalencies and end up in strange places.

I would bring in someone that collected the data to confirm stuff.  You can waste a lot of time waffling around when the solution is way before the mapping stage

MitchellWade
Regular Contributor

It appears the issue was x, y, and z needed to be divided by 100, and now it is in the correct location

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