Trace with offset units???

[TimothyFratta]

Hi,

I was planning on adding vegetative buffer on the boundary of a parcel using the Trace tool and using the offset subtool in the Trace Options.

All is going swimmingly until I try to set the offset units as described in ESRI's own manual:

Only problem is, I don't get regular length units, such as meters or feet, but DD, DMS and RA.

Does anybody know why the units would be in degrees, day/minutes/seconds or radians???

Thanks!

Tim

[Dan_DMR]

It might be your projection. If you are using a global projection instead of something local (for example State Plane projections)? 

[TimothyFratta]

Hi Dan,

Thanks, but even when I changed the global projection of the new feature I'm creating to a State Plane projection, but there still is no change in the units.

I don't know where I'm going wrong . . .

Tim

[Dan_DMR · Accepted solution]

It would be an issue with the projection/coordinate system of the map itself, not the feature/layer

[TimothyFratta]

Do you know of a quick way of changing the coordinate system of the maps "after the fact"? I have searched but cannot figure it out.

Thanks!

Tim

[Dan_DMR · Accepted solution]

If you right click on the map title, go to map properties and coordinate system and you should be able to select the coordinate system either based on the correctly projected layer or just from a list of coordinate systems. 

[BrendanNewell]

Hi @TimothyFratta, as Dan mentioned this is due to your Map coordinate system being set as a geographic coordinate system. You will need to change your map coordinate system to a projected coordinate system. Also it is best practice to ensure your data is in the same coordinate system as your map so that your data it not projected on the fly.

[sjones_esriau]

It would be worth reporting to support for a future fix. You're getting the angular units choices in that drop down whereas it probably should be disabled for geographic coordinates.

[TimothyFratta]

Hi,

In other words, you believe this is a glitch and not related to the coordinate system?

Tim

[TimothyFratta]

Thank you all, changing the map coordinate systems AS WELL as the feature I'm planning on tracking did it!