How combine different geometry types into the same feature class

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03-11-2014 05:24 AM
TanyaSantolamazza
New Contributor
Good afternoon.
I've searched the question in this blog. Maybe I don't use the right words but anyway my problem is not present in any post so I'll try to explain my question by opening a new one.
I have a polygon shape (eg states). I calculated the centroids and the function saved them in an another file.

Now I have point and polygon shape (centroids and polygons). I need a unique shape but functions Merge and Union (as I understand it from what I've read) can only be made between shape with the same feature class (point-point, line-line, polygon-polygon).
How can I do to combine different geometry types into the same feature class?
Is there a way to get the results I need?
Or a procedure to get the centroids of the polygons on the same shape?
I hope I explained
thanks

Tsunanya
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7 Replies
JoeBorgione
MVP Emeritus
Good afternoon.
I've searched the question in this blog. Maybe I don't use the right words but anyway my problem is not present in any post so I'll try to explain my question by opening a new one.
I have a polygon shape (eg states). I calculated the centroids and the function saved them in an another file.

Now I have point and polygon shape (centroids and polygons). I need a unique shape but functions Merge and Union (as I understand it from what I've read) can only be made between shape with the same feature class (point-point, line-line, polygon-polygon).
How can I do to combine different geometry types into the same feature class?
Is there a way to get the results I need?
Or a procedure to get the centroids of the polygons on the same shape?
I hope I explained
thanks

Tsunanya




How can I do to combine different geometry types into the same feature class?

You can't.  Geometry is what defines a feature class. There is no Polygon/Point hybrid.

Perhaps you could try to explain what your objective is.
That should just about do it....
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TanyaSantolamazza
New Contributor
How can I do to combine different geometry types into the same feature class?

You can't.  Geometry is what defines a feature class. There is no Polygon/Point hybrid.

Perhaps you could try to explain what your objective is.


Thanks for your answer.
I need a layer that contains, for example, the polygons of the states and their centroids[ATTACH=CONFIG]32110[/ATTACH].
Now I have 2 separated layers but I need only one.
How can I do?
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TanyaSantolamazza
New Contributor
Thanks for your answer.
I need a layer that contains, for example, the polygons of the states and their centroids[ATTACH=CONFIG]32110[/ATTACH].
Now I have 2 separated layers but I need only one.
How can I do?



Unfortunately, the information I have given are few and fragmented, I only know is that I must create a shapefile to be imported into Micrososft sql server database that contains the polygons of for example states and their centroids. Centroid will be then related information. But I do not know how to do it, if it's possible
Thanks
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RichardFairhurst
MVP Honored Contributor
Unfortunately, the information I have given are few and fragmented, I only know is that I must create a shapefile to be imported into Micrososft sql server database that contains the polygons of for example states and their centroids. Centroid will be then related information. But I do not know how to do it, if it's possible
Thanks


The point and polygon shapes cannot be combined directly.  However, you can convert the points to circular polygons centered on the point location and then Merge thos e circular polygons into the same feature layer as the larger polygons. 

Use the Buffer tool on the points to create polygons circles that cover the points in the locations where the points exist.  Set the buffer size carefully since polygons symbols behave differently from point symbols.  Set the map up at the scale you want to ultimately print it and use the measure tool to measure an approximate distance across a point symbol outer edges while the map is at the scale you want.  This is the diameter of the point symbol so use half of that length as the buffer distance radius.  Polygons do not resize as well as points and are limited to a narrower range of scales that they appear OK.  So if you zoom out or in too far on the buffer polygons they will become nearly invisible or huge on your screen .

Additionally, if they have different fields from each other you would need to use a tool like Merge to create a hybrid field list that combines both sets of fields into one table.  Null values will be in fields where one of the shapes did not originally contain that field.

If you only want the fields to be combined and don't really need separate point features and their locations then just use Spatial Join to merge the attributes of the points on to the Polygons or the Polygon attributes on to the points.

I have never needed to do what you think you need to do and probably you are mistaken that you need the two sets of features combined to work with them in a database.  There are alternatives to what you think is required I bet, but I don't know what you are trying to do in the other application so I cannot advise you.  If in fact you need to generate related information between the points and polygons then they have to be stored in separate tables to establish the relationship, not as separate shapes/rows in the same table.
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JoeBorgione
MVP Emeritus
How about:

1.  Add two floating fields to your polygon attribute table: CentroidX, CentroidY
2.  Use calculate geometry accordingly
3.  Export the attribute table as a stand alone table
4.  Add the new table to arcmap and add xy data
5.  Convert that to a point feature class
6.  All your polygon data is now on a point feature
That should just about do it....
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RichardFairhurst
MVP Honored Contributor
Good afternoon.
I've searched the question in this blog. Maybe I don't use the right words but anyway my problem is not present in any post so I'll try to explain my question by opening a new one.
I have a polygon shape (eg states). I calculated the centroids and the function saved them in an another file.

Now I have point and polygon shape (centroids and polygons). I need a unique shape but functions Merge and Union (as I understand it from what I've read) can only be made between shape with the same feature class (point-point, line-line, polygon-polygon).
How can I do to combine different geometry types into the same feature class?
Is there a way to get the results I need?
Or a procedure to get the centroids of the polygons on the same shape?
I hope I explained
thanks

Tsunanya


The Spatial Join tool merges the attributes by Joining attributes from points, lines and polygons into any one of those Target geometries.  If you make the points the Target source and the polygons the Join source you will have points with all of the attributes of both.  If you reverse that and make the polygons the Target source and use the points as the Join source you will have polygons with all of the attributes of both (if there is only one point per polygon).  Use the One To Many option if you want the ObjectIDs of both sources in one feature (TargetID is the ObjectIDs of the Target source and JoinID is the ObjectIDs of the Join source).

I don't work with CAD files, so perhaps they do combine the two in some way through that format, but in ArcGIS they separate into the three geometry types and they cannot be combined in ArcGIS.  So perhaps you need to use a CAD program or look at the CAD tools to preserve both geometries in a single CAD file format.  I suspect the program you are trying to output this to is a CAD program and not a GIS program.   Please name the program that requires you to do this combination, because their help page will explain what you need better than you have so far.

SQL Server  is not specific enough.  Who wrote the process you want to run in SQL server?  SQL server does not support the combined geometry type you seem to want in its geometry extension, so it cannot require you to upload it.
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TanyaSantolamazza
New Contributor
Thanks all of you for your answers.
I have been very useful.
I have spoken with who I commissioned the work and with clearheaded I have been able to better respond to their questions
and to be able to give a solution that would be fine.

For now they chose to have two separate files (points and polygons) where shape file of centroids has two fields x and y have to be able to render over a map

Thank you very much
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