Spatial Analyst Suitability Modeler Tips and Tricks

ArcGIS Pro’s Suitability Modeler makes the modelling process efficient by using raster functions to transform criteria and generate suitability maps. These raster functions work quickly because the data aren't saved to disk. However, when you reach the “Locate” stage of your modeling project, you’ll need to use data that has been saved (persisted) to disk.

When building a suitability model, you work with different criteria—such as elevation (measured in meters above sea-level), land use (described using text), and distance from roads (measured in miles). Because these criteria use different units and formats, you must first transform them to a common scale to compare and combine them effectively.

In ArcGIS Pro's Suitability Modeler, the output layers are automatically updated whenever a transformation or weight is applied or changed, provided that the Auto Calculate option is checked on the Suitability ribbon. 

I have criteria which are already transformed to a common scale, how can I use them in Suitability Modeler to create a suitability map and find the most suitable locations?

We can use the Submodels input type and treat the transformed criteria as submodels and in so doing avoid the transformation step.

When using the Suitability Modeler in ArcGIS Pro, the criteria must be transformed onto a common scale, and this is done on the Transformation Pane. These transformed criteria are combined to create the suitability map. Unless explicitly set, all these layers are processed as raster functions,  which processes raster data in real-time without creating a new file on disk. Instead of writing a new permanent raster, functions are applied "on the fly" as you view the data, which is faster and saves storage space.