Latest Contributions by ChrisDonohue__GISP

Update - I just realized the link I posted was incorrect to get one to the ESRI Ideas site. Correct link: Esri Arcgis Ideas | Ideas Submission Portal Chris Donohue, GISP ... View more

Another avenue to get suggestions to ESRI is their ArcGIS Ideas site: http://ideas.arcgis.com/ Chris Donohue, GISP ... View more

Sounds like a question for Melita Kennedy (ESRI staff). Melita Kennedy However, I don't know offhand how we can get her attention.  Chris Donohue, GISP ... View more

Here's the ESRI Help on how to resolve this issue, which crops up quite a bit with Modelbuilder: Working with incomplete derived data ArcGIS Help (10.2, 10.2.1, and 10.2.2) Chris Donohue, GISP ... View more

Depends on what day you were there and if you have been to the Conference before.  There's tons to do - here's the high points (IMHO): If you are there on Monday, the Plenary Session first thing in the morning is well worth attending for the first few hours.  It's pretty intense to be in a massive conference hall with several thousand GIS folks to hear Jack Dangermond and the ESRI presenters speak.  Also, the Map Gallery Opening is interesting to hit in the late afternoon. For the most bang for your buck for just one day, however, I'd suggest going on a Tuesday or Wednesday.  First, look at the Technical Workshops once they are out online and pick out a few that sound interesting.  Pick some alternatives for those time blocks too, as some times you can find five minutes in to a session that it is way too elementary or advanced for what you want - if so, just quietly exit and find one of your alternatives. Second, a zip around the Exhibit area is worth it, if only for the free goodies.  Plan to spend an hour or so doing that. Third, wander into the ESRI area (also on the Exhibit floor) and hit the various areas that are of interest.  They have plenty of experts in every possible facet of the software there to take questions.  They have computers all set up, so can run you through the software.  It's also a great opportunity to bring up problems, those "Why doesn't this work" things.  If they don't have an immediate solution, they will get back to you within a few days with an answer.  They also take suggestions. Fourth, the Map Gallery is worth a look over (and will be less crowded than the Opening on Monday). Finally, don't forget to plan in some time to meet up with people you know who are also there.  It's a great way to catch up, plus you can compare notes on different things you learned. Chris Donohue, GISP ... View more

My advice would be to consult with a Statistician if possible, as this can get complex fast. If you have access to the GeoStatistical Analyst Extension, before you see them, read through this document (see link below) to get a sense of what statistical processes are available in GIS and what the workflows typically are.  Note that the link is for the 9.0 Version, so will not exactly match the 10.x flavors, but the processes are still the same. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&ved=0CEwQFjAG&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdusk2.geo.orst.edu%2Fgis%2… Also, be aware that the most efficient analysis may involve a combination of non-GIS statistical software and GeoStatistical Analyst. Chris Donohue, GISP ... View more

You may want to use a different surface creation method than "Topo to Raster". Off the top of my head, Inverse Distance-Weighted (IDW) may work out better as a surface creation for then creating a hillshade. Also, if I remember correctly, Natural Neighbors is the one that makes high points more extreme than in real life (much like the result you posted), so avoid that one. Additionally, note that the number and distribution of your input points can factor into your results too, so you may have to experiment with several methods to see which works best considering your available data. Surface creation and analysis ArcGIS Help (10.2, 10.2.1, and 10.2.2) Chris Donohue, GISP ... View more

I'd try Jakes' suggestion.  Another consideration, if you are not already using it, is to turn on the Maplex Label Engine, which will give you more labeling control than the standard labeling.  The option to choose it is found in your mxd in the Data Frame Properties, General Tab.  It can also be turned on from the Labeling Toolbar. Once you have Maplex enabled, you can go into the individual layer you are labeling and find a whole plethora of new labeling controls. A quick tour of labeling with the Maplex Label Engine ArcGIS Help (10.2, 10.2.1, and 10.2.2) Chris Donohue, GISP ... View more

Glad to be of assistance. Chris Donohue, GISP ... View more

In regards to item 4 (above), I'd load a reference map of some type to check the output from the geocoding.  Like a streetmap, aerial, or some other relevant information that you can use to see if your geocoding makes sense. For item 6, for the Join, if you have one file that you can join to that will give you all the information, that will be the easiest.  However, oftentimes their are multiple files that need to be joined.  The best way to handle this is the way you are doing it - do a Join, save the result as a new file, then with the new result do the next Join, save it as a new file, etc. Chris Donohue, GISP ... View more

The server change is a possibility.  There could be different permissions, amongst other issues. One way to check to see if this is the probable cause is to copy the shapefiles to your C: drive.  Then see if the lock issue recurs.  If it doesn't, that points towards the server being the likely issue.  However, if you get the lock issue on the C: drive, my suspicion would be that the shapefiles are corrupt. Chris Donohue, GISP ... View more

Melinda has good points here.  As a Network Analyst user for several years, I'd throw out there that the connectivity issue is almost always what seemed to sink Network Analysis.  So many datasets seem sufficiently connected, but from a Network Analyst perspective they are not.  Visually they will look perfect, even when zoomed way in, but oftentimes there are errors.  It seems like 90%+ of Network Analysis project time consisted of cleaning up data to make it workable - including numerous datasets that were claimed to be "ready to go" for network analysis. I'd definitely run topology to see what potential issues there may be.  It's better than pulling your hair out (like I did at first) wondering why things are going so awry....  Chris Donohue, GISP ... View more

One thing I would suggest is checking to see if the shapefile has become corrupt.  The steps they list will also to a large extent be helpful in identifying lock issues. How to Salvage a Corrupt Shapefile ArcGIS Help 10.1 Chris Donohue, GISP ... View more

Some questions to help in troubleshooting: 1.  Is your data on a network or a local storage device (like the hard drive on your computer)? 2.  What Operating System are you using? 3.  Can you confirm that the data is a shapefile, not a geodatabase feature class? 4.  If it is a shapefile, any chance you are viewing the shapefile with Excel or Access either before or simultaneous to viewing the shapefile in ArcMap?  If so, that would explain the lock. Chris Donohue, GISP ... View more