Geoprocessing In ArcGIS

For this weeks lab we created a geoprocessing model that was used to create a script that was used to create a tool.  The results of the model can be seen below.  Creating the model was a first a bit confusing. The instructions were very basic, however, it made me think a bit more about what I was doing to get to the desired results. Once I got in the right frame of mind, setting up the model was rather simple.  When written out it seems rather long and complicated, but it is mostly repetitive. 

The model I created was used to: 

1. Clip the Soils layer to the Basin layer

2. Select the Soils that were classified as "Not Prime Farmland"

3. Erase the previously selected soils from the basin layer

Basin soil with non prime farmland removed

The steps I tool to create the model included:

1.       Open ArcMAP

2.       Add basin.shp and soils.shp to the map via the Add Data tool or ArcCatalog

3.       Right click Mod2_jwilliams.tbx (previously created)

4.       Click on Model

5.       Drag the Basin and Soil layers into the Model window

6.       Open ArcToolbox

7.       Expand the Analysis Toolbox and the Extract tool set

8.       Click and drag the Clip tool to the Model window

9.       Click the Connect tool in the Model window

10.   Click on the soils layer and then click the clip tool

11.   Choose Input Feature

12.   Click on the basin layer and then click the clip tool again

13.   Choose Clip Feature

14.   The Clip tool and output feature class shapes will change to solid colors and the output feature class will be renamed to soils_clip.shp

15.   Right click the clip tool and run it – this will populate the output which is necessary for the next step

16.    Go back to the ArcToolbox

17.   Clip and drag the Select to the Model window

18.   Click the Connect tool

19.   Click on the soils_clip.shp  and then click the Select tool

20.   Double click the Select tool and configure the expression as "FARMLNDCL" = 'Not prime farmland'

21.   The Select  tool and output feature class shapes will change to solid colors and the output feature class will be renamed to soils_clip_select.shp

22.   Right click the select tool and run it – this will populate the output which is necessary for the next step

23.   Go back to the ArcToolbox

24.   Expand the Overlay toolset

25.   Click and drag the Erase tool to the Model window

26.   Click the Connect tool

27.   Click the Basin layer and then click the Erase tool

28.   Select Input Feature

29.   Click the  soils_clip_select.shp output and then click the Erase tool

30.   Select Erase Feature

31.   The Select  tool and output feature class shapes will change to solid colors and the output feature class will be renamed to soils_clip_select_erase.shp

32.  Right click the select tool and run it

33.  You can add the layers to the map from the Add Data tool or the ArcCatalog