This topic includes attribute joins, spatial joins, and overlay analysis.
The ability to analyze data using location in ArcGIS means that different datasets, often from different sources, can be analyzed together to provide new information.
Can combining data reveal more?
Datasets can be joined using attribute information that is common between files. Spatial data can easily be joined in ArcGIS using location. Information stored as different feature types such as points, lines, and areas can be joined, and data from multiple raster datasets can be joined into a single raster. Multiple feature classes can be combined, erased, modified, or updated using overlay to create new feature classes and information.
This topic includes a number of case studies that, in part, combine different data using attributes or spatial data properties. These are exploratory analyses, designed to demonstrate an approach to a specific problem using ArcGIS. For each case study, additional resources have been made available including workflows that describe how the analysis was done in ArcGIS and a GPK (geoprocessing package) in which all resources (models, scripts, data, layers, and files) needed to perform the described analysis are included in the package.
What questions can I answer?
By determining how places are related, you could answer these types of questions:
- In which area are characteristics found?
- How many are in this area?
- Which protected areas are being encroached?
- Which buildings will be impacted?
- Do both data occur in the same areas?
- Have the affected areas changed over time?
- How many people are affected?