ArcMap 10.6.1 introduces new features in geoprocessing tools and data management. ArcMap 10.6 included new features and capabilities in geoprocessing tools, data management, geocoding, and content.
For information on bugs fixed at each release, see the 10.6.1 issues addressed and 10.6 issues addressed lists.
Geoprocessing (10.6.1)
The following new and improved functionality is available in geoprocessing tools in ArcMap 10.6.1:
3D Analyst
Raster Surface toolset
- The Contour tool has two new optional parameters. With Contour Type, you can now specify if the output is to be a polyline or a polygon feature class. The Maximum Vertices per Polygon Feature parameter allows you to control the complexity of the polygon features when contouring large or complicated surfaces.
Data Management toolset
- The Extract LAS geoprocessing tool can now filter and use zLAS files to extract portions of data contained in the file or files. In previous releases, the tool could only copy zLAS.
- Improved progress reporting for Thin LAS, Tile LAS, and Colorize LAS.
Cartography
Generalization toolset
The Collapse Road Detail tool includes a new option Locking field parameter. Values of 1 in the specified field prevent those features from being collapsed. Also, improvements have been made to the tool to better collapse elongated road details that are adjacent to traffic circles that are not collapsed due to size or locking status.
Conversion
To Raster toolset
- Improved progress reporting for LAS Dataset To Raster.
Data Management
LAS Dataset toolset
- Improved progress reporting for LAS Dataset Statistics.
Editing
- The new Split Line By Match tool splits input features based on matching relationships to obtain better corresponding line segmentation.
Spatial Analyst
New environment
Spatial Analyst tools now have a new ArcPy environment, arcpy.env.buildStatsAndRATForTempRaster, that can be accessed only from the interactive Python window from the application. This Boolean environment is used to specify whether to calculate statistics and build a raster attribute table for a temporary raster created from an interactive Python session while adding it to the map. It is True by default for all Spatial Analyst tools. When set to False, the statistics will be approximate for the purpose of symbolizing output raster layers, and no raster attribute table will be built.
Distance toolset
- The Euclidean Allocation, Euclidean Direction, and Euclidean Distance tools have a new optional parameter. With Distance Method, you can now specify if the Euclidian calculations are to be performed in the regular planar way, or with a new geodesic method.
- Improved defaults are used for the Cost Allocation, Cost Back Link, Cost Connectivity, Cost Distance, Path Distance, Path Distance Allocation, and Path Distance Back Link tools. The processing extent and spatial reference now default to that of the input cost raster. This improves the accuracy of the output and meets the expected behavior. Generally, the cost surface is created with great care and is intended to drive the analysis.
- The processing extent previously defaulted to the input source, which is often smaller than the cost surface extent. As a result, the resulting cost paths were limited to stay within the smaller extent. Now, the tools return the true least-cost path between locations within the full extent of the cost surface.
- The Path Distance, Path Distance Allocation, and Path Distance Back Link tools now support parallel processing.
Extraction toolset
The following changes have been made in the Extract by Mask tool:
- The tool now uses the input raster as the default snap raster. This improves the accuracy of the output by ensuring the correct alignment of the feature mask with the value raster.
- If both the Input raster and the Input raster or feature mask data parameters are rasters, the tool will by default consider the input with the largest cell size as the cell size to use for the operation (the Maximum of Inputs setting of the Cell Size environment). If one input is a raster and the other is a feature, the input that is a raster will be used for setting the cell size and the snap raster will be used for the analysis environment.
Hydrology toolset
- The Flow Accumulation and Flow Distance tools have a new optional parameter, Input flow direction type. Use this parameter to specify which option was used to create the input flow direction raster, the choices being D8, MFD, or DINF.
Segmentation and Classification toolset
- The Export Training Data For Deep Learning tool has a new optional parameter, Start Index. This is useful when appending more image chips to an existing sequence for training the deep learning classifier.
Surface toolset
- The Contour tool has two new optional parameters. With Contour type, you can now specify if the output is to be a polyline or a polygon feature class. The Maximum vertices per polygon feature parameter allows you to control the complexity of the polygon features when contouring large or complicated surfaces.
Zonal toolset
- Certain zonal tools calculate a zonal operation on a value raster. For the tools that accept both raster and feature inputs to define the zones, the input value raster will be used as the default snap raster. This improves the accuracy of the output due to the correct alignment of the feature zone with the value raster. Tools with this new default behavior are Zonal Histogram, Zonal Statistics, and Zonal Statistics as Table.
- For Tabulate Area, the new default behavior if both inputs are raster is to use the Input raster class data as the snap raster. If one input is a raster and the other is a feature, the raster input will be used for setting both the Processing cell size and the snap raster for the analysis environment.
Python (10.6.1)
The new EnvManager class is available in ArcMap 10.6.1. It is a context manager for managing geoprocessing environments.
Data (10.6.1)
The following new and improved functionality is available in data management in ArcMap 10.6.1:
Databases and geodatabases
Beginning with ArcMap 10.6.1, you can access data in Microsoft Azure Database for PostgreSQL. For best performance, you should run your ArcGIS clients on Microsoft Azure and use the same location (region) as your Azure Database for PostgreSQL.
The following SSL configurations using ArcGIS 10.6.1 products were certified:
| Database management system tested | Method tested | Notes or restrictions |
|---|---|---|
IBM Db2 10.5 fix pack 5 on Windows operating system | Client/Server SSL connections | When using SSL encrypted connections, you must configure a data source name; DSN-less connections will not work. Connections to newer Db2 versions and operating systems that are supported by Esri are assumed to work. |
Microsoft SQL Server 2016 and 2017 on Windows and Linux | SSL encryption in SQL Server with ForceEncryption=Yes set on the SQL Server machine | Client-side connection settings Encrypt and Trust Server Certificate are not supported. Connections to older SQL Server versions that are supported by Esri are assumed to work. |
Oracle 12.1.0.2 and 12.2.0.1 on Windows and Linux | Server-only authentication | You must install and configure an Oracle Administrator client on the ArcGIS client to make server-only authentication connections; Oracle Instant client will not work. |
PostgreSQL 9.5.12 on Windows and Linux | Client/Server SSL connections (certificates installed on both machines) | Connections to newer PostgreSQL versions and operating systems that are supported by Esri are assumed to work. |
SAP HANA 2 SPS 2 | Server-side SSL connection (default support for SAP HANA) | You must configure the Enable SSL option for the DSN entry when you configure the ODBC client on the ArcGIS client machine. |
Geoprocessing (10.6)
The following new and improved functionality is available in geoprocessing tools in ArcMap 10.6:
3D Analyst toolbox
Six new tools have been added to the 3D Analyst toolset:
- The Classify LAS Noise tool classifies noise points in LIDAR data.
- The Classify LAS Overlap tool classifies LAS points from overlapping scans.
- The Colorize LAS tool creates new LAS files with RGB and infrared values using existing LAS files and imagery.
- The LAS Height Metrics tool calculates statistics about the distribution of elevation measurements of vegetation points captured in LAS data.
- The Thin LAS tool creates new LAS files that contain a subset of LAS points from the input LAS dataset.
- The Update Feature Z tool updates the z-coordinates of 3D feature vertices using a surface.
The following changes have been made to existing tools:
- The Classify LAS Building tool is enhanced to improve overall performance and quality.
- The Change LAS Class Codes tool now supports classification flags.
- The Surface Difference tool now supports a LAS dataset as input. Also, a new parameter, Processing Boundary, is available that allows a polygon feature class to be used to define an area of interest.
Conversion toolbox
The Raster to Polygon tool in the From Raster toolset has two new parameters. The Create multipart features parameter specifies whether the output polygons will consist of single-part or multipart features. The Maximum vertices per polygon feature parameter allows you to specify a limit for when polygons are subdivided.
Data Management toolbox
- A new tool is available in the Raster toolset: Generate Raster Collection. This geoprocessing tool performs batch processing on image collections in a mosaic dataset.
- The Create Raster Type geoprocessing tool is no longer supported.
Network Analyst toolbox
Three new tools are added to the Network Dataset toolset.
- The Make Network Dataset Layer tool allows you to create a network dataset layer from another network dataset that is referenced using its catalog path.
- The Create Template From Network Dataset tool creates a file containing the schema of an existing network dataset.
- The Create Network Dataset From Template tool creates a new network dataset using the schema from a template file.
Spatial Analyst toolbox
New parameters, options, tools, and environments are available in the following toolsets:
Distance toolset
- A new tool, Cost Path as Polyline, is available. This tool is similar to the Cost Path tool, but outputs the path as a polyline feature class instead of as a raster.
- The following tools now support parallel processing for enhanced performance: Cost Allocation, Cost Distance, Euclidean Allocation, and Euclidean Distance.
Generalization toolset
- The Nibble tool has two new parameters to give you more control over the nibbling process. With Nibble NoData cells, you can now specify whether or not NoData cells in the input raster that are within the mask can be nibbled to a value, or remain as NoData. The Input zone raster parameter allows you to specify zones to control where nibbling occurs.
- The Nibble tool now supports parallel processing for enhanced performance.
Hydrology toolset
- A new tool—Flow Distance—is available for calculating the minimum downslope distance for each cell to the stream into which they flow.
- The Flow Accumulation tool now supports a new output data type of Double, to provide more accurate accumulation values.
- The Flow Direction tool now supports two new algorithms for determining the direction of flow. A new parameter, Flow direction type, allows you to choose between the original algorithm (D8), multiple flow direction (MFD), and D-Infinity (DINF).
- The following tools now support parallel processing for enhanced performance: Fill, Flow Accumulation, Flow Direction, Sink, Stream Link, and Watershed.
Reclass toolset
- The Rescale by Function tool now supports parallel processing for enhanced performance.
Segmentation and Classification toolset
- Two new machine learning classification tools are available, Deep Learning Model To Ecd and Export Training Data For Deep Learning. The deep learning classifier employs deep neural networks, which exploits the methodology of hierarchical explanatory factors. More complex features in higher levels are learned from simpler features at lower levels, based on training sample data.
Data (10.6)
The following new and improved functionality is available in data management in ArcMap 10.6:
Databases and geodatabases
You can now use the PostGIS geography type to store spatial data in PostgreSQL databases and geodatabases in PostgreSQL. To use this spatial data type, the database administrator must enable the database for PostGIS. Specify the appropriate configuration keyword (listed below) when creating a feature class to use the PostGIS geography data type to store spatial data in that feature class:
- For feature classes in a database, choose the PG_GEOGRAPHY configuration keyword.
- For feature classes in a geodatabase in PostgreSQL, choose a configuration keyword that has the GEOMETRY_STORAGE parameter set to PG_GEOGRAPHY. This may be the DEFAULTS keyword, the PG_GEOGRAPHY keyword, or a custom keyword defined by the geodatabase administrator. Check with your geodatabase administrator to confirm which keyword to use.
See PostgreSQL database requirements for ArcGIS for PostgreSQL and PostGIS versions required to use the geography spatial type with ArcGIS.
The following new SQL functions are available for ST_Geometry feature classes in PostgreSQL:
- ST_GeomFromCollection—Allows you to return each individual geometry within a multipart geometry when querying from a SQL client.
- ST_DWithin—Allows you to find features within a specified distance of other features when querying from a SQL client.
ArcGIS now supports connecting to Microsoft SQL Server databases on Linux. You can also create geodatabases in SQL Server on Linux. In addition, you can connect from ArcGIS Server on Linux to SQL Server on Windows or Linux. See Microsoft SQL Server database requirements for ArcGIS 10.6 for supported database and ODBC client versions.
Beginning with 10.6 enterprise geodatabases, the following are no longer supported:
- The ST_Raster type
- Upgrading the multiple database model geodatabase in SQL Server
- Registering an enterprise geodatabase as the managed database for the hosting server of an ArcGIS Enterprise portal
- PostgreSQL 9.3
- Db2 V9.7 and V10.1
Imagery and raster
- Two new raster types are added to support Sentinel-1 (radar) and WorldView-4 sensor data.
- Two raster functions are added to correct Sentinel-1 data, thermal and radiometric calibration.
Geocoding
The Geocode Addresses geoprocessing tool now supports the Country parameter, which allows users to limit geocoding to one or more countries for locators that support this feature.
Content (10.6)
There is enhanced Bing layer support for the Roads and Hybrid layers, with more up-to-date data in ArcMap 10.6.