Summary
Creates a new feature class containing geodetic line features constructed based on the values in an x-coordinate field, y-coordinate field, bearing field, and distance field of a table.
Illustration
Usage
If you use text files and .csv files as input, make sure they follow the file structure specified in Tabular data sources.
Each geodetic line is constructed using a particular set of field values representing the x and y coordinates of a starting point, distance from the starting point, and bearing angle measured from North. These fields and values will be included in the output.
A geodetic line is a curve on the surface of the earth. However, a geodetic line feature is not stored as a parametric (true) curve in the output; rather, it is stored as a densified polyline representing the path of the geodetic line. If the length of a geodetic line is relatively short, it may be represented by a straight line in the output. As the length of the line increases, more vertices are used to represent the path.
When the output is a feature class in a file geodatabase or a personal geodatabase, the values in the Shape_Length field are always in the units of the output coordinate system specified by the Spatial Reference parameter, and they are the planar lengths of the polylines. To measure a geodesic length or distance, use the ArcMap Measure tool and choose the Geodesic, Loxodrome, or Great Elliptic option accordingly before taking a measurement.
Syntax
arcpy.management.BearingDistanceToLine(in_table, out_featureclass, x_field, y_field, distance_field, {distance_units}, bearing_field, {bearing_units}, {line_type}, {id_field}, {spatial_reference})
Parameter | Explanation | Data Type |
in_table | The input table. It can be a text file, CSV file, Excel file, dBASE table, or geodatabase table. | Table View |
out_featureclass | The output feature class containing densified geodetic lines. | Feature Class |
x_field | A numerical field in the input table containing the x-coordinates (or longitudes) of the starting points of lines to be positioned in the output coordinate system specified by the spatial_reference parameter. | Field |
y_field | A numerical field in the input table containing the y-coordinates (or latitudes) of the starting points of lines to be positioned in the output coordinate system specified by the spatial_reference parameter. | Field |
distance_field | A numerical field in the input table containing the distances from the starting points for creating the output lines. | Field |
distance_units (Optional) | Specifies the units for thedistance_field parameter values.
| String |
bearing_field | A numerical field in the input table containing bearing angle values for the output line rotation. The angles are measured clockwise from North. | Field |
bearing_units (Optional) | Specifies the units of the bearing_field parameter values.
| String |
line_type (Optional) | Specifies the type of geodetic line to construct.
| String |
id_field (Optional) | A field in the input table. This field and the values are included in the output and can be used to join the output features with the records in the input table. | Field |
spatial_reference (Optional) | The spatial reference of the output feature class. A spatial reference can be specified as any of the following:
| Spatial Reference |
Code sample
BearingDistanceToLine example (stand-alone script)
Converts bearing and distance info into a line.
# Import system modules
import arcpy
from arcpy import env
# Local variables
input_table = r"c:\workspace\LOBtraffic.dbf"
output_fc = r"c:\workspace\SOPA.gdb\lob_traf001"
#BearingDistanceToLine
arcpy.BearingDistanceToLine_management(input_table, output_fc, "X", "Y",
"NAUTICAL_MILES", "azim", "DEGREES", "GEODESIC","recnum")
Environments
Licensing information
- Basic: Yes
- Standard: Yes
- Advanced: Yes