McConkey: Chapter 3

Chapter 3 gives the rundown on how geoprocessing works in ArcGIS Pro with details on tools, models, and scripting. To complete some form of geoprocessing you must input some form of data (a feature class, raster, or table) into a geoprocessing tool (often with additional parameters) to produce an output.

Just like in ArcGIS Mapper, ArcGIS Pro contains toolboxes with tools inside them. You can locate geoprocessing tools in a variety of ways but you must first open the geoprocessing pane to do this. To do this navigate to Analysis Tab and click Tools. You can now search for tools by name and add frequently used tools to a list of favorites. Recently used tools will also show up in the favorites. When searching for tools the description of what the tool does will also appear. By right-clicking a tool and selecting “Batch” you can run the tool to produce multiple outputs with similar parameters.

Information about other types of tools is mentioned in the chapter. Most tools are built into the program but you can also utilize script tools made from Python code and model tools created using ModelBuilder. You can make your own model processes by opening ModelBuilder and creating your own models. The easiest way to open ModelBuilder is to navigate to the Analysis tab and click on the ModelBuilder button. This opens a window into which you can input data and tools and create connections between them. ModelBuilder is similar to Python coding but is more limited. It is still good to become familiar with ModelBuilder as it essentially allows you to create scripts visually rather than with text.