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Model Builder Tutorial PDF

Model Builder is a tool in ArcGIS that allows users to visually create workflows by connecting geoprocessing tools together. It provides a graphical interface for stringing together sequences of geoprocessing tools to automate processes. Models can include tools, variables, parameters, connectors, and iterators. The document provides examples of creating simple models to add a field, update values, and convert polygons to rasters. It also demonstrates creating more complex iterative models to select features by attribute values and iterate through raster files to aggregate them.

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835 views

Model Builder Tutorial PDF

Model Builder is a tool in ArcGIS that allows users to visually create workflows by connecting geoprocessing tools together. It provides a graphical interface for stringing together sequences of geoprocessing tools to automate processes. Models can include tools, variables, parameters, connectors, and iterators. The document provides examples of creating simple models to add a field, update values, and convert polygons to rasters. It also demonstrates creating more complex iterative models to select features by attribute values and iterate through raster files to aggregate them.

Uploaded by

Galhoffa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ArcGIS Model Builder

Short introduction
ModelBuilder
• A tool to automatizise process chains (models) with
graphic user interface:

”ModelBuilder is an application you use to


create, edit, and manage models. Models are
workflows that string together sequences of
geoprocessing tools, feeding the output of one
tool into another tool as input. ModelBuilder can
also be thought of as a visual programming
language for building workflows. ”
Canvas

Variable Tool Variable

Connector
Canvas

Parameter Tool Parameter


P
P

Connector
Parameters given via dialog boxes
ModelBuilder vocabulary

– Model canvas
• Empty model (i.e. white space)
– Model elements
• Tools: Geoprocessing functionalities, i.e. ArcGIS tools
• Variables:
– Data (files)
– Constant values (numbers, strings, spatial references,
extents etc.)
• Connectors: connect data and values to the tools
• Parameters: Values that are given by the user, outside the
model
• Iterators: an object that enables to go through a list (of files,
values etc)
Finding Tools

Catalog Search

ArcToolbox

Geoprocessing
Menu
Let’s go in practice
Excercises with Model Builder
• Creating a tool box
• Creating a model to convert polygons to
raster
• Creating a model that makes iterations
based on attribute values
• Creating a model that makes iterations for
all files in a folder
0. Explore your data
Explore your data
• Open the DAMSELFISH data
• See the attribute data structure
– which column has species names
– is there a field for presence?
• Visualise a bit the data
1. Create a tool box
Types of Toolboxes
• System toolboxes
– Installed with ArcGIS
– Read-only

• Custom toolboxes
– User created
– Stored in a folder
(.tbx file type) or a geodatabase

• Python toolboxes Read-only


ArcGIS Toolbox (.tbx)
• A Toolbox is a Graphical User Interface for using specific tools in ArcGIS
– Setting input/output files
– Setting parameters
• It is also possible (and recommendable) to create your own toolboxes for
ModelBuilder models and Python scripts that you have created
1. Create a toolbox
• Create a new toolbox called
MyDataManagement.tbx
– Browse to C:\...\Harjoitukset\  right
click  New…Toolbox

– Add ProcessChains.tbx to ArcGIS 


ArcToolbox  right click in white
space  Add Toolbox
2. Create a super simple model
Add field to a table,
update value, rasterize
Create a model (in toolbox)

• Right-click your new tool box and select:


New  Model

• Close the model and rename it:


1. SimplePoly2Raster

• Open the model for editing:


Right-click  Edit
*Double click 1. SimplePoly2Raster:
Now you have a working ArcGIS tool but it does not do anything yet…
Our aim:
Insert Add field tool:
Insert Calculate Field
Insert Polygon to Raster
Ready model
Clean the names (right click!)
Parametrizise Input, output
and field value
Ready model should look like this
Open the model (double click)
The model runs!
3. Create an iterative model:
Iterate by field values
The aim: Select one species at a
time, save to a seprate shape file,
add field, update value, rasterize
First,
save the previous model with a
new name and start editing it
Add iterator ”Feature selection”
Iterate feature selection
Add Copy features-tool
Iterator settings
• Define that:
– DAMSELFISH are the input
– ”Binomial” (the species name) will ne used to
group the features
Reorganise
Feature selection
Copy Raster,
output to %Value%.shp
Fix output setting
• Add Variables for output shp folder and
output raster folder (Create Variable)

• Make folders model parameters


• In the output file, say:
– %PolyFolder%/%Value%.shp
– %RasterFolder%/%Value%.tif

What are the output names now?


Ready to run!
4. Create an iterative model:
Iterate files
Aim: Go through all the rasters
and aggregate them to a coarser
resolution: c. 100 km
4. Create an iterative model:
Iterate files
Think yourself first!
How could you do this?
The command to aggregate cells is
AGGREGATE
4. Create an iterative model:
Iterate files
Hints on the next slides!
Final workflow
Iterator: Iterate Rasters
Add Aggerate tool with cell factor 2
You can modify the model:

• Define standard extent for output with


environmental settings
– Model properties  Environments 
Processing extent  Values  Damselfish
Aggregate model
5. You made it! 

Some thoughts on Model Builder


Experiences on Model Builder
• Works quite well with simple tasks
• Becomes very unhandy with complex
processing chains
• Can only have one iterator
• Can include submodels (with iterators)
• Sometimes strangely unrealiable
• There’s lots more to explore!

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