Available with Aviation Charting license.
Feature-linked annotation allows you to store your customized chart annotations and their configurations as an editable feature class. This allows you to manage different sets of annotations for a wide range of charts from the same feature class. For example, you may need to display ADHP features on a VFR chart differently than you would display them on an enroute chart. In this case, you can configure two label classes on your annotation features; one class for displaying features on a VFR chart and one class for displaying features on an enroute chart.
ArcGIS Aviation Charting has tools that affect feature-linked annotation specifically with aeronautical chart production in mind. You must configure your annotation feature classes before these Aviation Charting specific tools can function.
Configure feature-linked annotation feature classes
Complete the following steps to configure feature-linked annotation for Aviation Charting.
- Open or create a project in ArcGIS Pro containing an AIS geodatabase.
-
In the Catalog view, right-click your AIS geodatabase and click New > Feature Class.
The Create Feature Class pane appears.
- On the Default page, type a name for your annotation feature class in the Name text box.
Tip:
To differentiate main features and cartographic features from annotation features, you can append _Anno to the name of your annotation feature class.
- Optionally, type an alias for your annotation features in the Alias text box.
- Click the Feature Class Type drop-down arrow and choose Annotation.
- Click Next.
- On the Fields page, add the following fields to the table.
Field name Data type Default value Domain Description MapId_Txt Text (length: 255)
N/A
N/A
The map identifier assigned to your annotation features. This field allows you to identify the specific chart with which the annotation feature is associated.
IsVisible Short Integer
1
Code_Yes_No Determines whether the feature is visible on the chart.
AnnoSizeChange Double
0
N/A
Overrides the annotation features' font sizes when the chart scale differs from the reference scale of the annotation feature class.
- Click Next.
- On the Spatial Reference page, choose a coordinate system that is the same as the coordinate system used by your cartographic features.
Note:
Cartographic features are appended with _C. For example, ADHP_C is a cartographic feature class for the ADHP feature class.
- Click Next.
- Click Next.
Note:
You can skip the Tolerance page.
- Click Next.
Note:
You can skip the Resolution page.
- Click Next.
Note:
You can skip the Storage Configuration page.
- On the Annotation Properties page, check the Link annotation to the following feature class check box.
- Choose the cartographic feature class you want your annotation feature class to link to from the drop-down menu.
- Click the Reference Scale drop-down menu and choose a reference scale for your annotation features.
Note:
Choose a reference scale that is a good fit for the chart you are supporting. For example, a reference scale of 1:500,000 is suitable for charts with reference scales between 1:250,000 and 1:1,000,000.
- Click the Map Units drop-down menu and choose a unit of measurement.
Note:
This unit of measurement must be the same that you intend to use on your chart.
- Check the Create annotation when new features are added check box.
By checking this check box, annotation features are automatically created after creating cartographic features from your main aeronautical data. The annotation that is created will have empty text strings.
- Optionally, check the Update annotation when a feature's shape is modifiedcheck box.
- Click Next.
- On the Annotation Classes page, add the label classes you want to use for your annotation features.
Note:
The Aviation Charting product files contain label expressions that you can use to set up your annotation feature's label classes. If the product files are downloaded and installed, you can browse to the layer packages at the following location on your hard drive: <installation location>/SampleConfigs.
- Click Finish.
Create feature-linked annotation
The <installation location>/Utilities/Scripts directory in the Aviation Charting product files contains the Aviation Tools Python toolbox. You can use this toolbox to automate your charting workflow. The Aviation Tools toolbox contains the Create Aviation Feature Lined Annotation (CFLA) tool. You can use this tool to create feature-linked annotation from your input cartographic features.
Before you can use the CFLA tool, you must configure at least one annotation feature class.
The following steps outline the workflow for using the CFLA tool with your data.
- Open or create a project in ArcGIS Pro.
- In the Catalog pane, right-click Toolboxes and choose Add Toolbox.
- Browse to the Aviation Tools Python toolbox, choose it, and click OK.
Note:
You can find the Aviation Tools Python toolbox in the Aviation Charting product files at: <installation location>/Utilities/Scripts.
- Expand the Aviation Tools Python toolbox in the Catalog pane.
- Double-click the Create Aviation Feature Linked Annotation tool.
The Create Aviation Feature Linked Annotation tool appears in the Geoprocessing pane.
- Choose a map for the Input Map parameter.
- Add one or more features you want to process under the Annotation List(s) parameter.
- Input Carto Layer—The cartographic feature layer that is converted to an annotation feature layer, for example, ADHP_C.
- Annotation Layer—The name of the annotation feature layer that is populated with features from a cartographic feature layer, for example, ADHP_C_Anno.
- Annotation Label Class—The chosen annotation label class.
Note:
For layers with many label classes, you may notice a delay when choosing them.
- Click Run.
The CFLA tool runs on your features and populates annotation features based on your input cartographic features.