Evaluate obstacles

Available with Aviation Airports license.

The Evaluate Obstacle tool allows you to analyze input point features and determine if they present a flight hazard to aircraft in and around an aerodrome. While some ArcGIS Aviation geoprocessing tools evaluate obstacle data from a feature class containing obstacles, you can use this tool to analyze an obstacle at a proposed location without adding that obstacle to a dedicated feature class. You place a point on the map that represents an obstacle with a defined height and preferred coordinate type. This tool compares that point to input elevation features and obstruction identification surfaces (OIS) to determine if the obstacle introduces a flight hazard for aircraft. For example, you can determine whether a construction crane will penetrate an OIS—presenting a safety hazard for flight operations—by exporting this data as a .json file to share with members of your organization.

The following steps demonstrate how to use the Evaluate Obstacle tool.

1. Open a project in ArcGIS Pro containing ArcGIS Aviation Airports data.
2. Click the View tab.
3. Click the Aviation drop-down arrow, and click Evaluate Obstacle.

   The Evaluate Obstacle pane appears.

4. Click the Elevation Layer drop-down arrow and choose an elevation layer.

   For example, choose a digital elevation model (DEM).

5. Click the OIS Multipatch Layer drop-down arrow and choose a multipatch OIS feature class.

   Caution:

   Because this tool performs a 3D analysis on the features, the tool does not accept a polygon OIS feature class.

6. Type the height for the proposed obstacle in the Proposed Obstacle Height text box and choose a unit of measurement.
7. Type the coordinates of the proposed obstacle in the Enter a Coordinate text box.

   Note:

   The coordinates in the text box change depending on the geographical position of the pointer on the map. You can click anywhere on the map to add a point at that location. Optionally, type specific coordinates in the text box, and click the Add Point button to add a point to the map at those coordinates. Click the Coordinate Type button to change the format of the coordinates associated with the point feature.

   The coordinates and height corresponding to the point feature you added to the map appear in the Coordinate Points table. A point representing a proposed obstacle is added to the map showing information about the obstacle, including its height and location.

8. Optionally, click the Text Symbol Properties button to change the text symbol properties of the point features on the map.

   Note:

   In the Text Properties window, you can also display additional information about point features on the map including the ground elevation, the elevation at which the obstacle intersects a surface, the surfaces that an obstacle intersects, and its delta height (the height of the obstacle above the intersection with a surface).

9. Review the Intersected Surfaces table to identify which OIS surfaces are penetrated by the proposed obstacle.

   Tip:

   Click a record in the Coordinate Points table to identify the intersected surfaces for that proposed obstacle.

10. Click Clear All to remove all proposed obstacle points from the Coordinate Points table.
11. Optionally, click Import and choose a .json file containing obstacle data.
12. Optionally, click Export to save the proposed obstacle points in the Coordinate Points table as a .json file.

In this workflow, you learned how to use the Evaluate Obstacle tool to analyze proposed obstacles in and around an airfield.