Get started with Distance and Direction

Users need to understand and visualize basic information about places and objects of interest, for example, the distance between two geographic locations or the range of an entity of interest. Using Distance and Direction, you can draw geodetic lines, circles, ellipses, rings, and sectors to visualize relevant information. Lines, circles, ellipses, rings, and sectors are created as features stored in a feature dataset in the project geodatabase and are added to the Contents pane of a map. You can export lines, circles, ellipses, rings, and sectors to a new feature class, shapefile, or .kmz file for further analysis, planning, or use in other systems.

Distance and Direction tools

To open the Distance and Direction pane, complete the following steps:

  1. On the ribbon, click the Insert tab.
  2. In the Measurements group, click Distance and Direction Distance and Direction.