Available with ArcGIS Pro Standard and Data Reviewer licenses.
Summary
The Monotonicity check finds polyline features that contain monotonic errors in either elevation or measurement values (z-values or m-values, respectively).
Supported workflows
ArcGIS Data Reviewer checks support multiple methods for implementing automated review of data. The following table identifies the supported implementation methods for this check:
Workflow | Supported | Licensing |
---|---|---|
Validation attribute rule | Yes (ArcGIS Pro 2.5 and ArcGIS Enterprise10.8 or later) | Available with ArcGIS Pro Standard and Data Reviewer license |
Constraint attribute rule | Yes (ArcGIS Pro 2.4 or later) | Available with ArcGIS Pro Standard and Data Reviewer license |
Run Data Checks | Yes (ArcGIS Pro 3.5 or later) | Available with Data Reviewer license |
Legacy:
Map-based Reviewer rules are deprecated and are not available for use. It is recommended that you migrate automated review workflows to Data Reviewer capabilities available in attribute rules. Opening or saving a map document (.aprx file) at ArcGIS Pro 3.0 or later removes all the existing map rules from the document.
Overview
The Monotonicity check identifies features that contain z-values or m-values that are not strictly increasing or decreasing in value. Features that contain nonmonotonic values can impact the results of an analysis and models.
Features can also be evaluated to determine whether they are trending in a specific manner. Features that contain node values that do not trend as expected can impact the results of an analysis.
Features that are multipart and have equal m-values at consecutive parts are considered monotonic and ignored by the check according to specified calibration methods. Complex shapes are supported. The calibration methods set for linear referencing system (LRS) routes affect whether the route feature is monotonic or nonmonotonic.
When configured as a constraint rule, an error notification is returned when a feature is created or modified based on the conditions defined in the parameters of the rule.
When configured as a validation rule, an error is created during validation when a feature contains either a vertex that is nonmonotonic or meets other conditions specified in the rule. In m-value validations, vertices that don't contain measure values (NaN) are also returned as errors.
Industry scenarios
This check can be used in the following scenarios:
- In water resource management, elevation values stored in streamline features are used to add detail to digital elevation models (hydro DEM conditioning) to enforce known drainage patterns.
- In roadway management, roadway routes that have two or more consecutive vertices with the same measurement can adversely affect length calculations, for example, United States Department of Transportation mileage reports.
Examples
The following image illustrates two line features with z-values and m-values that are not strictly increasing or decreasing in value (nonmonotonic):

The following diagram illustrates a gapped route. This route is monotonic when the gap calibration method is Step=0 or Add=0. This same route is nonmonotonic when the gap calibration method is Euclidean or when Step>0 or Add>0.

Attribute Rule syntax
The following table describes the validation and constraint attribute rule parameters:
Parameter | Required | Description | Workflow |
---|---|---|---|
Subtype |
No | The subtype(s) to which the rule is applied. |
Constraint |
Validation | |||
Attribute |
No | A query that identifies the features to which the rule is applied. | Validation |
Evaluate |
Yes | The property to be evaluated. Choose either z-values or m-values for evaluation. |
Constraint |
Validation | |||
Search Goal |
Yes | Error conditions evaluated by the rule. Any feature with values that match those defined in the rule is returned as an error.
|
Constraint Note:The Ignore duplicate measures between parts parameter is not available with constraint attribute rule workflows. |
Validation | |||
Triggers |
Yes | The editing events that trigger the rule to take effect.
|
Constraint |
Name |
Yes | A unique name for the rule. This information is used to support data quality requirement traceability, automated reporting, and corrective workflows. |
Constraint |
Validation | |||
Description |
No | A description of the error you define when a noncompliant feature is found. This information is used to provide guidance for corrective workflows. |
Constraint |
Validation | |||
Severity |
No | The severity of the error assigned when a noncompliant feature is found. This value indicates the importance of the Reviewer result relative to other results. Values range from 1 to 5, with 1 being the highest priority and 5 being the lowest. | Validation |
Tags |
No | The tag property of the Reviewer rule. This information is used in rule authoring and management workflows to support traceability and reporting of data quality requirements. |
Constraint |
Validation |
Run Data Checks syntax
The following table describes the Run Data Checks parameters:
Parameter | Required | Description |
---|---|---|
Input Feature | Yes | The input feature layer that is evaluated by the rule. Note:You can disable a map selection or layer definition query using the toggle button that honors the selection or filter before evaluation. Layer definition queries that include a spatial clause are not supported. |
Attribute Filter | No | A query that identifies the features to which the rule is applied. |
Evaluate | Yes | The property to be evaluated. Choose either z-values or m-values for evaluation. |
Search Goal | Yes | Error conditions evaluated by the rule. Any feature with values that match those defined in the rule is returned as an error.
|
Name | Yes | A unique name for the rule. This information is used to support data quality requirement traceability. |
Extent | Yes |
|
Notes
Keep the following in mind when using the check:
- Polyline features must be either z-enabled or m-enabled.
- Differences in z-values or m-values between adjacent vertices that are within the respective tolerance are not compared during evaluation.
- Polyline features must have a defined vertical coordinate system to be used for evaluating z-values.
- A feature’s From node and To node values are used to determine whether z-values or m-values should be strictly increasing or decreasing during evaluation.
- Multipart features are evaluated in part order (Part 0, Part 1, and so on).
- When this check is authored as an attribute (validation) rule and multiple error conditions are detected on a feature (for example, nonmonotonic and increasing), a single error feature is created. When this check is contained in a Reviewer batch job, an error result is created for each condition.
- The Attribute filter parameter is limited to comparison (=, <>, >, <, >=, and <=) and logical (AND/OR, IN/NOT IN, LIKE/NOT LIKE, and IS NULL) operators.
- The Ignore duplicate measures between parts option for the Search Goal parameter is only enabled if the Evaluate parameter value is specified as m-values. This option is not available for z-values.
- The Attribute filter parameter does not support the following field types: Big Integer, Date Only, Time Only, and Timestamp Offset. If selected, the row header is marked in red and does not allow the rule to be saved.
- Multipoint error results are supported for this Run Data Check.