Generate Cartographic Limits (Maritime)

Available with ArcGIS Maritime license.

Summary

Converts polygon features to polylines and removes all segments coincident with the erase features.

For nautical charting purposes, this tool can be used when certain features, such as regulated areas, intersect and follow the coastline or neatline. The tool can be used to generate an outline of the polygon feature class, such as regulated areas or seabed areas, for editing of intersecting and overlapping features without affecting the polygon geometry or underlying data. The polygon features are output as line features (cartographic limits) that are created for cartographic purposes only.

The tool can be used to improve the cartographic display of digital and hard-copy nautical charts in the following ways:

  • Establish a seaward limit of features coincident with a coastline.
  • Reduce the number of features rendered on a chart.
  • Decrease drawing and export times of nautical products.

Illustration

Generate Cartographic Limits tool illustration
The input restricted area polygon is converted to polylines. Segments that are coincident with the coastline erase features are removed from the target feature class output.

Usage

  • This model generates cartographic limits by performing the following:

    • Convert polygons to polylines.
    • Split lines where they are coincident with the erase features.
    • Delete segments that are coincident with the erase features.
    • Write the remaining segments (cartographic limits) into the target feature class.

  • Features that are coincident between the Input Polygons and the Erase Features values will be removed from the Target Feature Class value. Features in the Input Polygons value will be unchanged, and the features in the Target Feature Class value will be updated for use in nautical charts.

  • The tool processes features in the Input Polygons value that are coincident with features in the Erase Features value.

    The Erase Features value is typically a feature class that resides in the ArcGIS Maritime data model, including coastline polylines that correspond to the CoastlineL feature class, as well as neatline polylines that correspond to the SEG_GRD_Grids feature class where SymbolID = 'sym_1', 'sym_2', 'sym_3', or 'sym_4'. These polylines are used to erase the coincident features from the polyline output of the Input Polygons value.

  • You can limit the features processed in the input polygons feature class by making a selection using the Select Unverified tool on the Maritime tab or the Select Layer By Attribute tool. This will generate cartographic limits for the selected records.

  • The tool does not overwrite existing cartographic limit features. When running the tool on previously processed input polygon features, the existing associated cartographic limit features must be deleted.

Parameters

LabelExplanationData Type
Input Polygons

The polygon features that will be converted to polylines to create feature outlines where they are not coincident with the Erase Features parameter value.

Feature Class; Feature Layer
Erase Features

The polyline features that will be used to identify coincident features in the Input Polygons parameter value that will be removed from the Target Feature Class parameter value.

Feature Layer
Target Feature Class

The feature class containing the cartographic limit features that will be converted.

Feature Layer

Derived Output

LabelExplanationData Type
Updated Target Feature Class

The polyline features derived from the features of the Input Polygons parameter value that are not coincident with the features of the Erase Features parameter value.

Feature Layer

arcpy.maritime.GenerateCartographicLimits(input_polygons, erase_features, target_feature_class)
NameExplanationData Type
input_polygons

The polygon features that will be converted to polylines to create feature outlines where they are not coincident with the erase_features parameter value.

Feature Class; Feature Layer
erase_features
[erase_features,...]

The polyline features that will be used to identify coincident features in the input_polygons parameter value that will be removed from the target_feature_class parameter value.

Feature Layer
target_feature_class

The feature class containing the cartographic limit features that will be converted.

Feature Layer

Derived Output

NameExplanationData Type
updated_target_feature_class

The polyline features derived from the features of the input_polygons parameter value that are not coincident with the features of the erase_features parameter value.

Feature Layer

Code sample

GenerateCartographicLimits example (Python window)

The following Python window script demonstrates how to use the GenerateCartographicLimits function.

# Import os
import os 

# Import arcpy module
import arcpy 

# Set the workspace 
arcpy.env.workspace = r"C:\ChartSchema.gdb" 

#Tool variables
DepthsA = "Nautical\\DepthsA"
CoastlineL = "Nautical\\CoastlineL"
CoastlineA = "Nautical\\CoastlineA"
neatline = "GRD_Grids\\SEG_GRD_Grids"
DepthsA_L = "CartographicFeatures\\DepthsA_L"

# Make a feature layer for DepthsA to only process features that are in FCSubtypes 5, 10 and 15
arcpy.management.MakeFeatureLayer(DepthsA, "depthsa_lyr", "FCSubtype IN (5, 10, 15)")

# Run the Generate Cartographic Limits tool
arcpy.maritime.GenerateCartographicLimits("depthsa_lyr", [CoastlineL, CoastlineA, neatline], DepthsA_L)

Environments

This tool does not use any geoprocessing environments.

Licensing information

  • Basic: No
  • Standard: No
  • Advanced: Requires ArcGIS Maritime

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