Creating Spatial Feature Classes Based on Proximity, Overlay, and Attributes - Introducing Geographic Information Systems with ArcGIS - page 437

FIGURE 7-20 Model toolbar
the Gold_Model window. Note Wagt_bufs_M in the Catalog Tree. Check out Wagt_bufs_M
Geography to be sure that the proper action was taken. Bring the Gold_Model window back.
Note the shadows made by the tools that have been run, and by the feature class bubbles,
which have had data created for them.
8. At this point, the diagram of the model may be getting a bit unwieldy. There are tools,
accessible by buttons below the menu bar, that let you rearrange and resize the elements of the
model. See Figure 7-20 for the less familiar ones. Make the model window bigger. Slide all its
elements around with the Pan tool. Experiment with the Full Extent tool, the Zoom tools, and the
Auto Arrange tool. For more information consult the Help file.
The model-making procedure involves mainly bringing in tools and then defining their input and output.
Here is a process for doing that that works well: Drag the tool in. If it has inputs that will have been
previously computed in the model, make links from those inputs. Then open the tool and specify the
outputs.
9. Make a union of the two buffer feature classes with the soils feature class: Click the Select
icon from the Gold_Model window menu. Drag in the Union tool from ArcToolbox > Analysis
Tools > Overlay. Drag in the feature class Soils_with_Characteristics from the Catalog Tree. Use
the Connect icon and Input Features to make connections from all three feature classes to
Union. See Figure 7-21.
10. Right-click the Union tool in the Gold_Model window and choose Open. Accept the Input
Features. For the Output feature class, specify Union_WT_OW_S_M. Click OK. Click the Run icon
on the model toolbar. After some computation Union_WT_OW_S_M appears in the Catalog Tree.
11. Let's take a little side trip. From the Model drop-down menu click Delete Intermediate Data.
Notice that the shadows have disappeared and that Oilw_buf_M and Wagt_bufs_M have
disappeared from the Catalog Tree. Now find the Run icon on the model toolbar. Click it to rerun
the model from the beginning. When it finishes, you can see the buffers are there again. Is this
not painless flexibility?