Tutorial: Creating new parcels in the fabric

This topic applies to ArcEditor and ArcInfo only.

Complexity: Beginner Data Requirement: ArcGIS Tutorial Data Setup Data Path: \ArcGIS\ArcTutor\Parcel Editing Goal: Become familiar with creating and adding new parcels to the fabric.

In this exercise, you will explore the various methods of creating and adding new parcels to a parcel fabric. You can create new parcels in existing plans or create new plans. Parcels can be traversed in the parcel traverse environment or can be built from a network of connected line work in the parcel construction environment. You will also learn how to enter new parcels into an empty fabric.

Creating a new plan

In this exercise, you will create and add a new plan to an existing fabric of parcels and plans.

Steps:

1. Open ArcMap and load the ParcelEditing map document (ParcelEditing.mxd) from your \ArcTutor\Parcel Editing\ folder.
2. Make sure the map display is zoomed to the parcel editing overview area. Click the Bookmarks menu and click Parcel Editing Area.
3. Click the Parcel Editor arrow on the Parcel Editor toolbar and click Start Editing.
If the Parcel Details dialog box is not visible, click the Parcel Details tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar.
4. Close the Create Features window.
5. Make sure the parcel fabric edit mode is set to automatic. Open the Parcel Editor Options dialog box (Parcel Editor > Options) and choose Automatic under Edit Mode on the General tab. Click OK.
6. Click the Parcel Editor arrow on the Parcel Editor toolbar and click Plan Directory.
The Plan Directory dialog box opens and displays a list of plans existing on this parcel fabric.
7. Click Create Plan to create a new plan.

The Plan Properties dialog box is opened.
8. On the Plan Properties dialog box, click the General tab and enter a name new for your new plan. For this tutorial, type Map 9000 as a plan name. You can also optionally enter a plan description.
9. Click the Record Format tab to specify the units that you will be working with in this plan.
You will be working with a plan that displays directions in quadrant bearing format in degrees/minutes/seconds and distance in U.S. feet. Choose Quadrant Bearing from the Direction or Angle Type drop-down list, Degrees Minutes Seconds from the Direction and Angle Units drop-down list, and US Survey Feet from the Distance and Length Units drop-down list.
10. Leave the default for Area Units.

Setting plan units

11. Optionally, click the Circular Curve Parameters and Circular Curve Direction drop-down lists to specify circular curve parameters for this plan.
Tip:

You will be able to identify which curve parameters a plan uses by looking at the curve dimensions on the plan. Curve dimensions are sometimes displayed in a curve table for labeled curves on the plan.

12. Click the Corrections tab on the Plan Properties dialog box.
Under this tab, you would click the Uses true mid-bearings option if the bearings of your parcel lines in the plan are the bearings from true north at the midpoint of the parcel. This option is typically used for very long parcel lines.
13. Click Apply on the Plan Properties dialog box to apply your changes.
14. Click the Attributes tab.
On this tab, you can enter information in the plan attributes such as survey date, surveyor, and accuracy.
Tip:

You can add other attributes to the plans table, and these attributes will become available on the Attributes tab on the Plan Properties dialog box.

Learn how to add additional attributes to tables in the parcel fabric

15. Click the drop-down list next to the Accuracy field and choose accuracy level 3 - 1908 to 1980.
All new parcels created under this plan inherit the plan accuracy level of 3.
Learn more about accuracy levels in the parcel fabric
16. Click OK on the Plan Properties dialog box to create the plan and complete the exercise.
The new plan is listed on the Plan Directory dialog box. Close the plan directory.
17. Click Parcel Editor > Stop Editing to stop the edit session. Make sure to save your edits.

Creating feature templates

Before creating a new parcel, you will create a feature template for fabric parcel polygons. Feature templates define all the information required to create a new feature, such as the attributes that are populated with the feature and the layer that the feature is stored in. Feature templates can be added at any time during editing and can be based on existing layer symbology such as parcel line type.

Learn more about feature templates and the parcel fabric

You will create a feature template for parcels created in the plan Map 9000.

Steps:

Before creating the feature template, you are going to add a new attribute to the fabric parcels table:
1. In ArcMap, click the Catalog Window tool on the Standard toolbar to open the Catalog window.
2. In the Catalog window, navigate to the location of your tutorial data, right-click the parcel fabric named FABRIC, then click Properties.

3. On the Parcel Fabric Properties dialog box, click the Fabric Classes tab and choose Parcels from the Classes drop-down list.
4. On the field list grid, scroll down to the first empty Field Name row to type a new field name. Type PlanName as the field name and set Data Type to Text.
5. Click OK to add the field and close the Parcel Fabric Properties dialog box.
Tip:

New fields can only be added outside an edit session in ArcMap.

6. Close or dock the Catalog window.
7. Back in ArcMap, click Parcel Editor > Start Editing to start an edit session to create the feature template. Close the Create Features window.
8. In the Table Of Contents window, right-click the parcels sublayer, point to Edit Features, then click Organize Feature Templates.
On the Organize Feature Templates dialog box, notice the default template for fabric parcel features. Add a new template for creating fabric parcels in the Map 9000 plan.
9. Click the New Template command.
10. With the Parcels sublayer checked, click Finish on the Create New Templates Wizard dialog box.
A second template named Parcels is added to the list of templates on the Organize Feature Templates dialog box.
11. Right-click the second Parcels template in the list and click Properties.
12. On the Template Properties dialog box, rename the template Plan_Map9000. Type 24 in the Type field, type 3 in the Accuracy field, and Map 9000 in the PlanName field.

Setting template properties

13. Click OK to apply the template properties. Close the Organize Feature Templates dialog box.
Each time a fabric parcel is created using the Plan_Map9000 template, its type attribute is set to 24 (which is a Lot parcel for this data), its PlanName attribute is set to Map 9000, and its accuracy category is set to 3. Internally, parcels inherit their accuracy from the plan accuracy as well. You can override the plan accuracy by setting a different accuracy category on the parcel.
14. Save the edit session to complete the exercise.
The above exercise is an example of how templates can be used to automate the creation of new fabric features.

Creating a new parcel in automatic edit mode

In the parcel fabric, you can either create and edit parcels directly in the map in automatic edit mode or create edit parcels in fabric jobs in manual edit mode. In this exercise, you will create a new parcel in automatic edit mode.

Learn more about the parcel fabric editing environment

Steps:

1. In ArcMap, click the Parcel Editor menu and click Options to open the Parcel Editor Options dialog box.
2. Under Edit Mode, make sure Automatic is selected.
3. Under Parcel view behavior, click the Automatically zoom to extent of parcels when editing option.
In this exercise, you will create a parcel in the projected map. You also have the option to create and edit parcels in a stand-alone local coordinate data frame. To work in a local coordinate frame, click the View and edit parcels individually in a local coordinate system option.
4. Click OK to apply your changes and close the Parcel Editor Options dialog box.
You will create a new parcel and join it to the parcel fabric layer. The parcel that you will create already exists in the tutorial data, so before creating the new parcel, you are going to unjoin the existing parcel from the fabric and delete it.
5. If necessary, start an edit session and close the Create Features window.
6. Click the Select Parcel Features tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar, right-click parcel 97 in the map, then click Unjoin.

Unjoin a parcel.

The Parcel Explorer window becomes visible, and the parcel you unjoined is listed under Unjoined Parcels.

Unjoined parcel

Tip:

If the Parcel Explorer window is not visible, click the Parcel Explorer Window tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar.

You are going to enter a new traverse for parcel 97. You can leave the existing parcel 97 as unjoined. Unjoined parcels are not part of the fabric layer but can be opened at any time and joined back to the parcel fabric at any time.
Tip:

To delete a parcel instead of unjoining it, right-click the parcel in the map and click Delete. You can also delete unjoined parcels by right-clicking the parcel in the Parcel Explorer window and clicking Delete.

7. Zoom to the area where the new parcel will be added to the fabric layer.

Zoom to the area where the parcel will be added to the fabric layer.

8. Click Parcel Editor > Plan Directory to open the Plan Directory dialog box.
9. Right-click the plan you created in the exercise above (Map 9000) and click New Parcel.

Create a new parcel in a plan.

The Construction tool becomes available in the map, and the Parcel Details dialog box becomes visible.
Tip:

If you do not want to work with plans, you can right-click the <map> plan, which is a system default plan. All parcels will simply have <map> as their associated plan.

Tip:

If the Parcel Details window is not visible, click the Parcel Details tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar.

10. Click anywhere in the map to add the starting point of the parcel traverse.

Starting point of traverse

Tip:

You can also click an existing point in the map as your starting point. If you snap to existing points in the map, you will still have to join and connect the parcel to the fabric once it's created.

11. On the Parcel Details dialog box, make sure the Properties tab is active.
12. Click the Template button and choose the Plan_Map9000 template on the Select Feature Template dialog box. Click OK.
Notice under the Properties tab that the Plan_Map9000 template has the Type field set to 24, the PlanName field to Map 9000, and the Accuracy field to 3 - 1908 to 1980.
13. Type 97 for the parcel Name field.

Parcel attributes

14. Click the Lines tab on the Parcel Details window to begin entering the parcel traverse.
Templates have been defined for fabric line types in the tutorial data. The lines sublayer was displayed and symbolized by line type, and templates were created for each type so that line symbology could easily be applied to parcel traverse lines in the lines grid.
15. On the Lines grid, click the Template field and choose the Frontage template for the first line in the parcel traverse.
16. Type 32-30-0-2 (SE quadrant bearing shortcut) in the Bearing field and 69.00 in the Distance field. Press ENTER to create the first line.

First line in parcel traverse

Tip:

Notice that the from- and to-points are automatically populated for you unless you edit them. If you edit a from- or to-point, you need to make sure to check and edit the remaining from- and to-points in the traverse lines grid.

17. Type a Bearing value of 57-30-0-3 (SW) and a Distance value of 114.00 for the second traverse line.
18. Type a Bearing value of 32-30-0-4 (NW) and a Distance value of 69.00.
19. For the last traverse line, type a Bearing value of 57-30-0-1 (NW) and a Distance value of 114.00*.
Typing an asterisk (*)after the distance value indicates that this is the last traverse line and that the line's to-point should be the same as the starting from-point of the traverse, which is 1. Once the traverse is closed onto its starting point, misclose information for the traverse is displayed at the bottom of the Parcel Details dialog box.

Parcel traverse in the map

20. On the Parcel Details dialog box, click the Keep changes to parcel data and join command to save the parcel and begin joining the parcel to the fabric.
Tip:

You can also click the Keep changes to parcel data command to save the parcel as unjoined. In the Parcel Explorer window, you can right-click the parcel and click Join to join the parcel to the fabric at any time.

Parcel joining is an interactive process where the parcel points of a floating parcel or group of parcels are matched with their corresponding points in the parcel fabric.

21. With the Join Parcel dialog box open, drag the new, floating parcel and position it such that join lines can be easily established.

Drag parcel to join position

22. Click the Create Join Link Using a Dragbox Around a Fabric Point and a Join Point tool on the Join Parcel dialog box and drag a box around the joining parcel's top left point and the corresponding fabric point to create your first join link.
23. Repeat step 22 to join the joining parcel's bottom right point.
Tip:

You can also use the Construction tool to manually snap on the joining parcel's point and snap on the corresponding fabric point to create a join link.

24. Click Auto Join on the Join Parcel dialog box to detect the remaining join lines.

Auto join

Notice that there are join residuals displayed in the Join Parcel dialog box.
Join residuals are computed from a transformation between the joining parcel's points and the corresponding points in the parcel fabric. If only two points are joined, a Helmert transformation is used. If more than two points are joined, a least-squares transformation is used. Each time another point is joined, join residuals, scale, and rotation are recalculated.
Join residuals are an indication of how well the joining parcel fits with the surrounding fabric.
25. Click OK on the Join Parcel dialog box to complete the join.
Tip:

You can click Close on the Join Parcel dialog box at any time during the join process to cancel the join. The parcel is then saved as unjoined and is listed as an unjoined parcel on the Parcel Explorer window.

26. Save the edit session to complete the exercise.

Creating a new parcel in manual edit mode

In manual edit mode, parcels are created and edited in fabric jobs. Jobs are tracked in the job book and can be saved and reopened at any time. In this exercise, you will create the same parcel that was created in the above exercise, but this time you will work in a fabric job.

Steps:

1. On the Parcel Editor Options dialog box, choose the Manual edit mode. Leave View and edit parcels individually in a local coordinate system unchecked.
You will now create and open a job to enter your new parcel:
2. In an edit session in ArcMap, click the Select Parcel Features tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar.
3. Drag a box to select the parcels shown in the graphic below that will be part of the job. When creating a new parcel in a fabric job, the appropriate reference parcels should be added to the job so that the new parcel can be joined to the fabric layer.

Select parcels to open in a job.

4. Click the Parcel Editor menu and click Modify to open the parcels in a job.
Note:

Job workflow commands, such as Modify and Finish Job, are available under the Parcel Editor menu when the fabric edit mode is set to manual.

The parcels are opened in a fabric job with the selected parcels displayed as active and the surrounding, nonjob parcels dimmed. The Parcel Explorer window becomes visible and lists all the parcels in the open job, grouped by their plans.

Parcel Explorer in an open fabric job

Tip:

You can also open an empty fabric job. With no parcels selected, click Parcel Editor > Modify. You would create an empty fabric job when adding parcels to an empty parcel fabric.

Tip:

You can also formally create a job with a name and description by clicking Parcel Editor > Create Job. On the Create New Job dialog box, you can specify the parcels that will be edited as well as the surrounding reference or job parcels.

Learn more about the Create New Job dialog box
Before adding the new parcel, you need to unjoin and delete the existing parcel 97.
5. Using the Select Parcel Features tool , right-click parcel 97 and click Unjoin.
The parcel is listed as an unjoined parcel in the Parcel Explorer window.
6. Click the Create A New Parcel In A New Plan tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar.
7. On the Parcel Details dialog box on the Properties tab, click the Plan button, choose Map 9000 on the Plan Directory dialog box, then click Set as Active Plan.
8. Click the Template button, choose the Plan_Map9000 template on the Select Feature Template dialog box, then click OK.
The template is applied to the new parcel.
9. On the Property Details dialog box, type 97 as the parcel name.
10. Click in the map to add the starting point of the parcel traverse.

New parcel in a fabric job

11. Follow steps 17 to 25 under the Creating a new parcel in automatic mode exercise to create and join your parcel.
12. Once you have joined your new parcel to the surrounding job parcels, click Parcel Editor > Finish Job to post your job changes back to the parcel fabric layer.
Once the edit session is saved, the job changes are committed to the geodatabase.
Tip:

To reopen the job, click Parcel Editor > Job book and double-click the job listed on the Job Book dialog box.