Exercise 2: Finding a route with an ArcGIS Online routing service

Complexity: Beginner Data Requirement: ArcGIS Tutorial Data Setup Goal: The goal of this tutorial is to show how the Find Route dialog box can be used to calculate routes in ArcMap.

In Exercise 1, you learned how to use a file-based network dataset to calculate a route. In this exercise, you will learn how to use an ArcGIS Online routing service to calculate a route, and you will explore some of the more advanced routing options available in the Find Route dialog box.

You will use the same map document for this exercise as in Exercise 1. Note that the route may not exactly match the streets in the map, since the routing service is based on a different dataset than the map.

Steps:

1. Click the Options tab in the Find Route dialog box.
2. Click the Routing Service drop-down arrow and select North American Routing Service (ArcGIS Online). Note that there is also a European routing service available.
3. Check the Name locations added with tool using nearest address check box. This enables reverse geocoding when using the Add Stop by Click tool to add stops.
4. Click the Choose an address locator drop-down arrow and select North America Geocode Service (ArcGIS Online). Note that there is also a European geocoding service available.
5. In the Route Preferences section of the Options tab, click the Impedance drop-down arrow. There are two choices—Length and Time. If Length is selected, then the route with the shortest distance will be calculated. If Time is selected, the route with the shortest time will be calculated. Make sure Time is selected.
6. Uncheck the Use trip start check box.
7. In the map, zoom in to New York City.
8. Click the Stops tab in the Find Route dialog box. Click the Add Stop by Click tool .
9. Click the map to add four or five stops at various locations. Note that the stops are reverse-geocoded and named with their address in the Stops list.
10. Click the Find Route button.
11. Click the Zoom to Route button on the Directions tab.
12. Examine the directions and make a note of the driving distance and time.
13. Click the Options tab.
14. Check the Reorder stops to find optimal route check box. This will cause the stops to be reordered so that the most efficient route is calculated.
15. Click the Find Route button.
16. Examine the directions and note the driving distance and time. They will be different from the original route.
17. Click the Stops tab and click the Remove All button.

    Now you will learn how to define network attribute restrictions and modify road speeds.

18. Click the Add Stop button.
19. In the Find dialog box, click the Choose a locator drop-down arrow and select North America Geocode Service (ArcGIS Online).
20. Enter the following address in the appropriate address fields and click Find: 451 6th St NE, Coupeville, WA 98239.
21. Right-click the top candidate and click Add as Stop to Find Route.
22. Enter the following address in the appropriate address fields and click Find: 745 Washington St, Port Townsend, WA 98368.
23. Right-click the top candidate in the list and click Add as Stop to Find Route.
24. Click Cancel in the Find dialog box to close it.
25. Click the Find Route button.
26. Click the Zoom to Route button on the Directions tab. Notice that the route includes passage on a vehicle ferry.
27. Click the Options tab.
28. Uncheck the Reorder stops to find optimal route check box.
29. Click the Restrictions button.
30. Check the Avoid vehicular ferries check box to enable the vehicular ferries restriction, then click OK.
31. Click the Find Route button.
32. Click the Zoom to Route button on the Directions tab. Notice that the route now travels all the way around Puget Sound to avoid the ferry.
33. Note the Driving time.
34. Click the Options tab.
35. Click the Speeds button.
36. Double-click the value 65.00. Change it to 80, press Enter, then click OK. This increases the speed of all road segments with a 65 MPH value to 80 MPH.
37. Click Find Route.
38. Note the new Driving time; it should be less than the original time.

In this exercise, you learned how to use the default ArcGIS Online geocoding and routing services to reverse-geocode stop addresses and calculate routes in the Find Route dialog box. You also learned how to reorder stops to generate the most efficient route and saw how setting restrictions and modifying road speeds can affect the output route and driving directions.