Guide to the geoprocessing service examples

Complexity: Beginner Data Requirement: ArcGIS Tutorial Data Setup

Each topic in this book describes an example geoprocessing service. These example services were carefully chosen to demonstrate the following:

• Useful GIS functionality such as buffering features, spatial selection of features, selecting features, finding nearby features using network distance, and packaging databases for sending back to the client
• Common geoprocessing service design patterns, such as the use of feature and record sets and tool layers, using layers from a source map document, and drawing results with a result map service
• Preprocessing data to make fast and efficient services
• Useful tips and tricks

Each topic has a corresponding folder

Each topic in this book has a corresponding folder that contains data, toolboxes, and map documents of the completed example. These folders are in the GP Service Examples folder found in the ArcTutor directory that is installed with the ArcGIS tutorial data. The tutorial data is available on the ArcGIS installation media. If the tutorial data has been installed on your system, look for it in C:\arcgis\ArcTutor (the default installation location).

At the top of the page of each topic, you will find the name of the corresponding folder.

Typically, you should copy the corresponding folder from the ArcTutor directory to another folder before making changes or publishing the services.

Types of examples

There are two types of example topics in this book, distinguished by their titles:

• GP service step by step: These topics are step-by-step guides to creating a service. They assume you have cursory knowledge of geoprocessing. The idea behind these step-by-step examples is to show you how everything in the corresponding folder was created. When you complete the steps, you will have created a duplicate of the corresponding folder in the tutorial directory. You can use the corresponding folder to check your work.
• GP service example: These topics assume you are familiar with geoprocessing and ArcGIS Server and you do not need step-by-step instructions on how to create models and tool layers or publish services. Rather, they focus on particular aspects of the service, providing step-by-step instructions only when more advanced concepts are introduced.

Note:

While authoring Geoprocessing Services in ArcMap it is advised to disable background processing.

Learn more about background processing

Example	Description
Buffer points (step by step)	A simple model to buffer point features
Buffer features	Expands the above service to buffer line and polygon features
Watershed (step by step)	Creates a watershed polygon from input points
Stream network	Produces a stream network for cartographic display
More stream network	Expands the above service by allowing the user to download existing stream networks
Clip and ship	Extracts data based on area of interest polygons, creates a file geodatabase of the extracted features, compresses the geodatabase into a .zip file, and optionally e-mails the .zip file to the user
Data on demand	Much like the above example, but makes extensive use of scripting
Selecting data	Shows a variety of ways to select data by attribute and location
Drivetime polygons	Creates polygons based on drive time around points
Shortest route on a street network	Finds the shortest route on a street network
Finding nearby features over a street network	Finds features closest to a given location based on shortest route on a street network

Quick guide to the examples

Examples use the toolshare folder structure

All corresponding folders use the toolshare folder structure, illustrated below and described in the Sharing tools and toolboxes book. You are not required to use this folder structure for your services; it is provided only as a guideline.

Server configuration for all examples