Working with networks

The Network extension supports the following types of network analysis using NAServer.
  • Finding the best routes through a network based on a collection of stops as illustrated in the following graphic. The analysis can take into account attributes of the network such as restrictions that affect the streets that can be traversed. The results of the analysis include the accumulated travel time, distance, and driving directions.
  • Finding the closest facilities, such as the closest hospital or ATM machine, to a set of locations, factoring in cutoffs based on travel time, restrictions, and so on, as illustrated in the following graphic.
  • Delineating service areas that fall within certain travel times of a facility such as a place of business or emergency response facility as illustrated in the following graphic. The resulting service areas can be analyzed to assess accessibility, competition, and other factors.
The network analysis functions described in this topic are based on a network analysis layer in a map. An application that consumes network analysis functionality must use a MapServer that includes a network analysis layer. There is a different type of network analysis layer associated with each type of analysis described in this topic.
To create an application or Web service that consumes network analysis functionality on the server, follow these steps (ArcGIS Desktop with the Network Analyst extension must be installed):
  1. Use ArcCatalog to create a network dataset for your transportation data with the appropriate attributes.
  2. Use ArcMap to create a map that contains the network dataset and a network analysis layer appropriate for the type of analysis you want to include in your application (route, service area, closest facility, and so on).
  3. Use an ArcGIS Server administration interface, such as Manager, to publish the map document as a service with the network analysis capability enabled. Once you've published the service, you can consume it programmatically in a client application.
The application you create can be built from scratch, or it can be based on extending one of the Network Analyst samples. The sample applications included with ArcGIS Server for the Java Platform that center around network analysis include the following:
  • A simple routing sample that uses Network Analyst and geocoding Web services
  • An Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) sample application that uses Network Analyst to perform service area analysis


See Also:

Using Network Analyst objects
Managing state in a Network Analyst application