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Make Closest Facility Analysis Layer (Network Analyst Tools)

Summary

Makes a closest facility network analysis layer and sets its analysis properties. A closest facility analysis layer is useful in determining the closest facility or facilities to an incident based on a specified travel mode. The layer can be created using a local network dataset or a service hosted online or in a portal.

Usage

  • This tool is typically used as the first step in a network analysis workflow. Once the layer is created, you can add inputs to it using the Add Locations tool and solve the analysis using the Solve tool.

    Learn more about the network analysis layer workflow

  • When ArcGIS Online or an ArcGIS Enterprise portal whose routing services are configured using ArcGIS Online is used as the input network data source, solving the analysis will consume credits and will be subject to certain limits, such as the number of allowed inputs.

    Learn more about credit consumption and analysis limits in network analysis

  • By default, the new analysis layer's data will be created in a new, automatically-named feature dataset in the Current Workspace geoprocessing environment, which is usually the project geodatabase. Table-based data will be created at the root level of the same geodatabase because tables cannot be stored in a feature dataset. You can override this behavior using the Analysis Geodatabase and Analysis Feature Dataset Name parameters.

  • Although this tool can be used in a Python script, the recommended best practice for performing network analysis in Python is to use the solver classes in the arcpy.nax module instead.

    Learn more about performing network analysis in Python.

Parameters

Label Explanation Data type

Network Data Source

The network dataset or service on which the network analysis will be performed.

The parameter can be specified using the following:

  • The catalog path to a network dataset.

  • A network dataset layer

  • The URL for ArcGIS Online or an ArcGIS Enterprise portal configured with standard routing services

To use a portal URL, you must be signed in to the portal with an account that has routing privileges.

Learn more about network analysis using routing services

When using ArcGIS Online or an ArcGIS Enterprise portal whose routing services are configured using ArcGIS Online as the input network, solving the analysis will consume credits and will be subject to certain limits, such as the number of allowed inputs.

Learn more about credit consumption and analysis limits in network analysis

Network Dataset Layer; String

Layer Name

(Optional)

The name of the network analysis layer that will be created.

String

Travel Mode

(Optional)

The name of the travel mode that will be used in the analysis. The travel mode represents a collection of network settings, such as travel restrictions and U-turn policies, that determine how a pedestrian, car, truck, or other medium of transportation moves through the network. Travel modes are defined on your network data source.

An arcpy.na.TravelMode object and a string containing the valid JSON representation of a travel mode can also be used as input to this parameter.

String

Travel Direction

(Optional)

Specifies the direction of travel between facilities and incidents.

The direction of travel may influence the facilities found if the network contains one-way streets or impedances based on the direction of travel. For instance, it may take 10 minutes to drive from a particular incident to a particular facility, but the journey may take 15 minutes traveling in the other direction, from the facility to the incident, because of one-way streets or different traffic conditions.

  • Toward facilitiesDirection of travel is from incidents to facilities. Retail stores commonly use this setting, since they are concerned with the time it takes the shoppers (incidents) to reach the store (facility). This is the default.

  • Away from facilitiesDirection of travel is from facilities to incidents. Fire departments commonly use this setting, since they are concerned with the time it takes to travel from the fire station (facility) to the location of the emergency (incident).

String

Cutoff

(Optional)

The impedance value at which to stop searching for facilities for a given incident in the units of the impedance attribute used by the Travel Mode value. This cutoff can be overridden on a per-incident basis by specifying individual cutoff values in the incidents sublayer when the Travel Direction parameter is set to Toward facilities or on a per-facility basis by specifying individual cutoff values in the facilities sublayer when the Travel Direction parameter is set to Away from facilities. By default, no cutoff is used for the analysis.

Double

Number of Facilities to Find

(Optional)

The number of closest facilities to find per incident. This default can be overridden by specifying an individual value for the TargetFacilityCount property in the incidents sublayer. The default number of facilities to find is one.

Long

Time of Day

(Optional)

The time and date at which the routes will begin or end. The interpretation of this value depends on whether Time of Day Usage is set to be the start time or the end time of the route.

If you chose a traffic-based impedance attribute, the solution will be generated given dynamic traffic conditions at the time of day specified here. A date and time can be specified as 5/14/2012 10:30 AM.

Configure the analysis to use one of the following special dates to model a day of the week or the current date instead of a specific, static date:

  • Today—12/30/1899

  • Sunday—12/31/1899

  • Monday—1/1/1900

  • Tuesday—1/2/1900

  • Wednesday—1/3/1900

  • Thursday—1/4/1900

  • Friday—1/5/1900

  • Saturday—1/6/1900

Learn more about how dates and times are used and interpreted in a network analysis

Date

Time Zone

(Optional)

The time zone of the Time of Day parameter.

  • Local time at locationsThe Time of Day parameter refers to the time zone in which the facilities or incidents are located. This is the default.

    • If Time of Day Usage is set to Start time and Travel Direction is set to Away from facilities, this is the time zone of the facilities.

    • If Time of Day Usage is set to Start time and Travel Direction is set to Toward facilities, this is the time zone of the incidents.

    • If Time of Day Usage is set to End time and Travel Direction is set to Away from facilities, this is the time zone of the incidents.

    • If Time of Day Usage is set to End time and Travel Direction is set to Toward facilities, this is the time zone of the facilities.

  • UTCThe Time of Day parameter refers to coordinated universal time (UTC). Choose this option if you want to find what's nearest for a specific time, such as now, but aren't certain in which time zone the facilities or incidents will be located.

String

Time of Day Usage

(Optional)

Specifies whether the value of the Time of Day parameter represents the arrival or departure time for the route or routes.

  • Start timeThe Time of Day parameter value is interpreted as the departure time from the facility or incident. This is the default.When this setting is chosen, the Time of Day parameter indicates that the solver will find the best route given a departure time.

  • End timeThe Time of Day parameter value is interpreted as the arrival time at the facility or incident. This option is useful if you want to know the time to depart from a location so you arrive at the destination at the time specified in the Time of Day parameter.

String

Line Shape

(Optional)

Specifies the shape type that will be used for the route features that are output by the analysis.

Regardless of the output shape type specified, the best route is always determined by the network impedance, not Euclidean distance. This means that only the route shapes are different, not the underlying traversal of the network.

  • Along networkThe output routes will have the exact shape of the underlying network sources. The output includes route measurements for linear referencing. The measurements increase from the first stop and record the cumulative impedance to reach a given position.

  • No linesNo shape will be generated for the output routes.

  • Straight linesThe output route shape will be a single straight line between the stops.

String

Accumulate Attributes

(Optional)

A list of cost attributes to be accumulated during analysis. These accumulated attributes are for reference only; the solver only uses the cost attribute used by the designated travel mode when solving the analysis.

For each cost attribute that is accumulated, a Total_ [Impedance] property is populated in the network analysis output features.

This parameter is not available if the network data source is an ArcGIS Online service or the network data source is a service on a version of Portal for ArcGIS that does not support accumulation.

String

Generate Directions on Solve

(Optional)

Specifies whether directions will be generated when running the analysis.

For an analysis in which generating turn-by-turn directions is not needed, turn directions generation off to reduce the time it takes to solve the analysis.

  • CheckedTurn-by-turn directions will be generated on solve.

  • UncheckedTurn-by-turn directions will not be generated on solve. This is the default.

Boolean

Ignore Invalid Locations at Solve Time

(Optional)

Specifies whether invalid input locations will be ignored. Typically, locations are invalid if they cannot be located on the network. When invalid locations are ignored, the solver will skip them and attempt to perform the analysis using the remaining locations.

  • CheckedInvalid input locations will be ignored and only valid locations will be used. This is the default.

  • UncheckedAll input locations will be used. Invalid locations will cause the analysis to fail.

Boolean

Analysis Geodatabase

(Optional)

The file geodatabase workspace where the new network analysis layer's sublayer data will be stored. When this parameter is not specified, the sublayer data will be created in the Current Workspace geoprocessing environment, which is usually the project geodatabase.

Learn more about the analysis data source of a network analysis layer

Workspace

Analysis Feature Dataset Name

(Optional)

The name to use for the new feature dataset that the tool will create in the analysis geodatabase to store the network analysis layer's sublayer data. When not specified, the feature dataset will be created with a random unique name.

Learn more about the analysis data source of a network analysis layer

String

Derived output

Label Explanation Data type

Network Analyst Layer

The newly created network analysis layer.

Network Analyst Layer

Environments

Current Workspace

Licensing information

  • Basic: Yes
  • Standard: Yes
  • Advanced: Yes