Solving a Network Analysis Layer
Included in this tutorial:
Two options for Solving a network analysis layer
Using the Solve tool, including its parameters and options
Running one example and examining its results
Software version in examples: ArcGIS Pro 3.0.0
Tutorial Data: The tutorial includes demonstration with the Network Tutorial Data available here.
Credits: L. Meisterlin with Varisa Tanti and Nikolas Michael (2022)
There are two ways to “solve” a network analysis layer in ArcGIS Pro: through the interface or with the Solve tool. This tutorial reviews both options.
Related Tutorials:
For more on network analysis layers in ArcGIS Pro, see Working with Network Analysis Layers and Adding Locations to a Network Analysis Layer.
This tool requires the Network Analyst Extension in ArcGIS Pro. To verify that you have the Network Analyst Extension, see Which Esri Extensions Is My Software Licensed to Use?
Option 1: through the Interface
You can solve a network analysis layer by clicking “Run” in the analysis layer’s tab in the main menu ribbon. In the example below, we are accessing the tab related to a service area analysis layer.
solving the analysis layer with the “Run” button on the analysis layer’s tab in the main ribbon
Option 2: Using the Solve tool
Accessing the Solve tool
Access the Solve tool by clicking the Geoprocessing toolbox in the main ribbon, and clicking through Network Analysis Tools > Analysis > Solve. You can also search for ‘Make Service Area Analysis Layer’ in the search bar.
The path to open the Service Area Analysis Layer is Geoprocessing Tools > Network Analysis Tools > Analysis > Solve.
Solve Parameters & Options
In the Solve dialogue box, you will see these fields: Input Network Analysis Layer, Ignore Invalid Locations, Terminate on Solve Error, Implication Tolerance, and Overrides.
Here’s a brief description of the different inputs:
Input Network Analysis Layer: The network analysis layer on which the analysis will be solved.
Options:
Ignore Invalid Locations: Specifies whether invalid input locations will be ignored, which will solve the analysis without them.
Terminate on Solve Error: Specifies whether to stop solving the analysis if an error is encountered.
Simplification Tolerance: Specifies the tolerance threshold for simplifying output geometry.
Example and Results
Below is an example of running the Solve tool. In this example, the input network analysis layer is a service area analysis, called “Service Area” in the screenshot.
the results of solving the service area analysis layer
The results of the analysis are generated and added as temporary layers to the network analysis layer in the map (and in the Contents panel). Of course, these results will vary depending on the type of analysis. In this example, polygons were generated from the facilities locations to the cutoff distances (which is how they are labeled in the Content panel).
Accessing the Polygons sublayer’s attributes, we can examine the four features generated by the analysis. Depending on the type of analysis, the resulting fields will vary. In each case, the relevant information (regarding inputs and parameters which generated each feature) will be included in the table.
the attribute table of the resulting sublayer
Lastly, again, the resulting layer(s) are temporary. To save the results, export the features (right-click on their sublayer in the Contents panel and click through Data > Export Features).