Trace Shortest Path

Instructions for use

Find the path of Least Edges between any two Start Node/arcs and End Node/arcs according to the direction of the network. Invalid Loop during Trace Shortest Path.

Operation steps

  1. Open the Network Dataset for Network Analysis.
  2. On the Spatial Analysis tab, in the Facility Network Analysis group, select the Environment Settings check box to bring up the Environment Settings window. Set the Network AnalysisBasic Parameters (such as Weight Field, node/Edge ID Field, etc.), Analyst Result parameter, and Flow Direction Field of tracking analysis in this window. For an introduction to the Environment Settings window, see Network AnalysisEn vironment Settings window Page.
  3. Create a new instance of the Trace Shortest Path. On the Spatial Analysis tab, in the Facility Network Analysis group, click the Network Analysis Drop-down Button. Select Shortest Path Tracing from the drop-down menu that pops up. After the instance is successfully created, the Instance Management window automatically pops up. For an introduction to the Instance Management window, see the Instance Management window page.
  4. Click The Parameter Settings "button in the Network Analysis Instance Management window to pop up the Shortest Path Tracing Settings" dialog box. Set the Analysis Parameters.
    • Feature Type: Click the Feature Type drop-down arrow to select the feature type to be analyzed. Two types of nodes and arc segments are supported. When the element type is node, the network node is selected as the analysis element; otherwise, Select Edge is selected as the analysis element. The Context Menu in the Instance Management window does not support import and export when the feature type is arc.
    • Start ID: The ID field value of the start point or Start Edge. Corresponds to the Node ID Field and Edge ID Field in the Environment Settings window. See the Network AnalysisEn vironment Settings window page for the Environment Settings window.
    • End ID: The ID field value of the end point or End Edge. Corresponds to the Node ID Field and Edge ID Field in the Environment Settings window. See the Network AnalysisEn vironment Settings window page for the Environment Settings window.

      When Analysis Type is "Shortest Path" between any two points/arc segments ", Start Node/arc segment and End Node/arc segment need to be set respectively. To track the upstream/downstream Shortest Path Analysis, you only need to set the Start Node/arc segment.

    • Analysis Type: Three Analysis Types are available:

      Shortest Path between any two elements: Find the path with the least cost between them according to the set Start Node/arc segment. Select Shortest Path Between Two Points "for the Analysis Type of the node feature, and Shortest Path Between Edges" for the Analysis Type of the arc feature.

      Trace Upstream Shortest Path: According to the given node/arc, query the path with the least upstream cost of the node/arc.

      Trace Down stream Shortest Path: For a given node/arc, query the path downstream of the node/arc with the least cost.

      For a description of each Analysis Type, see the Analysis Type of the Trace Shortest Path. page.

    • Loop Valid: Whether the network loop is involved in the analysis when setting the analysis. If this option is selected, the loop will participate in the tracking analysis; otherwise, it will not participate.
      • When

      Parameter Settings is complete, click OK to exit the Shortest Path Tracing Settings "dialog box.

  5. Adds a node or arc segment to the current network layer. Add Start Node/Arc and End Node/Arc according to the feature type and Analysis Type set in the previous step. Adding a node is similar to adding a site in Transportation Analysis, that is, you can use Add by Mouse or import it. Arc segments can only be added by means of Draw. Please refer to the Add site page for details.

    Note: If you need to delete a node, you can select the "Node" directory node in the Instance Management window, and select "Remove" in the pop-up Context Menu or select the node to be deleted and press the Delete key.

  6. When all Parameter Settings are complete, Click the Execute button in the Facility Network Analysis group on the Spatial Analysis tab or the Execute button on the Instance Management window to perform the analysis. The Analyst Result is displayed immediately in the Map. Analyst Results can be Save as Dataset for use elsewhere.