Types of geodatabase annotation

There are three types of geodatabase annotation:

• Standard annotation
• Feature-linked annotation
• Dimension annotation

To create and edit feature-linked and dimension annotation, you must have an ArcEditor or ArcInfo license.

Standard annotation feature classes exist independently of other feature classes. No permanent relationship exists between the annotation and the features they describe.

Standard annotation is useful if you want to create annotation that reflects the state of a database at different times or conditions or to label areas on your map where features don't exist in your database. For example, you could create standard annotation to show the land use for parcels over a period of years or to label the oceans of the world even though there are no ocean features in your database.

There are no park features in the geodatabase used to create this map. The locations of parks are indicated using a standard annotation feature class.

Feature-linked annotation is associated with features in another feature class. When you move the geographic features, the annotation moves with them. If you delete a feature, its annotation is automatically removed, and if you change the feature attribute used to create the annotation, the annotation text changes as well.

With feature-linked annotation, the annotation updates when the feature it is linked to changes. In this example, when the Crestline, Bel Air, and Rialto street features are edited, the street names move automatically.

Dimensions are a special kind of annotation used to display specific lengths or distances on a map. They are stored as features in dimension feature classes.

On this map, dimension features are used to show the distances between electric power poles.