Working with geoprocessing tools

Geoprocessing refers to any GIS operation in which new data is derived from existing data. When you manage and analyze your GIS data, you will typically "geoprocess" it at some point.

When used to manage GIS data, a geoprocess may be as simple as copying a feature class from one geodatabase to another, or from a CD to a folder on your local disk. Because these tasks result in the creation of new data, they are considered geoprocessing operations.

When used for analysis, a geoprocess usually involves combining two or more datasets to produce a new dataset that includes some or all of the features and attributes from the inputs. We will concentrate on working with the ArcGIS geoprocessing tools used for analysis.