Tutorial: Get started with parcel fabric editing

This topic applies to ArcGIS for Desktop Standard and ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced only.

In this tutorial, you will become familiar with opening and editing parcels in a parcel fabric. You will work with an existing parcel fabric dataset containing a small sample of lot parcels from the City of Encinitas in California.

In this parcel fabric:

• All parcels are entered from plans and have small, acceptable miscloses.
  1. Survey control points were first added to an empty parcel fabric.
  2. Right-of-way parcels and centerlines were entered and joined to the control points.
  3. New parcel subdivisions were entered and joined to the right-of-ways and control points.
• Parcels are entered and stored in the plans in which they were recorded.
• The COGO dimensions on parcel lines match the recorded dimensions from the plans.
• There are no slivers or overlaps. Since the size and shape of parcels are correct, parcels are seamlessly joined to each other. Line points are established during the join process.

Download the tutorial data

For this tutorial, you need ArcGIS 10.1 for Desktop (Standard, or Advanced License).

Steps:

1. Download and install the ArcGIS 10.1 for Desktop tutorial data.
2. In the Catalog window in ArcMap, browse to \arcgis\ArcTutor\Parcel Editing.

   You will be working with the ParcelEditing map document (ParcelEditing.mxd) and the parcel fabric named FABRIC in the Encinitas_City.gdb\Cadastral feature dataset.

Open and edit parcels

Before beginning this exercise, make sure that the Parcel Editor toolbar has been added to ArcMap. To load the toolbar, click Customize on the main menu, point to Toolbars, then click Parcel Editor. In this exercise, you will become familiar with opening and editing parcels.

Steps:

1. Start ArcMap and load the ParcelEditing map document (ParcelEditing.mxd) from the \ArcGIS\ArcTutor\Parcel Editing\ folder.

   The map document contains a parcel fabric layer, which references the parcel fabric dataset named FABRIC in the Cadastral feature dataset in the Encinitas_City geodatabase.

2. Make sure the map is zoomed to the Parcel Editing Area bookmark. Click Bookmarks > Parcel Editing Area.

You will now open a parcel in the map.

3. Click Parcel Editor and click Start Editing.
4. Click the Select Parcel Features tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar and click on parcel 142 to select it.

Select a parcel.

5. Right-click the parcel and click Open. You can also double-click the parcel to open it.
The parcel is opened in the map, and curved radial lines are visible. The Parcel Details dialog box also becomes visible.

Open a parcel.

6. If the Parcel Details dialog box is not visible, click the Parcel Details tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar to display the dialog box.
The Parcel Details dialog box shows the attribute information for the open parcel under the Properties tab. The Name, Type, Unclosed, Stated Area, Legal Start Date, Legal End Date, Accuracy, Compiled, and Historical attribute values are editable. The remaining attributes are system attributes maintained internally. The Plan drop-down list displays the parcels' associated plan or record of survey. The Template button is unavailable. You can only set feature templates for newly created parcels in the parcel fabric, not for existing parcels.

Parcel Details window

Tip:

The Name, Type, Stated Area, Legal Start Date, Legal End Date, Accuracy, and Compiled attribute values are also editable when the parcel is selected in the map in an edit session. You do not have to open the parcel to edit these attributes.

7. Click the Plan button to open the Plan Directory dialog box. Make sure the plan List is set to display All plans. The plan directory lists all available plans or records of survey defined for the current parcel fabric. On the Plan Directory dialog box, you can set a different plan for the parcel or create a new plan. For this exercise, you will not change the parcel's plan. Close the Plan Directory dialog box.
Learn more about the plan directory

Plan Directory

Tip:

If you choose not to work with plans, the system default <map> plan is used for parcels that are not associated with any plans.

Tip:
The Plan Directory dialog box can also be opened from the Parcel Editor menu. When doing so, you can right-click a plan and click Construction to open the construction environment for the plan. In the construction environment, you can paste line work or traverse in construction lines. Parcels can be built from a network of construction lines and joined as new parcels to the parcel fabric.
Learn more about working with parcel construction lines
8. Click the Lines tab on the Parcel Details dialog box.
The parcel traverse lines are displayed with misclose information. When opening an existing parcel, you can edit line dimensions and add connection lines and dependent lines. You cannot change the actual line geometry of the parcel.

Note:

Line bearings that are inconsistent with their shape geometry by more than 10 degrees are highlighted in yellow. Line distances that are inconsistent with line shape length by more than 20 percent are highlighted in yellow.

9. With the parcel still open, click the Parcel Measurement View tool on the Parcel Details dialog box to display the parcel using its COGO dimensions, scale, and rotation in the parcel fabric.
Notice that the parcel has a 0°01'41" rotation. The parcel's rotation value is displayed in the Rotation attribute field under the Properties tab on the Parcel Details dialog box. If you zoom in close to the parcel, you will see a slight adjustment of the parcel lines when Parcel Measurement View is toggled on and off.
If parcel measurement view is toggled off, the parcel is displayed using its parcel fabric coordinates. If parcel measurement view is toggled on, the parcel is displayed using coordinates derived from its COGO dimensions, scale, and rotation. Displaying a parcel in parcel measurement view displays the parcel using the true parcel shape according to its current COGO dimensions, scale, and rotation. This command is useful for finding erroneous parcels. Inaccurate or incorrect COGO dimensions will be reflected in the parcel shape when a parcel is displayed using parcel measurement view.

In the case of parcel 142, there are no differences in the parcel shape when the parcel is displayed using its COGO dimensions, but there is a slight rotation on the parcel.

Learn more about parcel measurement view
10. Toggle off parcel measurement view.
11. Click the Exit Without Saving command on the Parcel Details dialog box to close the parcel and switch back to the parcel fabric layer.
12. Click the Parcel Explorer Window tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar to open the Parcel Explorer window.
The Parcel Explorer window lists selected parcels by their plan. Parcels that are not yet part of the parcel fabric and unjoined parcels are also listed.
By default, the parcel explorer lists the last parcel that was opened.
13. Using the Select Parcel Features tool, drag a box to select a group of parcels in the map.
The Parcel Explorer window refreshes to display a list of the selected parcels, grouped by their plan.

Tip:

You can right-click parcels either in the map or in the Parcel Explorer window and click Open to open them for editing.

14. Close or dock the Parcel Explorer window.
15. Click Parcel Editor > Job Book to open the parcel fabric job book.
The job book displays a job each time a parcel is opened and edited:

Job Book

The job book tracks edits to the parcel fabric. Each time an edit is made—for example, a parcel merge or a parcel attribute edit—the edit is tracked as a mini job on the Job Book dialog box. You can select any mini job, right-click, then click Zoom to Job Parcels to zoom to the parcel that was edited.
16. Close the Job Book dialog box to complete the exercise in familiarizing yourself with opening and editing parcels in the parcel fabric.

Tip:

Click the Create New Parcel On A New Plan tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar to create a new parcel in a new plan. You can also open the Plan Directory dialog box, right-click a plan, then click New Parcel to create a new parcel in an existing plan.