Grouping soundings automatically (Maritime Charting)

Sounding features can be added to an existing group by choosing the First Match, Nearest, or User Defined option or can be a unique group by turning off the Group Soundings Type property.

Steps:

1. Start ArcMap.
2. On the main menu, click Customize > Production > Production Properties.

   The Production Properties dialog box appears.

3. Click Nautical Properties.
4. Click the cell next to Group Soundings Type.
5. Click the drop-down arrow and choose an option:
   • Off (default)—When you create or modify a sounding feature, it is not added to an existing group. Instead, it becomes its own unique group. If you want soundings to be grouped, you need to change the Group Soundings Type setting prior to creating or modifying the sounding features, or use the Group Soundings tool.
   • First Match—A newly created or modified sounding feature is grouped arbitrarily with the group first found as a match for attributes, regardless of proximity to the sounding.
   • Nearest—A newly created or modified sounding feature is added to the closest group matching its attributes.
   • User Defined—A list of sounding groups with matching attributes is displayed, allowing you to choose in which group to place the newly created or modified sounding feature.

   This property is honored by the New Nautical Product wizard, Apply Changes tool, product refresher processes, and during editing operations.

   Note:

   When editing in the NIS database, the Group Soundings Type property is ignored regardless of the setting.

   Note:

   Only S-57 attributes are taken into consideration when grouping soundings. Changes to the DEPTH attribute (value) are ignored.

6. Click OK.