Build Boundary (Data Management)

Summary

Generates the boundary polygon for a mosaic dataset. By default, the boundary merges all the footprint polygons to create a single boundary representing the extent of the valid pixels.

Illustration

Usage

• Boundaries can only be generated for mosaic datasets stored within a geodatabase.

• If you remove or add rasters, or modify the extent of the footprints, you should use this tool to rebuild the boundary.

• If you modify the shape of the boundary polygon (using editing tools), you can use this tool to rebuild the boundary to its unmodified shape.

• Use the Append To Existing Boundary option to only update the boundary where newly added footprints exist. Since the entire boundary is not recalculated, it will save time.

Syntax

BuildBoundary_management (in_mosaic_dataset, {where_clause}, {append_to_existing}, {simplification_method})

Parameter	Explanation	Data Type
in_mosaic_dataset	The mosaic dataset for which the boundary will be calculated.	Mosaic Layer
where_clause (Optional)	Enter an SQL query if you would like to create a subset of the data, based on attributes.	SQL Expression
append_to_existing (Optional)	When footprints have been selected, this option determines how the boundary will be modified. OVERWRITE —Removes any existing boundary, then creates a newly computed boundary. APPEND —Appends the perimeter of footprints to the existing boundary. This can save time when adding additional raster data to the mosaic dataset, as the entire boundary will not be recalculated. If there are rasters selected, the boundary will be recalculated to include only the selected footprints. This is the default.	Boolean
simplification_method (Optional)	The simplification method reduces the number of vertices, since a dense boundary can affect performance. Choose which simplification method to use in order to simplify the boundary. NONE —No simplification method will be implemented. This is the default. CONVEX_HULL —The minimum bounding geometry of the mosaic dataset will be used to simplify the boundary. If there are any footprints that are disconnected, then a minimum bounding geometry for each continuous group of footprints will be used to simplify the boundary. ENVELOPE —The envelope of the mosaic dataset will provide a simplified boundary. If there are any footprints that are disconnected, then an envelope for each continuous group of footprints will be used to simplify the boundary.	String

Code Sample

BuildBoundary example (Python window)

This is a Python sample for the BuildBoundary tool.

import arcpy
arcpy.BuildBoundary_management("c:/workspace/Boundary.gdb/md", "#", 
                               "APPEND", "CONVEX_HULL")

Build Boundary example 2 (stand-alone window)

This is a Python script for the BuildBoundary tool.

# Build boundary only for the Quickbird data

import arcpy
arcpy.env.workspace = "C:/Workspace"

mdname = "boundary.gdb/md"
query = "SensorName = 'QuickBird'"
mode = "OVERWRITE"
simplify = "#"

arcpy.BuildBoundary_management(mdname, query, mode, simplify)

Environments

Extent

Licensing Information

ArcGIS for Desktop Basic: No

ArcGIS for Desktop Standard: Yes

ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced: Yes