ArcGIS Help 10.1 - Select By Location: graphic examples

This table below contains the list of the Relationship options available in the Select Layer By Location geoprocessing tool and the equivalent relationship found in the Select By Location... dialog found in the Selection menu in ArcMap, ArcScene and ArcGlobe.

Geoprocessing tool	Selection\Select By Location...
INTERSECT	Target layer(s) features intersect the Source layer feature
INTERSECT_3D	Target layer(s) features intersect (3d) the Source layer feature
WITHIN_A_DISTANCE	Target layer(s) features are within a distance of the Source layer feature
WITHIN_A_DISTANCE_3D	Target layer(s) features are within a distance of (3d) the Source layer feature
CONTAINS	Target layer(s) features contains the Source layer feature
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	Target layer(s) features completely contains the Source layer feature
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	Target layer(s) features contains (Clementini) the Source layer feature
WITHIN	Target layer(s) features are within the Source layer feature
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	Target layer(s) features are completely within the Source layer feature
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	Target layer(s) features are within (Clementini) the Source layer feature
ARE_IDENTICAL_TO	Target layer(s) features are identical to the Source layer feature
BOUNDARY_TOUCHES	Target layer(s) features touch the boundary of the Source layer feature
SHARE_A_LINE_SEGMENT_WITH	Target layer(s) features share a line segment with the Source layer feature
CROSSED_BY_THE_OUTLINE_OF	Target layer(s) features are crossed by the outline of the Source layer feature
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	Target layer(s) features have their centroid in the Source layer feature

The WITHIN_A_DISTANCE spatial relationship and 3D spatial relationship operators like INTERSECT_3D and WITHIN_A_DISTANCE_3D are not included in the graphics below. For details on 3D relationships, see Select By Location 3D relationships.

Clementini spatial relationships

WITHIN_CLEMENTINI and CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI refers to the within and contains spatial relationship as defined in the following paper: Clementini, Eliseo, Paolino Di Felice, and Peter van Oosterom, "A Small Set of Formal Topological Relationships Suitable for End-User Interaction," Proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Advances in Spatial Databases, 277–295, June 23–25, 1993.

Contrast of the three "contains" spatial relationships

Definition of boundary: For lines, the boundary is the two endpoints; for polygons, the boundary is the edge.

CONTAINS: Selects features in the input feature layer that contain a feature in the selecting features layer. The selecting features can be inside as well as on the boundary of the input feature layer.
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS: Selects features in the input feature layer that contain a feature in the selecting features layer, as long as the feature in the selecting features layer does not intersect the boundary of the input feature layer.
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI: The results are identical to CONTAINS with the exception that if the feature in the selecting features layer is entirely on the boundary of the input feature layer, with no part of the contained feature properly inside the feature in the input feature layer, the input feature will not be selected. CLEMENTINI states that the boundary of a point is always empty, and the boundary of a line is the endpoints.
CONTAINS and CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI produce identical results with point and multipoint input, and the selecting features are point or multipoint.

Contrast of the three "within" spatial relationships

WITHIN: Selects features in the input feature layer that are within or contained by features in the selecting features layer.
COMPLETELY_WITHIN: The result is identical to WITHIN except when the feature in the input feature layer intersects the boundary of the feature in the selecting features layer; then it is not selected.
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI: The result is identical to WITHIN except when the entirety of the feature in the input feature layer is on the boundary of the feature in the selecting features layer. CLEMENTINI states that the boundary of a point is always empty, and the boundary of a line is the endpoints.

Legend for graphics

For all the graphic examples below, the following legend applies:

Input feature: green
Input feature's center: red X
Selecting feature: gray

The graphics are labeled A, B, C, and so forth. Each relationship (INTERSECT, CONTAINS, and so on) that is valid for that combination of geometries is listed in the left column of the table. The geometric cases that would be selected for that relationship are listed in the right column of the table.

Select point using point

INTERSECT	A
CONTAINS	A
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A
WITHIN	A
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A
ARE_IDENTICAL_TO	A
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A

Select point using point table

Select point using multipoint

INTERSECT	A, C
CONTAINS	A
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A
WITHIN	A, C
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A, C
ARE_IDENTICAL_TO	A
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, C

Select point using multipoint table

Select point using line

INTERSECT	A, C
WITHIN	A, C
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	A
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, C

Select point using line table

Select point using polygon

INTERSECT	A, C
WITHIN	A, C
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	A
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, C

Select point using polygon table

Select multipoint using point

INTERSECT	A, C
CONTAINS	A, C
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A, C
WITHIN	A
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A
ARE_IDENTICAL_TO	A
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, D

Select multipoint using point table

Select multipoint using multipoint

INTERSECT	A, C, E, F
CONTAINS	A, F
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A, F
WITHIN	A, C
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A, C
ARE_IDENTICAL_TO	A
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, D

Select multipoint using multipoint table

Select multipoint using line

INTERSECT	A, C, E, F
WITHIN	A, C, E
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	A
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A, E
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, D, E

Select multipoint using line table

Select multipoint using polygon

INTERSECT	A, C, D, E, F
WITHIN	A, C, D, E
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	A
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A, D, E
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, B, C, E, F

Select multipoint using polygon table

Select line using point

INTERSECT	A, C, D
CONTAINS	A, C, D
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	A, D
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A, D
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	D

Select line using point table

Select line using multipoint

INTERSECT	A, C, D, E
CONTAINS	A, C, E
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	A
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A, E
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	D

Select line using multipoint table

Select line using line

INTERSECT	A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J
CONTAINS	G, H
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	G
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	G, H
WITHIN	F, H
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	F
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	F, H
ARE_IDENTICAL_TO	H
BOUNDARY_TOUCHES	C, E

Select line using line table

Select line using polygon

INTERSECT	A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O
WITHIN	A, D, G, H, I, O
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	A
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A, D, G, H, I
BOUNDARY_TOUCHES	D, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O
SHARE_A_LINE_SEGMENT_WITH	G, I, J, K, M, O
CROSSED_BY_THE_OUTLINE_OF	C, E, H, L, N
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, C, D, E, G, H, I, J, O

Select line using polygon table

Select polygon using point

INTERSECT	A, B
CONTAINS	A, B
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	A
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, D

Select polygon using point table

Select polygon using multipoint

INTERSECT	A, B, C, E
CONTAINS	A, B, E
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	A
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A, B
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, D

Select polygon using multipoint table

Select polygon using line

INTERSECT	A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O
CONTAINS	A, D, G, H, I, O
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	A
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A, D, G, H, I
BOUNDARY_TOUCHES	D, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O
SHARE_A_LINE_SEGMENT_WITH	G, I, J, K, M, O
CROSSED_BY_THE_OUTLINE_OF	C, E, H, L, N
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	E, I, L

Select polygon using line table

Select polygon using polygon

INTERSECT	A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, M
CONTAINS	C, E, H, M
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	C
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	C, E, H, M
WITHIN	F, G, H, M
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	F
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	F, G, H, M
ARE_IDENTICAL_TO	H, M
BOUNDARY_TOUCHES	D, E, G, H, I, J, M
SHARE_A_LINE_SEGMENT_WITH	D, H, I, M
CROSSED_BY_THE_OUTLINE_OF	A, E, G, J, K
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	C, E, F, G, H, K, L

Select polygon using polygon table

11/18/2013