A quick tour of geometric networks

What follows is a high-level overview of the collection of user interface components that allows you to access and execute geometric network functionality.

New Geometric Network wizard

The New Geometric Network wizard in ArcCatalog walks you through the process of creating a geometric network.

Geometric Network Properties dialog box

After a geometric network exists, you may want to add, remove, or modify weights and connectivity rules or simply review network settings. Use the Geometric Network Properties dialog box in ArcCatalog to accomplish these tasks.

Geometric Network Editing toolbar

The Geometric Network Editing toolbar in ArcMap helps you analyze the geometry and connectivity of networks and fix errors. Also, commands on the toolbar can topologically disconnect and connect features, which can be useful when you want to move a feature without moving any other features connected to it.

Geoprocessing tools

ArcGIS includes various geoprocessing tools to create and manage geometric networks and to perform network tracing operations. The tools can be used one at a time or chained together in a model or a script. These tools are located in the Geometric Network toolset under the Data Management toolbox, see the An overview of the Geometric Network toolset topic for a summary of these tools.

Utility Network Analyst toolbar

Once you have a functioning geometric network, you can perform analyses on it. The Utility Network Analyst toolbar in ArcMap allows you to choose a geometric network, set and view flow direction, change analysis settings, add flags and barriers to analyses, and perform various trace tasks.

Utility Network Analyst toolbar buttons and their functions

Button	Name	Function
	Set Flow Direction	Sets the flow direction for the network
	Add Junction Flag	Adds a junction flag to the network
	Add Edge Flag	Adds an edge flag to the network
	Add Junction Barrier	Adds a junction barrier to the network
	Add Edge Barrier	Adds an edge barrier to the network
	Solve	Performs a trace task

Utility Network Analyst toolbar buttons and their functions