FindRoutes (Route)
Summary
FindRoutes determines the shortest paths to visit the input stops and returns the driving directions, information about the visited stops, and the route paths, including travel time and distance.
The tool is capable of finding routes that visit several input stops in a sequence you predetermine or in the sequence that minimizes overall travel. You can group the input stops into different routes using the RouteName field, and the tool will output one route for each group of stops, allowing you to generate routes for many vehicles in a single solve operation.
Note:Illustration
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Usage
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The tool finds the shortest routes based on travel time if the value for the Measurement Units parameter is time based and on travel distance if the value is distance based.
You need to specify at least two stops to successfully execute the tool. You can load up to 10,000 stops and assign a maximum of 150 stops per route.
You can add up to 250 point barriers. You can add any number of line or polygon barriers, but line barriers cannot intersect more than 500 street features, and polygon barriers cannot intersect more than 2,000 features.
You can choose to use the road hierarchy when solving so that results are generated quicker than exact routes, but the solution may be somewhat less than optimal.
Regardless of whether the Use Hierarchy parameter is checked (True), hierarchy is always used when the straight-line distance between any pair of stops is greater than 50 miles (80.46 kilometers).
The straight-line distance between any pair of stops cannot be greater than 50 miles (80.46 kilometers) when Travel Mode is set to Walking, or when it is set to Custom and the Walking restriction is used.
If the distance between an input point and its nearest traversable street is greater than 12.42 miles (20 kilometers), the point is excluded from the analysis.
This tool is designed to run in ArcGIS for Professionals, ArcMap, ArcGlobe, and ArcScene, but not in ArcCatalog.
Syntax
| Parameter | Explanation | Data Type |
Stops |
Specify two or more stops to route between. You can add up to 10,000 stops and assign up to 150 stops to a single route. (Assign stops to routes using the RouteName attribute.) When specifying the stops, you can set properties for each one, such as its name or service time, by using attributes. The stops can be specified with the following attributes: Name—The name of the stop. The name is used in the driving directions. If the name is not specified, a unique name prefixed with Location is automatically generated in the output stops, routes, and directions. RouteName—The name of the route to which the stop is assigned. Assigning the same route name to different stops causes those stops to be grouped together and visited by the same route. You can generate many routes in a single solve by assigning unique route names to different groups of stops. With this tool you can group up to 150 stops into one route. Sequence—The output routes will visit the stops in the order you specify with this attribute. Within a group of stops that have the same RouteName value, the sequence number should be greater than 0 but not greater than the total number of stops. Also, the sequence number should not be duplicated. If Reorder Stops To Find Optimal Routes is checked (True), all but possibly the first and last sequence values for each route name are ignored so the tool can find the sequence that minimizes overall travel for each route. (The settings for Preserve Ordering of Stops and Return to Start determine whether the first or last sequence values for each route are ignored.) AdditionalTime—The amount of time spent at the stop, which is added to the total time of the route. The units for this attribute value are specified by the Measurement Units parameter. The attribute value is included in the analysis only when the measurement units are time based. The default value is 0. You can account for the extra time it takes at the stop to complete a task, such as to repair an appliance, deliver a package, or inspect the premises. AdditionalDistance—The extra distance traveled at the stops, which is added to the total distance of the route. The units for this attribute value are specified by the Measurement Units parameter. The attribute value is included in the analysis only when the measurement units are distance based. The default value is 0. Generally, the location of a stop, such as a home, isn't exactly on the streets; it is set back somewhat from the road. This attribute value can be used to model the distance between the actual stop location and its location on the street, if it is important to include that distance in the total travel distance. TimeWindowStart—The earliest time the stop can be visited. Make sure you specify the value as a date and time value, such as 8/12/2015 12:15 PM. By specifying a start and end time for a stop's time window, you are defining when a route should visit the stop. As long as Use Time Windows is checked and you've chosen a time-based unit for Measurement Units, the tool will try to find a solution that minimizes overall travel and reaches the stop within the prescribed time window. When solving a problem that spans multiple time zones, time-window values refer to the time zone in which the stop is located. This field can contain a null value; a null value indicates a route can arrive at any time before the time indicated in the TimeWindowEnd attribute. If a null value is also present in TimeWindowEnd, a route can visit the stop at any time. TimeWindowEnd—The latest time the stop can be visited. Make sure you specify the value as a date and time value, such as 8/12/2015 12:15 PM. By specifying a start and end time for a stop's time window, you are defining when a route should visit the stop. As long as Use Time Windows is checked and you've chosen a time-based unit for Measurement Units, the tool will try to find a solution that minimizes overall travel and reaches the stop within the prescribed time window. When solving a problem that spans multiple time zones, time-window values refer to the time zone in which the stop is located. This field can contain a null value; a null value indicates a route can arrive at any time after the time indicated in the TimeWindowStart attribute. If a null value is also present in TimeWindowStart, a route can visit the stop at any time. CurbApproach—Specifies the direction a vehicle may arrive at and depart from the stop. The field value is specified as one of the following integers (use the numeric code, not the name in parentheses):
The CurbApproach property is designed to work with both kinds of national driving standards: right-hand traffic (United States) and left-hand traffic (United Kingdom). First, consider a stop on the left side of a vehicle. It is always on the left side regardless of whether the vehicle travels on the left or right half of the road. What may change with national driving standards is your decision to approach a stop from one of two directions, that is, so it ends up on the right or left side of the vehicle. For example, if you want to arrive at a stop and not have a lane of traffic between the vehicle and the stop, you would choose Right side of vehicle (1) in the United States but Left side of vehicle (2) in the United Kingdom. | Feature Set |
Measurement_Units | Specify the units that should be used to measure and report the total travel time or travel distance for the output routes. The units you choose for this parameter determine whether the tool will measure distance or time to find the best routes. Choose a time unit to minimize travel time for your chosen travel mode (driving or walking time, for instance). To minimize travel distance for the given travel mode, choose a distance unit. Your choice also determines in which units the tool will report total time or distance in the results. The choices include the following:
| String |
Analysis_Region (Optional) |
Specify the region in which to perform the analysis. If a value is not specified for this parameter, the tool will automatically calculate the region name based on the location of the input points. Setting the name of the region is recommended to speed up the tool execution. To specify a region, use one of the following values:
| String |
Reorder_Stops_to_Find_Optimal_Routes (Optional) |
Specify whether to visit the stops in the order you define or the order the tool determines will minimize overall travel.
Finding the optimal stop order and the best routes is commonly known as solving the traveling salesman problem (TSP). | Boolean |
Preserve_Terminal_Stops (Optional) |
When Reorder Stops to Find Optimal Routes is checked (or True), you have options to preserve the starting or ending stops and the tool can reorder the rest. The first and last stops are determined by their Sequence attribute values or, if the Sequence values are null, by their Object ID values.
Preserve Terminal Stops is ignored when Reorder Stops to Find Optimal Routes is unchecked (or False). | String |
Return_to_Start (Optional) |
Choose whether routes should start and end at the same location. With this option you can avoid duplicating the first stop feature and sequencing the duplicate stop at the end. The starting location of the route is the stop feature with the lowest value in the Sequence attribute. If the Sequence values are null, it is the stop feature with the lowest Object ID value.
| Boolean |
Use_Time_Windows (Optional) |
Check this option (or set it to True) if any input stops have time windows that specify when the route should reach the stop. You can add time windows to input stops by entering time values in the TimeWindowStart and TimeWindowEnd attributes.
The tool will take slightly longer to run when Use Time Windows is checked (or True), even when none of the input stops have time windows, so it is recommended to uncheck this option (set to False) if possible. | Boolean |
Time_of_Day (Optional) |
Specifies the time and date at which the routes should begin. If you are modeling the driving travel mode and specify the current date and time as the value for this parameter, the tool will use live traffic conditions to find the best routes and the total travel time will be based on traffic conditions. Specifying a time of day results in more accurate routes and estimations of travel times because the travel times account for the traffic conditions that are applicable for that date and time. The Time Zone for Time of Day parameter specifies whether this time and date refer to UTC or the time zone in which the stop is located. The tool ignores this parameter when Measurement Units isn't set to a time-based unit. | Date |
Time_Zone_for_Time_of_Day |
Specifies the time zone of the Time of Day parameter.
| String |
UTurn_at_Junctions (Optional) |
The U-Turn policy at junctions. Allowing U-turns implies the solver can turn around at a junction and double back on the same street. Given that junctions represent street intersections and dead ends, different vehicles may be able to turn around at some junctions but not at others—it depends on whether the junction represents an intersection or dead end. To accommodate, the U-turn policy parameter is implicitly specified by how many edges, or streets, connect to the junction, which is known as junction valency. The acceptable values for this parameter are listed below; each is followed by a description of its meaning in terms of junction valency.
This parameter is ignored unless Travel Mode is set to Custom. | String |
Point_Barriers (Optional) |
Specify one or more points to act as temporary restrictions or represent additional time or distance that may be required to travel on the underlying streets. For example, a point barrier can be used to represent a fallen tree along a street or time delay spent at a railroad crossing. The tool imposes a limit of 250 points that can be added as barriers. When specifying the point barriers, you can set properties for each one, such as its name or barrier type, by using attributes. The point barriers can be specified with the following attributes: Name: The name of the barrier. BarrierType: Specifies whether the point barrier restricts travel completely or adds time or distance when it is crossed. The value for this attribute is specified as one of the following integers (use the numeric code, not the name in parentheses):
Additional_Time: Indicates how much travel time is added when the barrier is traversed. This field is applicable only for added-cost barriers and only if the measurement units are time based. This field value must be greater than or equal to zero, and its units are the same as those specified in the Measurement Units parameter. Additional_Distance: Indicates how much distance is added when the barrier is traversed. This field is applicable only for added-cost barriers and only if the measurement units are distance based. The field value must be greater than or equal to zero, and its units are the same as those specified in the Measurement Units parameter. | Feature Set |
Line_Barriers (Optional) |
Specify one or more lines that prohibit travel anywhere the lines intersect the streets. For example, a parade or protest that blocks traffic across several street segments can be modeled with a line barrier. A line barrier can also quickly fence off several roads from being traversed, thereby channeling possible routes away from undesirable parts of the street network. The tool imposes a limit on the number of streets you can restrict using the Line Barriers parameter. While there is no limit on the number of lines you can specify as line barriers, the combined number of streets intersected by all the lines cannot exceed 500. When specifying the line barriers, you can set a name property for each one by using the following attribute: Name: The name of the barrier. | Feature Set |
Polygon_Barriers (Optional) |
Specify polygons that either completely restrict travel or proportionately scale the time or distance required to travel on the streets intersected by the polygons. The service imposes a limit on the number of streets you can restrict using the Polygon Barriers parameter. While there is no limit on the number of polygons you can specify as the polygon barriers, the combined number of streets intersected by all the polygons should not exceed 2,000. When specifying the polygon barriers, you can set properties for each one, such as its name or barrier type, by using attributes. The polygon barriers can be specified with the following attributes: Name: The name of the barrier. BarrierType: Specifies whether the barrier restricts travel completely or scales the time or distance for traveling through it. The field value is specified as one of the following integers (use the numeric code, not the name in parentheses):
ScaledTimeFactor: This is the factor by which the travel time of the streets intersected by the barrier is multiplied. This field is applicable only for scaled-cost barriers and only if the measurement units are time based. The field value must be greater than zero. ScaledDistanceFactor: This is the factor by which the distance of the streets intersected by the barrier is multiplied. This attribute is applicable only for scaled-cost barriers and only if the measurement units are distance based. The attribute value must be greater than zero. | Feature Set |
Use_Hierarchy (Optional) | Specify whether hierarchy should be used when finding the shortest paths between stops.
The tool automatically reverts to using hierarchy if the straight-line distance between facilities and demand points is greater than 50 miles (80.46 kilometers), even if you have set this parameter to not use hierarchy. This parameter is ignored unless Travel Mode is set to Custom. When modeling a custom walking mode, it is recommended to turn off hierarchy since the hierarchy is designed for motorized vehicles. | Boolean |
Restrictions (Optional) |
Specify which restrictions should be honored by the tool when finding the best routes. A restriction represents a driving preference or requirement. In most cases, restrictions cause roads to be prohibited, but they can also cause them to be avoided or preferred. For instance, using an Avoid Toll Roads restriction will result in a route that will include toll roads only when it is absolutely required to travel on toll roads in order to visit a stop. Height Restriction makes it possible to route around any clearances that are lower than the height of your vehicle. If you are carrying corrosive materials on your vehicle, using the Any Hazmat Prohibited restriction prevents hauling the materials along roads where it is marked as illegal to do so. The values you provide for this parameter are ignored unless Travel Mode is set to Custom. Below is a list of available restrictions and a short description. Note:Some restrictions require an additional value to be specified for their desired use. This value needs to be associated with the restriction name and a specific parameter intended to work with the restriction. You can identify such restrictions if their names appear under the AttributeName column in the Attribute Parameter Values parameter. The ParameterValue field should be specified in the Attribute Parameter Values parameter for the restriction to be correctly used when finding traversable roads. Note:Some restrictions are supported only in certain countries; their availability is stated by region in the list below. Of the restrictions that have limited availability within a region, you can check whether the restriction is available in a particular country by looking at the table in the Country List section of the Data coverage for network analysis services web page. If a country has a value of Yes in the Logistics Attribute column, the restriction with select availability in the region is supported in that country. If you specify restriction names that are not available in the country where your incidents are located, the service ignores the invalid restrictions. The service also ignores restrictions whose Restriction Usage parameter value is between 0 and 1 (see the Attribute Parameter Value parameter). It prohibits all restrictions whose Restriction Usage parameter value is greater than 0. The tool supports the following restrictions:
| String |
Attribute_Parameter_Values (Optional) | Specify additional values required by some restrictions, such as the weight of a vehicle for Weight Restriction. You can also use the attribute parameter to specify whether any restriction prohibits, avoids, or prefers travel on roads that use the restriction. If the restriction is meant to avoid or prefer roads, you can further specify the degree to which they are avoided or preferred using this parameter. For example, you can choose to never use toll roads, avoid them as much as possible, or even highly prefer them. Note:The values you provide for this parameter are ignored unless Travel Mode is set to Custom. If you specify the Attribute Parameter Values parameter from a feature class, the field names on the feature class must match the fields as described below: AttributeName: Lists the name of the restriction. ParameterName: Lists the name of the parameter associated with the restriction. A restriction can have one or more ParameterName field values based on its intended use. ParameterValue: The value for ParameterName used by the tool when evaluating the restriction. Attribute Parameter Values is dependent on the Restrictions parameter. The ParameterValue field is applicable only if the restriction name is specified as the value for the Restrictions parameter. In Attribute Parameter Values, each restriction (listed as AttributeName) has a ParameterName field value, Restriction Usage, that specifies whether the restriction prohibits, avoids, or prefers travel on the roads associated with the restriction and the degree to which the roads are avoided or preferred. The Restriction Usage ParameterName can be assigned any of the following string values or their equivalent numeric values listed within the parentheses:
In most cases, you can use the default value, PROHIBITED, for the Restriction Usage if the restriction is dependent on a vehicle-characteristic such as vehicle height. However, in some cases, the value for Restriction Usage depends on your routing preferences. For example, the Avoid Toll Roads restriction has the default value of AVOID_MEDIUM for the Restriction Usage parameter. This means that when the restriction is used, the tool will try to route around toll roads when it can. AVOID_MEDIUM also indicates how important it is to avoid toll roads when finding the best route; it has a medium priority. Choosing AVOID_LOW would put lower importance on avoiding tolls; choosing AVOID_HIGH instead would give it a higher importance and thus make it more acceptable for the service to generate longer routes to avoid tolls. Choosing PROHIBITED would entirely disallow travel on toll roads, making it impossible for a route to travel on any portion of a toll road. Keep in mind that avoiding or prohibiting toll roads, and thus avoiding toll payments, is the objective for some; in contrast, others prefer to drive on toll roads because avoiding traffic is more valuable to them than the money spent on tolls. In the latter case, you would choose PREFER_LOW, PREFER_MEDIUM, or PREFER_HIGH as the value for Restriction Usage. The higher the preference, the farther the tool will go out of its way to travel on the roads associated with the restriction. | Record Set |
Route_Shape (Optional) |
Specify the type of route features that are output by the tool. The parameter can be specified using one of the following values:
When the Route Shape parameter is set to True Shape, the generalization of the route shape can be further controlled using the appropriate value for the Route Line Simplification Tolerance parameter. No matter which value you choose for the Route Shape parameter, the best route is always determined by minimizing the travel time or the travel distance, never using the straight-line distance between stops. This means that only the route shapes are different, not the underlying streets that are searched when finding the route. | String |
Route_Line_Simplification_Tolerance (Optional) |
Specify by how much you want to simplify the geometry of the output lines for routes, directions, and route edges. The tool ignores this parameter if the Route Shape parameter isn't set to True Shape. Simplification maintains critical points on a route, such as turns at intersections, to define the essential shape of the route and removes other points. The simplification distance you specify is the maximum allowable offset that the simplified line can deviate from the original line. Simplifying a line reduces the number of vertices that are part of the route geometry. This improves the tool execution time. | Linear unit |
Populate_Route_Edges (Optional) |
Specify whether the tool should generate edges for each route. Route edges represent the individual street features or other similar features that are traversed by a route. The output Route Edges layer is commonly used to see which streets or paths are traveled on the most or least by the resultant routes.
| Boolean |
Populate_Directions (Optional) |
Specify whether the tool should generate driving directions for each route.
| Boolean |
Directions_Language (Optional) |
Specify the language that should be used when generating driving directions. This parameter is used only when the Populate Directions parameter is checked, or set to True. The parameter value can be specified using one of the following two- or five-character language codes:
If an unsupported language code is specified, the tool returns the directions using the default language, English. | String |
Directions_Distance_Units (Optional) |
Specify the units for displaying travel distance in the driving directions. This parameter is used only when the Populate Directions parameter is checked, or set to True.
| String |
Directions_Style_Name (Optional) |
Specify the name of the formatting style for the directions. This parameter is used only when the Populate Directions parameter is checked, or set to True. The parameter can be specified using the following values:
| String |
Travel_Mode (Optional) |
Choose the mode of transportation to model in the analysis.
For modeling a custom truck mode, you would follow the steps listed below.
For modeling a pedestrian with specific routing requirements, you would follow the same procedure as setting up a custom truck mode, but with the following differences:
| String |
Impedance (Optional) |
Specify the impedance, which is a value that represents the effort or cost of traveling along road segments or on other parts of the transportation network. Travel distance is an impedance; the length of a road in kilometers can be thought of as impedance. Travel distance in this sense is the same for all modes—a kilometer for a pedestrian is also a kilometer for a car. (What may change is the pathways on which the different modes are allowed to travel, which affects distance between points, and this is modeled by travel mode settings.) Travel time can also be an impedance; a car may take one minute to travel a mile along an empty road. Travel times can vary by travel mode—a pedestrian may take more than 20 minutes to walk the same mile, so it is important to choose the right impedance for the travel mode you are modeling. Choose from the following impedance values:
The value you provide for this parameter is ignored unless Travel Mode is set to Custom, which is the default value. If you choose Drive Time, Truck Time, or Walk Time, the Measurement Units parameter must be set to a time-based value; if you choose Travel Distance for Impedance, Measurement Units must be distance-based. | String |
Code Sample
The following Python script demonstrates how to use the FindRoutes tool in a script.
import arcpy
import time
import datetime
import sys
username = "<your user name>"
password = "<your password>"
FindRoute_service = "http://logistics.arcgis.com/arcgis/services;World/Route;{0};{1}".format(username, password)
#Add the geoprocessing service as a toolbox. Use an alias when importing
arcpy.ImportToolbox(FindRoute_service, "agol")
#Set the variables to call the tool
stops = r'C:/data/Inputs.gdb/Stops'
output_routes = r'C:/data/Results.gdb/Routes'
output_route_edges = r'C:/data/Results.gdb/Route_Edges'
output_directions = r'C:/data/Results.gdb/Directions'
output_stops = r'C:/data/Results.gdb/Stops'
#Call the tool
result = arcpy.agol.FindRoutes(stops, "Minutes",
Reorder_Stops_to_Find_Optimal_Routes=True,
Preserve_Terminal_Stops="Preserve First",
Time_of_Day=datetime.datetime(2014, 2, 10, 8, 0, 0))
#Check the status of the result object every 0.5 seconds
#until it has a value of 4(succeeded) or greater
while result.status < 4:
time.sleep(0.5)
#print any warning or error messages returned from the tool
result_severity = result.maxSeverity
if result_severity == 2:
print "An error occured when running the tool"
print result.getMessages(2)
sys.exit(2)
elif result_severity == 1:
print "Warnings were returned when running the tool"
print result.getMessages(1)
#Get the output routes and save to a local geodatabase
result.getOutput(1).save(output_routes)
result.getOutput(2).save(output_route_edges)
result.getOutput(3).save(output_directions)
result.getOutput(4).save(output_stops)