FindRoutes

Title  FindRoutes

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. When using FindRoutes to route multiple vehicles, you need to assign stops to routes before solving. If you need a tool that determines the best way to divide stops among different vehicles, and then route the vehicles, use the SolveVehicleRoutingProblem tool instead.


Usage


Syntax

Parameter Explanation
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):

  • 0 (Either side of vehicle)—The vehicle can approach and depart the stop in either direction, so a U-turn is allowed at the stop. This setting can be chosen if it is possible and practical for your vehicle to turn around at the stop. This decision may depend on the width of the road and the amount of traffic or whether the stop has a parking lot where vehicles can enter and turn around.
  • 1 ( Right side of vehicle)—When the vehicle approaches and departs the stop, the stop must be on the right side of the vehicle. A U-turn is prohibited. This is typically used for vehicles such as buses that must arrive with the bus stop on the right-hand side.
  • 2 (Left side of vehicle)—When the vehicle approaches and departs the stop, the curb must be on the left side of the vehicle. A U-turn is prohibited. This is typically used for vehicles such as buses that must arrive with the bus stop on the left-hand side.
  • 3 (No U-Turn)—When the vehicle approaches the stop, the curb can be on either side of the vehicle; however, the vehicle must depart without turning around.

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.

LocationType — Specifies the stop type. The field value is specified as one of the following integers (use the numeric code, not the name in the parentheses):

  • 0 (Stop)—A location that the route should visit. This is the default.
  • 1 (Waypoint)— A location that the route should travel through without making a stop. Waypoints can be used to force the route to take a specific path (to go through the waypoint) without being considered an actual stop. Waypoints do not appear in directions.

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:

  • Meters
  • Kilometers
  • Feet
  • Yards
  • Miles
  • NauticalMiles
  • Seconds
  • Minutes
  • Hours
  • Days

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:

  • Europe
  • Greece
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • MiddleEastAndAfrica
  • NorthAmerica
  • Oceania
  • SouthAmerica
  • SouthEastAsia
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand

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.

  • Checked (True):

    The tool determines the sequence that will minimize overall travel distance or time. It can reorder stops and account for time windows at stops. Additional parameters allow you to preserve the first or last stops while allowing the tool to reorder the intermediary stops.

  • Unchecked (False):

    The stops are visited in the order you define. This is the default option. You can set the order of stops using a Sequence attribute in the input stops features or let the sequence be determined by the Object ID of the stops.

Finding the optimal stop order and the best routes is commonly known as solving the traveling salesman problem (TSP).

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 First:

    The tool won't reorder the first stop. Choose this option if you are starting from a known location, such as your home, headquarters, or current location.

  • Preserve Last:

    The tool won't reorder the last stop. The output routes may start from any stop feature but must end at the predetermined last stop.

  • Preserve First and Last:

    The tool won't reorder the first and last stops.

  • Preserve None:

    The tool may reorder any stop, including the first and last stops. The route may start or end at any of the stop features.

Preserve Terminal Stops is ignored when Reorder Stops to Find Optimal Routes is unchecked (or False).

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.

  • Checked (True):

    The route should start and end at the first stop feature. This is the default value.

    When Reorder Stops to Find Optimal Routes and Return to Start are both checked (or True), Preserve Terminal Stops must be set to Preserve First.

  • Unchecked (False):

    The route won't start and end at the first stop feature.

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.

  • Checked (True):

    The input stops have time windows and you want the tool to try to honor them.

  • Unchecked (False):

    The input stops don't have time windows, or if they do, you don't want the tool to try to honor them. This is the default value.

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.

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.

Time_Zone_for_Time_of_Day (Optional)

Specifies the time zone of the Time of Day parameter.

  • Geographically Local:

    The Time of Day parameter refers to the time zone in which the first stop of a route is located.

    If you are generating many routes that start in multiple times zones, the start times are staggered in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). For example, a Time of Day value of 10:00 a.m., 2 January, would mean a start time of 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (3:00 p.m. UTC) for routes beginning in the Eastern Time Zone and 10:00 a.m. Central Standard Time (4:00 p.m. UTC) for routes beginning in the Central Time Zone. The start times are offset by one hour in UTC.

    The arrive and depart times and dates recorded in the output Stops feature class will refer to the local time zone of the first stop for each route.

  • UTC:

    The Time of Day parameter refers to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Choose this option if you want to generate a route for a specific time, such as now, but aren't certain in which time zone the first stop will be located.

    If you are generating many routes spanning multiple times zones, the start times in UTC are simultaneous. For example, a Time of Day value of 10:00 a.m., 2 January, would mean a start time of 5:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time(UTC-5:00) for routes beginning in the Eastern Time Zone and 4:00 a.m. Central Standard Time (UTC-6:00) for routes beginning in the Central Time Zone. Both routes would start at 10:00 a.m. UTC.

    The arrive and depart times and dates recorded in the output Stops feature class will refer to UTC.

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.

  • Allowed:

    U-turns are permitted at junctions with any number of connected edges, or streets. This is the default value.

  • Not Allowed:

    U-turns are prohibited at all junctions, regardless of junction valency.

  • Allowed only at Dead Ends:

    U-turns are prohibited at all junctions, except those that have only one adjacent edge (a dead end).

  • Allowed only at Intersections and Dead Ends:

    U-turns are prohibited at junctions where exactly two adjacent edges meet but are permitted at intersections (junctions with three or more adjacent edges) and dead ends (junctions with exactly one adjacent edge). Oftentimes, networks modeling streets have extraneous junctions in the middle of road segments. This option prevents vehicles from making U-turns at these locations.

This parameter is ignored unless Travel Mode is set to Custom.

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):

  • 0 (Restriction)—Prohibits travel through the barrier. The barrier is referred to as a restriction point barrier since it acts as a restriction.
  • 2 (Added Cost)—Traveling through the barrier increases the travel time or distance by the amount specified in the Additional_Time or Additional_Distance field. This barrier type is referred to as an added-cost point barrier.

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.

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.

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):

  • 0 (Restriction)—Prohibits traveling through any part of the barrier. The barrier is referred to as a restriction polygon barrier since it prohibits traveling on streets intersected by the barrier. One use of this type of barrier is to model floods covering areas of the street that make traveling on those streets impossible.
  • 1 (Scaled Cost)—Scales the time or distance required to travel the underlying streets by a factor specified using the ScaledTimeFactor or ScaledDistanceFactor field. If the streets are partially covered by the barrier, the travel time or distance is apportioned and then scaled. For example, a factor 0.25 would mean that travel on underlying streets is expected to be four times faster than normal. A factor of 3.0 would mean it is expected to take three times longer than normal to travel on underlying streets. This barrier type is referred to as a scaled-cost polygon barrier. It might be used to model storms that reduce travel speeds in specific regions.

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.

Use_Hierarchy (Optional)

Specify whether hierarchy should be used when finding the shortest paths between stops.

  • Checked (True):

    Use hierarchy when finding routes. When hierarchy is used, the tool prefers higher-order streets (such as freeways) to lower-order streets (such as local roads), and can be used to simulate the driver preference of traveling on freeways instead of local roads even if that means a longer trip. This is especially true when finding routes to faraway locations, because drivers on long-distance trips tend to prefer traveling on freeways where stops, intersections, and turns can be avoided. Using hierarchy is computationally faster, especially for long-distance routes, since the tool can determine the best route from a relatively smaller subset of streets.

  • Unchecked (False):

    Do not use hierarchy when finding routes. If hierarchy is not used, the tool considers all the streets and doesn't prefer higher-order streets when finding the route. This is often used when finding short routes within a city.

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.

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.

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.

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:

  • Any Hazmat Prohibited—The results will not include roads where transporting any kind of hazardous material is prohibited.

    Availability: Select countries in North America and Europe

  • Avoid Carpool Roads—The results will avoid roads that are designated exclusively for carpool (high-occupancy) vehicles.

    Availability: All countries

  • Avoid Express Lanes—The results will avoid roads designated as express lanes.

    Availability: All countries

  • Avoid Ferries—The results will avoid ferries.

    Availability: All countries

  • Avoid Gates—The results will avoid roads where there are gates such as keyed access or guard-controlled entryways.

    Availability: All countries

  • Avoid Limited Access Roads—The results will avoid roads that are limited access highways.

    Availability: All countries

  • Avoid Private Roads—The results will avoid roads that are not publicly owned and maintained.

    Availability: All countries

  • Avoid Toll Roads—The results will avoid toll roads.

    Availability: All countries

  • Avoid Truck Restricted Roads—The results will avoid roads where trucks are not allowed, except when making deliveries.

    Availability: All countries

  • Avoid Unpaved Roads—The results will avoid roads that are not paved (for example, dirt, gravel, and so on).

    Availability: All countries

  • Axle Count Restriction—The results will not include roads where trucks with the specified number of axles are prohibited. The number of axles can be specified using the Number of Axles restriction parameter.

    Availability: Select countries in North America and Europe

  • Driving a Bus—The results will not include roads where buses are prohibited. Using this restriction will also ensure that the results will honor one-way streets.

    Availability: All countries

  • Driving a Delivery Vehicle—The results will not include roads where delivery vehicles are prohibited. Using this restriction will also ensure that the results will honor one-way streets.

    Availability: All countries

  • Driving a Taxi—The results will not include roads where taxis are prohibited. Using this restriction will also ensure that the results will honor one-way streets.

    Availability: All countries

  • Driving a Truck—The results will not include roads where trucks are prohibited. Using this restriction will also ensure that the results will honor one-way streets.

    Availability: All countries

  • Driving an Automobile—The results will not include roads where automobiles are prohibited. Using this restriction will also ensure that the results will honor one-way streets.

    Availability: All countries

  • Driving an Emergency Vehicle—The results will not include roads where emergency vehicles are prohibited. Using this restriction will also ensure that the results will honor one-way streets.

    Availability: All countries

  • Height Restriction—The results will not include roads where the vehicle height exceeds the maximum allowed height for the road. The vehicle height can be specified using the Vehicle Height (meters) restriction parameter.

    Availability: Select countries in North America and Europe

  • Kingpin to Rear Axle Length Restriction—The results will not include roads where the vehicle length exceeds the maximum allowed kingpin to rear axle for all trucks on the road. The length between the vehicle kingpin and the rear axle can be specified using the Vehicle Kingpin to Rear Axle Length (meters) restriction parameter.

    Availability: Select countries in North America and Europe

  • Length Restriction—The results will not include roads where the vehicle length exceeds the maximum allowed length for the road. The vehicle length can be specified using the Vehicle Length (meters) restriction parameter.

    Availability: Select countries in North America and Europe

  • Riding a Motorcycle—The results will not include roads where motorcycles are prohibited. Using this restriction will also ensure that the results will honor one-way streets.

    Availability: All countries

  • Roads Under Construction Prohibited—The results will not include roads that are under construction.

    Availability: All countries

  • Semi or Tractor with One or More Trailers Prohibited—The results will not include roads where semis or tractors with one or more trailers are prohibited.

    Availability: Select countries in North America and Europe

  • Single Axle Vehicles Prohibited—The results will not include roads where vehicles with single axles are prohibited.

    Availability: Select countries in North America and Europe

  • Tandem Axle Vehicles Prohibited—The results will not include roads where vehicles with tandem axles are prohibited.

    Availability: Select countries in North America and Europe

  • Through Traffic Prohibited—The results will not include roads where through traffic (non local) is prohibited.

    Availability: All countries

  • Truck with Trailers Restriction—The results will not include roads where trucks with the specified number of trailers on the truck are prohibited. The number of trailers on the truck can be specified using the Number of Trailers on Truck restriction parameter.

    Availability: Select countries in North America and Europe

  • Use Preferred Hazmat Routes—The results will prefer roads that are designated for transporting any kind of hazardous materials.

    Availability: Select countries in North America and Europe

  • Use Preferred Truck Routes—The results will prefer roads that are designated as truck routes, such as the roads that are part of the national network as specified by the National Surface Transportation Assistance Act in the United States, or roads that are designated as truck routes by the state or province, or roads that are preferred by the trucks when driving in an area.

    Availability: Select countries in North America and Europe

  • Walking—The results will not include roads where pedestrians are prohibited.

    Availability: All countries

  • Weight Restriction—The results will not include roads where the vehicle weight exceeds the maximum allowed weight for the road. The vehicle weight can be specified using the Vehicle Weight (kilograms) restriction parameter.

    Availability: Select countries in North America and Europe

  • Weight per Axle Restriction—The results will not include roads where the vehicle weight per axle exceeds the maximum allowed weight per axle for the road. The vehicle weight per axle can be specified using the Vehicle Weight per Axle (kilograms) restriction parameter.

    Availability: Select countries in North America and Europe

  • Width Restriction—The results will not include roads where the vehicle width exceeds the maximum allowed width for the road. The vehicle width can be specified using the Vehicle Width (meters) restriction parameter.

    Availability: Select countries in North America and Europe

The Driving a Delivery Vehicle restriction attribute is deprecated and will be unavailable in future releases. To achieve similar results, use the Driving a Truck restriction attribute along with the Avoid Truck Restricted Roads restriction attribute.

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.

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:

  • PROHIBITED (-1)—Travel on the roads using the restriction is completely prohibited.
  • AVOID_HIGH (5)—It is highly unlikely for the tool to include in the route the roads that are associated with the restriction.
  • AVOID_MEDIUM (2)—It is unlikely for the tool to include in the route the roads that are associated with the restriction.
  • AVOID_LOW (1.3)—It is somewhat unlikely for the tool to include in the route the roads that are associated with the restriction.
  • PREFER_LOW (0.8)—It is somewhat likely for the tool to include in the route the roads that are associated with the restriction.
  • PREFER_MEDIUM (0.5)—It is likely for the tool to include in the route the roads that are associated with the restriction.
  • PREFER_HIGH (0.2)—It is highly likely for the tool to include in the route the roads that are associated with the restriction.

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.

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:

  • True Shape:

    Return the exact shape of the resulting route that is based on the underlying streets.

  • True Shape with Measures:

    Return the exact shape of the resulting route that is based on the underlying streets. Additionally, construct measures so the shape may be used in linear referencing. The measurements increase from the first stop and record the cumulative travel time or travel distance in the units specified by the Measurement Units parameter.

  • Straight Line:

    Return a straight line between two stops.

  • None:

    Do not return any shapes for the routes. This value can be useful, and return results quickly, in cases where you are only interested in determining the total travel time or travel distance of a route.

When the Route Shape parameter is set to True Shape or True Shape with Measures, 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.

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.

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.

  • Checked (True):

    Generate route edges. The output Route Edges layer is populated with line features.

  • Unchecked (False):

    Don't generate route edges. The output Route Edges layer is returned, but it is empty.

Populate_Directions (Optional)

Specify whether the tool should generate driving directions for each route.

  • Checked (True):

    Indicates that the directions will be generated and configured based on the values for the Directions Language, Directions Style Name, and Directions Distance Units parameters.

  • Unchecked (False):

    Directions are not generated, and the tool returns an empty Directions layer.

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:

  • ar—Arabic
  • cs—Czech
  • de—German
  • el—Greek
  • en—English
  • es—Spanish
  • et—Estonian
  • fr—French
  • he—Hebrew
  • it—Italian
  • ja—Japanese
  • ko—Korean
  • lt—Lithuanian
  • lv—Latvian
  • nl—Dutch
  • pl—Polish
  • pt-BR—Brazilian Portuguese
  • pt-PT—European Portuguese
  • ru—Russian
  • sv—Swedish
  • tr—Turkish
  • zh-CN—Simplified Chinese

If an unsupported language code is specified, the tool returns the directions using the default language, English.

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.

  • Miles
  • Kilometers
  • Meters
  • Feet
  • Yards
  • NauticalMiles
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:

  • NA Desktop:

    Generates turn-by-turn directions suitable for printing.

  • NA Navigation:

    Generates turn-by-turn directions designed for an in-vehicle navigation device.

Travel_Mode (Optional)

Specify the mode of transportation to model in the analysis. Travel modes are managed in ArcGIS Online and can be configured by the administrator of your organization to better reflect your organization's workflows. You need to specify the name of a travel mode supported by your organization.

To get a list of supported travel mode names, use the same GIS server connection you used to access this tool, and from the Utilities toolbox, run GetTravelModes. The GetTravelModes tool adds a table, Supported Travel Modes, to the application. Any value in the Travel Mode Name field from the Supported Travel Modes table can be specified as input. You can also specify the value from the Travel Mode Settings field as input. This speeds up the tool execution because the tool does not have to look up the settings based on the travel mode name.

The default value, Custom, allows you to configure your own travel mode using the custom travel mode parameters (UTurn at Junctions, Use Hierarchy, Restrictions, Attribute Parameter Values, and Impedance). The default values of the custom travel mode parameters model traveling by car. You may want to choose Custom and set the custom travel mode parameters listed above to model a pedestrian with a fast walking speed or a truck with a given height, weight, and cargo of certain hazardous materials. You may choose to do this to try out different settings to get the analysis results you want. Once you have identified the analysis settings, you should work with your organization's administrator and save these settings as part of a new or existing travel mode so that everyone in your organization can rerun the analysis with the same settings.

By choosing Custom, the values you set for the custom travel mode parameters are included in the analysis. Specifying another travel mode, as defined by your organization, causes any values you set for the custom travel mode parameters to be ignored; the tool overrides them with values from your specified travel mode.

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:

  • Drive Time—Models travel times for a car. These travel times are dynamic and fluctuate according to traffic flows in areas where traffic data is available. This is the default value.

  • Truck Time—Models travel times for a truck. These travel times are static for each road and don't fluctuate with traffic.

  • Walk Time—Models travel times for a pedestrian.

  • Travel Distance—Stores length measurements along roads and paths. To model walk distance, choose this option and ensure Walking is set in the Restriction parameter. Similarly, to model drive or truck distance, choose Travel Distance here and set the appropriate restrictions so your vehicle travels only on roads where it is permitted to do so.

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.

Time_Zone_for_Time_Windows (Optional)

Specifies the time zone for the time window values on stops. The time windows are specified as part of TimeWindowStart and TimeWindowEnd fields on stops. This parameter is applicable only when the Use Time Windows parameter is checked (or set to True). The parameter can be specified using one of the following values:

  • Geographically Local—The time window values associated with the stops are in the time zone in which the stops are located. For example, if the stop is located in an area that follows Eastern Standard Time and has time window values of 8 AM and 10 AM, the time window values will be treated as 8 AM and 10 AM in Eastern Standard Time. This is the default value.
  • UTC—The time window values associated with the stops are in the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). For example, if the stop is located in an area that follows Eastern Standard Time and has time window values of 8 AM and 10 AM, the time window values will be treated as 12 PM and 2 PM Eastern Standard Time assuming the Eastern Standard Time is obeying the Daylight Saving Time. Specifying the time window values in UTC is useful if you do not know the time zone in which the stops are located or when you have stops in multiple time zones and you want all the time windows to start simultaneously.
Save_Output_Network_Analysis_Layer (Optional)

Specify if the tool should save the analysis settings as a network analysis layer file. You cannot directly work with this file even when you open the file in an ArcGIS Desktop application like ArcMap. It is meant to be sent to Esri Technical Support to diagnose the quality of results returned from the tool.

  • Checked (True)—Save the network analysis layer file. The file is downloaded in a temporary directory on your machine. In ArcGIS Pro, the location of the downloaded file can be determined by viewing the value for the Output Network Analysis Layer parameter in the entry corresponding to the tool execution in the Geoprocessing history of your Project. In ArcMap, the location of the file can be determined by accessing the Copy Location option in the shortcut menu on the Output Network Analysis Layer parameter in the entry corresponding to the tool execution in the Geoprocessing Results window.

  • Unchecked (False)—Do not save the network analysis layer file. This is the default.

Overrides (Optional)

Specify additional settings that can influence the behavior of the solver when finding solutions for the network analysis problems.

The value for this parameter needs to be specified in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). For example, a valid value is of the following form {"overrideSetting1" : "value1", "overrideSetting2" : "value2"}. The override setting name is always enclosed in double quotation marks. The values can be a number, Boolean, or a string.

The default value for this parameter is no value, which indicates not to override any solver settings.

Overrides are advanced settings that should be used only after careful analysis of the results obtained before and after applying the settings. A list of supported override settings for each solver and their acceptable values can be obtained by contacting Esri Technical Support.

Save_Route_Data (Optional)

Choose whether the output includes a zip file that contains a file geodatabase holding the inputs and outputs of the analysis in a format that can be used to share route layers with ArcGIS Online or Portal for ArcGIS.

  • Checked (True)—Save the route data as a zip file. The file is downloaded in a temporary directory on your machine. In ArcGIS Pro, the location of the downloaded file can be determined by viewing the value for the Output Route Data parameter in the entry corresponding to the tool execution in the Geoprocessing history of your Project. In ArcMap, the location of the file can be determined by accessing the Copy Location option in the shortcut menu on the Output Route Data parameter in the entry corresponding to the tool execution in the Geoprocessing Results window.

  • Unchecked (False)—Do not save the route data. This is the default.

Code Samples

FindRoutes example

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)
                    

Tags

route, routes, directions, driving directions, batch routes, tsp, path, tour

Credits

Esri and its data vendors.


Use limitations

This tool is available for users with an ArcGIS Online organizational subscription. To access this geoprocessing tool, you'll need to sign in with an account that is a member of an organizational subscription. Each successful tool execution incurs service credits which are debited from your subscription.