Summary
In ArcGIS Pro, overlapping point layers can clutter visualizations, making maps difficult to interpret and reducing their communicative effectiveness. Removing the overlapping point features from different layers is useful for maintaining data accuracy and improving spatial analysis.
This article provides the workflow to remove overlapping point features while retaining the non-overlapping ones in ArcGIS Pro. In this example, two point feature layers named Schools and Hospitals are used, as shown in the image below.
Procedure
In this workflow, the overlapping point features from the Hospitals layer are to be removed, and the remaining non-overlapping points from this layer, together with all the points from the Schools layer, are to be displayed on the map.
- Open the ArcGIS Pro project.
- Create a copy of the Schools layer.
- In the Contents pane, right-click the feature layer, navigate to Data, and click Export Features.
- In the Export Features window, for Output Feature Class, name the output Schools_Copy. Click OK to run the tool.
- Create a copy of the Hospitals layer.
- In the Contents pane, right-click the feature layer, navigate to Data, and click Export Features.
- In the Export Features window, for Output Feature Class, name the output Hospitals_Copy. Click OK to run the tool.
- Combine both of the copied layers using the Append tool.
- Navigate to the Analysis tab and click Tools. The Geoprocessing pane opens.
- In the Geoprocessing pane, search for and select Append (Data Management Tools).
- In the Append pane, for Input Datasets, select the Hospitals_Copy layer.
- For Target Dataset, select the Schools_Copy layer.
- For Field Matching Type, select Use the field map to reconcile field differences from the drop-down menu.
- Click Run.
- Remove the overlapping points using the Delete Identical tool.
- Navigate to the Analysis tab and click Tools. The Geoprocessing pane opens.
- In the Geoprocessing pane, search for and select Delete Identical (Data Management Tools).
- In the Delete Identical pane, for Input Dataset, select the Schools_Copy layer.
- For Field(s), select a field that defines spatial uniqueness. In this example, Shape is selected.
- Click Run.
- Select the non-overlapping points to separate them from the Hospitals_Copy layer using the Select Layer By Location tool.
- Navigate to the Analysis tab and click Tools. The Geoprocessing pane opens.
- In the Geoprocessing pane, search for and select Select Layer By Location (data Management Tools).
- In the Select Layer By Location pane, for Input Features, select the Hospitals_Copy layer.
- For Relationship, select Are identical to from the drop-down menu.
- For Selecting Features, select the Schools layer.
- Check the Invert Spatial Relationship check box.
- Click Run.
- Create a new layer to store the non-overlapping points selected in Step 6.
- In the Contents pane, right-click the Hospitals_Copy layer, navigate to Data, and click Export Features.
- In the Export Features window, for Output Feature Class, name the output Non_Overlapping_Hospitals. Click OK to run the tool.
- Merge the Non_Overlapping_Hospitals layer and the Schools_Copy layer to display point features without the overlapping features.
- Navigate to the Analysis tab and click Tools. The Geoprocessing pane opens.
- In the Geoprocessing pane, search for and select Merge (Data Management Tools).
- In the Merge pane, for Input Datasets, select the Schools_Copy layer and Non_Overlapping_Hospitals layer.
- For Output Dataset, specify a name for the layer containing all the non-overlapping point features. In this example, the output is named Final_Non_Overlapping_Points.
- Click Run.
- Symbolize the new output layer from Step 8 appropriately to distinguish between the point features from the Schools and Hospitals layers.
- In the Contents pane, right-click the desired feature layer, and click Symbology.
- In the Symbology pane, click the Primary symbology tab .
- For Primary symbology, select Unique Values from the drop-down menu.
- In the Symbology pane, on the Primary symbology tab, in the Field 1 menu, choose a field to symbolize. In this example, the Name field is selected.
- In the Symbology pane, under Classes, click the first point symbol in the Symbol column of the table to open the Format Point Symbol pane.
- In the Format Point Symbol pane, select the symbology for the point features representing the Schools layer.
- Click Return to primary symbology pane.
- In the Symbology pane, under Classes, click the next point symbol in the Symbol column of the table to open the Format Point Symbol pane.
- In the Format Point Symbol pane, select the symbology for the point features representing the Hospitals layer.
The image below shows the point features of the Final_Non_Overlapping_Points layer where the overlapping point features from the School and Hospital layers are removed.