HOW TO

Sketch a line feature layer by freehand in ArcGIS Online Map Viewer

Last Published: February 22, 2024

Summary

Sketching line features by freehand reduces the number of clicks on a mouse. However, there is no ready tool in ArcGIS Online Map Viewer to draw a line feature by freehand. One alternative is to transform a drawn sketch layer into a feature layer to enable geospatial analysis. This article outlines the workflow t0 sketch freehand lines and convert the sketch layer to a feature layer using the Merge Layer tool in ArcGIS Online Map Viewer.

Procedure

  1. Sketch the lines in ArcGIS Online Map Viewer.
    1. Open the map. Click Sketch on the Settings (light) toolbar.
    2. Select Line.
Sketch tool on Settings (light) toolbar
  1. Click, hold and draw the feature. When the desired line is drawn, double-click to complete each line.
  2. Close Sketch on the Settings (light) toolbar to complete the sketch.
  1. Use the Merge Layer tool to convert the sketch layer to a feature layer.
    Note:    
    In ArcGIS Online, using analysis tools in Map Viewer consumes credits, depending on the number of records and the generated output. Click 'Show credits' before running an analysis to check credit costs. Refer to ArcGIS Online: Understand credits for more information.
    1. Click Analysis on the Settings (light) toolbar.
    2. Browse and click Merge Layer tool.
    3. For Input Layer, click Layer to add the sketch layer created in Step 1.
    4. For Layer to merge, click Layer to add the desired layer to the new sketch, or select the sketch layer as both the input layers if only a conversion is required.
    5. For Output name, specify a name for the result layer.
    6. Click Run.

    The image below shows the sketched lines merged as a feature layer in Map Viewer.

    Sketched lines as feature layer in Map Viewer

Article ID: 000031787

Software:
  • ArcGIS Online

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