PROBLEM

The linear units of measurement are unavailable with offset tracing in ArcGIS Pro

Last Published: February 10, 2025

Description

In ArcGIS Pro, when the ‘Trace with offset’ check box is checked in the Trace Options dialog box, the Units drop-down menu displays angular units, such as Decimal Degrees (DD), Degrees Minutes Seconds (DMS), and Right Ascension (RA) as options, instead of linear units, such as mile (mi), feet (ft), US feet (ftUS), yard (yd), kilometer (km), and meter (m).

The Trace Options window

Cause

The map in the ArcGIS Pro project uses the geographic coordinate system. A geographic coordinate system records locations in angular units. Refer to ArcGIS Pro: Coordinate systems, map projections, and transformations for more information.

Solution or Workaround

Change the map's coordinate system to a projected one. Refer to ArcGIS Pro: Set the coordinate system for instructions. In this example, the coordinate system is changed to 'NAD 1983 Wisconsin TM (Meters)'.

The new coordinate system set in the Map Properties dialog box

The image below shows the menu displaying linear unit options after changing the map's coordinate system to a projected one.

The linear units options displayed in the Trace Options dialog box

Article ID: 000033455

Software:
  • ArcGIS Pro 3 3
  • ArcGIS Pro 3 2
  • ArcGIS Pro 3 4

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