Validating and Editing Data with Topologies

GIS has the amazing capability to help us solve real-world problems. ArcGIS Pro includes a wealth of tools that allow users to perform all kinds of analyses to answer questions, find solutions, and determine patterns. However, like most computer systems, the results are only as good as the quality of the data the analysis is based on. The adage garbage in, garbage out applies.

So, how do we ensure our GIS data is clean and accurate? One way is to make use of topology. Topology is a model of how features are related to one another spatially. Are they adjacent, connected, or coincident? This should not be confused with topography, which is how the ground changes in elevation. ArcGIS Pro allows you to use two types of topologies: geodatabase and map.

A geodatabase topology is an item you create within a geodatabase, which allows you to apply rules to the data that is part of the topology. This might include rules such as polygons must...