Learning ArcGIS Pro

Polygon Neighbors Advanced
other associated information
We will now take a quick look at the Buffer and Multiple Ring Buffer tools.
Buffer
The Buffer tool is one of the most commonly used tools in ArcGIS. It creates a new
polygon layer around the input layer based on a specified distance. The buffer distance can
be a single value or be based on an attribute field in the attribute table of the features being
buffered. You can choose to buffer any feature type. You can buffer points, lines, or
polygons. However, the output will always be a polygon.
Buffers are very useful. They can be used to help determine if features in one layer are
within a distance of another layer. They can also help create features for other purposes
such as creating the rights of way for roads or railroads as just illustrated. In that
illustration, you can see that a new polygon layer has been created around the existing
street centerlines all at a uniform distance. This new layer represents the rights of way for
those roads. Also, each new polygon inherits the attribute values of the street that was
buffered. This means the new polygons are attributed with the road name and any other
attributes that were linked to the street segments.
One of the options you have when using the Buffer tool is to dissolve the overlapping
buffers. If you choose to dissolve the overlapping buffers, any buffers that overlap will be
merged into a single polygon. This reduces the number of features that are in the resulting
layer. Also, if you choose to dissolve overlapping buffers, the new polygons will not
contain the attribute information that was associated with the features which you buffered.