Challenge #77: Extending Spatial Lines

Happy Monday! Last week's solution can be found HERE!

In this week's challenge, a communications company is doing an analysis of fiber runs in the network. The current wiring needs to be extended a certain distance in each direction in a straight line. Take the provided lines and extend them 5 miles on each end. For more intermediate users, create a macro so the user can input the desired extension length for each run.

The output should include:
1. Name of the fiber
2. The original spatial line object
3. The new spatial line object
4. New length of line

challenge_77_start_file.yxmd

challenge_77_solution.yxzp

Macros

Preparation

Advanced

Intermediate

Interface

Spatial

Accepted answers

All comments

gnans19

Here's my solution. Attached both workflow and macro

Spoiler

challenge_77_Gnans.yxmd

challenge_77_Gnans.yxmc

alex

Spoiler

I went with finding the slope of the original line and extending it out. I also decided to use the spatial tools vs. using the spatial formulas.

Good opportunity to practice with spatial tools that I rarely use.

challenge_77_AC.yxmd

NicoleJohnson

My solution! I started by going down a trigonometry black hole... that didn't work. (Yet.) So I ended up borrowing a few ideas from @gnans19 and @alex, and then focused on streamlining it once I got it working.

I'm convinced there's a trig way to do it though. Stay tuned.

Spoiler

challenge_77_NicoleJohnson.yxwz

Joe_Mako

Here is a route to get slightly more accurate coordinates, I am sure the expressions could be improved to be even more accurate.

Spoiler

I used https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2637023/how-to-calculate-the-latlng-of-a-point-a-certain-distance-away-from-another for my expressions to get the new points, and the average Earth radius in miles from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_radius#Mean_radius

c77 Joe_Mako.png

c77 Joe_Mako Workflow.yxmd

c77 Joe_Mako Macro.yxmc

andre347

Similar approach as one of the workflows above. Good challenge to play with the Spatial tools!

challenge_77_andre_de_vries_app.yxwz

challenge_77_andre_de_vries.yxmd

Laurap1228

My answer doesn't match exactly, I think it's cause my solution is missing the Smooth tool.

challenge_77_LP.yxzp

estherb47

I started down a trig path too, and will get there (just struggling to remember trig!!).

When that wasn't working, found the same solution as many others, with circles and distances. I suppose that's more of a geometric/geospatial approach.

Still working on doing this with formulas.... to be continued.....

challenge_77_EHB_solution.yxmc

LordNeilLord

Like others I decided to try and figure this out using Trig & Geometery and then I realised than I have no idea what I'm doing, so I stuck to what I know..

Spoiler

challenge_77_NL.yxwz

patrick_digan

I had a hard time with this one.

challenge_77_start_file.yxwz

SeanAdams

Wow - that was somewhat painful.

Started out with a trig approach, and in doing so spent 4 hours trying to debug radians vs. degrees and kilometers (turns out that I was using the same math as @Joe_Mako except Joe got it to work)

Then, like @LordNeilLord and @NicoleJohnson I did a strategic retreat and used the same technique used by others ( @gnans19 was first to post this method I think?)

This has also spawned a few new product requests:

https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Product-Ideas/Degrees-to-radians-explicit-mention-of-radians-in-trig-formulae/idi-p/85205#M4793

https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Product-Ideas/Useful-Spatial-formulae/idi-p/85206#M4794

https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Product-Ideas/Key-select-of-type-in-Formula-tool/idi-p/85208#M4795

Spoiler

Original approach, which I struggled to get to work, used the trig provided on these sites:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/10140029/convert-latitude-longitude-in-degree-radians
http://www.movable-type.co.uk/scripts/latlong.html
http://www.edwilliams.org/gccalc.htm
http://www.edwilliams.org/avform.htm

However - after several hours of trying to get this to tie out with various versions - I hit restart.

Then did an approach where I I iteratively picked points along the same line (by adding to the latitude & Longitude in ratio) until it hit a 5 mile distance. But that felt like a brute-force cheat. I hit restart.

Final method takes a far simpler approach:
- Take the line, and add end-points
- Put a trade area on the end (like a lollipop)
- Change the round bit of the lollipop to points, and find the point that's furthest from the bottom end of the lollipop stick. Because of the nature of circles, that will be in a straight line with the two points (bottom of lollipop stick; and center of circle)

challenge_77_seanSolution.yxmd

PeterV

Hi,

Not up to speed on macros yet but the calculations are done and match to 2dps if not 4dps!

Kind regards,

Peter

Challenge_77_PV.yxmd

LandonG

Solution attached.

challenge_77_start_file.yxzp

philipmannering

I tried (and struggled) using the spatial tools, then wrote loads of calcs in the formula tool.

Solution attached.

Spoiler

Two methods shown

challenge_77 - Extending Spatial Lines.yxmd

ggruccio

Tried very hard to use a formula for this - then tried buffering and finally landed on trade area method.

challenge_77_start_file.yxzp

samN

one more down, and a step closer to 80

challenge_77.yxmc

jamielaird

I loved this challenge.

In fact, I enjoyed it more than any of the 80 other challenges I've done so far, which is a little weird considering most of the hard work happened in my head while staring at a piece of paper. Once I had an approach figured out, making it work in Alteryx was beautifully quick.

As a non-mathematician, you know something special is happening when your desk looks like this and your scribbled notes end up delivering a perfect result. Magical.

The breakthrough moment

Here's my solution:

Spoiler

Update: Comparing against other solutions, it's interesting to see that I could have used distance to select the optimal point from the split trade areas around the start and end point. I think I probably made it harder for myself by relying on the angle of the line to work out the intercept points (especially given the fact that point 0 in a split circle is at the 90 degree point which makes the math a little counter-intuitive) but even so this feels like a pleasing solution.

challenge_77_solution_JL.yxmd

Natasha

I attempted this challenge a while ago but got stuck with trigonometry and left it for later. Here is my solution, definitely overcomplicated one

Spoiler

challenge_77_Natasha.yxmd

jasperlch

Solution attached. Seems the number are slightly different though..

challenge_77_JL.yxzp

derekbelyea

Spoiler

Challenge_77_JDB_AnalytixStudio.yxmd

JosephSerpis

Challenge Completed

Challenge_77_Joe_Serpis.yxzp

AndyBate

Brilliant Challenge. Really thought provoking. (@jamielaird you were right i really found a love hate relationship with this one!)

Hopefully I've got it right

Nice work @AndyBate!

What a challenge :')

Follow my solution app attached...

challenge_77_solved.yxwz

StevenBetts

Had to take a break from this and come back to it. Puzzled me for a little bit. But I do love me a spatial challenge!

Spoiler

challenge_77_start_file_SMB.yxmd

dsmdavid

Quite fun.

Spoiler

Workflow 77(1).png

Start Starting lines

Finding the end points End points of Starting Lines

Around the end points Trade area around end points

Finding the new end points New end points

solved#77.yxmd

kat

Spoiler

So I might've simplified this one a bit too much and just used basic trigonometry. Did not think of using trade area!
Challenge #77 macro.PNG

Challenge #77.yxzp

danilang

Spatial tools are some easier than boring old math...even though the results are not quite as accurate.

Spoiler

Trade area around an end point, split and find the point farthest away from the other end point of the original line. Lather, Rinse and repeat

Solution 77.png

Dan

challenge_77_solution_DL.yxwz

JoBen

Cheers!

challenge_77_Joben_Solution.yxzp

ponraj

Here is my solution

Spoiler

Workflow

challenge_77_solution.yxmd

Ozzy_Campos

Tried many different ways, ended up using similar approach as @PhilipMannering, great learning experience.

Challenge_77_Ozzy_Campos.yxmd

jssandom

Found this tough (and the solution is messy) but the output looks right!

challenge_77_solution_JSS.yxzp

pasccout

Here is my solution

challenge_77_my_solution.yxmd

TonyA

Did you ever come up with a trig solution that worked? I posted one, but it starts to deviate really quickly as the extensions get long because we can't use planar geometry rules on a curved surface. I think you can do some amount of correction but it won't work for very long distances.

Abiramm1

Took me a while to get the logic down and I'm ever so slightly off but we'll count it

Spoiler

Weekly challenge 77 solution.yxzp

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