Combine Spatial Fields Using a Summarize Tool

[ChristineB]

Spatial functions in the Alteryx Designer are not limited to only those tools in the Spatial tool palette. The Summarize tool, for example, is able to perform spatial functions, such as Combine and Intersect, and create spatial objects.

While these capabilities are not unique to the Summarize tool (other Spatial tools perform these same processes), the fact that spatial functionality is embedded in the Summarize tool allows for additional capabilities beyond those of the Spatial tools. One such function is “Group By”, which is not incorporated into the Spatial tools. The Summarize tool, however, allows a user to “group”, or aggregate, smaller polygons into larger geographies.

The attached workflow demonstrates this ability by aggregating the counties in Texas into polygons that represent the state’s Public Health Management Regions (PHMRs). The first input contains shapefiles of each of the Texas counties. The second lists the 11 PHMRs and the counties associated with them. After Joining the two inputs, the data is Summarized, Grouping by PHMR and then Spatially Combining the counties. As a result larger polygons of the Public Health Management Regions can be created by Summarizing the data by first Grouping by Region then Spatially Combining the County polygons. The result is 11 polygons, one for each of the PHMRs.

From individual counties...............................................................................to regions!

For more ideas on the Summarize tool's spatial capabilities, see this blog post by JimS!