Spatial Analysis is one of the most exciting (and powerful) capabilities in GIS, and ArcGIS Pro gives you a ton of tools for it. It’s essentially about examining the locations, attributes, and relationships of features in spatial data through overlay, proximity, statistics, and modeling.
Let’s break this down a bit. Are you after an overview of what kinds of spatial analysis you can perform in ArcGIS Pro, or do you have a specific type of analysis in mind (like suitability modeling, hot spot detection, interpolation, density mapping, etc.)?
Common Categories of Spatial Analysis in ArcGIS Pro:
| Analysis Type | Example Tools / Use Cases |
|---|---|
| Proximity Analysis | Buffer, Near, Generate Near Table |
| Overlay Analysis | Intersect, Union, Spatial Join |
| Surface Analysis | Contour, Slope, Aspect, Hillshade |
| Density Analysis | Kernel Density, Point Density |
| Statistical Analysis | Hot Spot Analysis (Getis-Ord Gi*), Cluster and Outlier Analysis (Anselin Local Moran’s I) |
| Suitability Modeling | Weighted Overlay, Weighted Sum |
| Distance Analysis | Euclidean Distance, Cost Distance |
| Interpolation | IDW (Inverse Distance Weighted), Kriging, Natural Neighbor |
| Raster Analysis | Map Algebra, Reclassify, Raster Calculator |
| Change Detection | Raster Difference, Image Classification |
Typical Spatial Analysis Workflow:
- Frame your question
What do you need to find out? What data is required? - Prepare your data
Clean, project, and structure your data so it’s analysis-ready. - Run analysis tools
From the Analysis tab → Tools, or via ModelBuilder or Python scripts. - Review results
Use symbology, classification, and visualization to interpret results. - Share or export outputs
Create maps, reports, or dashboards based on your findings.
