Speed Mapping - Fast Polygon Digitizing with Strategic Splits

Sometimes digitizing a large number of features can feel tedious. Whether it's the snapping tool acting up or you just don’t have the time to meticulously trace each boundary, it can be frustrating. This week, I’m sharing one of my favorite methods for speeding up the process. It’s not the fanciest technique, but it gets the job done quickly and efficiently.

Let’s say you need to map 16 adjacent fields. Here’s how you can streamline the task:

1. Start by drawing a large polygon that covers the entire area of interest (AOI).
2. Next, in the Edit ribbon, select the Split tool.
3. Place strategic split lines where the field boundaries occur.
4. Keep placing split lines across your AOI until you’ve sliced and diced it to your satisfaction. You can even run split lines across others to precisely define each field.

BOOM 16 polygons from 1!

This method is a game-changer for digitizing multiple polygons quickly with just a few well-placed split lines. It also works great for irregular boundaries or areas that don’t form a neat grid. Lastly, this technique isn’t just for polygons, and works well with lines too!

Next week, we’ll dive into a fast-ish way to mass edit attributes, offering an alternative to the field calculate tool.

GIS you later!

Pro Tip: Before you slice and dice, take a moment to plan where you want to place your splits. I always keep an eye on the roads and if I don’t want them included in my polygons, I’ll add a split line on either side of the road. Once you’re done, you can easily remove those skinny polygons from your AOI.