Step 1.
there are two way of keep gis data stay in current.
one is tradition, one is new way
Everybody use tradition way is because Arcgis PRO does not provide a convenient way to let you use new way.
New way need highly customized tool, you will have to build youself.
Step 2.
What is traditional way?
For example LA county address database, USGS pad open land database
both of them collecting data from sub-agency.
LA county collect address from 180 cities, USGS collect data from 50 states and 11 other federal agencies.
USGS combine all the collected data every two more years and release it.
So what you download from USGS now is NOT current, it is two years old
Even 50 states already submit latest data today,
you would not see the update until two years later,
they decide to combine all 50 states again.
Same thing happen in LA county,
even 180 cities already submit newest address data to them,
when you download whole county address, you would not see the new update,
until next year, they decide to combine all 180 cities address again and release it.
Step 3.
Now you see the problem of traditional way.
It is always out-of-date !
Why is that?
Because Arcgis Pro does not provide a good tool let you do the other way.
Both of LA county and USGS use Arcgis pro merge tool to combine,
While the merge tool isn't smart,
ArcPro Merge tool can NOT tell,
which address is newly added,
which address is duplicate,
which address is no longer exist, should be delete.
Merge tool is simple combine 2 data set together, that is it.
If you merge last years address with this years address,
you simple get every address duplicated, except new and delete address.
For example, last year county have 1 million address,
This year, they merge 180 city again get another 1 million address.
if you use Arcpro merge tool, you simple get 2 million address, which is wrong.
The right way with the right tool should be:
The new tool should tell which address is new, then add to reservoir
Which address have no change, then no change to reservoir.
Which address no longer exist, then delete from reservoir.
After this smart process, you will still get 1 million address, which include new address, removed old address.
ArcPro does not have such "smart" tools, you need build your own.
Step 4.
The new way, I named it "always current"
You will build highly customized smart tool, I called it refinery tool, inspired from raw oil refinery.
When a new ship of raw oil come,
you send raw oil into refinery,
you get gas, natual gas, disels. and so on.
You don't wait 100 ships arrive, then refine together,
Which ship comes first, you process that ship first.
In you gas reservoir, you always have gas from newest arrival ship.
I named it "always current"
For example USGS,
whenever a state submit new data, you will use refinery smart tools
1).find which polygon is new, then add to your reservoir
2). find which polygon have no change, then skip,
3). find which polygon no longer exist, then delete from your reservoir
Then your reservoir is always up-to-date.
The new method will keep your previous years work results,
you will not repeat previous years task again and again and again for ever.
you simply add a few new polygon and delete a few old polygon.
That is it. You reservoir is "always current"
Step 5.
Why the tradition way is "always out-of-date",
Why they do not update ad-hoc instead of 2 years ?
For example, when one state submit new data to USGS,
Why USGS would not update ad-hoc instead of waiting until 2 years later?
Because use tradition ArcPro merge tool, USGS need 12 month to update.
You did not heard wrong, every time USGS combine 50 states need 12 month long.
Why is that long?
Because they have no way to keep previous years work result,
They will repeat previous years work again and again for ever.
For example, in 2021 USGS PAD release,
USGS spend 2 months to reduce vertex count for all 50 states data.
In 2023 release, they will repeat the same task again for another 2 months.
They have multiple such kind of 2 month task, clean up invalid polygon, correct wrong info, correct the geometry error, etc.
All these small task added together make 1 year long.
That is why they release new data every 2 years or more.
They can NOT release new update ad-hoc.
Step 6.
No wonder why USGS everyday is in the middle of updating process, every single day, 365 days a year is updating
While their product result is always out-of-date for 2 years old.
Because they use tradition method to repeat previous years work again and again.
In 2022, they start use FME to automate the process, it helps a little, in 2023 release, they still spend 1 year
Because the method they use is fundamentally wrong.
Step 7.
Same thing happen in LA county, the way they use is fundamentally wrong.
No wonder why they everyday is in the process of updating address,
while their address reservoir is always out-of-date for 2 more years.
Step 8.
Why LA county and USGS stuck in mud ?
Because Arcgis PRO and FME is the only tool they have.
ArcPro and FME is general tools for everybody in everyday use.
It is not design for highly customized "smart" tool.
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