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Configure Feature Templates

Configuring the Feature Templates in the Edit Project is a crucial step towards ensuring all data is properly attributed. Many fields can be set to defaults that will populate automatically in most cases, saving time, and improving consistency.

The standardized attributes of the Event Schema serve as Feature-Level Metadata. Wildland fire is rapidly becoming an enterprise environment with distributed data and aggregated services. GIS data must be identifiable down to each feature in such a system so that users know crucial information such as currency and source.

Utilizing the Feature Templates is the best practice for automatically populating attribute with default values for several reasons:

  1. The Event Schema should not be modified, including database defaults.
  2. There may be multiple editors on an incident.
  3. Feature Templates will not transfer with the GDB when sharing or transitioning.

Esri Feature Template Documentation

Feature Templates should be configured in the Edit Project before making any edits.

  1. Configure Feature Templates
    1. Open the Manage Templates pane. This can be done from the Create Features pane or by clicking the dialog box launcher under the Features group on the Edit tab.​

      Select manage templates.
       

    2. Starting with Label Point, select all the features in the list and click Properties. ​
        

      LabelPoint properties

    3. Set the values for IncidentName and IRWINID and any other defaults you wish to apply to your edits.

      In the properties window select Attributes.
       
    4. Repeat steps b-c for all the other layers.

Note: See the GISS Workflow for more information on Obtaining IRWIN IDs for Incidents and Complexes.
 

  1. Once the Feature Templates for each of the Event feature classes are configured, save a layer file as a backup. A layer file will store both the symbology and more importantly, all the incident specific template settings just configured.

    1. Right-click the Event Group - All Layers in the Contents pane and select Save as a Layer File under Sharing.
      Save the file to the incident_data\edit​ folder following the GeoOps naming convention {year}_{incident name}_{unit ID+local incident ID}_{your name}.lyrx
        

      Save the layer file

      This layer file can be used to build a new Edit Project should you need to for any reason.

      Note: ​In order to utilize all the settings saved in the layer file, add it to the map through the Add Data button. If the data has moved or you wish to apply it to a different feature class, you can repair/change the data source.

 

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