Clip
Overview
The Clip tool limits input spatial feature data, including points, lines, and polygons, by a specified clip feature layer. It keeps only the portions of the input features that overlap the spatial extent of the clip features.
The result contains only the parts of the input features located within the clip feature area.
Use Cases
Regional data extraction: Clip nationwide road or land-use layers with provincial administrative boundaries to extract data within a local study area.
Thematic study preparation: Clip base datasets with a project planning boundary for urban planning or environmental impact assessment.
Spatial consistency across datasets: Standardize the spatial extent of multi-source data to support accurate overlay analysis.
Map output and cartographic optimization: Extract target-area data for map production to improve map clarity and processing efficiency.
Parameters
Basic settings (required)
| Parameter | Description | Data type |
|---|---|---|
| Input features | The features to be clipped. | Point, multipoint, line, multiline, polygon, or multipolygon |
| Clip features | The features used to clip the input features. | Point, multipoint, line, multiline, polygon, or multipolygon |
| Output path | Storage path for the output result file. | Folder path |
| Output file name | File name of the output vector file. | Text without extension |
Advanced settings (optional)
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| File format | Specifies the output file format. The default is GPKG VectorData (.gpv). PostGIS VectorData (.pgv), ESRI Shapefile (.shp), Keyhole Markup Language (KML) (.kml), GeoJSON (.geojson), AutoCAD DXF (.dxf), and other formats are also supported. |
| Output specified fields | When enabled, lets you manually configure output fields. When disabled, the original field structure is retained. |
| Reproject | When enabled, lets you set the coordinate reference system of the output file. Otherwise, the coordinate system of the input features is used. |
Notes
Data type compatibility
-
If the input features are polygons, the clip features must also be polygons.
-
If the input features are lines, the clip features can be lines or polygons. When lines are clipped by lines, only overlapping line segments are output.
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If the input features are points, the clip features can be points, lines, or polygons. When points are clipped by points, only coincident points are output. When points are clipped by lines, only points coincident with the lines are output.
Output result
Regardless of the geometry types of the input and clip features, the clip result is always the spatial overlap between them. Attribute fields retain the information from the input features by default. If Output specified fields is enabled, you can customize the fields written to the output.
Coordinate system recommendation
To avoid spatial misalignment, use the same projected coordinate system for the input features and clip features. If they differ, enable the reprojection option in Advanced settings.
Steps
Step 1: Start the tool
Open the Geoprocessing Toolbox > go to Analysis Tools > Extraction Analysis > double-click Clip to open the tool pane.
Step 2: Set parameters
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Configure basic parameters.
In Basic settings, fill in the input features, clip features, output path, and output file name as prompted. All basic parameters are required.
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Configure advanced parameters.
In Advanced settings, configure optional settings as needed, including output file format, specified output fields, and reprojection.
Step 3: Run and monitor task status
Click Run to start execution. You can view the progress, run time, and success status in the Task list.
If execution fails, the tool provides an error message. Use Edit in the lower-right corner to return to the tool pane and modify the parameters.