Geoprocessing In ArcGIS

Geoprocessing is a cornerstone of ArcGIS, and is a general term that describes most of the spatial analytic functions of the program.  In my previous jobs working with GIS I didn't really use these tools, as I was primarily making maps for visual display. The use of GIS in any capacity beyond this typically requires use of geoprocessing tools.

The graphic above is a polygon representation of a basin area, with areas containing soil types designated as "not suitable for farming" removed. This was derived from polygon vector graphics of the basin and the various soil types that this area consists of, but the notable aspect of it is that the operation to remove the specific areas with the farming-unsuitable soil was performed with a Python script/model within ArcGIS.  Normally, one might use each tool within the program- clip, select and erase- one at a time, with the end result being the polygons above.  To streamline the workflow, which would be necessary for dealing with data in greater volumes, we can create a model within ArcGIS which will perform each operation in sequence when it is run, and can also be exported and modified as a Python script.  Models exported and modified as scripts have the advantage of potentially performing more complicated analyses, can work without the necessity of having ArcMap open, and can be scheduled to run at a designated time, automatically.  In my previous GIS career at a city board of public works, which administered water, sewer and electricity services, I worked with someone who created these kinds of scripts for our daily use, and they were essential to our operation.  I feel fortunate to now have the opportunity to learn more about how that might be done, and hope to possibly provide something as useful to someone's workflow someday myself.