Getting to Know ArcGIS ModelBuilder

I had used modelbuilder on occasion when I received this book. Looking back, this was the book that filled in my knowledge gaps. Although I use Python to build more complicated procedures, it's amazing how efficient (both time and energy spent) modelbuilder is when used for common repeated tasks. I highly recommend this book for both those new and familiar with modelbuilder.

I use this as a text book for classes I teach on ModelBuilder. It is a great resource for anyone looking to learn more about using ModelBuilder to automate and document analysis or other geoprocessing workflows in Esri's ArcGIS for Desktop. ModelBuilder allows users to create automated scripts using a visual interface without the need to be a programmer. This book is not for those new to GIS. Some experience using Esri's ArcGIS for Desktop is a must. Experience using geoprocessing tools to perform analysis is a big help as well.This book provides hands on experience through the student exercises which use ArcGIS for Desktop and ModelBuilder. This allows students to create models starting at very simple one moving to more advanced one that make use of user specified parameters, iterators, and more. They gain confidence as they move along. The challenge exercises at the end of the book are indeed very challenging and will provide a good test of a students understanding.I have used this book with both ArcGIS 10.0 and 10.1. There are some minor differences with some of the exercises if you try to work through them with 10.1 instead of the 10.0 the book was designed for. The Author does have an errata he is putting together and I do believes plans to release an updated version for 10.1 soon. Hopefully there will also be one for 10.2 soon as well. I found an couple of minor typos or missing steps in a couple of exercises as well. However if you are familiar with using the geoprocessing tools in ArcGIS for Desktop, you should be able to figure them out and work around them.Overall a very good book. One I would recommend for any ArcGIS users library.

Great book learning a lot, however references 10.0, would like to see 10.3 to 10.4 update

The book is a valuable resource, but needs to be revisited by the author to correct some of the mistakes. For a person who knows almost nothing about Python, I found it a little difficult because I did not know what the code meant, although I reasoned some of it out from my knowledge of Java.Also I think the author needs to make the book bigger to allow him to do away with, what appears to be, assumptions on the part of the author that the reader understands what he is saying. The author needs to be more explicit. I found myself trying to read between the lines in some places, or in some cases it seemed he would introduce a term and then refer to the idea of the term with a different term. That caused me to say, "Huh?" Another reason the book needs to be bigger is that the complexity of the logic that goes along with the connecting of the various tools was not clear in all cases. For example a more measured approach and careful explanation of why creating an output for a certain tool also created an input with the same name confused me.Nevertheless, it is a valuable and timely resource and i will probably have to reread it to understand everything.Paul

THE essential book for learning how to use Esri's ArcGIS Desktop software. Period.

most in-book scripts don't work either because they are illogical or because they don't line up wit the data and map documents in the data CD. The quality control on this book before publishing was done and the exercises in the book do not align with the data provided in the CD and it was not worth the money I paid for it. My hope is that the next edition will work those issues out, but the fact that the author is forcing students to use the book, getting paid royalties on the purchase of the book and getting paid by an educational institute to teach using such a book is highly questionable. I don't think this is the author's fault, all together; ESRI should have exercised better due diligence before it went to press. In the learning process, scripts and exercises need to work ... that is pretty fundamental. Here's hoping the next edition is better screened and QA/QC by ESRI.

The layout and format of this book is similar to all of the "Getting to Know" books for ArcGIS. That format is easy to follow along and runs you through a lot of examples so that you can do more "learning by doing."However, this book was written in 2011. If you have ArcMap 10.0, that's good. If you have ArcMap 10.3 or later, there is a supplement that you need (google the title and "supplement" and it will get you there. There is also an errata document out there that you should find.The book flows well and is written well, but keep in mind, it is not current with the latest software versions. Also, the Python programming examples 1) do not consistently follow the accepted code formatting standards, and 2) often simply will not run as presented. If you have some Python experience and can debug the programs, that's a good thing, and you will likely have to do some debugging and editing to get through some of the exercises.Overall, a good book, but needs to be updated, and needs to be closely reviewed, QC'd and edited before the next edition. I learned a lot, I have many questions, and some of the errors I found were frustrating, but the book is still a valuable resource for those wanting to expand their skills in Modelbuilder.

Simple and easy to use.

No puedo dar una opinión debido a que compre el libro y nunca llego a mi casa; me devolvieron mi dinero pero me quede con las ganas de tenerlo en mis manos

Good reference book and small enough in size to lug around

Very helpful if you want to start developing your own tools to be used in ArcGIS. Highly recommendable.

They are not many books of the art published, but this one does its job nicely. 100% recommend for all ArcGIS users interested in learning Model Builder.

Best way to learn Model Builder