Clipping vector data in ArcGIS Pro

Example of subsetting spatial data by clipping
Image source: Wikimedia Commons. CC-BY-SA 4.0.

You may be working with a spatial vector layer that is much more geographically expansive than your study area. In this case, you can clip the layer to your area of interest.

Example: This Statistics Canada layer (downloaded from this page), displays all census dissemination areas within Canada. If your study area is in Eastern Canada, you may wish to clip out a smaller portion of this layer to work with.

Canada census dissemination area polygons

• Load your large data layer into ArcGIS Pro. Open the geoprocessing toolbox and search for Clip.

Analysis -> Tools -> Clip

• Specify the layer to be clipped as the Input features. For the Clip features parameter, you can either specify an existing layer that will act as a ‘cookie cutter’ on your input layer, or click the pencil icon to define a clip area.

Clip tool parameters

• Click Run. The tool will output a new, clipped layer.

New clipped layer

See also:

• Clipping rasters in ArcGIS Pro

• Extracting the geographic features you need from a larger dataset in ArcGIS Pro

Technique: Extracting data | Tools: ArcGIS Pro | Data Format: Vector