A reusable ArcGIS geoprocessing tool built with ModelBuilder

• Question. Can a multi-step inundation analysis be packaged as a tool that anyone can run on their own elevation data?

• Data. Any elevation raster in meters; tested on a projected SRTM DEM of coastal Georgia near Savannah.

• Methods

  • The tool asks the user for a DEM, a sea level change in feet, a buffer radius in feet, and an output location.

  • It converts elevation to feet, flags cells at or below the new sea level, converts them to polygons, selects inundated areas, and buffers them by the user’s radius.

  • A Calculate Value step converts the radius into explicit feet, so the buffer is correct regardless of the input's coordinate system.

• Findings. The finished tool runs like any built-in ArcGIS tool, with default values and input validation. Tests with radii of 100 to 1,000 feet produced progressively wider at-risk areas.

• Tools. ArcGIS Pro (ModelBuilder, Spatial Analyst)

• Images. Output maps; model diagram; tool dialog