Select by Location: graphical examples
Release 9.3 Last modified November 13, 2008

This table contains a complete list of two-dimensional spatial relationships available and the keyword used in the Geoprocessing tool versus the ArcMap dialog box.

Geoprocessing tool	ArcMap dialog box
INTERSECT	intersect
WITHIN_A_DISTANCE	are within a distance of
CONTAINS	contain
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	completely contain
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	contain (Clementini)
WITHIN	are within
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	are completely within
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	are within (Clementini)
ARE_IDENTICAL_TO	are identical to
BOUNDARY_TOUCHES	touch the boundary of
SHARE_A_LINE_SEGMENT_WITH	share a line segment with
CROSSED_BY_THE_OUTLINE_OF	are crossed by the outline of
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	have their centroid in

Each graphic shows a spatial relationship (lettered A, B, C) and the accompanying table lists valid spatial relationship types and which cases (A, B, C) would result in the input feature being selected.

WITHIN_A_DISTANCE: This spatial relationship is not included in the graphic examples below. When this option is selected, the features in the Select Features layer are buffered by the distance specified, then the INTERSECT spatial relationship is used.

Clementini spatial relationships

WITHIN_CLEMENTINI and CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI refers to the within and contains spatial relationship as defined in the following paper: Eliseo Clementini, Paolino Di Felice, and Peter van Oosterom, "A Small Set of Formal Topological Relationships Suitable for End-User Interaction," Proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Advances in Spatial Databases, pp. 277–295, June 23–25, 1993.

Contrast of the three "contains" spatial relationships

Definition of boundary: For lines, the boundary is the two endpoints; for polygon the boundary is the edge.

• CONTAIN: Selects features in the Input Feature Layer that contain a feature in the Selecting Features layer. The Selecting Features can be inside as well as on the boundary of the Input Feature Layer.
  
• COMPLETELY_CONTAINS: Selects features in the Input Feature Layer that contain a feature in the Selecting Features layer, as long as the feature in the Selecting Features layer does not intersect the boundary of the Input Feature Layer.
  
• CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI: The results will be identical to CONTAINS with the exception that if the feature in the Selecting Features layer is entirely on the boundary of the Input Feature Layer, with no part of the contained feature properly inside the feature in the Input Feature Layer, the input feature will not be selected. CLEMENTINI states that the boundary of a point is always empty and the boundary of a line is the endpoints.
  
• CONTAINS & CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI produce identical results with point and multipoint input, and the Selecting Features are point or multipoint.
  

Contrast of the three "within/contained by" spatial relationships

• WITHIN: Will select features in the Input Feature Layer that are within or contained by features in the Selecting Features layer.
  
• COMPLETELY_WITHIN: The result will be identical to CONTAINED_BY unless the feature in the Input Feature Layer intersects the boundary of the feature in the Selecting Features layer; then it will not be selected.
  
• WITHIN_CLEMENTINI: The result will be identical to CONTAINED_BY unless the entirety of the feature in the Input Feature Layer is on the boundary of the feature in the Selecting Features layer. CLEMENTINI states that the boundary of a point is always empty and the boundary of a line is the endpoints.
  

Legend

Through the graphic examples below, the following legend applies:

• Input feature: green
  
• Input feature's center: red "x"
  
• Select Feature: gray
  

The graphics are labeled A, B, C, and so forth. Each Relationship (INTERSECT, CONTAINS, etc.) that is valid for that combination of geometries is listed in the left column of the table. The cases that would be selected for that Relationship are listed in the right column of the table.

Select point using point

INTERSECT	A
CONTAINS	A
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A
WITHIN	A
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A
ARE_IDENTICAL_TO	A
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A

Select point using multi-point

INTERSECT	A, C
CONTAINS	A
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A
WITHIN	A, C
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A, C
ARE_IDENTICAL_TO	A
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, C

Select point using line

INTERSECT	A, C
WITHIN	A, C
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	A
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, C

Select point using polygon

INTERSECT	A, C
WITHIN	A, C
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	A
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, C

Select multi-point using point

INTERSECT	A, C
CONTAINS	A, C
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A, C
WITHIN	A
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A
ARE_IDENTICAL_TO	A
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, D

Select multi-point using multi-point

INTERSECT	A, C, E, F
CONTAINS	A, F
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A, F
WITHIN	A, C
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A, C
ARE_IDENTICAL_TO	A
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, D

Select multi-point using line

INTERSECT	A, C, E, F
WITHIN	A, C, E
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	A
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A, E
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, D, E

Select multi-point using polygon

INTERSECT	A, C, D, E, F
WITHIN	A, C, D, E
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	A
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A, D, E
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, B, C, E, F

Select line using point

INTERSECT	A, C, D
CONTAINS	A, C, D
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	A, D
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A, D
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	D

Select line using multi-point

INTERSECT	A, C, D, E
CONTAINS	A, C, E
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	A
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A, E
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	D

Select line using line

INTERSECT	A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J
CONTAINS	G, H
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	G
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	G, H
WITHIN	F, H
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	F
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	F, H
ARE_IDENTICAL_TO	H
BOUNDARY_TOUCHES	C, E

Select line using polygon

INTERSECT	A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O
WITHIN	A, D, G, H, I, O
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	A
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	A, D, G, H, I
BOUNDARY_TOUCHES	D, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O
SHARE_A_LINE_SEGMENT_WITH	G, I, J, K, M, O
CROSSED_BY_THE_OUTLINE_OF	C, E, H, L, N
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, C, D, E, G, H, I, J, O

Select polygon using point

INTERSECT	A, B
CONTAINS	A, B
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	A
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, D

Select polygon using multi-point

INTERSECT	A, B, C, E
CONTAINS	A, B, E
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	A
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A, B
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	A, D

Select polygon using line

INTERSECT	A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O
CONTAINS	A, D, G, H, I, O
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	A
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	A, D, G, H, I
BOUNDARY_TOUCHES	D, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O
SHARE_A_LINE_SEGMENT_WITH	G, I, J, K, M, O
CROSSED_BY_THE_OUTLINE_OF	C, E, H, L, N
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	E, I, L

Select polygon using polygon

INTERSECT	A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, M
CONTAINS	C, E, H, M
COMPLETELY_CONTAINS	C
CONTAINS_CLEMENTINI	C, E, H, M
WITHIN	F, G, H, M
COMPLETELY_WITHIN	F
WITHIN_CLEMENTINI	F, G, H, M
ARE_IDENTICAL_TO	H, M
BOUNDARY_TOUCHES	D, E, G, H, I, J, M
SHARE_A_LINE_SEGMENT_WITH	D, H, I, M
CROSSED_BY_THE_OUTLINE_OF	A, E, G, J, K
HAVE_THEIR_CENTER_IN	C, E, F, G, H, K, L

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