You can perform your Spatial Analyst tasks by opening tool dialog boxes, supplying values for parameters, and clicking OK to run each tool, one after another. Alternatively, you can run tools at a command line. For information on running tools at the command line, type “command line” in the index of the ArcGIS Desktop Help system. If you intend to run a sequence of tools, experiment with parameter values to achieve the desired result, or to package your methodology so others can apply it to their data, you should build a model. A model is built by stringing tools together inside a ModelBuilder window. Once your model is created, you can easily experiment with parameter values, use different input data, run the model over and over again, and share it with others.

To create a new model, right-click a toolbox (in this case, the Site Analysis Tools toolbox), point to New, and click Model.

To rename a model, click the Model menu and click Model Properties. Next, click the General tab and type a name (in this example, the name is “find_site”) in the Name text box. The name is the name of the model file on disk. Typically you will also give a model an easier to read label. In this case the label is “Find location for school.” The model name is used in scripting and at the command line. The label is the display name for the model.