# Spatial Queries

#### 02 June, 2026

To see more complete package documentation check out: https://pfrater.github.io/arcpullr/

ArcGIS REST API’s may be spatially queried using the get_layer_by_* family of functions. These functions require a spatial object of class `sf` (i.e. of the R package sf: Simple Features for R) and a Spatial Relationship to be passed to the geometry and `sp_rel` arguments respectively.

The package contains five functions that can be used to perform spatial queries:

- `get_layer_by_line`

- `get_layer_by_point`

- `get_layer_by_polygon`

- `get_layer_by_multipoint`

- `get_layer_by_envelope`

  ## URL’s for examples

  Example Source Data

      #WDNR Server
      server <- "https://dnrmaps.wi.gov/arcgis/rest/services/"
      server2 <- "https://dnrmaps.wi.gov/arcgis2/rest/services/"

      #River URL
      layer <- "TS_AGOL_STAGING_SERVICES/EN_AGOL_STAGING_SurfaceWater_WTM/MapServer/2"
      river_url <- paste0(server2,layer)

      #Country URL
      layer <- "DW_Map_Dynamic/EN_Basic_Basemap_WTM_Ext_Dynamic_L16/MapServer/3"
      county_url <- paste0(server,layer)

      #Trout URL
      layer <- "FM_Trout/FM_TROUT_HAB_SITES_WTM_Ext/MapServer/0"
      trout_url <- paste0(server,layer)

      #Watershed URL
      layer <- "WT_SWDV/WT_Federal_Hydrologic_Units_WTM_Ext/MapServer/0"
      watershed_url <- paste0(server,layer)

      #get layers for queries
      mke_river <- get_spatial_layer(
        river_url,
        where = "RIVER_SYS_NAME = 'Milwaukee River'"
      )

      trout_hab_project_pts <- get_spatial_layer(
        trout_url,
        where = "WATERBODYNAMECOMBINED = 'Sugar Creek' and FISCALYEAR = 2017"
      )

      trout_hab_project_pt <- trout_hab_project_pts[1, ]

      # get watershed layer for Cook Creek
      cook_creek_ws <- get_spatial_layer(
        watershed_url,
        where = "HUC12_NAME = 'Cook Creek'"
      )

  ## get_layer_by_line

  The `get_layer_by_line` function uses A LINSESTRING or MULTILINESTRING sf object to query an ArcGIS REST API. The below example uses a MULTILINESTRING sf object of the Milwaukee River to query the Wisconsin County polygon layer.

      mke_river_counties <- get_layer_by_line(url = county_url, geometry = mke_river)
      plot_layer(mke_river, outline_poly = mke_river_counties)

  ## get_layer_by_point

  The `get_layer_by_line` function uses a POINT sf object to query an ArcGIS REST API. The below example shows how this can be used to return which rivers intersect with a trout habitat project on Sugar Creek in southeast Wisconsin.

      trout_stream <- get_layer_by_point(url = river_url, geometry = trout_hab_project_pt)
      plot_layer(trout_stream) +
        ggplot2::geom_sf(data = trout_hab_project_pt, color = "red", size = 2)

  `get_layer_by_point` can also handle multipoint objects. This example shows the same stream as above with a single point, but now with multiple restoration points.

      restored_streams <- get_layer_by_point(url = river_url, geometry = trout_hab_project_pts)
      plot_layer(restored_streams) +
        ggplot2::geom_sf(data = trout_hab_project_pts, color = "blue")

  ## get_layer_by_polygon

  The `get_layer_by_line` function uses a POLYGON sf object to query an ArcGIS REST API. The below examples shows how this can be used to find what rivers are within a particular watershed.

      cook_creek_streams <- `get_layer_by_poly(river_url, cook_creek_ws)
      plot_layer(cook_creek_streams, cook_creek_ws)

  ## get_layer_by_envelope

  The `get_layer_by_envelope` function accepts any sf object to query an ArcGIS REST API using the sf objects bounding box. The below example shows how this is used to query WI’s Rivers ArcGIS REST API using a sf POLYGON object of a watershed for a small stream. Note how the results compare to when this same object is queried using the `get_layer_by_poly` function.

      cook_creek_env <- get_layer_by_envelope(river_url, cook_creek_ws)

      # example of the envelope to visualize how it spatially queries
      example_env <- sf::st_as_sfc(sf::st_bbox(cook_creek_ws))

      plot_layer(cook_creek_env, cook_creek_ws) +
        ggplot2::geom_sf(data = example_env, fill = NA)

  ## Combining Spatial and SQL Queries

  Spatial queries can be combined with SQL statements to further refine queries.

  ## Spatial Relationship

  The `sp_rel` argument can be used to define the spatial relationship between the two feature classes involved within a spatial query. The default spatial relationships for the `get_layer_by_poly` function is “contains”. All other functions default to “intersects”.

      example_poly <- sf_polygon(
        c(-90.62, 43.76),
        c(-90.62, 43.77),
        c(-90.61, 43.77),
        c(-90.61, 43.76),
        c(-90.62, 43.76)
      )
      poly_streams_contains <- get_layer_by_poly(river_url, example_poly)
      plot_layer(poly_streams_contains, outline_poly = example_poly)

  Using “crosses” returns different records compared to the above example (i.e. this returns records when they cross the polygon border).

      poly_streams_crosses <- get_layer_by_poly(river_url, example_poly, sp_rel = "crosses")
      plot_layer(poly_streams_crosses, outline_poly = example_poly)

  ### Lookup Tables

  The `sp_rel_lookup` data.frame explains the various types of spatial relationships available through ArcGIS REST APIs.

  The `sp_rel_valid` data.frame shows which spatial relationships are valid with different geometry types being queried and used to do spatial queries.

  ### The valid_sp_rel Function

  The `valid_sp_rel` function can be used to to see which spatial relation types are applicable to different geometries.

      valid_sp_rel("line","line")
      #> [1] "esriSpatialRelCrosses"            "esriSpatialRelEnvelopeIntersects"
      #> [3] "esriSpatialRelIndexIntersects"    "esriSpatialRelIntersects"
      #> [5] "esriSpatialRelRelation"