How to create a shortest distance route between multiple points in a shapefile??

[MrLimburn]

Hello,

I am a beginner to ArcGIS so be gentle with me!

Here is what I'd like to do:

I have a polygon shapefile with lots of random sample points inside it.  Is there a programme, extension or something in the ArcToolbox that will allow me to create (not manually) the shortest distance route (track/path) from a designated start point to a designated end point within the polygon, ensuring I visit all the points?  I would then finally download the route on to a GPS to locate the sample points in the field anlong the created route.  The points are not part of a network, just randomly generated locations on a patch of empty land.

Many thanks,

Ben

[JaySandhu]

You can do this with the Network Analyst extension of ArcMap. The Route solver with the option to reorder stops to find the optimal order will give you the best way to visit the stops. Since you do not have a network and it is an open area, then you will have to create a network to make the Network Analyst work. Use the fishnet tool (in ArcToolbox) to create an appropriate sized grid feature class to cover the area and then create a network dataset on it to use for routing.
I would suggest going through the Network Analyst Tutorials to get more familiar with these tools.
Regards,
Jay Sandhu

[DavidChevrier]

I know this is an old thread, but could you please elaborate on how to do this.  I'm running into a similar issue.