Modular build

[sixy6e]

Currently, GA-SaMMT isn't built as a Python module. Instead, the repository is copied locally, and then ArcMap is pointed to that directory location to import the toolbox.

This doesn't present a system whereby code can be deployed in the standard Python sense, ideally into explicit environments that can be instantiated from within an ArcMap session.
This would also promote more reuse for many of the helper utilities rather than replicating the code across each of the toolboxes, making it easier to test, debug, and manage.

It would also help simplify future additions or replacements of features with open-source alternatives, different methods, etc.

The following points present how one can use conda within ArcMap, and provide an example of a project set up for use within Arc as an Arc toolbox:

• What is conda?
• Clone an ArcPy environment
• Activate an environment
• Extending ArcMap through Python modules
• Distributing Python modules
• Additional language support