New on FME, need som help

Always break things down into the smallest steps possible. Then you can add those steps together, and find your solution. So basically:

• What is the question I need to answer?
• Which data do I need to answer that question?
• Does the data need preparing (like buffering, simplifying, reprojecting, stuff like that)?
• Can I get my answer in a single operation, or does it need more than one?
• How does the client want their answer?

Since you didn’t really describe what your problem is, I can’t go into much more detail than that. Based on this:

ensure the area is within the correct distance from both the sandy beach and a major road, while also being sufficiently far from buildings.

I’d say you can answer some of the points above as follows:

• What is the question I need to answer?
  Are my areas far enough away from beach, road and building?
• Which data do I need to answer that question?
  My areas, Road information, beach information, building information
• Does the data need preparing (like buffering, simplifying, reprojecting, stuff like that)?
  Yes: Buffer roads, beach and building.
• Can I get my answer in a single operation, or does it need more than one?
  Any area that does not fall in one of the three buffers, satisfies the question. So that can be a single operation: subtract all three types of buffer from my areas. Then you can use a Clipper, an AreaOnAreaOverlayer or a SpatialRelator to determine which bits satisfy that requierement.
• How does the client want their answer?
  Probably in a database, geopackage, shapefile, possibly something else like a pdf, excel, word document, web service. Post-processing might be needed. Same process applies: break it down into the smallest steps possible.

So look at your problem, break it down into the smallest steps possible, then try to get those steps working in FME. In the beginning it might help to actually write these steps down, until you get more experience.

HTH,

Stefan

Okey, thank you for the advices! 

I made myself unclear i imagine. My straight up question is when i have multiple streams of data (polygons) and i want to find out where they overlap and where they not overlap is not in my interest. Is AreaOnAreaOverlayer the way to go (like i did) or is there any better solution?

It depends on what you actually need. Do you need to retain the original polygons, with an added attribute that says whether it overlaps with one or more of the others, or do you need the remaining polygons where there is no overlap at all? In the first case you could use a SpatialFilter or a SpatialRelator for example.  A Clipper gives you the remaining polygons, as does the AreaOnAreaOverlayer, but with the Clipper it’s easier to disregard the bits you don’t want.

If you’re new, I’d experiment with the different options. That way you can easily figure out which one is the best for your requirement. I still do that myself: just try out different options to see which one works the best for me, and has the best performance. Since I don’t have your data, your requirements and your environment (and can’t look over your shoulder) it’s difficult to give more detailed guidance.