I am currently working in Arc 10.1 with a grid of equally spaced polygons (created with the Grid Index Features tool). I've then broken this grid into 4 different layers, based on the number of points (form a different layer) that fall into each polygon of the grid.
This has created four patchworks, with a good deal of white space between polygons on the same layer.
What I would like to be able to do is take all the polygons in one layer and collapse them together to eliminate the white space.
Ideally, I would also like to be able to reverse the process after I've run some analyses.
I have included some images to help illustrate what I'm talking about. (Note I don't have enough reputation to link to the larger versions of the pictures individually, but you can view a gallery of them here:
1: I have a grid of evenly spaced polygons
2: I have separated it out into four different polygon layers
3: I am working with each layer separately
4: I want to move the existing polygons on that layer alone to eliminate the empty space
5: When the empty space is eliminated, all the polygons on the layer should make a single, solid mass
6: Reversing the process would ideally return the polygons to their original orientation