Creating and adding military data to mosaic datasets
The workflow for creating mosaic datasets and adding data to them is the same for military raster data as it is for other types of raster data. However, you should consider the properties and concepts described in the sections below to help ensure you get the most out of storing and using military data in mosaic datasets. For details on using general data in mosaic datasets, see Workflows and tools to create and edit mosaic definitions.
Number of bands and pixel type
When you create a mosaic dataset using the Create Mosaic Dataset tool, you can specify values for the number of bands and pixel type (bit depth) the mosaic dataset will support. If you want to specify values for these optional properties, use the following table of recommended values. If you don't specify values, the Add Rasters To Mosaic Dataset tool assigns to the mosaic dataset the same properties as the first raster dataset added to the mosaic dataset.
Raster format | Recommended value for the number of bands property | Recommended value for the pixel type property |
|---|---|---|
CADRG/ECRG | 3 | 8_BIT_UNSIGNED |
CIB | 3 | 8_BIT_UNSIGNED |
DTED | 1 | 16_BIT_SIGNED |
Raster types
A raster type identifies metadata, such as georeferencing, acquisition date, and sensor type, along with a raster format. To support adding military data to mosaic datasets, ArcGIS includes raster types for CADRG/ECRG, CIB, DTED, and NITF data. When you add military raster data using the Add Rasters To Mosaic Dataset geoprocessing tool, select the appropriate military raster type (CADRG/ECRG, CIB, DTED, and NITF) from the Raster Type drop-down menu. Not only do these specific military raster types extract metadata information from the image and add it to the attribute table, but they also define update logic (used to determine which data gets overwritten) that is tailored to the nature of that particular type of raster data. For more information on the metadata, see Supported raster types. For more information on the logic, see Updating mosaic datasets containing military data.
Statistics and pyramids
- Calculating statistics on CADRG/ECRG, CIB, DTED, and NITF source data is recommended.
- Building pyramids on CADRG/ECRG, CIB, and DTED source data is not recommended. However, pyramids may be necessary on NITF data depending on the size of the image.
Calculating statistics and pyramids on source data can be performed prior to adding data to a mosaic dataset using the Build Pyramids And Statistics geoprocessing tool or can be calculated when the data is added to a mosaic dataset by checking the Build Raster Pyramids and Calculate Statistics check boxes on the Add Rasters To Mosaic Dataset geoprocessing tool.
Storing rasters with multiple resolutions
A mosaic dataset can store and manage multiple resolutions (pixel size) of data, and therefore, it is not necessary to create separate mosaic datasets to store each separate resolution. For example, each CIB product has a different resolution, but you can store all CIB products in a single mosaic dataset. It is advantageous to store all CIB products within a single mosaic dataset because you (or your users) have to access only one mosaic dataset.