Using (consuming) an image service

You can access an image service the same way you would any other service by first connecting to GIS Server, then choosing the image service that is available.

Learn more about adding an image service layer to ArcMap

Layer properties for raster dataset sources

The image service layer has properties, similar to any other layer in ArcGIS. Like a raster dataset layer's properties dialog box, the Image Service Layer Properties dialog box contains the General, Source, Extent, Display, and Symbology tabs. The General, Source, Extent, and Display tabs are similar to the raster dataset layer and other layers; however, the Display tab has an additional option to control the compression of the transmitted image service. This transmission compression can be preset in an image service definition; however, the user always has the ability to change this. A highly compressed image is transmitted faster than an uncompressed image, but the image quality may not be as good. The Symbology tab is similar to the raster dataset layer; however, the user only has the option to change the renderer to either the RGB or Stretched renderer. Here the user can change the renderer, change the stretch applied to the histogram, and alter the background color and NoData representation.

Additional layer properties for the ArcGIS Image Server source

When the image service is created from a mosaic dataset (not a single raster dataset), additional layer properties are presented on several other tabs, including the Mosaic, Selection, Fields, Definition Query, Status, and Time tabs.

• The Mosaic tab is available when the source of an image service is a mosaic dataset (not a single raster dataset). The mosaicked image displayed from an image service can be created from a number of input rasters. The mosaic method defines how the mosaic is created from different rasters, such as By Attribute where a field containing values is use to sort the images, or Closest to Center, where the image closest to the center of the display is on top. The mosaic operator allows you to define how to resolve the overlapping cells, such as choosing a blending operation.

• The Fields tab displays the attribute fields that are transmitted with the image service. This tab is present when the image service contains multiple images and fields that can be queried. You can modify the fields by defining an alias for the field name. You can also choose to not display fields or to reorder how they will appear in the attribute table.

• The Definition Query tab allows you to build a query to define a subset of raster dataset that will be displayed in the image service. This tab is present when the image service contains multiple images and fields that can be queried. You can use the Query Builder to build a query using a Structured Query Language (SQL) expression.
  Note:

  If your image disappears after you define a query, this is because the queried image doesn't display a the current scale. If you zoom in or out to the to change the scale the image should display.

• The Status tab allows you to examine the specific information about the image returned by the image service. This information includes the extent, the number of rows and columns of the image, the number of bands, a bit depth, and the size of the transmitted data. This tab is present when the image service contains multiple images.

• There are only a few cases where there will be a Metadata tab. Generally, you will access information about an image service metadata by right-clicking the image service layer in the table of contents and clicking Data > View Metadata. Optionally, if the image service is created from a mosaic definition you can open the attribute table and view the metadata for the individual raster datasets within the image service.