About adding raster data to an image service definition

Rasters are digital aerial photographs, imagery from satellites, digital pictures, or even scanned maps.

In its simplest form, a raster is a spatial data model that defines space as an array of equally sized cells arranged in rows and columns. Each cell contains a value representing information, such as color, elevation, or temperature, and each cell has location coordinates.

You can add many types of rasters to an image service definition. See Supported raster data file types to learn about the specific types of rasters ArcGIS Image Server can read. Additionally, the open architecture of ArcGIS Image Server enables advanced users to define their own or customize raster types.

When you add raster data to an image service definition, a dialog box appears that enables you to select the type of raster to be added. There are three main folders that group the raster types:

• Georeferenced Imagery—This contains raster types that add georeferenced raster data, such as orthorectified imagery or scanned and georeferenced maps.

  Learn about adding georeferenced raster types

• Orthorectification—This contains raster types that add nongeoreferenced imagery and utilizes the metadata information that defines how the raster data should be orthorectified.

  Learn about adding orthorectified raster types

• Elevation—This contains raster types that add rasters containing elevation values.

  Learn about adding elevation raster types

There are two other raster types not organized into folders:

• ArcGIS Raster Datasets—Used to load raster types that are not listed specifically in the raster type folders but are supported by ArcGIS.

  Learn about adding ArcGIS raster types

• ArcSDE Raster Datasets—Used to load raster data stored in an ArcSDE geodatabase. You can add this data by making the ArcSDE database connection either first in ArcCatalog or via the Select Files dialog box.

  Learn about adding an ArcSDE raster dataset to an image service definition

• Raster Process Definition files—Used to add existing raster process definitions that may have been created by a different image service definition or by applications or organizations that directly support the generation of ArcGIS Image Server raster process definitions.

  Learn about adding .RPDef files

Rasters can be added to an image service definition two ways. From the Image Service Definition Editor toolbar > Image Service drop-down menu, you can add raster data using the Add Data wizard or by clicking Advanced and choosing Add Raster Dataset.

When adding rasters, you can point to a specific raster or to a directory of rasters. If you are adding rasters organized in folders within a directory, you can choose to search those folders recursively within that directory. There are specific dialog boxes for each raster type that will be opened depending on the information that can be extracted from the metadata available with the raster. For example, when adding a TIFF using the Advanced option, you will see a dialog box asking if you want to look for world files; however, when adding Landsat data, you will be asked to identify the order of the bands and if you want the output to be pan sharpened.

Some raster datasets, such as some TIFF files or MrSID files, contain internal overviews. When you add this data through the wizards, the internal overviews will be added. When you add this data through the Add Raster Dataset dialog box, you can add the internal overviews by checking the Include Internal Overviews option. Using the internal overviews will reduce the number of service overviews that may need to be created. Additionally, if ArcGIS Desktop has generated pyramids for a raster dataset (also known as reduced resolution datasets, stored next to the raster dataset with a .rrd extension), these will be used.

When you add a raster to an image service definition, the footprint is generated and the path, name, and key attributes of each raster are stored in the service table. To make use of the extensive features of ArcGIS Image Server, information may need to be stored along with each raster. This can include extensive metadata about the raster, details of extended georeferencing, processing parameters, and raster seamlines. This information is stored in an .RPDef file. While adding rasters to an image service definition, the .RPDef file is created and stored with the image service definition (.ISDef) file. Additional processing parameters and metadata for a raster can also be defined and saved in the existing .RPDef file.