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3.1 Add and Explore Raster Data
In the previous section, you worked with feature data, data displayed as discrete objects, or features. While feature data is great for depicting buildings, roads, or trees, it is not the best way to depict elevation over a continuous surface. To do that, you'll use raster data, which can demonstrate a continuous surface. Raster data is composed of pixels, each with its own value. Although it looks different from feature data, you add it to the map in the same way.
- If necessary, open the University Park Campus project in ArcGIS Pro.
- In the Map tab, in the Layer group, click the Add Data button.
- In the Add Data window, under My Computer, navigate to where you have saved the data. Double-click UP_BareEarth to add it to the map.
- In the Contents pane, uncheck the boxes next to all layers, leaving only UP_BareEarth, UP_Buildings, and the basemap visible.
The elevation unit is feet. Unlike the feature layer, which has shape geometry, raster layer use pixel matrices in which each pixel stores its own value. The layer resolution, the size of its pixels or cell size (x,y) is 2 by 2 square feet. The result, 4, means that each pixel represents an area of four square feet.
Credit: ChoroPhronesis Lab - In the Contents pane, click the arrow next to UP_BareEarth to view its symbology.
Instead of a single symbol, this layer has a color scheme for different values. The values represent elevation in feet. The elevation ranges from about 825 feet above sea level (black) to about eighteen hundred feet above sea level (white).
Credit: 2020 ArcGIS - On the Map tab, in the Navigate group, click Explore. Click anywhere on the raster to open a pop-up window.
Credit: 2021, ArcGISThe pop-up shows the Pixel Value, which indicates the actual value of a pixel. In this raster, it shows the elevation. In the above image, the selected pixel has an elevation of about 1159 feet above sea level.
- Close the pop-up.