Esri ArcGIS Desktop Professional Certification Study Guide. Mike Flanagan

terrain dataset is a multiresolution, TIN-based surface that can be used to store your lidar data. Unlike LAS datasets, terrain datasets do not provide direct support for LAS files. Instead, a terrain resides in a geodatabase and is created as part of a feature dataset that includes one or more multipoint feature classes. Terrains are advantageous because they have no size limit and they can be given rules that drive their behavior. For example, you can specify the effect of participating features on surface definition or decide whether features will be visible at different map scales. Another strength of terrain datasets is that they give you the ability to integrate your 3D-based mass point observations with other data sources, such as 3D features captured using stereo photogrammetry. After your terrain datasets are created, you can use them to create contours, generate line-of-sight products, and create profile graphs.

      Prepare

      These topics in the documentation provide details about managing high-resolution point data.

      Gain a thorough understanding of these ArcGIS Pro Help topics:

       Help > Data > Data types > Lidar and LAS dataset >What is a LAS dataset?The LAS dataset layer in ArcGIS Pro

        Help > Data > Data types > Terrain datasets (and all subtopics)

      Gain a thorough understanding of these ArcMap Help topics:

        Manage Data > Data types > LAS dataset > What is a LAS dataset?

      Mosaic datasets

      ArcGIS allows you to organize, store, and manage raster data as a raster dataset, a mosaic dataset, or a raster catalog. Of these options, a mosaic dataset is the recommended data model for most use cases. Mosaic datasets are stored in geodatabases; they consist of a collection of raster datasets stored as a catalog; the participating raster datasets can be viewed as a single mosaicked image or as individual images. All mosaic dataset data is referenced from its original storage location, so data can remain in its original format and is not restricted by the different projections, resolutions, pixel depths, or numbers of bands that exist. Mosaic datasets support processing on the fly using raster functions and provide support for LAS datasets. Adding LAS datasets to your mosaic dataset allows you to use 3D Analyst tools, such as the Slope tool or the Viewshed tool, and gives you the ability to use your lidar data as a DEM.

      You can create mosaic datasets in ArcGIS using the Create Mosaic Dataset and Create Referenced Mosaic Dataset tools. The Create Mosaic Dataset tool allows you to add your own data and to modify data properties and functions on a per-raster basis. For example, you can use the product definition property to create custom product definitions that define the number of bands, band order, and wavelength ranges of imagery collected by various satellite imagery platforms. The Create Referenced Mosaic Dataset tool creates read-only mosaics that reference existing mosaic datasets or raster catalogs. After you have created a mosaic dataset, you can add rasters to it using the Add Rasters To Mosaic Dataset tool and specifying the Raster Type parameter. Doing so enables the software to recognize and define any processing that needs to be applied before you add the data to the mosaic dataset.

      Prepare

      These topics in the documentation provide details about mosaic datasets.

      Gain a thorough understanding of these ArcGIS Pro Help topics:

        Help > Data > Data types > Imagery and raster > Imagery and raster in ArcGIS Pro > Essential Esri imagery and raster terms

       Help > Data > Data types > Imagery and raster > Image management >Mosaic datasetsRaster products and raster types

       Help > Data > Data types > Imagery and raster > Multidimensional >An overview of multidimensional raster dataAn overview of multidimensional data in a mosaic dataset

        Help > Data > Data types > Imagery and raster > Workflows > Create a mosaic dataset

       Tool Reference > Tools > Data Management toolbox > Raster toolset > Mosaic Dataset toolset >Add Rasters To Mosaic DatasetCreate Mosaic DatasetCreate Referenced Mosaic Dataset

      Gain a thorough understanding of these ArcMap Help topics:

        Manage data > Data types > Raster and images > Introduction > Essential raster data vocabulary

        Manage data > Data types > Raster and images > Fundamentals of raster data > Raster data organization

        Manage data > Data types > Raster and images > Building and managing a raster database > Mosaic datasets > What is a mosaic dataset?

        Manage data > Data types > Raster and images > Supported raster data > Multidimensional raster types

        Manage data > Data types > Raster and images > Building and managing a raster database > Mosaic datasets > Using specific raster types > Multidimensional data in a mosaic dataset

       Tools > Tool reference > Data Management toolbox > Raster toolset > Mosaic Dataset toolset >Add Rasters To Mosaic DatasetCreate Mosaic DatasetCreate Referenced Mosaic Dataset

        Manage data > Data types > Raster and images > Displaying raster data > Working with the mosaic dataset layer > Changing the mosaic method when viewing the mosaic dataset

      Practice