ABSTRACT
A raster is a data model representing geographic phenomena by pixels, and can be created using a variety of devices and techniques, such as digital cameras, scanners, coordinate-measuring machines, seismographic profiling, and airborne radar. This chapter introduces the raster concept, major categories of raster data, and how these data are displayed and stored in a computer. Basic raster data conversion and analysis methods are explored using three hands-on ArcGIS experiences. A raster dataset represents geographic features in a 2D grid of cells known as picture elements. The chapter also introduces raster data processing algorithms and demonstrates them in ArcGIS using Arcpy programming. It explains raster data structure, color representation, raster data storage, raster data compression, raster data formats, raster analysis, and hands-on experience with arcpy. Descriptive operations can also be used to conduct raster analysis. The chapter explores several raster data analyses that are conducted frequently, including reclassification, overlay, and descriptive operations.
