HOW TO

Aggregate certain bands of a raster layer in ArcGIS Pro

Last Published: July 19, 2024

Summary

A multiband raster is an image or data file with multiple bands representing different wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, such as red, green, blue, and near-infrared. Each raster band contains actual cell values. Although the bands are displayed together, it is necessary to extract one or a few specific bands to focus on the specific information represented by the bands. This article describes the workflow to aggregate certain bands of a raster layer to form a new feature using several tools in ArcGIS Pro.

Procedure

  1. Open the ArcGIS Pro project.
  2. Extract the desired bands from the raster layer using the Extract Bands functions tool.
    1. On the Imagery tab, click Raster Functions, and search for Extract Bands in the Find Raster Functions search box.
    2. In the Extract Bands Properties pane, for Raster, select the raster layer from the drop-down list.
    3. For Method, click the drop-down list, and select the method for extracting bands. In this example, Band IDs is selected.
    4. For Band, click the drop-down list, and select the band to extract. In this example, band 1 is selected.
    5. For Combination, remove the values.
    6. Click Create new layer.
    7. Repeat Steps 2b through 2f with different bands that must be extracted from the raster layer.
The Extract Bands Properties pane with the configured parameters
  1. Convert the extracted raster layers to polygon layers using the Raster to Polygon tool.
    1. On the Analysis tab, in the Geoprocessing group, click Tools.
    2. In the Geoprocessing pane, search for and click Raster to Polygon (Conversion Tools).
    3. In the Raster to Polygon pane, for Input Raster, click the drop-down list and select the raster layer.
    4. For Field, click the drop-down list and select the field that aligns with the Input Raster layer.
    5. For Output polygon features, specify a name and location.
    6. Click Run.
    7. Repeat Steps 3c through 3e with all the raster layers created in Step 2.
The Raster to Polygon pane with the configured parameters
  1. Use the Union tool to combine the polygon layers.
    1. In the Geoprocessing pane, search for and click Union (Analysis Tools).
    2. In the Union pane, for Input Features, click the drop-down list and select the polygon layers. In this example, 3 polygon layers created from 3 bands of the raster layer are selected.
    3. For Output Feature Class, specify a name and location.
    4. Uncheck the Gaps Allowed check box.
    5. Click Run.
The Union pane with configured parameters
  1. Aggregate the polygon layers created based on certain bands of the raster layer using the Dissolve tool.
    1. On the Analysis tab, in the Geoprocessing group, click Tools.
    2. In the Geoprocessing pane, search and select Dissolve (Data Management Tools).
    3. In the Dissolve pane, for Input Features, click the drop-down list and select the output layer created in Step 4.
    4. For Output Feature Class, specify a name and location.
    5. Uncheck the Create multipart features check box.
    6. Click Run.

The image below shows the aggregate polygon based on certain bands of the raster layer.

The map with the aggregate polygon from multiple bands of the raster layer

Article ID: 000033013

Software:
  • ArcGIS Pro 3 1
  • ArcGIS Pro 3 3
  • ArcGIS Pro 3 2

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