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Batch Build Pyramids (Data Management Tools)

Summary

Builds pyramids for multiple raster datasets.

Usage

  • Building pyramids improves the display performance of raster datasets.

  • Batch building of pyramids is useful when you have a large directory of raster datasets that do not have pyramids.

  • Wavelet compressed raster datasets, such as ECW, JPEG2000, and MrSID, do not need to have pyramids built. These formats have internal pyramids that are created upon encoding.

  • Pyramids will not be built for raster datasets that have less than 1,024 pixels in the row or column. Pyramids are not needed since the raster dataset is small enough, and building pyramids will not help improve performance.

  • You can choose the compression type for your overview pyramid file using the raster storage environments. Compression will create a smaller .ovr file. The IMAGINE format and older versions of ArcGIS will create reduced-resolution dataset files (.rrd) when compression is not available.

  • The default pyramid compression will use the optimal compression type, depending on the data type. You can manually choose LZ77, JPEG, or no compression.

Parameters

Label Explanation Data type

Input Raster Datasets

The raster datasets for which raster pyramids will be built.

Each input should have more than 1,024 rows and 1,024 columns.

Raster Dataset

Pyramid levels

(Optional)

The number of reduced-resolution dataset layers that will be built. The default value is -1, which will build full pyramids. A value of 0 will result in no pyramid levels.

Long

Skip first level

(Optional)

Specifies whether the first pyramid level will be skipped. Skipping the first level will take up slightly less disk space but will slow down performance at these scales.

  • Checked—The first pyramid level will be skipped; it will not be built.

  • Unchecked—The first pyramid level will not be skipped; it will be built. This is the default.

Boolean

Pyramid resampling technique

(Optional)

Specifies the resampling technique that will be used to build the pyramids.

  • Nearest neighbor—The new value of a cell will be based on the closest cell when resampling. This is the default.

  • Bilinear—The new value of a cell will be based on a weighted distance average of the four nearest input cell centers.

  • Cubic—The new value of a cell will be determined by fitting a smooth curve through the 16 nearest input cell centers.

String

Pyramid compression type

(Optional)

Specifies the compression type that will be used when building the pyramids.

  • Default—If the source data is compressed using a wavelet compression, pyramids will be built with the JPEG compression type; otherwise, LZ77 will be used. This is the default.

  • LZ77 Compression—The LZ77 compression algorithm will be used to build the pyramids. LZ77 can be used for any data type.

  • JPEG—The JPEG compression algorithm will be used to build the pyramids. Only data that adheres to the JPEG compression specification can use this compression type. If JPEG is chosen, you can then set the compression quality.

  • None—No compression will be used when building pyramids.

String

Compression quality

(Optional)

The compression quality that will be used when pyramids are built with the JPEG compression type. The value must be between 0 and 100. The values closer to 100 will produce a higher-quality image, but the compression ratio will be lower.

Long

Skip Existing

(Optional)

Specifies whether pyramids will be built only if they do not exist or built even if they exist.

  • Checked—Pyramids will only be built if they do not exist; existing pyramids will be skipped.

  • Unchecked—Pyramids will be built even if they already exist; existing pyramids will be overwritten. This is the default.

Boolean

Derived output

Label Explanation Data type

Batch Build Pyramids Succeeded

Returns whether the tool was successful.

Boolean

Environments

Current Workspace, Pyramid, Scratch Workspace

Special cases

Pyramid

The pyramid level, pyramid compression, and resampling method does not apply to the IMG format.

Licensing information

  • Basic: Yes
  • Standard: Yes
  • Advanced: Yes