Raster analysis on Portal for ArcGIS

What is raster analysis on portal?

Portal for ArcGIS has been enhanced with the ability to perform distributed server based processing on imagery and raster data. This technology enables you to boost the performance of raster processing by processing data in a distributed fashion, even at full resolution and full extent.

You can use the processing capabilities of ArcGIS AllSource to define the processing to be applied to raster data and perform processing in a distributed fashion using their on premise portal. The results of this processing can be accessed in the form of a web imagery layer that is hosted in their ArcGIS Organization.

For more information about raster analysis on your portal, see Perform raster analysis.

Using portal to perform raster analysis

To use portal to perform your raster analysis, first you need to set up your portal. Then you can use your portal to leverage the processing power on your raster analysis tools.

Set up ArcGIS AllSource to use raster analysis on the portal

To perform your distributed raster analysis tools, you need to set up your portal.

1. Set up the portal by following the instructions in Configure the portal to perform raster analysis.
2. In ArcGIS AllSource, add your portal connection.
3. Set it as the active portal.
4. Sign into Portal for ArcGIS with an account that has publishing privileges.

Using the raster functions with raster analysis on Portal for ArcGIS

Once your portal has been set up, you can now use your raster analysis tools to leverage the distributed processing of your portal.

1. In the Raster Functions pane, open a raster function by clicking on it.
2. Select the input you want to process, either from the layer drop-down list or using the Browse button. Make sure to select an input that the portal has access to. It is important to choose the correct layer to avoid accidentally engaging the portal for processes which may take hours to complete.
3. At the bottom of the Raster Functions pane you will see you will see an option for Output Layer Type. The options here are Raster Layer or Web Image Layer. Select Web Image Layer to leverage your portal in the analysis.
4. Next, you need to create the metadata for the output. You will need to name the output, give a description and add tags. Under Sharing Options, set the users that will have permission to view the output.
5. Optionally, you may specify the raster analysis settings for each portal job on the Settings tab of the Output Generation page. These settings control the your job, such as defining the geographic processing extent, coordinate system for all outputs, or the cell size of output web image layers.
6. When you are finished, click Run. The Raster Analysis Jobs section comes up in the Raster Functions pane, which gives you details and messages about the Job you just submitted. The Messages section shows you messages about the job.
7. Once the processing is successfully completed, the output name changes to a link that will add the output to the map. The output will also appear as an item in the organizations you checked under Sharing Options.

Calculate slope on a DEM using raster analysis

This workflow shows you how to use the distributed raster analysis tools in ArcGIS AllSource to calculate slope on a digital elevation model (DEM). This will show you how to use raster functions to process data in a distributed fashion.

1. Open ArcGIS AllSource and create a new project
2. On the Insert tab, create a New Map.
3. Add the digital elevation model you want to analyze to the map. Make sure the portal you are going to use has access to the image.
4. On the Analysis tab, click on Raster Analysis.
5. In the Raster Analysis Tools gallery, click on Raster Functions. This opens the Raster Functions pane.
6. On the Raster Functions pane, click on the System tab and search for Slope.
7. Click on the Slope function to open it.
8. For the DEM parameter, use the drop-down list to select the DEM layer you added to the map.
9. In the Output Layer Type drop-down list, pick Web Image Layer.
10. Click Next to proceed to the Output Generation page.
11. On the Output Generation page, pick a name and location for your Output Raster. The default location is the root folder for your portal.
12. Enter a description and tags for the output web image layer item.
13. Under Sharing Options, pick who can view this item.
14. Click Run.
15. The Raster Analysis jobs section pops up in the Raster Functions pane, providing you with details and messages about the job you just submitted.
16. Once the job is successfully completed, the Output changes to a link. Click on the link to add your output to the map.