Edit rasters

The Rasters group on the Edit tab contains a set of tools used to interactively edit pixel values for raster data. It allows you to edit an individual pixel or a group of pixels at one time. The types of operations that you can perform depend on the data source type of your raster dataset.

The Raster tools in ArcGIS Drone2Map allow you to perform many editing tasks on your raster datasets, such as the following:

• Edit elevation data to fill voids, remove spikes, or remove holes.
• Use preset filters to smooth areas.
• Obscure or redact confidential pixels.
• Remove above ground features to create a bare earth elevation surface.

Note:

Only True Ortho, orthomosaic, DSM and DTM products can be edited using the pixel editing tools. All other raster datasets are not supported. See Drone2Map license levels for editing capabilities by license.

Use the Edit Rasters functions

The pixel editing tools in the Raster group can only edit one raster dataset at a time. To use the pixel editing tools in the current map view, click the Edit Rasters button on the Edit tab. Then select the raster type you want to edit from the available three options:

• True Ortho—Edit pixels on the True Ortho.
• Orthomosaic—Edit pixels on the Orthomosaic.
• DSM—Edit pixels for DSM elevation data.
• DTM—Edit pixels for DTM elevation data.

The pixel editor keeps its focus on the raster layer that was used to enable it. To edit another layer, click one of the other options available from the edit button if no edits have been made, or click the Stop Editing button to be prompted to save your edits. The Rasters group gives you access to all the available pixel editing tools you can use on that type of raster dataset. Some of the tools will open the Pixel Editor Operations pane, where you can perform tasks on the same region of pixels, or the same task on different activated regions of pixels. The type of raster data source determines which operations can be performed on your raster dataset.

You can perform edits to the selected raster type using the Operations tools. The Operations tools have parameters that you need to set to perform the operation. Once you set the parameters in these operations, click Apply to perform the edit.

The Region button drop-down menu includes various options to draw different shaped and sized regions. Regions will only perform edits when using operations. The region color picker allows you to choose the color that will be used to draw your region; keep in mind that the selected region will be highlighted in cyan. The Mode drop-down arrow allows you to create a region or edit an existing region. The Region drop-down arrow allows you to choose the tool to create or edit an area of interest. You can create as many regions as you want, and perform edits across multiple selected regions. The selected region is the area that is highlighted in cyan. Use Select to choose the region you want to work on. Use Clear Selection to unselect the region. Remove removes the currently selected region.

You can use the following four Region Mode options to help you create or edit your region:

• New —Use this mode to create a region.
• Add To —Use this mode to edit an existing region by adding to the selected region.
• Remove From —Use this mode to edit an existing region by removing some of the region.
• Intersect —Use this mode to create a region only where the regions all intersect.

There are four Region tools as follows:

• Rectangle —Draw a rectangle to create a region or edit an existing region.
• Polygon —Draw a polygon to create a region or edit an existing region.
• Lasso —Draw a free-form shape to create a region or edit an existing region.
• Circle —Draw a circle to create a region or edit an existing region.

The Operations drop-down menu provides you with the tools you can use to edit an area of interest interactively. The tools that are available depend on the data source type you are editing. Imagery, such as an orthomosaic, will have different operations than elevation data. The Operations based on data type are explained in the following tables:

True Ortho & Orthomosaic operations

Operation	Description
Pixelate	Obscure the region by resampling the region to an exaggerated pixel size. The Factor option allows you to set the level of resampling to perform, in which higher values create more pixelation. Check the Sharpen check box to sharpen the image that has been obscured. This will make the region less noticeably obscured.
Blur	Obscure the selected region with a blurred effect. Blur can also be used to smooth a noisy area. The Factor option allows you to set the level of blurring to perform, in which higher values result in more blurring. Check the Sharpen check box to sharpen the image that has been obscured. This will make the region less noticeably obscured.
Redact	Cut out the selected region.

Elevation surface operations

Operation or filter	Description
Set Average	Set the selected region to its computed average elevation.
Set Constant	Set the selected region to a constant elevation. Specify the Value to apply to the region.
Average Filter	Use an average filter on the selected region. This smooths the elevation values within the region. The Filter Size option allows you to choose the size of your filter window while performing the operation. A filter size of 8 means you are using an 8 by 8 filter window. Larger values result in more smoothing.
Median Filter	Use a median filter on the selected region. The Filter Size option allows you to choose the size of your filter window while performing the operation. A filter size of 8 means you are using an 8 by 8 filter window. Larger values result in more smoothing.
Constrained Filter	Use a constrained filter that has a threshold on the maximum a value can change within the selected region. The Filter Size option allows you to choose the size of your filter window while performing the operation. A filter size of 8 means you are using an 8 by 8 filter window. Larger values result in more smoothing. The Threshold is the maximum value that the pixel can change. If the change is larger than the threshold, the original pixel value remains unchanged.
Terrain Filter	Remove aboveground structures in a DSM while preserving natural slopes in the selected region. Three methods are used for detecting ground points: Standard—This method has a tolerance for slope variation that allows it to capture gradual undulations in the ground's topography that are typically missed by the Conservative option but does not capture the type of sharp reliefs that are captured by the Aggressive option. This is the default. Conservative—When compared to other options, this method employs a tighter restriction on the variation of the ground's slope, allowing it to differentiate the ground from low-lying vegetation such as grass and shrubbery. It is best suited for flat topography. Aggressive—This method detects ground areas with sharper reliefs, such as ridges and hilltops, that may be ignored by the standard method. Avoid using this method in urban areas or flat, rural areas, as it may result in the misclassification of taller objects—such as utility towers, vegetation, and portions of buildings—as ground.
Fill Voids	Create pixels where NoData voids exist in your elevation dataset. Voids are often caused by water bodies, insufficient stereo overlap, class type selection, or exclusion. Void filling is most commonly performed when generating a ground surface. Fill Method allows you to choose the maximum width of a void to fill. Fill All—All the voids will be filled, regardless of the void's width. This is the default. None—None of the voids will be filled. Small voids can still be filled using the Short Range IDW parameter. Maximum Void Size—The maximum void width value is used to specify the largest size void you want to fill. If the width or height of the bounding box around the void is larger than the maximum void width value, the void is not filled. The units of this parameter are the same as the units used in your data's spatial reference system. Check the Short Range IDW check box to fill small voids using the inverse distance weight (IDW) algorithm. If you turn on this parameter, you must specify the maximum Search Radius that will be used for void filling. A void that is farther away from any valid pixel than this threshold value remains a void. The units of this parameter are the same as the units used in your data's spatial reference system.
Interpolate from Vertices	Use values from the vertices of your selected region to interpolate the surface. This can be used to remove nonground features or fill NoData gaps. There are four Interpolation Methods for this function: Nearest Neighbor—Calculate pixel value using the nearest pixel. Linear Tinning—Use a triangulated irregular network from the center points of each pixel in the irregular raster to interpolate a surface that is then converted to a raster having a regular pixel grid. Natural Neighbor—Find the closest subset of input samples to a query point and weights them appropriately to compute an interpolated value. Inverse Distance Weighting—Determine pixel values using a linearly weighted combination of a set of sample points or pixels. The weight is a function of the inverse of the distance from the known points or pixels. If you select the Blend check box, the result of the operation buffers the region and interpolates the buffered area so that the result looks seamless. The Blend Width text box allows you to specify the number of pixels to use in the blending interpolation. The blending uses the same interpolation method that was specified for the operation.
Interpolate from Edges	Use values from the edges of your selected region to interpolate the surface. This can be used to remove nonground features or fill NoData gaps. There are four Interpolation Methods for this function: Nearest Neighbor—Calculate pixel value using the nearest pixel. Linear Tinning—Use a triangulated irregular network from the center points of each pixel in the irregular raster to interpolate a surface that is then converted to a raster having a regular pixel grid. Natural Neighbor—Find the closest subset of input samples to a query point and weights them appropriately to compute an interpolated value. Inverse Distance Weighting—Determine pixel values using a linearly weighted combination of a set of sample points or pixels. The weight is a function of the inverse of the distance from the known points or pixels. If you select the Blend check box, the result of the operation buffers the region and interpolates the buffered area so that the result looks seamless. The Blend Width text box allows you to specify the number of pixels to use in the blending interpolation. The blending uses the same interpolation method that was specified for the operation.

The Save group gives you the option to save or discard your edits. The Discard button will undo all of the edits that you performed and are not committed yet. The Save button allows you to commit your edits to the current layer that you are editing. The Save as New button allows you to save your edits to a new raster dataset. This is helpful if you do not want to overwrite your source data, or your data source is a format that is not writable.