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Import

Import Map

Import General Raster

Import Table Wizard

Select a file:

Select the file that you wish to import.

Import format:

  Use General Raster Import

When you select another Import format, please refer to the other Import topics in the Help; you can click one of the links in the header of this topic.

Output file name:

Type a name for the output ILWIS raster map or the map list. Do not specify an extension for the ILWIS object; ILWIS will add its own extensions.

Directories:

If necessary, change the current directory.

Drives:

If necessary, change the current drive.

Header size:

Type a value for the number of bytes of the header. Before starting to read the pixel values, the program will skip this specified number of bytes that are supposed to be the header.

If the header size is unknown, specify 0 as size. After conversion, study the image on the screen. Count the numbers of pixels on the first line that have a signature which is different from the rest of the image: this is probably the header. The number of pixels corresponds to the header size.

Number of bands:

Type a value for the number of bands that are stored in the file.

Number of columns:

Type a value for the number of columns that should appear in the raster map. If the number of columns of the image is unknown, specify, for a byte map, the square root of the number of bytes the image occupies, or a round value there about. This assumes that the image is square. If the image is an integer image (i.e. 2 bytes are used to store one pixel value), the value should be the square root of half the number of bytes. Still, this is likely to yield a distorted image. If the image shows a certain left skewness, the specified number of columns is probably too large. Try again with a smaller number of columns. If the image is skewed to the right, try the other way around.

Pixel structure:

Specify the type of values that are stored per pixel.

Bit:

Interpret each bit in the input file as an output pixel value. Each output pixel value will have either value 0 (False) or 1 (True). Bit maps are useful to store simple maps, for instance maps indicating occurrences of any item, a condition being fulfilled (yes or no, true or false, occurrence or no occurrence).

Byte:

Interpret each byte (8 bits) in the input file as an output pixel value. The output pixel values will range from 0 to 255.

Integer numbers:

Interpret each 1, 2, or 4 bytes in the input file as an output pixel value and consider this value as a whole value.

Floating point numbers (IEEE):

Interpret each 4 bytes (floats) or 8 bytes (doubles) in the input file as an output pixel value and consider this value as a floating point value according to the IEEE standard.

Number of bytes per pixel:

Select how many bytes per pixel are used in the input file to store the values in the map.

High Endian Byte Order:

In case of using 2, 4 or 8 bytes per pixel: select this check box, when the input file is using Motorola type ordering (highest byte first) instead of Intel. You should select High Endian Byte Order when the input file was for instance created on a Unix or Apple system.

Clear this check box when the file uses the Intel byte order.

File structure:

In case the input file stores multiple bands, select how the values of the bands are stored:

Band Interleaved (BIL):

The input file stores lines of different bands one after the other; i.e. after a possible header, the input file contains the first line of the first band, followed by the first line of the second band, etc.

Band Sequential (BSQ):

The input file stores entire bands one after the other; i.e. after a possible header, the input file contains the entire first band, followed by the entire second band, etc.

Pixel Interleaved (BIP):

The input file stores pixels of different bands one after the other; i.e. after a possible header, the input file contains the first pixel of the first band, followed by the first pixel of the second band, etc.

Use data file in original format:

Select this option to only create the object definition files in ILWIS storing information on the size of the map, the kind of values in the map, etc. while the original data file(s) will be used to display and calculate with the maps.

• When importing a file that contains a single band (Number of Bands = 1),

an object definition file for a raster map (.MPR) will be created.

• When importing a file that contains multiple bands (Number of Bands >= 2),

an object definition file for a map list (.MPL) will be created;

depending on the check box Create Separate Maps, also object definition files for the raster maps (.MPR) may be created.

Create separate maps:

When importing a file containing multiple bands:

• select this check box to obtain besides the map list (.MPL) also separate raster maps (.MPR).
• clear this check box to obtain only a map list (.MPL); the original data will be used for the raster maps in the map list. It is advised to clear the check box when your map list contains very many raster maps.

Convert to ILWIS data format:

Select this option to create the object definition files as well as data files that actually store the values of the map(s).

• When importing a file containing a single band (Number of Bands = 1),

an object definition file for a raster map (.MPR) and a data file for a raster map (.MP#) will be created.

• When importing a file containing multiple bands (Number of Bands >= 2),

an object definition file for a map list (.MPL), object definition files for the raster maps (.MPR) in the map list, and data files for the raster maps (.MP#) will be created.

Output name:

Accept the name for the output ILWIS 3 object(s) or type the desired output object name yourself. The name you type here will have precedence over the output file name typed before in the Import dialog box.

• When importing only one raster map (Number of Bands = 1, Use As, or Convert):

the output raster map will have the specified output name.

• When importing only a map list map (Number of Bands >= 2, Use As, No separate maps):

the output map list will have the specified output name. The bands in the map list will be automatically called 'band 1', 'band 2', etc. You can calculate with the bands by addressing them as maplistname:bandnumber as for instance in OUT = MyMapList:1 + MyMapList:2

• When importing a map list map and creating separate raster maps (Number of Bands >= 2, Use As & Separate maps, or Convert):

the output map list will have the specified output name, the output raster maps will have the specified output name directly followed by a band number, for instance as Out1, Out2, etc.

Description:

Optionally, type a description for the output raster map or the output map list.

Use As
no separate maps

Use As
separate maps

Convert

Nr of Bands = 1

single raster map output.MPR

-

single raster map output.MPR

single data file output.MP#

Nr of Bands >= 2

single map list output.MPL

virtual raster maps in map list as output:nr

single map list output.MPL

multiple raster maps outputnr.MPR

single map list output.MPL

multiple raster maps outputnr.MPR

multiple raster data files outputnr.MP#