Imagery Analysis in ArcGIS Pro - Class Resources (ArcGIS Pro 3.7)

MiriamSchmidts

Transform pixels into information. This course is for GIS professionals and imagery analysts in the private sector and civilian government agencies who need to extract meaningful information from satellite imagery, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-collected data, and other imagery formats. Workflows and considerations to display, process, and create derived raster products using ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Image Analyst are covered. You'll explore common imagery applications, including disaster recovery, damage assessment, and forest canopy assessment.

View course page on Esri Academy

  

Resources:

Lesson 1:  Raster Functions in ArcGIS Pro

• What are Raster Functions?
  • Web Course: Processing Raster Data Using ArcGIS Pro This web course teaches on-the-fly processing of rasters and imagery using raster functions and raster function chains.
• Raster Functions and Geoprocessing tools:
  • Video: Raster Processing Using Functions & Geoprocessing tools
• Types of Raster functions
  • Help topic: Raster Functions This help topic explains what raster functions are and defines local, global and custom functions.
• Using Raster Functions
  • Help topic: Raster Functions pane This help topic provides guidance on finding and using raster functions.
  • Help topic: Raster Function History This help topic may be helpful for troubleshooting during the exercise.
  • Help topic: List of Raster Functions  This help topic provides descriptions of each of the system raster functions.

 

Lesson 2:  Raster Function Templates

• Raster Function template components
  • Video: Raster Functions: Save time by Creating a Template This video describes how to create and apply raster function templates in ArcGIS Pro to save time and processing.
  • Help topic: Raster function template This help topic provides a step by step description of how to create a raster function template.
  • Web course: Processing Raster Data Using ArcGIS Pro This course teaches you to use efficient solutions to process raster data, allowing you to extract useful information products on the fly using raster functions in ArcGIS Pro.
  • Help topic: Custom Raster Functions This help topic introduces the user to creating their own raster function templates in Python
• Sharing Raster Function Templates:
  • Help topic: Raster analysis in Portal for ArcGIS This help topic talks about how to set up ArcGIS Pro to perform raster analysis in a portal and how to use raster functions with raster analysis in the portal.
  • Help topic: Configure an image service This help topic explains how to publish and configure an image service. The Processing templates row in the table talks about adding a raster function template at the time of publishing.
• Raster Functions in Raster products
  • Help topic: Raster Products and raster types This Help topic provides background about Raster Products and contrasts them with Raster Types, which might help with any confusion between the two terms.
• Raster functions in Geoprocessing tools
  • Help topic: Generate Raster From Raster Function (Data Management) This geoprocessing tool generates a raster dataset from an input raster function or function chain.

 

Lesson 3:  Change detection using raster functions

• Types of Change Detection
  • Help Topic:  Detect categorical change
  • Help Topic: Detect pixel value change
  • Help Topic: Time series change detection
  • Web Course: Change Detection Using Imagery This web course provides examples of change detection workflows starting out with visual change detection and then going into quantifying change using different band combinations and indices.
  • ArcGIS Blog: Change Detection of Time Series Imagery This blog introduces two powerful algorithms—Continuous Change Detection and Classification (CCDC) and LandTrendr—for analyzing pixel-level changes over time in satellite imagery. 

• Change detection workflow:

  • Video: Chapter 20 Change Detection Using Landsat Imagery This video demonstrates change detection using raster functions
  • ArcGIS Blog: The Art and Science of Imagery Change Detection Slightly older article, but still useful for providing background and examples.
  • Tutorial: Monitor forest change over time This tutorial uses tools based on the LandTrendr algorithm (Landsat-based detection of Trends in Disturbance and Recovery) to better understand the spatial and temporal patterns of timber harvest and detect other potential disturbances.
• Preprocessing rasters for change detection
  • Help topic: Resample function The Resample function changes the raster pixel size using different resampling methods.
  • Help topic: Extract Band function The Extract band function allows to extract or reorder one or more bands from a multiband dataset.
  • Help topic: Clip function The Clip function will extract a portion of a raster dataset based on a template extent. The clip output includes any pixels that intersect the template extent.
  • Help topic: Apparent reflectance function The Apparent Reflectance function is used to adjust reflectance, or brightness, values of some satellite imagery based on the scene illumination and sensor-gain settings. 
  • Help topic: Indices gallery Image indices are images that are computed from multiband images. The images emphasize a specific phenomenon that is present, while mitigating other factors that degrade the effects in the image. One of the common ways that these indices are used is for comparison of the same object across multiple images over time. 
• Calculate Change
  • Help Topic: Change Detection Wizard The Change Detection Wizard provides a step-by-step workflow to find categorical, pixel value, and time series change. 
  • Help Topic: Minus function The Minus function subtracts the value of the second input raster from the value of the first input raster on a pixel-by-pixel basis.
  • Help Topic: Compute Change function The Compute Change function can be used to enumerate the differences between two classified rasters for land cover change analysis, or it can be used to examine changes between two single-band continuous rasters such as elevation, temperature, canopy cover, and so on.

 

 Lesson 4:  Image classification techniques

• Defining image classification

  • Web Course: Introduction to Image Classification This course introduces options for creating thematic classified rasters in ArcGIS

• Describing image classification outputs

  • The ArcGIS Imagery Book, by Clint Brown and Christian Harder, Chapter 5: Turning Imagery into Information
• Image Classification types and methods
  • Help topic: Overview of image classification  This help topic provides concise descriptions of commonly used image classification terms and tools, and discusses supervised vs. unsupervised classification and the object-based vs pixel-based approaches.
  • GISGeography Article: Image Classification Techniques in Remote Sensing This article provides a discussion of different image classification techniques, as well as some background on the timeline of when they were developed.
  • USGS website: National Land Cover Database This website provides an overview and description of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) and their landcover categories.
  • Video: Intro to Image Segmentation, Classification and Machine Learning
  • Help topic: List of ArcGIS Image Analyst extension raster functions This help topic provides a starting point for studying the Classification functions, especially Classify.

 

Lesson 5:  Classification workflows

• Image classification workflows
  • Tutorial: Calculate Impervious Surfaces from Spectral Imagery
  • Video: Image Classification Demo Image Classification Demo from Imagery Webinar held by Esri Industries
  • Help topic: An Overview of the Classification and Pattern Recognition toolset  The Classification and Pattern Recognition toolset contains tools for performing classification and regression analysis workflows, including accuracy assessment.
  • Web Course: Performing Unsupervised Pixel based Image Classification This course introduces the unsupervised pixel-based image classification technique for creating thematic classified rasters in ArcGIS.
• Classifying a raster with the Image classification wizard
  • Help topic: The Image Classification Wizard This help topic provides an overview of the Image Classification wizard 
  • Video: ArcGIS Pro: Image Segmentation, Classification, and Machine Learning  This Esri events session demonstrates workflows using the Image Analyst extension, including classification wizard and  deep learning capabilities. 

 

 

Lesson 6:  Segmentation

• Help topic: Understanding segmentation and classification This is the main help topic to study to understand segmentation. It also includes references to the related scientific publications used for implementing the segment mean shift algorithm.
• Help topic: Segmentation This Help topic provides an explanation of the different parameters in the segment mean shift tool
• Technical Workshop presentation: Image Segmentation and Classification
• Technical Workshop presentation: Image Segmentation, Classification, and Machine Learning
• Science Direct: Object based image analysis for remote sensing by T. Blaschke This article provides a scientific background for the object-based classification approach.
• ArcGIS Blog: Impervious Surface Mapping using ArcGIS Pro - Part 1: Georeferencing  This blog article introduces a workflow for mapping impervious surfaces using ArcGIS Pro 1.4, beginning with the georeferencing of scanned historical maps. It emphasizes the importance of aligning imagery accurately to real-world coordinates as a foundational step before performing classification and analysis in subsequent parts of the series.
• ArcGIS Blog: Impervious Surface Mapping using ArcGIS Pro - Part 2: Classification This blog article walks through a supervised object-oriented classification workflow using ArcGIS Pro’s Image Classification Wizard to distinguish impervious and pervious surfaces. It details steps from configuring segmentation and collecting training samples to training with Random Trees, merging classes, and refining results for stormwater management applications.
• Video: ArcGIS Impervious Surface Demo This demo will show how to extract impervious surface features from multispectral imagery and then compute the total square footage of impervious feature per parcel. Many local government institutions use impervious surfaces to calculate the storm water bill for a property.

 

Lesson 7:  Training the Classifier

• Help topic: Classify This help topic provides an overview of the Classifiers available for image classification. 
• Help topic: The Train ISO Cluster Classifier This help topic provides a discussion of the Train ISO Cluster Classifier geoprocessing tool and its parameters.
• Help topic: The Train Maximum Likelihood Classifier This help topic provides a discussion of the Train Maximum Likelihood Classifier geoprocessing tool and its parameters.
• Help topic: The Train Random Trees Classifier This help topic provides a discussion of the Train Random Trees geoprocessing tool and its parameters.
• Help topic: The Train Support Vector Machine classifier This help topic provides a discussion of the Train Support Vector Machine geoprocessing tool and its parameters.
• ArcGIS Blog: Raster Image Processing Tips and Tricks — Part 4: Image Classification This blog article provides practical tips for approaching image classification.
• ArcGIS Blog: Spectral Profiles: Improve Classification Before you click Run. This article provides background information about using ArcGIS Pro charting functionality to create spectral profiles of the training samples, to check and ultimately improve the quality of the training samples. Although not directly part of the class, this is useful background information.
• Web Course: Performing supervised pixel-based image classification This course introduces the supervised pixel-based image classification technique for creating thematic classified rasters in ArcGIS.
• Web Course: Performing supervised object-based image classification In this web course, you will learn about the workflow to use supervised object-based image classification, and you will understand the limitations and benefits of the technique.

 

Lesson 8:  Classification evaluation

• Pixel Editor
  • Help topic: Pixel Editor in ArcGIS Pro This help topic gives you a broad overview of pixel editor functionality.
  • Help topic: Editing thematic and classified pixels This is the help topic used in the activity. It describes the specific pixel editor operations
• Accuracy Assessment
  • Help topic: Accuracy Assessment This help topic describes the accuracy assessment workflow and helps understanding the results. 
  • Help topic: Create Accuracy Assessment Points This help topic describes the parameters of the Create Accuracy Assessment Points tool used in the exercise.
  • Help topic: Update Accuracy Assessment Points This help topic describes the Update Accuracy Assessment Points tool, in case students ask if they can use their own accuracy assessment points.
  • Help topic: Compute Confusion Matrix This help topic describes the parameters of the Compute Confusion Matrix tool used in the exercise.
  • ArcGIS blog: Thematic accuracy assessment of the 2011 National Land Cover Database (NLCD)

 

Lesson 9:  Raster analysis with deep learning

• Model Inferencing in ArcGIS Pro 

  • Help topic - Deep Learning models This help topic provides an overview of the deep learning model types available in ArcGIS Pro.
  • Help topic - Introduction to deep learning
  • ArcGIS blog - Deep Learning with ArcGIS Pro Tips & Tricks: Part 1
  • ArcGIS blog - Deep Learning with ArcGIS Pro Tips & Tricks: Part 2
  • ArcGIS blog: Performing Feature Extraction & Classification Using Deep Learning with ArcGIS Pro This blog article outlines a complete workflow for using ArcGIS Pro to automate image analysis tasks such as object detection and classification, specifically demonstrated through identifying adult and calf caribou in aerial imagery. 
  • ArcGIS blog: Pretrained Models in ArcGIS: Comparing Task-Specific and Generalized Vision-Language models  This blog article compares task-specific and generalized vision-language models in ArcGIS, explaining when to use each based on accuracy, flexibility, and imagery type.

 

Additional Web Based and Instructor-Led Training

• Explore our Courses - Search for and enroll in a variety of Esri Training learning formats such as Instructor Led, Web Learning, Seminars, MOOC's and more.
• ArcGIS Tutorials - Guided lessons based on real-world problems.

 

Technology Resources 

• ArcGIS blog: What's New for Spatial Analyst in ArcGIS Pro 3.5
• ArcGIS blog: What's new for GeoAI in the ArcGIS Pro 3.5 Image Analyst extension
• ArcGIS blog: What's new in imagery in ArcGIS Online (October 2025)