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Image Server vs Mosaic Dataset

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06-15-2011 10:24 AM
RandyKreuziger
by
Frequent Contributor
‎06-15-2011 10:24 AM
I'm a bit confused.  The 10.0 documentation says that Image Server is now Legacy.
[INDENT]"ArcGIS 10 is the last release of the stand-alone ArcGIS Image Server product. The image service definition (.ISDef) has been replaced by an improved geodatabase data model???the mosaic dataset???which can be published as an image service using the ArcGIS Server Image extension."[/INDENT]

Do Mosaic Datasets only occur in geodatabases?  If so and Image Server goes away at 10.1 then it is a step back when it comes to backing up data.  If I had 500 GB of imagery that has to be loaded into a geodatabase I now have 1TB on my file system.  Sure I can delete the original source files but that still leaves me with a 500GB geodatabase to back up.  Say one of the images changes.  I will then have to back up the 500GB geodatabase again.  We do get several projects tickling in so this can be a problem.

Another issue is time.  With Image Server I can have a new image service up shortly after copying the source imagery on to the server.  But now the imagery must be mosaic into a geodatabase?

Hopefully someone will tell me I've misunderstood the whole mosaic dataset thing.
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1 Reply
JeffreySwain
by Esri Regular Contributor
Esri Regular Contributor
‎06-16-2011 03:11 AM
The mosaic dataset just like an isdef does not import the raster data.  The source data for a mosaic dataset will remain in it's raw form as defined when you add the data to mosaic dataset.  The only data that a mosaic dataset will create is the overviews just like it would for an isdef.  So the issue you allude to of having to import the data is not correct.  There is also more control in the mosaic dataset to compress the overviews that it creates.  So in terms of data storage the mosaic dataset should be smaller.  Please take a look at the help documentation, which may answer your questions more thoroughly and discuss migrating to a mosaic dataset.  Don't be confused by the 'mosaic' in mosaic dataset. The only 'mosaicking' that it is doing is virtual in terms of creating the look, not importing the source rasters.
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