Geotiff Spatial Information Not Recognized

[LonMatsuno]

I have some geotiffs that using utility gdalinfo shows it has a legitimate NAD 1983 - 3TM -111 coordinate system. However, in ArcMap 9.3.1 it doesn't recognize it. If my map layout is set to NAD 1983 - 3TM -111, it georeferences it correctly, but will not reproject to another coordinate system. Is there a work around for this?

[TimothyHales]

Sounds like the raster was created with the GDAL raster library.  ArcGIS 9.3.1 used the RDO raster library.  More than likely, the software isn't able to read the GDAL tags for the projection information.  How was the raster created?  If ArcGIS, which version and service pack?

[LonMatsuno]

Thanks for the reply.

My version is ArcGIS desktop 9.3.1. My colleague has service pack2 w/ SP2 quality improvement patch installed, but has the same issue.

The geotiff was written from GeoTools, and gdalinfo shows the following:

Driver: GTiff/GeoTIFF
Files: kvxgn_20111201160753_-111_2,49_5_1_1.tif
Size is 3333, 3333
Coordinate System is:
PROJCS["NAD83 / Alberta 3-TM -111",
GEOGCS["NAD83",
DATUM["North_American_Datum_1983",
SPHEROID["GRS 1980",6378137,298.2572221010042,
AUTHORITY["EPSG","7019"]],
AUTHORITY["EPSG","6269"]],
PRIMEM["Greenwich",0],
UNIT["degree",0.0174532925199433],
AUTHORITY["EPSG","4269"]],
PROJECTION["Transverse_Mercator"],
PARAMETER["latitude_of_origin",0],
PARAMETER["central_meridian",-111],
PARAMETER["scale_factor",0.9999],
PARAMETER["false_easting",0],
PARAMETER["false_northing",0],
UNIT["metre",1,
AUTHORITY["EPSG","9001"]],
AUTHORITY["EPSG","3775"]]
Origin = (-14986.007939807139337,5485205.772777433507144)
Pixel Size = (0.300120048019200,-0.300120048019269)
Metadata:
AREA_OR_POINT=Area
TIFFTAG_XRESOLUTION=1
TIFFTAG_YRESOLUTION=1
TIFFTAG_RESOLUTIONUNIT=1 (unitless)
Image Structure Metadata:
INTERLEAVE=PIXEL
Corner Coordinates:
Upper Left ( -14986.008, 5485205.773) (111d12'24.93"W, 49d30'16.15"N)
Lower Left ( -14986.008, 5484205.473) (111d12'24.79"W, 49d29'43.77"N)
Upper Right ( -13985.708, 5485205.773) (111d11'35.20"W, 49d30'16.23"N)
Lower Right ( -13985.708, 5484205.473) (111d11'35.08"W, 49d29'43.85"N)
Center ( -14485.858, 5484705.623) (111d12'0.00"W, 49d30'0.00"N)
Band 1 Block=3333x8 Type=Byte, ColorInterp=Red
Band 2 Block=3333x8 Type=Byte, ColorInterp=Green
Band 3 Block=3333x8 Type=Byte, ColorInterp=Blue

[ModyBuchbinder]

Hi Timothy

Will it just work in version 10?
Is any projection (even one that does not exists in ESRI predefine projections) will be recognize by desktop because it uses GDAL?

Thanks
Mody

[JeffreySwain]

Lonnie,

I am curious to see if ArcGIS 10 will recognize the projection since it is using GDAL for the raster utilities.  Since 10 is using GDAL to display the rasters, the location the projection information is written may be in a different location than 9.3.1 is expecting on the raster. 

The workaround at 9.3.1 would be to define the raster with the Define Projection tool and then you should be able to project them. You cannot project a raster with an unknown coordinate system. 

Mody,

I do not think that ArcMap will recognize a coordinate system not available with the rest of the EPSG coordinate systems, simply because it is using GDAL.  If the EPSG code is correct and in a location on the raster that GDAL indicates, then it should be recognized.

[MelitaKennedy]

We supported that pcs in 9.3.1, but with WKID = 102186 (not in EPSG yet). At 10, we changed the WKID to 3775 to match EPSG.

Melita

[LonMatsuno]

Yes, the file loads fine in ArcMap 10.  Thanks for the "Define projection tool" tip. That works well too for 9.3.1.

Lonnie