How to make a raster dataset editable?

[PaulZander]

This is going to sound like a very noobish question I am sure. It's been quite a while since I've used GIS so cut me some slack if you can.

I am trying to use an elevation file (from the National elevation dataset) to create a topographic map. I was told that I should be able to use the spatial analyst tool to create contours, but the spatial analyst tool doesn't recognize the raster dataset that is my elevation data. When I turn the editor on to start editing it says there are no editable layers. How can I made this raster layer editable?

Thanks for your help.

[MarkBoucher]

Unless there are special tools I don't know about, you don't "edit" the raster. You use tools on the raster to create other rasters. For example, if you use the hydrology tools in SA to "fill sinks" you end up with another raster with the sinks filled.

To create the contours, you use the SA coutour function to make a polylline feature class of the contours.

[TrishRice]

Here's the help topic on making contours.  If you have already tried the Contour tool and it doesn't recognize your raster then investigate why not.  See if it recognizes other rasters you have (elevation or otherwise) and look for any differences in the data that would cause the tool not to recognize the NED data.  Like format (grid, tiff, sid) etc.

Also with the Contour tool open you can expand a little help menu to the side that I often find more useful than the online help topics.  It gives you information about what it's looking for in each field the tool asks for.  For me this has been very useful troubleshooting when a tool doesn't recognize my data.