Mosaic dataset issue

[zkovacs]

I started exploring ArcGIS Pro (v1.2) recently and found that mosaic datasets created in ArcGIS Desktop (10.3.1) do not display correctly in Pro. Furthermore, it makes them corrupt so they cannot be used in Desktop afterwards. I have attached a short video showing that it works fine in ArcMap, then how it's displayed in Pro. (Raster datasets work OK as it can be seen in the video.) I added the same data to ArcMap again after it's been 'displayed' in Pro and experiencing the same issue with it now. It seems ArcGIS Pro makes mosaics created in ArcGIS Desktop corrupt. Has anyone experienced the same by any chance?

Zoltan

[BrandonArmstrong]

Hello Zoltan,

Judging by your video, it appears that you may be using a Raster Catalog?  Raster Catalog's are not supported in ArcGIS Pro.

001772: Raster Catalogs are not supported in ArcGIS Pro.—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

Please refer to the following documentation which outlines the steps for migrating a raster catalog into a mosaic dataset.

Manage a collection of imagery and raster datasets—ArcGIS Pro | ArcGIS for Desktop

Please keep in mind that these steps should be performed in ArcMap, rather than ArcGIS Pro.

If it is a mosaic dataset that you are using, please try to 'Calculate Statistics' and 'Build Overviews' on the mosaic dataset and let me know your results.

Calculate Statistics—Data Management toolbox | ArcGIS for Desktop                        Build Overviews—Data Management toolbox | ArcGIS for Desktop

Brandon

[zkovacs]

Hi Brandon,

Although I do have a raster catalog in that GDB, it does not even display under the database connection in Pro since it's an supported format. The one I'm having an issue with in Pro is a mosaic dataset, see screenshot below. Happy to send the data to inspect if you want to.

I'll try the Statistics and Overview part tomorrow and let you know how it goes. Thanks.

Zoltan

[BrandonArmstrong]

Thanks for the update, Zoltan.

I am interested in hearing how the mosaic dataset displays after building overviews and calculating statistics.  In the case where this has no effect, I can create a Technical Support case for you and I can retrieve your data.

Brandon

[zkovacs]

Hi Brandon,

Running statistics in Po did not make any change to the mosaic, whereas the Build Overview tool keeps crashing the application at about 5% into the process.

I re-ran these tools in ArcMap too. Calculate Statistics finished OK. Build Overviews finished with some warnings, but the image looks nothing like the original:

So I did some more tests and it seems that although the mosaic displays OK in ArcMap, it still references to the original images somehow when trying to build the overviews. I can see the old path to the tiles that does not exist anymore being called during geoprocessing. Is that normal? I'm a bit baffled by this, because I always thought a mosaic stores the image physically in a blob field for any further processing. (And only unmanaged raster catalogs reference to the image by its path.) If that's true, trying to access the path that has been used for loading the tiles in the first place makes no sense to me.

I attached the geoprocessing results of the old mosaic from ArcMap in case you want to have a look...

On the other hand, when I create a new mosaic and load the tiles from another folder, run Statistics and Overview, they display OK in Pro.

Zoltan

[zkovacs · Accepted solution]

Just found out that I was wrong about mosaic datasets.

"A mosaic dataset manages its raster data in the same way as an unmanaged raster catalog; therefore, the tables will be similar, datasets will be indexed, and queries can be performed on the collections." (Source: Desktop Help)

That explains it why it tries to access the original tiles used for loading... That raises another question: How do we overcome that if the original path no longer exists/changed?

EDIT: It seems I can use the Repair... (and Synchronize Mosaic Dataset) tool for this. I tried it, re-run Statistics and Overview and that repaired the mosaic and it now displays fine in Pro too.

Lesson learnt the hard way: mosaics work like unmanaged raster catalogs.

Zoltan