Raster Calculator Merge Function in ArcGIS 10?

[MichaelDulin]

I'm trying to merge DEM grids using raster calculator.
Is there a command to merge rasters using raster calculator in ArcGIS 10? In 9.3 the command worked like this: Merge ([dem1], [dem2], [dem3])

That command doesn't seem to work since the switch to python script.....

Thanks for any advice.

[Robert_LeClair]

Hello,

You could simply add the rasters together in the raster calculator.  For example "InRaster1" + "InRaster2" + "InRaster3" and define the output as a new raster dataset.

Cheers,

Robert LeClair
Esri-Denver

[JeffreySwain]

Not necessarily.  The add will only work if the spatial extent is set and there are values for the NoData areas.  If there are not any values there, the Add will only return the intersection of the two rasters.  You would have to make the spatial extents match and then change the nodata values to 0 rather than null and then when you add them, the raster would look appropriate.  

I would recommend using the Mosaic to New Raster Tool in Data Management > Raster > Raster Dataset to complete the process since the 'merge' functionality is no longer available in Raster Calculator. 

http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisdesktop/10.0/help/index.html#//001700000098000000.htm

[JamieKass]

You could also do this:

Con(IsNull("raster1"),0,"raster1") + Con(IsNull("raster2"),0,"raster2")

It basically says "if a cell is null, make it 0, then add them".

[zhaojunwang]

it works for me. Thanks

[EricRice]

The old Merge command has nothing to do with arithmetic.  It is (was) a mosaic operation.

-Eric

[WillBreitkreutz]

Not necessarily.  The add will only work if the spatial extent is set and there are values for the NoData areas.  If there are not any values there, the Add will only return the intersection of the two rasters.  You would have to make the spatial extents match and then change the nodata values to 0 rather than null and then when you add them, the raster would look appropriate.  

I would recommend using the Mosaic to New Raster Tool in Data Management > Raster > Raster Dataset to complete the process since the 'merge' functionality is no longer available in Raster Calculator. 

http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisdesktop/10.0/help/index.html#//001700000098000000.htm

This is absolutely ridiculous, taking away the flexibility and usability of raster calculator combined with the old arcInfo functions was one of the worst design flaws of Arc10...

[SteveLynch]

Why not use CellStatistics with the ignore_nodata
option.

Steve

[milansmart]

Yeah, very simple and useful tool, I can't believe I didn't know it 😄 Thanks a lot!

[curtvprice]

This is absolutely ridiculous, taking away the flexibility and usability of raster calculator combined with the old arcInfo functions was one of the worst design flaws of Arc10...

Most of the Spatial Analyst tools are available in the new Raster Calculator. Mosaic and Mosaic To New Raster are not Spatial Analyst tools, so unfortunately they don't work in Raster Calculator.

I also miss the old Merge local function ("grab the first non-Nodata value in the list of rasters, cell by cell) and would like to see either its return or a method to replicate it using the current functions in 10.0. It was a nice simple operator that did a simple thing -- tools like that are handy in map algebra when you're trying to solve a complex problem! (Now that I think about it, adding a FIRST and LAST statistics to Cell Statistics would be an easy way to implement Merge without adding another function. Good idea for ideas.esri.com!)