GIS

Customised GIS Tool for Automatic Raster Publishing & Caching

A custom GIS tool that takes new raster data from folder to published, cached map service automatically, replacing a slow manual routine.

Client: Institutional GIS Data TeamGeospatial Data OperationsJun 2020Project lead: M. A Zia

The challenge

Every time new imagery arrived, an analyst had to walk it through the same manual routine by hand: check it, mosaic it, publish it to the map server, then build cache tiles scale by scale. It ate hours, it varied depending on who did it, and when someone skipped the caching step the maps crawled for every user downstream.

Our solution

We automated the whole routine into a customised GIS tool. It watches the drop folder, validates incoming rasters, handles projection and mosaicking, publishes the service to the map server, and generates cache tiles at the agreed scale levels, writing a log of every run so failures are visible instead of silent. The analysts kept control of the parameters; they just stopped doing the clicking.

Results & impact

  • Raster publishing and caching reduced from hours of clicking to an unattended run
  • Identical output every time, regardless of who is on shift
  • Cached services, so maps load fast for every downstream user
  • Run logs that make failures visible instead of silent

Technology

ArcPyPythonArcGIS ServerRaster MosaickingMap CachingAutomation

Skills applied

GIS Automation & ScriptingRaster Data ManagementMap Service PublishingGeoprocessing Workflow DesignSpatial Data InfrastructureGeography

Let's build something that delivers

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