Build pyramids and calculate statistics when prompted by ArcGIS—ArcGIS Pro

When you add a raster dataset that does not have pyramids or statistics into ArcGIS Pro, you are prompted to build pyramids and calculate statistics.

Build pyramids

Pyramids are reduced-resolution overviews of the data at different scales. Pyramids are useful because they improve the drawing speed for raster datasets displayed at less than their full resolution. It is recommended that you always build pyramids for large raster datasets.

Note:

Raster datasets smaller than 1024 pixels in both the x- and y-dimensions will not have pyramids generated automatically; however, you can manually specify a pyramid level to override this behavior.

Options on the Build Pyramids dialog box


Option	Description
Yes	Click Yes to build pyramids for the raster dataset. The dialog box will not return again for this particular raster dataset since the pyramids will exist.
No	Click No if you do not want to build pyramids for the raster dataset. Clicking this option means the raster will not be displayed as quickly as it could, and the dialog box will be displayed again if the dataset is added to the application again.
Cancel	Click Cancel if you specified the wrong raster dataset to display or want to build pyramids using a different method. Clicking this option means the raster dataset will not be added to the display and pyramids will not be built.
Always use this choice	Check this box if you do not want the dialog box to appear again and you want to always make the same choice. You can choose a different option on the Options > Raster and Imagery > Raster Dataset tab.
Resampling method	Defines how the data will be resampled when building the pyramids. Nearest Neighbor—Use for nominal data or raster datasets with color maps, such as land-use or pseudo color images. Bilinear—Use for continuous data, such as satellite imagery or aerial photography. Cubic—Use for continuous data, such as satellite imagery or aerial photography. It is similar to bilinear interpolation; however, it resamples the data using a larger matrix, which results in a smoother appearance.
Compression method	Defines the method used when compressing the pyramids. Default—The compression that is normally used by the raster dataset format is used. LZ77—A lossless compression is used. The values of the cells in the raster do not change. JPEG—A lossy compression is used. JPEG_YCbCr—A lossy compression using the luma (Y) and chroma (Cb and Cr) color space components is used. None—No data compression is used.
Compression quality	Specify the compression quality when either JPEG or JPEG_YCbCr compression is used. Valid values range from 1 to 100 in which a higher number means better image quality but less compression.

When you build the pyramids, they are created for the whole raster dataset, including all the bands, according to the default settings in the application. To change the default settings for building pyramids and displaying the dialog box, see Change the default setting for building pyramids and calculating statistics. Optionally, use the Build Pyramids tool and modify the environment settings.

You can build pyramids for each raster dataset within the mosaic dataset, and you can build overviews for a mosaic dataset but only using specific tools in the Mosaic Dataset toolset.

Calculate statistics

Statistics are required for raster datasets to perform certain tasks, such as applying a contrast stretch or classifying data. Calculating statistics allows for a better display.

Options on the Calculate Statistics dialog box


Option	Description
Yes	Click Yes to calculate statistics for the raster dataset. The dialog box will not return again for this particular raster dataset since the statistics will exist.
No	Click No if you do not want to calculate statistics for the raster dataset. Clicking this option means the raster will not be displayed as well as it could, and the dialog box will be displayed again if the dataset is added to the application again.
Cancel	Click Cancel if you specified the wrong raster dataset to display or want to calculate statistics using a different method. Clicking this option means the raster dataset will not be added to the display and the statistics will not be calculated.
Always use this choice	Check this box if you do not want the dialog box to appear again and you want to always make the same choice. You can choose a different option on the Options > Raster and Imagery > Raster Dataset tab.
X Skip Factor	Specify the number of horizontal pixels between samples. The skip factor controls the portion of the raster that is used when calculating the statistics. The input value indicates the horizontal or vertical skip factor in which a value of 1 uses each pixel and a value of 2 uses every second pixel. The skip factor can only range from 1 to the number of columns/rows in the raster. The value must be greater than zero and less than or equal to the number of columns in the raster. The default is 1 or the last x skip factor used.
Y Skip Factor	Specify the number of vertical pixels between samples. The skip factor controls the portion of the raster that is used when calculating the statistics. The input value indicates the horizontal or vertical skip factor in which a value of 1 uses each pixel and a value of 2 uses every second pixel. The skip factor can only range from 1 to the number of columns/rows in the raster. The value must be greater than zero and less than or equal to the number of rows in the raster. The default is 1 or the last y skip factor used.