GDAL options in MICRODEM

• GDAL Rasters

  • GDAL convert to Geotiff: this takes a DEM or image in a format that GDAL can read, and converts it to a GeoTiff.  This can convert from a messy, complex Geotiff to a more vanilla file. If the file is a GeoTiff, it will be renamed with "original_" at the start of the file name, and the newly converted file will have the same original name.  If the converted file works, you can delete the original.  If you are feeling good, the program can delete the files automatically.
  • GDAL merge Geotiff or GeoPDF: you must insure the files are compatible and can be merged.
  • GDAL band extraction: you must supply the number of bands to extract.  Beyond display of multiband imagery, you need to split into separate band files to use in MICRODEM for most analysis and display functions.
  • GDAL translate Geotiff to UTM/NAD83: if you have problems reading an image (SPCS for instance), this will convert the image to UTM.  You must correctly identify the UTM zone to be used.  If this does not work, try the warp option which might be more robust but also slower.
  • GDAL warp Geotiff to UTM/NAD83:  convert the image to UTM.  You must correctly identify the UTM zone to be used.
  • GDAL warp Geotiff to adjacent UTM zone (e.g. for Landsat scenes that are along the same path, but move into the next UTM zone)
  • GDAL warp Sentinel-1: pick UTM zone and spacing in meters
  • GDAL create multiband Geotiff
  • GDAL geodatabase to shapefile
  • GDAL reproject shapefile: converts to geographic coordinates, WGS84.  You must pick a different directory; the same file name will be used.  Does not copy metadata.  Shapefile must have a PRJ file.

• GDAL/OGR Vectors

  • GDAL Geodatabase to shapfile
  • GDAL reproject shapefile to lat/long
  • OGR merge shapefiles
  • OGR DBF to SQLite
  • OGR DXF/GPX/OSM/GKPG/geojson to shapefile, or any shapefile with a projection PRJ to geographic. These can be slow, and for a long time no progress appears in the CMD window.
  • OGR shapefile to geopackage

Some of these will require you to know the EPSG code for the projection.

Other places with GDAL options:

• File, Save satellite image
• File, Import, GDAL raster  subset to match map extent (probably has to be geographic; useful for things like global land cover which are huge files)
• Raster GIS, External tools

These will call the GDAL external program which you must download from OSGeo4W.  Hints for debugging the external GDAL operations if you do not get the desired results.

last revised 12/2/2022