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Image and raster data management > Supported raster data

Technical specifications for raster dataset formats
Release 9.3
Last modified November 12, 2009		 E-mail This Topic Printable Version Give Us Feedback

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Note: This topic was updated for 9.3.1.

Rasters come in many different formats and support different components. The following table lists all the supported formats and their supported components.

Learn more about pixel (bit) depth.

Format Supported data types Supports multiband Supports compression Supports color map
ADRG 8-bit unsigned integer Yes (always three bands) No No
ADRG Legend 8-bit unsigned integer Yes (always three bands) No No
ADRG Overview 8-bit unsigned integer Yes (always three bands) No No
ArcSDE Raster 1- and 4-bit unsigned integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None Yes

8-bit unsigned/signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed, JPEG, JP2, or None Yes

16-bit unsigned/signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed, JP2, or None Yes

32-bit unsigned/signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None No

32-bit floating point Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None No

64-bit double precision Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None No
ASCII Grid 16-bit signed integer No No No

32-bit floating point No No No
BSB 8-bit unsigned integer Yes Yes Yes
CADRG 8-bit unsigned integer Yes (always three bands) Vector quantization No
CIB 8-bit unsigned integer No Vector quantization No
DIGEST ASRP/USRP 1-, 4-, and 8-bit unsigned integer No Run length encoding Yes
DTED Level 0, 1, and 2 16-bit signed integer No No No
ENVI Header 1-, 2-, 4-, 8-, 16-, and 32-bit unsigned/signed integer and 32-bit floating point Yes Yes Yes
ER Mapper ERS 8-, 16-, and 32-bit unsigned/signed integer Yes No No

32-bit floating point Yes No No
ER Mapper ECW 8-bit unsigned integer Yes Wavelet No
ERDAS 7.5 GIS 1-, 2-, 4-, 8-, and 16-bit unsigned integer No No Yes
ERDAS 7.5 LAN 8-bit unsigned integer Yes No No

16-bit unsigned integer Yes No No
ERDAS 7.5 RAW 1-, 2-, 4-, 8-, and 16-bit unsigned integer No No Yes
ERDAS IMAGINE 1-, 2-, and 4-bit unsigned integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None Yes

8-bit unsigned/signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None Yes

16-bit unsigned/signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None Yes

32-bit unsigned/signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None No

32-bit signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None No

32-bit floating point Yes No No

64-bit double precision Yes No No
ESRI BIL/BIP/BSQ 1-bit unsigned integer Yes No Yes

4-bit unsigned integer Yes No Yes

8-bit signed and unsigned integer Yes No Yes

16-bit signed and unsigned integer Yes No Yes

32-bit signed and unsigned integer Yes No Yes
ESRI Grid 32-bit signed integer No Adaptive run length compressed No

32-bit floating point No No No
ESRI Grid stack 32-bit signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed No

32-bit floating point Yes No No
ESRI Grid stack file 32-bit signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed No

32-bit floating point Yes No No
File geodatabase 1- and 4-bit unsigned integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None Yes

8-bit unsigned/signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed, JPEG, JP2, or None Yes

16-bit unsigned/signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed, JP2, or None Yes

32-bit unsigned/signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None No

32-bit floating point Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None No

64-bit double precision Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None No
GIF 8-bit unsigned integer No LZW Yes
HDF4 8-bit to 32-bit unsigned and signed integer Yes Yes Yes

32-bit floating point Yes Yes Yes
IDRISI 8-bit unsigned integer Yes Yes Yes

16-bit signed integer Yes Yes Yes

32-bit floating point Yes Yes Yes
Intergraph CIT 1-bit No CCITT Group 4 No
Intergraph COT 8-bit unsigned integer No Run length encoding No
JFIF (JPEG) 8-bit unsigned integer Yes (limited to 1 or 3 bands) JPEG (lossy) No
JPEG 2000 8- and 16-bit unsigned integer Yes Wavelet (lossy) No
MAP 8-bit unsigned integer Single band No No

32-bit signed integer Single band No No

32-bit floating point Single band No No
MrSID 8- and 16-bit unsigned integer Yes (limited to 1 or 3 bands) Wavelet (lossy) No
NITF 2.0 1-, 8-, and 16-bit unsigned integer Yes Yes Yes
NITF 2.1/NSIF 1.0 1-, 2-, 4-, 8-, and 16-bit unsigned integer Yes Yes Yes

1-, 2-, 4-, 8-, and 16-bit signed integer Yes No Yes
PCIDSK 8- and 16-bit unsigned integer Yes Not supported Not supported

16-bit signed integer Yes Not supported Not supported

32-bit floating point Yes Not supported Not supported
Personal geodatabase 1-, 2-, and 4-bit unsigned integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None Yes

8-bit unsigned/signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed, JPEG, JP2, or None Yes

16-bit unsigned/signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed, JP2, or None Yes

32-bit unsigned/signed integer Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None No

32-bit floating point Yes Adaptive run length compressed or None No
PNG 1-bit unsigned integer No Deflate/Inflate Yes

2-bit unsigned integer No Deflate/Inflate Yes

4-bit unsigned integer No Deflate/Inflate Yes

8-bit unsigned integer *Yes (limited to 1 or 3 bands only, no alpha channel) Deflate/Inflate Yes

16-bit unsigned integer *Yes (limited to 1 or 3 bands only, no alpha channel) Deflate/Inflate No
RPF 8-bit unsigned integer No No Yes
RPF (CIB) 8-bit unsigned integer No Vector quantization No
RPF (CADRG) 8-bit unsigned integer Yes Vector quantization Yes
RPF (ADRG) 8-bit unsigned integer Yes (always three bands) No No
RPF (ADRG) 8-bit unsigned integer No No Yes
TIFF 1-bit unsigned integer No CCITT (1D), CCITT Group 3, CCITT Group 4, Packbits, LZW, or None Yes

4-bit unsigned integer No Packbits, LZW, or None Yes

8-bit unsigned integer Yes Packbits, LZW, JPEG (lossy), or None Yes

8-bit signed integer No No No

16-bit unsigned integer Yes No Yes

16-bit signed integer No No No

32-bit unsigned integer No No No

32-bit signed integer No No No

32-bit floating point No No No
USGS DEM 16-bit signed integer n/a n/a n/a
XPM 8-bit unsigned integer No No No

NOTE: ArcGIS is able to read an alpha band from an existing PNG; however, it will only write one- or three-band PNG files.




Bit depth capacity for supported export formats


Supported = is supported
NA = not applicable


 IMG TIFF GRID JPEG JP2 BMP GIF PNG Note
1 bit Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Converts to 8 bit for JPEG, JP2, BMP, GIF, and PNG
2 bit NA NA NA NA NA NA NA Yes
4 bit Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Converts to 8 bit for JPEG, JP2, BMP, GIF, and PNG
4 bit, color map Yes Yes Yes NA NA Yes Yes Yes Converts to 8 bit for JPEG, JP2, BMP, GIF, and PNG
8 bit, unsigned Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
8 bit, signed Yes Yes Yes NA NA NA NA NA
8 bit, color map Yes Yes Yes NA NA Yes Yes Yes
8 bit, 3 band Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes NA NA
8 bit, > 3 band Yes Yes Yes NA Yes NA NA NA
16 bit, unsigned Yes Yes Yes NA Yes NA NA Yes
16 bit, signed Yes Yes Yes NA Yes NA NA NA
32 bit, unsigned Yes Yes Yes NA NA NA NA NA
32 bit, signed Yes Yes Yes NA NA NA NA NA
32 bit, floating point Yes Yes Yes NA Yes NA NA NA

NOTE: Single-band BMP and GIF files are always stored with a color map.


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