I am trying to convert a raster layer of U.S. climatic regions into polygon format using ArcMap 9.3 under Windows XP. The original data are to be found at the following address:
Koppen Climate Classification from Idaho's Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
Initial attempts to use the Raster to Polygon tool generated "999998 Unexpected Error" and even "Serious Application Error" on a couple of occasions.
To investigate further, I then replicated the procedure on another machine (running version 10 under a more recent operating system), which threw up the more meaningful error: "Raster must be integer type".
Having tried the "Math – Int" tool, it elicited a "000367 Invalid GP data type” error, so I resorted to the "Math – Times" tool, successively trying multiples from 100 to 1000000, every time receiving the error: "000864 The input is not within the defined domain”.
Can anyone suggest a workable procedure that I might use to convert the raster layer of the source data into a polygon format?
Best Answer
There are two things in that zip file:
koppen_icsThe layer file is just a pointer to the original data, with additional information about symbology (in this case, providing short text names for the various climate zones). Layer files are useful for saving a set of layers and symbology, but they can't be used if the original data isn't included with them, and they also can't be used as inputs for tools.
Make sure you select the raster file (
koppen_ics) and not the layer file for the Raster to Polygon tool, and there should be no problem.