arcgis-10.1arcgis-desktopconvertdemgeotiff-tiff
I would like to use this standalone tool to get different kind of Dem visualizations (http://iaps.zrc-sazu.si/en/svf#v). I see that the program accept only .tiff DEM.
Now, the DEMs I got are not in that format; rather, I see that the files are .adf
I am wondering if I need to convert the DEM I have into .tiff, and how it can be accomplished (possibly in ArcGIS 10.1).
Sort of the same thing - distinctions can be made if considering just terrain or also objects on that terrain. See What is the difference between DEM, DSM and DTM?
As for Grid Format, as mkennedy says, my guess would be the native raster format Esri uses. You would have to speak with your client to confirm. To create one you can export your DEM tiff. When specifying an output location, just point to a folder. Whenever exporting a raster in Arc, if you do not specify a file extension the result is a GRID file. You may also be able to choose GRID in a 'Format' dropdown depending on what dialog you're looking at.
Note that this format isn't as self-contained as a tif would be. If you create a new, blank folder and select that as the output location, you'll get two subfolders - one with the filename you specified and an INFO folder. There may also be .xml and .ovr files outside those two folders. It is important that all of this be included when transmitted - particularly that INFO folder. It's a required part of the raster.
you can use quick import tool in data interoperabilty toolbox to covert your data to arcgis geodatabase then expot those feature class to shape file.
Best Answer
.adf is part of the raster arcinfo binary grid. You can convert it using arcgis (just add to your dataframe then right click to export it. Giving a .tif extension will automatically convert to a tif file. Note that you need to have the directory with your adf files in it.
EDIT : GDAL also provide this conversion if you prefer open source. The output type is GTiff by default and you can specify other output type by using the -of (output format) option.