[GIS] Specify world file to use in ArcGIS

arcgis-desktopgeoreferencing

I have a BMP file where I know the coords of the corners, and hence have a generated a World File according to ESRI's standards. It has the the right filename, but when I add the image in ArcMap, it complains there's no spatial information.

Things I've tried:

  • Turned on the "Use world file to define the coordinates of a raster" option
  • Different extensions for the world file – BMPW, BMW, BPW
  • Trying the help… the directions it gives are for a link file, which has to be imported manually for each raster (I'll have hundreds to these rasters)

So the question is: how do I get ArcGIS to use the world file?

Best Answer

If the message you see is something like "you are missing a Spatial Reference", then the world file is alright. The world file cannot define the SR (spatial reference). To do this, right-click your image in Catalog, select Properties, scroll down to the Spatial Reference section, click "Edit" to define the Spatial Reference. This will generate a *.aux.xml file (for BMP) containing the SR information. Now, as you add the BMP image to ArcMap, you will not see the "missing SR" message.

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