WMS Tutorials Introduction – Images

v. 10.1

WMS 10.1 Tutorial

Introduction – Images
Import images in a variety of formats and register the images to a coordinate projection

Objectives
Import various types of image files from different sources. Learn how to work with online maps in the
WMS interface. Register the images to a real-world projection and save an image world file. Learn about
and build image pyramids.

Prerequisite Tutorials Required Components Time

 None  Data  30–60 minutes
 Map

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1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Getting Started ............................................................................................................. 2
2 Geotiff Files .......................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Tiling Images ............................................................................................................... 3
3 Online Images ...................................................................................................................... 3
3.1 Getting Online Images ................................................................................................. 4
3.2 Exporting Images ......................................................................................................... 5
4 World Files........................................................................................................................... 5
5 Image Resolution ................................................................................................................. 6
6 Building Pyramids ............................................................................................................... 7
7 Registering Scanned Images ............................................................................................... 8
7.1 Registering in Geographic Coordinates........................................................................ 9
7.2 Converting the Coordinates to UTM .......................................................................... 10
8 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................... 11

1 Introduction
Images are an important part of most projects developed using WMS. An image is
composed of pixels. The size and number of pixels in an image determines the level of
detail visible in the image.
WMS uses images to derive data such as roads, streams, confluences, land use, and soils,
as well as to provide a base map—or backdrop—to a watershed. Images must be
georeferenced in order to be useful in WMS. Georeferencing an image defines
appropriate x and y coordinates so that distances and areas computed from the image will
be accurate.
Because images are commonly used in Geographic Information System (GIS) programs
and modeling systems like WMS, data developers often store the georeferencing
information as either part of the image file (a geotiff file for example), or in a separate
file commonly referred to as a “world” file.
This tutorial gives an overview of the primary ways to import and georeference (or
register) images in WMS. Using geotiff files, online images, and world files will be
discussed and demonstrated. Image resolution, how building pyramids affects image
display, and registering scanned images will also be discussed and demonstrated.

1.1 Getting Started

To reset the data, display options, and other WMS settings to their defaults, do the
following:
1. If necessary, launch WMS.
2. If WMS is already running, Press Ctrl-N, or select File | New… to ensure that the
program settings are restored to their default state.
3. A dialog may appear asking to save changes. Click No to clear all data.
The graphics window of WMS should refresh to show an empty space.
4. Right-click in a blank space in the Project Explorer and select Preferences… to
bring up the Preferences dialog.

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5. On the Image Preferences tab in the Image Pyramids section, select “Always
Build” from the Image Pyramids drop-down.
6. In the TIFF→JPEG Conversion section, select “Always Convert” from the
Convert to JPEG drop-down.
7. Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
Image pyramids allow the image to be displayed clearly at various resolutions.

2 Geotiff Files
Geotiff image files include georeferencing information. This means it is not necessary to
specify coordinates when images are read in because it is done automatically. Multiple
images can be tiled together and shown as a single image.

2.1 Tiling Images

1. Select File | Open… to bring up the Open dialog.
2. Browse to the images\images\ directory and select “redridge.TIF”.
3. Click Open to import the image and exit the Open dialog.
The image will appear in the Main Graphics Window and “ redridge.TIF” will appear
under the “ GIS Data” folder in the Project Explorer.
4. Click Open to bring up the Open dialog.
5. Select “josephspeak.TIF” and click Open to import the image and exit the Open
dialog.
A new map should appear adjacent to the “redridge.tif” image in the Graphics Window.
Notice that the adjacent images are geo-referenced. This can be determined by the
latitude and longitude information to the right of the cursor coordinates below the
Graphic Window.
If the options to build pyramids and to convert the images to JPEG format are both turned
off, there is an option to Crop Collars… for the images in the right-click menu. This
removes the image borders containing the image legend and other information. Collars
cannot be cropped for images containing pyramid information.

3 Online Images
WMS has tools for loading various types of online images from the internet that are both
high-quality and seamless (they do not contain collars). Online images require an internet
connection. This tool uses a web map service to download and view various types of
images in the WMS graphics window. These images are pre-registered to the display
projection (or if no data exists, the projection is set to the image's native projection) and
more than one online image can be imported at a time.

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The advantages of online images are that they are seamless, data is available throughout
the world, and that they can be reprojected to the display projection without needing to
georeference the image. The disadvantage of online images is that the image can take
longer to refresh when zooming or panning the display in the graphics window.

3.1 Getting Online Images

1. Click Get Online Maps at the top of the WMS window to bring up the Get
Online Maps dialog (Figure 1).
2. While pressing Ctrl, select World Imagery and USA Topo Maps (scroll to the
right to locate this one).
3. Click OK to close the Get Online Maps dialog and load the World Imagery and
USA Topo Maps online maps into WMS.
The process of loading the maps may take a few minutes.

Figure 1 Get Online Maps dialog

Notice that the online images are imported and displayed based on the current screen
coordinates. Notice that two new layers symbolizing online images are created for the
World Imagery and the USA Topo Map in the Project Explorer.
4. Turn off “ World Imagery” under the “ GIS Data” folder in the Project
Explorer.
5. Zoom into various areas of the USA Topo Maps image and compare it with
the topographic map image imported earlier in this tutorial.
Images can be turned off and on by unchecking the box next to the image in the Project
Explorer.
Notice that the display of the online images takes time to update when panning or
zooming in and out. As it is updating, a message of “(processing)” will be seen next to
the specific online map in the Project Explorer. The display takes time to update because

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WMS downloads an updated image from the internet every time zooming in or framing
the image. While the image is downloading, it is possible to continue to work, but some
or all of the current view of the image may not be shown until the image is downloaded.
6. Frame the project.
This centers and redraws all the data in the graphics window so that all currently visible
objects fit and can be seen at once.
7. Turn on both “ USA Topo Maps” and “ World Imagery” in the Project
Explorer.

3.2 Exporting Images

Online images can be exported as static image files to the computer so the display
updates faster.
1. Right-click on “ World Imagery” in the Project Explorer and select Export…
to bring up the Resample and Export Raster dialog.
2. Enter “4.0” as the Resampling ratio.
3. Turn on Add to project after saving.
4. Click OK to export the raster, close the Resample and Export Raster dialog, and
bring up the Save As dialog.
5. Select the desired destination folder.
It is recommended to save related files (those from a specific project) in the same
location. This ensures that needed files are easily found.
6. Select “GeoTIFF Files (*.tif)” from the Save as type drop-down.
7. Enter “Sample_exported_raster_world.tif” as the File name.
It may take a few minutes for WMS to download the higher-resolution image.
8. Repeat steps 1-7 for the USA Topo Maps online image, entering
“Sample_exported_raster_usatopo.tif” as the file name.
After the images have been downloaded, the image will automatically open in the main
display window and in the Project Explorer under “ GIS Data”.
9. Turn off both “ USA Topo Maps” and “ World Imagery” in the Project
Explorer.
10. Zoom in to various sections of the new images, and compare the images with
the topographic maps that were opened earlier in this tutorial.

4 World Files
Many image files do not contain georeferencing information. For example, JPEG files do
not have georeferencing tags in the file like GeoTIFF images have. Most organizations
that make images available also distribute world files containing the georeferencing
information along with the image files. These world files usually have the same name as
the corresponding TIFF or JPEG file, but with the extension “.tfw” for TIFF files and

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“.jgw” or “.jpgw” for JPEG files. If downloading a world file and asked to supply a name
for it, follow this naming convention. Use the following procedure to open a JPEG file
and its corresponding georeferencing information in WMS:
1. Select File | New .
2. Click No if asked to save changes.
3. Click Open to bring up the Open dialog.
4. Select “richfield1.jpg” image file and click Open to import the image and exit
the Open dialog.
Because there is a world file named “richfield1.jpgw”, the image is automatically
registered. If a world file for an image is not named with the TFW extension (or JGW or
JPGW extensions), there is an option to import the world file from within the
Registration dialog.
Properly georeferenced files overlap automatically, thereby avoiding tedious manual
tiling of the images). It is not necessary to be exact in obtaining images and files from a
source that distributes world files with images as; overlapping is not a problem.
5. Repeat steps 3-4 for “richfield2.jpg” and “richfield3.jpg”.
Feel free to use Zoom and Pan and turn the different images on and off to explore
how they can be viewed and used when overlapping.
Imagery can also be obtained using the Get Data From Map or the Get Data Tool
tools in WMS.

5 Image Resolution
Images are usually available in different resolutions. In this part of the exercise, different
topographic maps showing the same area at different resolutions will be opened.
1. Select File | New .
2. Click No if asked to save changes.
3. Select File | Open… to bring up the Open dialog.
4. Select “tm4m.jpg” and click Open to import the image and exit the Open dialog.
5. Zoom in on the image until the individual pixels of the image are visible.
6. Repeat steps 3-4 for “tm16m.jpg”.
7. Select Display | View | Previous View, or use the View Previous tool, to
switch back to the previous view.
8. In the Project Explorer, turn on and off “ tm16m.jpg” to see the difference in
resolution of the two images
Notice how much larger the individual pixels are in the “ tm16m.jpg” image.
9. Repeat steps 3-4 for “tm32m.jpg”.
10. Click View Previous to see the difference in resolution.

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When zoomed in on the three images, as the map scale increased the map showed less
detail. “tm4m.jpg” shows much more detail than either “tm16m.jpg” or “tm32m.jpg”.
Images are commonly available on a scale of 1:24000, 1:100000, or 1:250000. 1:24000
maps cover far less area than 1:100000 or 1:250000 maps, but they show much more
detail (higher resolution). It would take thirty-two 1:24000 maps to cover the same area
that is covered by one 1:100000 map.
If great detail is needed for a watershed, use the 1:24000 maps. If the watershed is very
large, this size of map will provide too much detail. It would be difficult to see the big
picture of the watershed, and a 1:100000 or 1:250000 scale map may be more appropriate
in such a case.

6 Building Pyramids
WMS provides the option of building pyramids when each image file is opened. When
building pyramids, WMS saves multiple files of varying resolutions so that when a large
area of an image is viewed a lower—or less detailed—resolution image is displayed. A
higher—or finer—resolution image is displayed when zooming in to view a smaller
portion of the image. This is similar to an automatic resampling process. When image
pyramids are not built, only the original resolution image is displayed.
The advantages of building pyramids include faster and clearer display of an image. This
is due to lower resolution images being displayed for larger areas and higher resolution
images being displayed for smaller areas. The clarity of image display improves in
situations when the image resolution exceeds the display resolution of the screen. This
often occurs when viewing a large portion of a high resolution image.
Because WMS only builds pyramids for JPEG images, convert TIFF images to the JPEG
format in order to build pyramids. Image conversion can be performed by WMS when
opening the image or after opening the image. By default, WMS always builds pyramids
when a JPEG image is opened or created through conversion. However, this setting can
be changed. In order to best see the difference between images with and without
pyramids built, alter the default settings as follows:
1. Right-click in a blank space in the Project Explorer and select Preferences… to
bring up the Preferences dialog
2. On the Image Preferences tab in the Image Pyramids section, select “Prompt for
Each Image” from the Image Pyramids drop-down.
3. In the TIFF→JPEG Conversion section, select “Always Convert” from the
Convert to JPEG option is set to “Always Convert”.
4. Select “Temporary Folder” from the Save JPEG drop-down.
5. Click OK to save the preferences and close the Preferences dialog.
Now examine the differences between building and not building pyramids. Begin by
opening a 1:24000 USGS quadrangle map without building pyramids:
6. Select File | New .
7. Click No if asked to save changes.
8. Click Open to bring up the Open dialog.

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9. Select “redridge.tif” image file and click Open.

10. Select Yes to build pyramids when prompted.
The image may take a few moments to load. It is automatically converted from a TIFF
image to a JPEG image based on the preferences just set.
Notice the clarity of this topographic map. To see the differences associated with image
pyramids, the same file will be opened but image pyramids will not be built.
11. Select File | New .
12. Click No if asked to save changes.
13. Click Open to bring up the Open dialog.
14. Select “redridge.tif” and click Open to import the image and exit the Open
dialog.
15. Click No when asked about generating image pyramids.
Notice that the contours of the topographic map are not as clearly defined, and that the
overall look of the image is grainy when compared to the image when pyramids were
built.
Now reset the default image preferences.
16. Right-click in a blank space in the Project Explorer and select Preferences… to
bring up the Preferences dialog.
17. On the Image Preferences tab in the Image Pyramids section, select “Always
Build” from the Image Pyramids drop-down.
18. Under TIFF→JPEG Conversion, select “Never Convert” from the Convert to
JPEG drop-down.
19. Select “Temporary Folder” from the Save JPEG drop-down.
20. Click OK to save the preferences and close the Preferences dialog.

7 Registering Scanned Images

It is not always possible to obtain a GeoTIFF image or an image with a world file. In
such cases, register the image manually. The coordinates— in a projected or geographic
system—of three points on the image must be known. Before scanning a paper image or
downloading an image from the Internet, mark the three points in order to easily find
them when registering the image in WMS.
Here, a part of a soils file is used as a “scanned image”. This file will be used in a later
tutorial to develop a soils coverage and to compute a composite curve number.
1. Click New .
2. Click No if asked to save changes.
3. Click Open to bring up the Open dialog.
4. Select “ soils.tif and click Open to exit the Open dialog and bring up the
Register Image dialog (Figure 2).

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Figure 2 Register Image dialog

An image representing soil types will appear in the Register Image dialog. Three small
red X's are marked on the image. Near each red X is a plus sign with a number “1”, “2”,
or “3” by it. Place the numbered plus signs over the small x’s and enter the appropriate
coordinates in order to register the image.

5. Using the Register Points tool, drag the plus sign mark (+) next to the “1”
over the nearby X.
6. Zoom in on the area to make sure the plus sign is directly over the top of the
X.
7. Repeat steps 5-6 for the number plus signs “2” and “3”.
8. When done, Frame the image.

7.1 Registering in Geographic Coordinates

The three points are known in geographic coordinates, or latitude and longitude. They
will be registered that way, and then converted to UTM in the following section. Notice
that each longitude value is negative due to being west of the prime meridian.
1. For each point, enter the longitude and latitude from the table below. .

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Point Longitude (x) Latitude (y)

1 -112.481944 38.68500
2 -112.477222 38.57667
3 -112.330277 38.57611
2. When finished, click OK to close the Register Image dialog.
3. Frame the project.
With the coordinates entered, a slight rotation from true north may be seen which is
expected (Figure 3). It will be rectified later when the display projection is changed to a
UTM coordinate system. If the image appears distorted or extremely crooked, it’s
possible the coordinates were entered incorrectly or the plus sign marks (+) were placed
inaccurately.
4. To make adjustments, right click on “ soils.tif” in the Project Explorer and
select Register Image… to bring up the Register Image dialog.
5. Make the needed adjustments to the position of the plus marks over the red Xs
and verify the coordinates as shown in the table above.
6. Click OK when done to close the Register Image dialog.

Figure 3 Slight rotation from true north visible

7.2 Converting the Coordinates to UTM

Geographic coordinates are commonly used on maps because they provide a global
reference for any point in the world. For engineering work, a planimetric system is
necessary. The Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection is commonly used so
the coordinate system that the image file is currently in (Geographic) will be specified
and the display projection will be set to UTM to work in that projection.
1. Right-click on the “soils.tif” image in the Project Explorer and select Projection |
Projection to bring up the Projection dialog.

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2. In the Horizontal section, select Global projection.

3. The Select Projection dialog may appear automatically, if it does not, click Set
Projection… to bring up the Select Projection dialog.
4. On the Projection tab, select “Geographic (Latitude /Longitude)” from the
Projection drop-down.
5. Select “NAD 83” from the Datum drop-down.
6. Click OK to close the Select Projection dialog.
7. In the Vertical section, select “Meters” from the Units drop-down.
8. Click OK to close the Projection dialog.
9. Frame the project.
The projection that the soils image file is in (Geographic) is now set correctly. The
display projection will be set to UTM to make it the working projection.
10. Select Display | Display Projection... to bring up the Display Projection dialog.
11. In the Horizontal section, select Global projection and click Set Projection… to
bring up the Select Projection dialog.
12. On the Projection tab, select “UTM” from the Projection drop-down.
13. Select “12 (114˚W - 108˚W – Northern Hemisphere)” from the Zone drop-down.
14. Select “NAD 83” from the Datum drop-down.
15. Select “METERS” from the Planar Units drop-down.
16. Click OK to close the Select Projection dialog.
17. In the Vertical section, select “Meters” from the Units drop-down.
18. Click OK to close the Display Projection dialog.
The original image object projection is still set to geographic and has not been changed,
but the display of the image in the WMS display window has changed from geographic to
UTM. Now, any measurements taken or data created from the image will have meters for
coordinate values.

8 Conclusion
This concludes the WMS “Introduction – Images” tutorial. The following key concepts
were discussed and demonstrated:
 How to use geotiff files.
 How to use online images.
 How to use world files.
 How different size files affect image resolution.
 How to build pyramids.
 How to register images.

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