[FWTools] Merging Large Image Sets

[Frank Warmerdam]

Shaun Kolomeitz wrote:
> Dear FWTools list,
> 
> I am attempting to merge a set of satellite images (about 60Gb) into one
> large (or a few smaller) single images using gdal_merge. The images have
> been converted from GeoTIFF to JPEG2k and all individually appear in the
> correct position (as JP2k's). I then merge all the JP2k images into a
> single GeoTIFF image (which I can't view on anything because they are > 2
> Gb (Yes I am using WINDOZE 2k O.S). Unfortunately when I do a
> gdal_translate to compress the image (from GeoTIFF to JP2) to be less than
> the 2Gb file size, the merged image appears to be a random mosaic of the
> images listed. Is there a specific order I should put these in the list
> supplied to the gdal_merge command ? When I tried to use FWTools OpenEV to
> Import the large GeoTIFF it died a nasty death with no warnings. The
> eventual image/s will be used in ESRI's ArcGIS/ArcMap products.
> 
> Any suggestions from the list on formats &/or methods ?

Shaun,

GeoTIFF format only supports up to 4GB images, though the GeoTIFF writer
doesn't currently recognise that it is producing a corrupt file.  I would
suggest you do the merge to Erdas Imagine format as it supports very large
files reasonably efficiently.

The Imagine file could be used directly in ArcGIS and ArcMap.

To produce Imagine files with gdal_merge use the "-of HFA" switch.

PS. there is already a bug report outstanding on GDAL (and libtiff) not
recognising that they are producing too-large (corrupt) files.

Best regards,
-- 
---------------------------------------+--------------------------------------
I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam at pobox.com
light and sound - activate the windows | http://pobox.com/~warmerdam
and watch the world go round - Rush    | President OSGF, http://osgeo.org