How to use the command `gdaladdo` (with examples)

gdaladdo is a command-line tool in the GDAL library that is used to build overview images of raster datasets. Overview images are lower-resolution versions of the original raster dataset, which can be used to quickly display an overview of the data without having to load the entire dataset.

Use case 1: Build overview images of a raster dataset using the “average” resampling method

Code:

gdaladdo -r average path/to/input.tif

Motivation: Building overview images of a raster dataset can be useful when working with large datasets, as it allows for faster display and processing of the data. The “average” resampling method is commonly used to generate overview images, as it provides a good balance between image quality and processing time.

Explanation:

• -r average: Specifies the resampling method to be used when building overview images. In this case, the “average” method is used, which computes the average of the pixel values in the original image to generate the overview image.
• path/to/input.tif: Specifies the path to the input raster dataset for which overview images should be built.

Example output: After running the command, overview images of the input raster dataset will be generated using the “average” resampling method. These overview images can then be used to quickly display an overview of the data.

Conclusion:

In this article, we have explored the use cases of the gdaladdo command. We have seen how to build overview images of a raster dataset using the “average” resampling method. Building overview images can greatly improve the performance of working with large raster datasets, as it allows for faster display and processing of the data. The gdaladdo command provides a flexible and efficient way to generate overview images, making it a valuable tool for raster data processing.