Converting Rasters to Point Features
Included in this tutorial:
Accessing the Raster to Point tool
Raster to Point parameters and options
One Example with results: point output, attribute output
Software version in examples: ArcGIS Pro 3.0.0.
Tutorial Data: The tutorial includes demonstration with sample data available here.
Credits: L. Meisterlin and Varisa Tanti (2022)
This tutorial demonstrates using the Raster to Point tool in ArcGIS Pro, which converts an input raster layer to a point feature class (one point feature at the center of each raster cell) with cell values replicated in the resulting attribute table.
Accessing the Raster to Point Tool
Access the Raster to Point tool by clicking the Geoprocessing toolbox in the main ribbon, and clicking through Conversion Tools > To Raster > Raster to Point.
You can also search for “Raster to Point” in the geoprocessing search bar.
The path to opening the Raster to Point tool is Geoprocessing Tools > Conversion Tools > From Raster > Raster to Point.
Raster to Point Parameters & Options
the Raster to Point geoprocessing tool options
In the Raster to Point dialogue box, you will see these fields: input raster, field, and output feature points.
Here’s a brief description of the different inputs:
Input raster: The input raster dataset. The options that appear in the drop-down menu will be the raster datasets in your project.
Field: The field to assign values from the cells in the input rater to the points in the output dataset.
The options available from this drop-down depend on the nature of your input raster. For single-band rasters, the value associated with each cell is the only option. For multiband (or composite) rasters, a user will need to specify the value.
Output feature points: The location and name of the output point feature layer.
After specifying the different options, click Run to execute the tool.
Example with Results
The tutorial’s example input raster was produced by converting the Tract layer in the Tutorial Data Standard Data Package to a raster layer using the “count_” field and reclassifying it. (See Reclassifying Rasters.)
Examining the Point Output
In the example below, the raster layer (called Reclass_Count) was converted to a point feature class, yielding a point feature at the center of each input raster cell. The example input raster has a relatively small cell size, and as a result the grid of points in the output feature class is quite dense.
Note that cells without values (NoData or null) do not yield features in the output feature class.
Individual points are located at the center of the cells from which they were generated. Cells without values do not yield output features.
Examining the Attributes
The example output attribute table, with the “grid_code” field among others.
Examining the output’s attribute table, you’ll notice that the resulting feature class has the default OBJECTID field.
Importantly, the input raster’s cell values are contained in a new field called “grid_code.”