I am pleased to announce that you can now purchase ProRaster, my new raster rendering software for MapInfo Pro, from the Microsoft Store!
It currently ships in two tiers - Essential and Premium. Get started by downloading the free evaluation version - search for "ProRaster Essential Free" on the Microsoft Store.
ProRaster Essential is exclusively for users of the latest version of MapInfo Pro 2021. It contains a subset of the functionality in the Premium tier at a lower price. The video and product information below describes precisely what capability ProRaster Essential brings to MapInfo Pro, over and above the existing capabilities of the Advanced raster plugin. For more information head to the product website.
ProRaster Essential gives the MapInfo Pro business user access to advanced raster rendering capabilities. For users of the MapInfo Pro Advanced raster plugin, ProRaster provides a rich, new set of raster rendering capabilities. If you do not have the MapInfo Pro Advanced raster plugin, ProRaster will provide a modern, advanced raster rendering capability in MapInfo Pro 2021.1.
Freedom from restrictions
When you render raster datasets in MapInfo Pro you have always had to define how those rasters are rendered – in ProRaster this is called a "raster rendering algorithm". MapInfo Pro ties this information to the raster – meaning a MapInfo Pro raster layer can only use a single raster and that raster must be rendered the same way in all maps. ProRaster algorithms provide you with total flexibility and freedom from any restrictions.
Performance
The raster engine in MapInfo Pro is designed to enable rendering of rasters of unlimited size at any scale in constant time, but inside MapInfo Pro this goal was never achieved. ProRaster algorithms solve the performance problems in MapInfo Pro.
Quality
ProRaster makes sure that you are always rendering the best quality data, at the most appropriate resolution. Pixel perfect, always correct, always presented at its best, and under your control.
Ease of use
ProRaster is easy to use – simply drag and drop your raster into ProRaster to get started. Then hit Publish to push the algorithm into a map in MapInfo Pro.
How ProRaster Essential improves MapInfo Pro
- Display the same raster in the same session in different maps in different ways.
- Use any combinations of rasters, fields, and bands in an algorithm.
- Drape (hill shading) any raster on any other raster.
- Clip algorithms to a complex polygon set when publishing to MapInfo Pro.
- Display raster imagery in true color without enhancement and drape on any raster.
- Render classified rasters the way you want to without restrictions and drape on any raster.
- Use Driver Preferences to modify how particular rasters are mounted by the raster engine.
- Eliminate performance bottlenecks with large rasters by reprojecting on-the-fly to the map projection.
- Render hundreds of related rasters using a single layer.
- Optimal data acquisition at any scale with on-the-fly reprojection.
- Create default algorithms for rasters and raster sources.
- Edit multiple algorithms simultaneously with preview, undo and redo.
- Interrogate raster values interactively in the preview map with a floating tool tip.
- Override raster coordinate systems if unknown or incorrect and find the right projection quickly using the interactive projection selection dialog.
- Access a growing library of video resources, documentation and articles to help you get the most from ProRaster.
- Use a wide variety of data transforms for LUT Color and RGB Color layers.
- Exercise fine control over histogram equalisation (fast, stable, gradational, with clipping).
- Sigmoid transforms provide an alternative to linear and histogram equalisation transforms.
- Fit the data transform to the data range in the map.
- Create and edit color tables, maps and legends.
- Use color table maps and legends to provide fixed data – color maps.
- Clip to limits in multiple combinations.
- Enjoy fine control over hill shading and balance color and hill shading smoothly.
- Exercise precise control over data interpolation settings for color and hill shading.
- Render any algorithm in greyscale.
- Manage your raster collection in the raster source editor.
- Access all rasters by wildcard in a folder or multiple folders and render using a single layer.
- Get access to rasters stored in ZIP archives (not all raster formats support this).
- Validate, Clean, and Prepare processing operations compute statistics and build overviews.
- Access detailed raster information and statistics.
Software requirements:
- Windows 10 or 11
- MapInfo Pro 2021.1
Hardware requirements:
- 4GB RAM
- Multi-core CPU recommended
------------------------------
Sam Roberts
Founder, Roberts Geospatial Engineering
Australia
------------------------------