ArcGIS Pro raster layer showing up in wrong place

Question

I am very new to GIS and have only just started learning ArcGIS Pro. I have some satellite images that I have processed using a program called ACOLITE which outputs a NetCDF file.

I am trying to use the "Make NetCDF Raster Layer" tool in ArcGIS. However, the layer is showing up in the wrong place (the westernmost pixel is placed on the prime meridian and the southernmost pixel is placed on the equator). Under layer properties, it says "Unknown Coordinate System". I was able to view the NetCDF metadata in R and it looks like the projection should be UTM WGS84 Zone 11. So, I tried changing the map's projection to UTM WGS84 Zone 11, but the layer seems to just be shifted into the middle of the zone, still not in the right place.

Screenshot of the file:

Answer 1

I've seen something similar with satellite data after converting from NetCDF.

The first thing to try is defining the projection using the ArcGIS "define projection" tool (not "Project" or "Project Raster").

If this doesn't work, I've found that the raster extent has sometimes been incorrectly assigned. One way to fix this is to perform a raster operation that doen't change the data and set the correct extent in the environment settings.

For example, using the raster calculator in ArcGIS Pro (needs spatial analyst license):

• Double click your layer in the raster calculator, moving it into the expression box.
• Choose a suitable output raster.
• Go to the "Environments" tab.
• Under the "Processing extent" block, set the extent to "As specified below".
• Add the appropriate extents and run the tool.

You'll need to run the "Define projection" after updating the extent.