How do I add rasters together that are of different spatial extents?
I have many, many features that overlap over a large area (entire east coast) and I am looking to sum them "stacked" where they overlap. My strategy is to:
1) Convert each feature to a raster (using Polygon to Raster tool)
2) Set Null values for feature to 0 using Con(IsNull("raster"),0, "raster") in Raster Calculator
3) "Normalize" each raster (spatially) to have matching spatial extent (of the entire study area) - do this by adding each raster to the "Constant Raster" I created, which has the study area's extent, the same projection, and the same cell size of the individual rasters. The result should be a new raster to the extent of the study area, with the same correct values at the location of the converted-feature in question.
4) Use Raster Calculator to simply add the normalized rasters together.
Something's not working at step #3. When I add the projected, constant raster (all values = 0) to the individual feature-converted-to-raster (with null values set to 0) in the Raster Calculator Tool, with Processing Extent set to that of the Constant Raster, the resulting raster output is of the correct extent but the values of the feature-converted-to-raster are incorrect. Instead of an expected range of, for example, [0, 77] (where the feature that was converted had the value 77, and any "background" value = 0) the value is something extreme, such as [-1.79e+308, 1.79e+308] [Edited to explain unexpected output]
Can someone explain what it is I am missing here? My searches on StackExchange only revealed this question but I must have missed something.