See [this link][1] for more details. 

## **The Problem:** ##
I want to loop through a [continuous][2] raster (one that has no attribute table), cell by cell, and get the value of the cell. I want to take those values and run conditionals on them, emulating the map algebra steps detailed below without actually using the raster calculator.

Per request of comments below, I have added details providing background to the problem and justifying the need to implement a method as such in the section below called "The analysis needed:". The analysis proposed, while being relevant to my problem by providing background, **does not need to be implemented in an answer.** The scope of the question only pertains to iterating through a continuous raster to get/set the cell values. 

**The analysis needed:**
-------------------

If ANY of the following conditions are fulfilled, give output cell a vale of 1. Only give output cell a value of 0 if none of the conditions are fulfilled.

**Condition 1:** If cell value is greater than top and bottom cells, give value of 1:

    Con("raster" > FocalStatistics("raster", NbrIrregular("C:\filepath\kernel_file.txt"), "MAXIMUM"), 1, 0)

Where kernel file looks like this:

    3 3 
    0 1 0
    0 0 0
    0 1 0

**Condition 2:** If cell value is greater than left and right cells, give value of 1:

    Con("raster" > FocalStatistics("raster", NbrIrregular("C:\filepath\kernel_file.txt"), "MAXIMUM"), 1, 0)

Where kernel file looks like this:

    3 3 
    0 0 0
    1 0 1
    0 0 0  

**Condition 3:** If cell value is greater than topleft and bottomright cells, give value of 1:

    Con("raster" > FocalStatistics("raster", NbrIrregular("C:\filepath\kernel_file.txt"), "MAXIMUM"), 1, 0)

Where kernel file looks like this:

    3 3 
    1 0 0
    0 0 0
    0 0 1 

**Condition 4:** If cell value is greater than bottomleft and topright cells, give value of 1:

    Con("raster" > FocalStatistics("raster", NbrIrregular("C:\filepath\kernel_file.txt"), "MAXIMUM"), 1, 0)

Where kernel file looks like this:

    3 3 
    0 0 1
    0 0 0
    1 0 0 

**Condition 5:** If **any** one of the adjacent cells has a value EQUAL to the center cell, give the output raster a value of 1 ([using focal variety with two nearest neighborhood calculations][3])


**Why not use map algebra?**
------------------------

It has been noted below that my problem could be solved using map algebra but as seen above this is a grand total of six raster calculations, plus one to combine all of the rasters created together. It seems to me that it is **much** more efficient to go cell-by-cell and do all of the comparisons at once in each cell instead of looping through each individually seven times and utilizing quite a bit of memory to create seven rasters. 

**How should the problem be attacked?**
-----------------------------------

The link above advises to use IPixelBlock interface, however it is unclear from ESRI documentation whether you are actually accessing a single cell value itself through IPixelBlock, or if you are accessing multiple cell values from the size of the IPixelBlock you set. A good answer should suggest a method for accessing the cell values of a continuous raster and provide an explanation of the methodology behind the code, if not apparently obvious.

**In summary:**
---------------

What is the best method to loop through every cell in a CONTINUOUS raster (which has **no attribute table**) to access its cell values? 

A good answer need not implement the analysis steps described above, it needs only to provide a methodology to access cell values of a raster.


  [1]: http://forums.esri.com/Thread.asp?c=93&f=993&t=144111
  [2]: http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisdesktop/9.3/index.cfm?TopicName=Discrete_and_continuous_data
  [3]: http://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/70776/efficiently-check-for-equal-adjacent-values-in-raster-calculator