Importing Layer Symbology into ArcGIS Pro for Landscapes

IFTDSS uses a specific color scheme for Map Studio and report figures. When you download IFTDSS files for use in ArcGIS Pro, you can duplicate this color scheme using our .lyrx files contained in the "Symbology_ArcPro" folder. The .lyrx files contain all the color specifications used by IFTDSS.

Lyrx files in the Landscape download includes:

  • Aspect
  • Canopy Base Height
  • Canopy Bulk Density
  • Canopy Cover
  • Fuel Models
  • Slope
  • Stand Height

Important! Elevation is dynamic and varies by file, so these two may not apply to your specific download.

Important! Symbology in IFTDSS downloads does not always match the units in Map Studio. For example, Canopy Base Height displays in Map Studio in meters, but in the downloadable GeoTIFF it displays in meters *10. In the image below, the value for the pixel at the red dot is 5. This is 0.5 m and is in the >0-0.5 class in the legend (darkest green).

Canopy base heights in the geotiff indicated with a pixel value of 5, and canopy base height of 0.5

See the Landscape (LCP) GeoTIFFs from IFTDSS topic for the units in Map Studio versus the GeoTIFF.

In the Landscape download package available in IFTDSS, we include a folder entitled "Symbology_ArcPro." The symbology folder contains ArcGIS Layer (.lyrx) files to define the symbology for most of the layers visible in Map Studio for use in ArcGIS Pro, as shown in the file list below for a downloaded landscape.

iftdss download with individual files listed, including several .lyrx files.

In the GeoTIFF, the Landscape layers are both categorical and continuous data, importing the symbology is slightly different for each type. Below we cover:

  • Categorical (Fuel Model).
  • Continuous (Slope, Aspect, Canopy Cover, Stand Height, Canopy Base Height, and Canopy Bulk Density).

We have not included a .lyrx file for Elevation although it is visible in Map Studio. This is because we do not have set bins to classify/categorize elevation due to the large variation in the range of values across landscapes.

In addition, we have not included ArcGIS Layers files for layers included in the Landscape GeoTIFF not shown in Map Studio. These include: Map Zone, Existing Vegetation Type, Existing Vegetation Height, and Existing Vegetation Cover.

Import Symbology for Fuel Model (categorical data)

The Fuel Model layer in the Landscape GeoTIFF is categorical data. The following steps outline how to import the symbology for categorical data.

  1. Open an ArcGIS Pro session and add the layers you would like to map. Double click the GeoTIFF file to select individual bands. For more information on how to add layers to ArcGIS Pro, please see the Opening an IFTDSS GeoTIFF file in ArcGIS Pro topic.

  2. Right-click the "Fuel Model" layer and click Symbology to open the Symbology pane.

    Arc menu for fuel model file, the Symbology option is circled

  3. In the Symbology pane, go to the Primary Symbology drop-down and select "Unique Values." You may get a pop-up window asking if you would like to build an attribute table. Click Yes.

    unique values window in ArcGIS Pro

  4. Click the Options icon options toward the top right of the Symbology pane. In the drop-down that opens, click Import from layer file. This opens the Import Symbology browse window. Select the "Fuel Models.lyrx" file located in the "Symbology_ArcPro" folder of your IFTDSS download package, and click OK.

    listof lyrx files with fuel model highlighted

  5. Now you can see Fuel Model in ArcGIS Pro is the same as it appears in IFTDSS Map Studio.

    IFTDSS fuel models in ArcGIS top with the same symbology as IFTDSS, bottom.

Importing Symbology for Slope, Aspect, Canopy Cover, Stand Height, Canopy Base Height, and Canopy Bulk Density (continuous data)

The same steps are completed to import the symbology for Slope, Aspect, Canopy Cover, Stand Height, Canopy Base Height, and Canopy Bulk Density. These data sources are continuous data that are classified into distinct bins. The following steps outline how to import the symbology for continuous data. The example below will use Canopy Base Height; however, the same steps are applied to the remaining layers.

  1. Open an ArcGIS Pro session and add the layers you would like to map. For more information on how do add layers to ArcGIS Pro please see the Opening an IFTDSS Geo Tiff file in ArcGIS Pro topic.

  2. Right-click the "Canopy Base Height" layer and click Symbology.

    arc menu for the layer with the 'symbology' option highlighted.

  3. In the Symbology pane go to the Primary Symbology drop-down and select "Classify."

    'classify' is highlighted in the menu.

  4. Click the Options icon options toward the top right of the Symbology pane. In the drop-down that opens, click Import from layer file. This opens the Import Symobology browse window. Select the "Canopy Base Height.lyrx" file located in the "Symbology_ArcPro" folder of your IFTDSS download package, and click OK.

    browse window open with 'canopy base height' selected

  5. Now you can see Canopy Base Height in ArcGIS Pro the same as it is in IFTDSS Map Studio.

green symbology for canopy base height shown in ArcGIS Pro matches that of IFTDSS.