ProRaster Roadmap

ProRaster is a work in progress. Our goal is to make provide customers with a revolutionary raster rendering and processing package, at a very affordable price. 

A variety of improvements, extensions, and new features are scheduled for development over calendar years 2024 – 2025. All future development is shaped by customer feedback. If you are particularly interested in a new feature, or would like to suggest a new feature, please provide feedback to Roberts Geospatial Engineering. 

All new and improved features will be made available in ProRaster Scientific via automatic update as they become available. Some features may also be inherited by ProRaster Premium. ProRaster Essential is feature complete but will benefit from bug fixes and operational improvements that filter down from ProRaster Scientific.

Update: 28 April 2025

Version 4.0 is currently in active development and it will bring a new stream of processing capabilities to ProRaster Scientific focussed on Point data storage, rendering, and gridding. Version 4.0 will introduce –

  • An efficient new storage format (MRP) for Point and LiDAR Pulse-Return data enabling storage of an unlimited amount of Point or Pulse data, limited only by your local storage capacity.
  • Rendering of Point and Pulse data applying on-the-fly queries to LiDAR Pulse data to obtain Point Returns for rendering.
  • Virtual Gridding is a new virtual processing operation that will be implemented within an MVR (virtual raster). Grid point clouds of unlimited size in real-time. Modify the query and gridding parameters to instantly adjust the gridded raster output.

Soon you will be able to explore your Point and LiDAR datasets as easily and effectively as you can currently explore your raster datasets. Look for ProRaster Scientific version 4.0 on the Microsoft Store in July 2025!

Rendering Algorithm Extensions

Point CloudsGeneral/LAS/LAZ import and rendering.
DecorationA new layer type to decorate a map with a picture or vector image. Decoration types will include Pictures, Text, Scale Bar, Color Scale.
Copy and pasteCopy and paste algorithms, layers, or components into other algorithms.
Data transformVisualise and export the data transform function for any user defined data transform.
ContouringA new layer type rendering annotated, color contours at any scale, in real time.
Implemented in version 2.5.0.

Mapping Extensions

Tracking cursorsShow a cursor in nominated maps that tracks your cursor location in the selected map.
Animated Image ExportExport images of constant size along a user defined path and at a user defined level of zoom for video animation.
Location linked mapsKeep the centre coordinate of nominated maps synchronised as you zoom and pan.
Implemented in version 3.0.03
Zoom linked mapsKeep the zoom extents of nominated maps synchronised as you zoom and pan.
Implemented in version 3.0.03

Mapping Tools

Temporal renderingFor any point, acquire all data points on the temporal scale and plot as a profile.
3D surface renderingDrape an algorithm onto a 3D surface. This will focus on helping users understand the 3D geometry. It will use a flat Earth model, rather than a globe. Specify the extents from a linked 2D map.
Implemented in 2.4.0
Profile renderingDraw profiles across any map, at any scale, and extract vertical axis data in real time.
Implemented in 2.3.0
Measurement toolMeasure the distance between points on a map and area of a polygon.
Implemented in 2.3.0

Multispectral support

Manual scene import templates and batch processingDefine templates for birds that expedite manual scene import. Support batch processing to import multiple scenes.
Support for other satellite platforms and familiesAutomated scene import support can be added for other platforms and families. Please provide feedback.
Harmonisation Combine Landsat 8&9 and Sentinel2 A&B scenes into a single product. Consider other bird and platform combinations.
User defined spectral indexAllow users to add spectral index formulas.
User defined processingAllow users to provide processing DLL’s, conforming to a specific IO standard, that implement bespoke processing on satellite multispectral data.
Advanced change detectionImplement more advanced change detection algorithms.
Spatial statisticsExpand the existing univariate statistics to spatial and bivariate statistics. Variograms, statistics over windows.
Proxy curve statistics
Given a statistics distribution, apply a supplied proxy curve multiplier and integrate to generate an estimate of a physical property over a spatial region. For example, vegetation biomass.
Implemented in 2.2.04

Processing Operations

Virtual GriddingVirtual minimum curvature gridding of a point cloud using automated trend enhancement.
Space (kernel) filteringApply a wide variety of kernel-based filters.
Frequency (Fourier) filteringApply a wide variety of filters in the frequency domain using forward and reverse Fast Fourier Transforms.
Join operationJoin multiple rasters together in a processing operation to produce an MRR. Provide detailed control over the output raster.
Merge operationMerge multiple rasters together in a processing operation to produce an MRR. Provide detailed control over the output raster.
Stitch operationMerge multiple rasters together using level balancing and advanced edge stitching in a processing operation to produce an MRR. Provide detailed control over the output raster.
CombineCombine rasters together into a virtual raster.
Time seriesCombine rasters together temporally into a virtual raster.
WarpingGeoreferencing an image using a variety of methods including warping to control points.
EditEdit the structure and metadata of a raster, the cell values, and cell values by flood filling.
PolygoniseConvert a raster to polygons.
ContourGenerate polyline contours as output vectors.
FillingFill holes in a raster using a variety of mechanisms.
Temporal interpolationInterpolate between rasters in time rather than space.
Change matrixBuild a 2D probability matrix of how values in one raster (or at one time) are likely to change to values in another raster.
Histogram matchingTransform the values in a raster by matching the distribution histogram in another raster.
Implemented in 3.0.01
ClassifyConvert a raster into a classified raster by mapping values or ranges to a classification table.
Implemented in 2.2.09
RasteriseConvert polygons to raster.
Implemented in 2.2.10
DeclutterRemove isolated cells, islands, and tendrils.
Implemented in 2.2.14
TransformApply a transformation function (defined as either a mathematical function or as a non-linear table).
Implemented in 2.2.03

Core support

Native WMS driver supportDevelop a native driver to support WMS webmaps and other styles of web data resources.
Output PNG and JPEG formatUpgrade the imagery Export operation to support export to unlocated PNG and JPEG files.
Implemented in version 3.0.02.
Improved GDAL integrationImprove support for the many raster formats currently supported via the GDAL open library.
Upgraded to GDAL 3.9.3 in version 2.5.0.