# ArcGIS: Batch Converting TIF to Excel > This post records the detailed steps so I can look them up again later. > > Though after speedrunning it, I realized the era seems to have already shifted from ArcMap to Pro...... > > The great wind of life blows forth the world's spirit; only the old can see the destruction within...... In [Drawing GIS Colored Maps in Stata](https://blog.huaxiangshan.com/zh-cn/posts/statagis/) I introduced the shp-type files commonly used in GIS. In short, GIS's basic data structure needs three elements: coordinates, a unique identifier, and a measured value. Here I'll explain how to extract a cross-sectional Excel data file for administrative divisions from an administrative-division map file and a TIF map file. {{< mermaid >}} graph TD; 0(Get map file)==>1(Map main file .Shp); 0(Get map file)==>11(Line main file .Shp); 0(Get map file)==>3(Table file .dbf); 1(Map main file .Shp)==translate==>2(Map outline data); 11(Line main file .Shp)==translate==>9(Map line data); 3(Table file .dbf)==translate==>4(Label file); 5(Data analysis file)==>6(Matching file); 4(Label data)==>6(Matching file); 6(Matching file)==id identifier==>7(Plotting); 2(Map outline data)==id identifier==>7(Plotting); 9(Map line data)==id identifier==>7(Plotting) {{< /mermaid >}} # A quick guide to GIS Official tutorial: [ArcGIS help](https://pro.arcgis.com/zh-cn/pro-app/latest/help/main/welcome-to-the-arcgis-pro-app-help.htm) ArcGIS, as commercial software, is actually very easy to pick up. Like Excel, once you understand the layout you can grasp the basic usage. ![Software diagram](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240923153250443.webp) - As shown, the far left is the file area, for viewing working files. - To its right is the tool list, with various tool functions to help process data files, so just follow the prompts. - Further right is layer management. - The far right is the drawing preview area; drop a GIS file in and you can see the image. # GIS batch processing ## From point data to polygon data Economics data analysis is generally province-, city-, and county-level panel data. GIS files are image files, which can be seen as point-set data, while administrative panels are block-shaped, i.e. polygon data. So our processing approach is to compute the average of the point data within each administrative area, then export. Partition by the administrative-division shp. Use the function `Spatial Analyst` - `Zonal` - `Zonal Statistics as Table` to connect the data map with the administrative-division map and compute the mean within each administrative area. ![img](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240923154317568.webp) ## The fake batch processing For each method/function, right-click - Batch will pop up an Excel table of custom actions. It seems like you could set your repeated actions via Excel rows to batch-process quickly, but if you actually use it, you'll find the problem. After defining n repeated actions this way, only the last-defined action is kept. ![Batch processing](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240923155140485.webp) ## The real batch processing ### Import the TIF files Real batch processing means designing a flowchart by hand! Take the TIF data provided in the 2024 Huawei Mathematical Contest in Modeling as an example; put the TIFs in one folder (preferably named in English and with the .tif extension, to make the later connections easier). ![Population-data TIF files](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925111328464.webp) ### Find the shp file The principle was mentioned earlier — we want to convert the GIS point dataset into administrative-division panel data, for which we need the administrative-division shp map. There are many resources on GitHub; you can also look in "[Drawing GIS Colored Maps in Stata](https://blog.huaxiangshan.com/zh-cn/posts/statagis/)". ### Design the flowchart ArcGIS's real batch processing is drawing the flowchart yourself. ### Batch-converting TIF to table First, right-click under the connected folder and create a new toolbox. ![Create a new toolbox](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925112642775.webp) Then right-click under the toolbox to create a new model. ![Create a new model](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925112729074.webp) Open the model to edit it, and drag the functions you want from the toolbar. ![Drag into the toolbox](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925113051718.webp) TIF is raster data; Insert - Iterators - Raster ![Insert - Iterators - Raster](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925113609908.webp) Double-click "Iterate Rasters". For workspace or raster catalog, choose the tif folder in the data folder; for raster format, choose TIF. ![Choose TIF as the raster data format](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925113808126.webp) Insert - Model Only Tools - Parse Path ![Parse Path](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925113904528.webp) Drag the shp folder you found into the model frame. This post uses the `district.shp` file of the county-level administrative-division map. ![County-level administrative divisions](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925114033696.webp) Switch to the connect tool ![Connect tool](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925114207152.webp) Connect from "Name" to "Parse Path", choosing "Input data element". ![Connect to](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925114320208.webp) Double-click "Parse Path", and choose NAME as the parse type. > So note: it's best for the tif filenames to be in the form `variable` + `number`, to make the pattern easy to recognize. Best to name all looped files with this kind of structure. ![Parse Path](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925114530352.webp) Next is the operation of connecting parameters. 1. Connect from "Value" to "Zonal Statistics as Table", choosing "Environments" - "Output config keyword". 2. Connect from "the first recognized tif data (in this example `pop1990.tif`)" to "Zonal Statistics as Table", choosing "Input value raster". 2. Connect from "the first recognized tif data (in this example `pop1990.tif`)" to "Zonal Statistics as Table", choosing "Input value raster". 3. Connect from "the shp file (in this example `district.shp`)" to "Zonal Statistics as Table", choosing "Input raster or feature zone data". ![img](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925114744988.webp) Double-click `ZonalSt_shp5`. Change "Look in" to the result folder inside the folder (if there isn't one, you can create one on the fly in the dialog), and change "Name" to `%value%`. ![Name](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925115208041.webp) Right-click the tif module and choose Model Parameter. > Don't forget at this point to switch from connect mode to select mode in the top toolbar, so that right-clicking selects. ![Model Parameter](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925115531431.webp) Right-click the zone-division module (in this post, district.shp), and choose Model Parameter. ![Model Parameter](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925115734046.webp) The Auto Layout button at the top can help us tidy up the layout. ![Auto Layout](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925115801305.webp) ### Batch-converting tables to Excel Continue adding on top of the previous flowchart. Drag the "Table to Excel" tool from "Toolbox - Conversion Tools - Excel" into the model frame. ![Table to Excel](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925115924493.webp) Connect "%value%" to "Table to Excel", choosing Input table. ![Table to Excel](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925120016912.webp) Double-click `%value%\_TableToExcel.xls`, choose the folder for the save path, and set the filename to `%value%\_TableToExcel.xls`. ![The path folder](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925120246941.webp) After drawing the flowchart, click the model's OK to run it. ![Click the model's OK to run](/img/arcGIS.zh-cn-20240925120948913.webp) ## Other tips If the operations are all correct, but reading stops partway and says there's a reading problem, the most likely causes are: - The GIS file isn't in `.tif` format. - The folder name is in Chinese. - The data filenames aren't structured — for example, both `1990pop.tif` and `pop1998.tif` appear at the same time. - It's best to keep the Result folder and the tif folder in the same-level directory. --- > Author: [滑翔闪](https://github.com/hzp2333/hzp2333.github.io) > URL: https://blog.huaxiangshan.com/en/posts/gis/