DOKK / manpages / debian 12 / pktools / pkdiff.1.en
pkdiff(1) pkdiff(1)

pkdiff - program to compare two raster image files


pkdiff
-i input -ref reference [options] [advanced options]

pkdiff compares two datasets. The reference can either be a raster or a vector, but the input must be a raster dataset. In case the reference is a raster dataset, a pixel by pixel comparison is performed. With no further options, the utility reports if the rasters are identical or different. If required, an output raster dataset can be written with a qualitative information per pixel: 0 (input=reference), 1 (input>reference) or 2 (input<reference). If, however, the reference is a vector dataset, it must consist of point features. Polygon features are automatically converted to the centroid points before analyzing.

A typical use of the utility is to assess the accuracy of an input raster land cover map, based on a reference vector dataset. The reference dataset must contain an attribute (label) for each class. A confusion matrix is produced if the option -cm|--confusion is set. Here too, an output dataset can be written, which will be a vector dataset in this case. It contains the reference feature points with the extracted data value of the raster input dataset as a new attribute.

Input raster dataset.
Reference (raster or vector) dataset
Layer name(s) in sample. Leave empty to select all (for vector reference datasets only)
Input raster band
Create confusion matrix (to stdout)
Attribute name of the reference label (for vector reference datasets only)
List of class names.
List of class values (use same order as in classname option).
No data value(s) in input or reference dataset are ignored
Use the first band of the specified file as a validity mask. Nodata values can be set with the option --msknodata.
Mask value(s) where image is invalid. Use negative value for valid data (example: use -t -1: if only -1 is valid value)
verbose level

Advanced options

Output dataset (optional)
OGR format for output vector (for vector reference datasets only)
Output image format (see also gdal_translate(1)). Empty string: inherit from input image
Attribute name of the classified label (for vector reference datasets only)
Value for commission errors: input label < reference label
Boundary for selecting the sample (for vector reference datasets only)
Only take regions with homogeneous boundary into account (for reference datasets only)
Use circular boundary (for vector reference datasets only)
Color table in ASCII format having 5 columns: id R G B ALFA (0: transparent, 255: solid).
Creation option for output file. Multiple options can be specified.

Check if two raster images are different (reports only if images are different or not)

pkdiff -i input.tif -ref reference.tif

Validate a classification map using points from a reference sample and report confusion matrix

pkdiff -i classificationMap.tif -ref referencePoints.tif -cm

01 December 2022