ECW File Format – What is it? And How to Use It

ECW files capture incredibly detailed images at a large scale. It is a favorite used by aerial photographers and mappers. Additionally, the format retains tremendous quality and detail even at higher compression levels. If you want to learn more, in this article we will teach you everything related to the ECW file format.

What is an ECW file format?

ECW files have high levels of compression, reaching proportions of up to (1:100). These are ideal for large scale photographs taken from great distances such as from the sky with aerial photography or satellite photography from space. This makes them a favorite of meteorologists and oceanographers.

On the other hand, “ECW” is the acronym for “Enhanced Compression Wavelet”. You can zip and unzip these files with only small amounts of RAM and the processes are faster to be able to move and handle ECW like standard files.

With the ECW file format, you can view huge images many gigabytes in size, without pixelation. Even better, this kind of file doesn’t require as much computing power as you might expect.

Features of this file format

• Improved compression wavelet.
• Filename extension: (.ecw).
• Developed by: Mapping of terrestrial resources.
• Latest release: (version 3.3).
• Format Type: Image File Format.

It has the following properties

• Incorporates map projection information.
• Fast compression (approximately (1.5 MBytes) of compressed file per second on a 1 GHz processor).
• Typical compression ratios between (1:10 and 1:100).
• Possible decompression of selected regions without the need to decompress the entire file.
• Compression of the data stream allows the large with small RAM requirements.

History of the ECW file format

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Australian software developers, “Earth Resource (ER) Mapping Ltd”. They created the ECW file. The original concept of ER Mapping began with terabyte-sized environmental images. Additionally, a mathematical advance provided a means to transform and examine the images.

Therefore, the developers refined this process, improving image quality and speed of use. As files became more popular, more people used them on smaller, lighter computers. Another later adaptation made it possible to decompress parts of images without decompressing the entire file.

What the ECW file is used for

This file format has several uses and is most common in the geoscience, satellite mapping, and environmental industries. Below I will show you a list of the usefulness of this format.

1. Aerial photography

You can use the ECW file format to capture aerial photographs including landscape photographs from the tops of mountains and the upper floors of skyscrapers as well as aerial views taken by low-flying drones and high-flying aircraft.

2. Satellite images

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ECW files can capture extremely large subjects from space, ranging from coastlines and city subdivisions to the entire length of rivers, entire states, and more.

3. Geosciences

ECW files also capture GeoRadar images in the solar system, geospatial data taken from 3D spaces and geolocation mappingallowing scientists to observe how vast, complex shapes change in size, shape and location.

4. Other uses

You can also use ECW files to monitor changes in large landscapes. For example, environmentalists track deforestation with them. ECW files are also great for visualizing and projecting growth in physical regions.

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Pros and cons of ECW files

Below I will show you some advantages and disadvantages of using ECW files.

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1. Advantages of ECW files

• Size: For images of one terabyte or larger, ECW files are ideal. There is no limitation for image size.
• High performance: ECW’s compression and decompression processes have improved over time. Now you can achieve relationships compression up to (1:100).
• : You can store large amounts of data in ECW files, but it is possible to reduce their size by more than (90%)meaning you can maintain entire image sets or store image files on smaller devices.

2. Disadvantages of ECW file format

• Look, but don’t touch: ECW files are mainly for moving, storing and viewing images. They are not designed for editing or manipulation. While possible, ECW files are still largely a visualization tool.
• Size: Although ECW files are highly compressed, they are still large. Additionally, when they resize, they can create gigabytes of temporary files, capable of crashing some low-power computers.
• Compression and decompression: If you’re not just viewing the files, but actively resizing them, your core compression and decompression processes can be complex. Even experienced hands fight on both sides.

How to open an ECW file

A variety of software programs can ECW on a computer running Windows 10 or . First, you will need to download a compatible program. Then with the program next.

• . Start by navigating to your saved or downloaded files folder.
• Step 2. Right click on the file name with the extension (.ECW).
• Step 3. Then click “Choose default program”followed by “Examine”.
• Step 4. Select the compatible program with which you want to start the file.

What programs open ECW files?

In addition to “ER Mapper Image Compressor” and “ERDAS IMAGINE”you can also open the ECW file format with the following programs:

• Canvas X
• falcon view
• Irfan View
• TatukGIS Viewer
• Xn View

Convert ECW to JPG

Can ECW to JPEG with a variety of online converters or some downloadable software designed to transform images. Then, you can open your file with programs like “Adobe Photoshop”.

How do I open ECW files on Mac?

To open your ECW files on Mac, you will need to download a compatible file. “Canvas X” and “XnView” They are available for Mac OS operating systems.

you can create and edit ECW file on PC

Creating and editing ECW files requires specialized software as “ER Mapper Image Compressor”. ERDAS IMAGINE software, based on the original design, can also edit and extract information from your images.

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Also, it is good to keep in mind that if you are going to create and edit ECW files, make sure that your computer has enough memory space available.

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