Converting a large DEM with rasterio

float2int.py

import numpy as np
import rasterio

"""
2014-02-13
Bryan Luman
Use it however you like at your own risk

Problem:
I have a huge DEM converted from LiDAR LAS points. I'd like to make it slightly
less massive for further processing.

All my z values are between 682 and 869 feet stored as float32. If I convert
them to centimeters and they will fit well within a 16 bit unsigned integer.

This saves a significant amount of storage space and greatly reduces any type
of future analysis.

"""

CM_IN_FOOT = 30.48

with rasterio.drivers():
    with rasterio.open('massive_dem_as_float') as src:
        kwargs = src.meta
        kwargs.update(
            driver='GTiff',
            dtype=rasterio.uint16,
            count=1,
            compress='lzw',
            nodata=0,
            bigtiff='YES' # Output will be larger than 4GB
        )
    
        windows = src.block_windows(1)

        with rasterio.open('less_massive_dem_with_as_int.tif', 'w', **kwargs) as dst:
            for idx, window in windows:
                src_data = src.read_band(1, window=window)

                # Source nodata value is a very small negative number
                # Converting in to zero for the output raster
                np.putmask(src_data, src_data < 0, 0)

                dst_data = (src_data * CM_IN_FOOT).astype(rasterio.uint16)
                dst.write_band(1, dst_data, window=window)