The ArcGIS Spatial Analyst extension provides a rich set of spatial analysis and modeling tools for both raster (cell-based) and feature (vector) data.
The capabilities of Spatial Analyst are broken down into categories or groups of related functionality. Knowing the categories will help you identify which particular tool to use. The table at the end of this section lists all the available toolsets with a description of the capabilities offered by the tools in each.
There are several ways to access Spatial Analyst functionality. With geoprocessing, operations in the Spatial Analyst toolbox can be performed through a Tool dialog box, Python (either at an interactive command line interface or with a script), or a Model. Traditional operations and workflows using Map Algebra can also be performed in the Python environment. There is also a Raster Calculator available for entering simple Map Algebra expressions that generate an output raster.