Importing Geodata

page 1

Tutorial

ImportingGeodata

with

TNTmips®

TNTedit™

TNTview®

IMPORTING

Importing Geodata

page 2

Before Getting Started

You can print or read this booklet in color from MicroImages’ web site. Theweb site is also your source for the newest tutorial booklets on other topics.You can download an installation guide, sample data, and the latest versionof TNTmips.

http://www.microimages.com

This booklet introduces procedures for importing geospatial data for use withTNTmips®, TNTedit™, and TNTview®. The Import process allows you to im-port geospatial data from a wide array of file formats, including many commonraster, vector, CAD, shape, and database formats. Import of attached attributedata is supported for many of the vector and CAD file formats. This booklet leadsyou through a series of exercises to familiarize you with basic import proceduresfor raster, vector, CAD, and database files. A complete list of file formats that canbe imported is found on the inside back cover.

Prerequisite Skills This booklet assumes that you have completed the exercisesin the tutorial booklets Displaying Geospatial Data and TNT Product Concepts.Those exercises introduce essential skills and basic techniques that are not cov-ered again here. Please consult those booklets for any review you need.

Sample Data The exercises presented in this booklet use sample data that isdistributed with the TNT products. If you do not have access to a TNT productsDVD, you can download the data from MicroImages’ web site. In particular, thisbooklet uses sample files in the IMPORT data collection.

More Documentation This booklet is intended to be only an introduction toimporting geodata. Details of the processes described here can be found in avariety of tutorial booklets, Technical Guides, and Quick Guides, which are allavailable from MicroImages’ web site.

TNTmips® Pro and TNTmips Free TNTmips (the Map and Image ProcessingSystem) comes in three versions: the professional version of TNTmips (TNTmipsPro), the low-cost TNTmips Basic version, and the TNTmips Free version. Allversions run exactly the same code from the TNT products DVD and have nearlythe same features. If you did not purchase the professional version (which re-quires a software license key) or TNTmips Basic, then TNTmips operates inTNTmips Free mode.

The Import process is not available in TNTatlas. All the exercises can be complet-ed in TNTmips Free using the sample geodata provided.

Randall B. Smith, Ph.D., 5 January 2012©MicroImages, Inc., 1997-2012

Importing Geodata

page 3

Welcome to Importing GeodataThe Import process in the TNT products allows youto import geospatial data from many different typesof raster, vector, CAD, shape, and text file formats.When you import geospatial data with attached at-tributes, the process automatically creates andpopulates database subobjects for the importedobjects. You can also import database tables direct-ly from several different types of database format.

The Import process also gives you the option toestablish a link to externally-maintained databaseinformation and to external spatial data in selectedformats. Linking allows you to work with the spatialand/or attribute data in the TNT products while main-taining it in its original format for use in other products.For certain spatial data formats you don’t even needto use the Import process to set up the link; you cansimply select the file in any TNT process and use itdirectly.

The exercises in this booklet use a set of sample filesto lead you through the import procedures that arespecific to different external file formats. Althoughonly a sampling of the supported import formats arecovered in these exercises, the common proceduresyou learn here should enable you to follow the stepsrequired to import other file formats. Linking anddirect use procedures are also discussed.

The geodata contained in the external sample filescan also be found as objects in Project Files else-where in the sample data collections. The objectsyou import in these exercises can thus be placed in atemporary Project File that can be deleted once youhave completed the exercises. For your convenience,each exercise provides you with the object name,Project File, and data collection name for the corre-sponding sample object. You can use the standardDisplay process in TNTmips (Main / Display) to viewany of the objects you import in these exercises.

Procedures common to allimport operations areintroduced on pages 4-5.Page 6 discusses directuse, linking, and import. Theexercises on pages 7-11cover standard proceduresfor importing raster objectsin various formats. Importof CAD and vector objectsis introduced on pages 12-16, and database import iscovered on pages 17-19.Procedures for sizingimported objects for TNTliteare summarized on pages20-21. Page 22 discusseshow you can incorporatemetadata in your Project Filefor any imported object. Alist of currently supportedimport formats can be foundon page 23.

STEPS

launch TNTmipsselect Main / Import from

the TNTmips menu

Importing Geodata

page 4

Choosing the Format FirstSTEPS

press the Vectorfilter button in theImport windowclick on the MIF entry inthe format list to select itpress the Select Filesbutton in the Importwindowuse the Select Fileswindow to selectNECOUNTY.MIF from theIMPORT data collection andpress [OK]click [Next]in the Import Parameterswindow, note the ObjectType menu is set toVector

press [Cancel] in theImport Parameterswindowpress [Remove All] onthe Import window toclear the file list for thenext exercise

When the Import window initially opens, it presentsa scrolled list of all file formats that can be imported.You can either choose the file to import first or choosethe format first. The first two exercises familiarizeyou with these two alternative workflows.

When you are going to select the format first, as inthis exercise, it is best to first use the Import FormatFilter buttons to specify the object type (raster, vec-tor, shape, CAD, or database) to which you want toimport the external file. This approach has severalbenefits. First, the filter prunes the list of availableformats to those consistent with your choice of ob-ject type, so scrolling down to find the desired formatin the list is faster. Second, some file formats can beimported to different TNT object types; in this exam-ple, MIF data can be imported to either a vector orCAD object. Pressing a filter button automaticallysets the desired object type in the subsequent Im-port Parameters window.

Once you have selected a format, only files match-ing that format are shown in the Select Files windowthat opens when you press the Select Files button(or Next button with no file currently selected).

You can also choose aformat by typing itsthree-letter fileextension in the fieldprovided. Each letteryou type prunes theformat list to thosewhose extensionsbegin with the enteredletters.

AnyRaster

Vector CADShape Database Table

Click on any fieldheading (such asExtension) to sort theformat list alphabeticallyby that field. (The list isinitially sorted by formatname.)

Importing Geodata

page 5

STEPSscroll up to the top of theformat list and click onthe Any format entrypress the Select Filesbuttonuse the Select Fileswindow to selectYIELD.TXT from the IMPORT

data collection and press[OK]click on the TEXT entry inthe format listclick [Next]press [Cancel] in theImport Parameterswindowpress [Remove All] on theImport window to clearthe file list for the nextexercise

Pressing the Remove All button on the Import win-dow clears the input file list and resets the objecttype filter to Any, but retains your previous formatselection. With the Any entry in the format list se-lected and the Any filter button turned on (the defaultstate when the Import window opens), you can usethe Select Files button to select a file in any format.This option is particularly useful when you are work-ing with data that you are not familiar with. You canselect multiple files for import as long as they are thesame file type. Once you have selected the file orfiles, the format list is reduced to show only the for-mats that are associated with that file type. If theresulting list shows only a single format, you canimmediately press the Next button to open the Im-port Parameters window for that format.

In some cases the extension of the file you haveselected may be associated with several differentformats, some of which may even be different datatypes. In the example in this exercise, a text file withthe TXT file extension is associated with five differ-ent formats. As a group, these formats can import toCAD, vector, or raster objects or can contain data-base information. In suchcases you must choosethe desired format from thepruned list before pressingthe Next button. Also,when you choose the filefirst for a format that canimport to different objecttypes, (such as the MIFfile in the previous exer-cise), remember to set thedesired object type on theImport Parameters window.

Choosing the File First

When you are importing aseries of files in differentformats, as we will in thistutorial, choosing the formatfirst usually requires fewersteps, so subsequentexercises follow thatsequence.

Selecting a file reduces the format list to oneor more formats associated with that file type.

Importing Geodata

page 6

Import, Direct Use, and LinkingImporting an external file or other data source converts all of its data and stores itin a MicroImages Project File. The resulting object is completely self-containedand independent of the external source. You do not need to retain the externalsource in order to be able to work with the imported object in the TNT products.

Import is not the only option for exter-nal data. For the data formats listed inthe box to the left, you can directlyuse the external file in any TNT pro-cess without any prior processing.Files in these formats appear in thestandard Select Objects window’s listof available files along with TNT

Project Files. The external files are shown withthe MI icon but with their own file extension, asshown in the illustration. TNTmips automaticallyestablishes a link to such a file when you high-light it in the Select Objects list in any process.This auto-linking procedure creates in the samedirectory a link file whose name includes the nameand extension of the external file and which hasthe extension RLK. This RLK file is used to auto-matically store display parameters, raster pyramid

tiers, style information, and so on, and must remain in the same directory with theexternal file in order to preserve this ancillary data. (If the external file is on read-only media, the link file is automatically placed in a special link-cache directory onyour computer’s hard drive). Unlike a Project File, where you must select anobject from within the file for display or processing, you can simply select theauto-linked file itself for use in any process.

Some external formats that cannot be directly used in the TNT products neverthe-less allow you to use the Import process to manually set up a link to the externalfile. A toggle button is provided on the Import Parameters window to choose thelink option for these formats. (For any format that stores geometric elements asshapes, choose Shape from the Object Type menu on the Import Parameterswindow to enable the link option.) When you save the object at the end of the“import”, you actually save a link object in a standard MicroImages Project File;this link object serves the same function as the RLK file described above. It isbest to create the link in a Project File in the same directory as the external file sothat it is easier to keep the files in the proper relative directory location if theyneed to be copied or moved.

RasterJPGPNGTIFF / GeoTIFFJP2 / GeoJP2MrSIDECW (Windows only)

Direct-Use FormatsShapeARC-ShapefileCADMapInfo TABMicroStation DGNAutoCAD DXFAutoCAD DWG

Importing Geodata

page 7

Basic Raster Import ParametersSTEPS

press the Rasterfilter button in theImport windowchoose BMP from theformat listpress Select Files andselect LAVA.BMP from theIMPORT data collectionclick [Next]in the Import Parameterswindow, turn on theAverage radio button forRaster Pyramidingchoose StandardLossless from theCompression menuclick [Import] and use thestandard Select Objectwindow to create a newTEMP_IMP Project File anda new object for theimported rasterwhen the import processis complete, click [OK] onthe Process Statuswindow

When you import raster images, certain basic importparameters are common to all formats. As an intro-duction to these basic settings we import a colorimage from a Windows Bitmap (BMP) file.

As a rule you should allow the Import process tocreate pyramid tiers for imported images. These re-duced-resolution (larger cell size) versions of a rasterprovide fast display of images of any size at anyzoom level. Omitting pyramids could result in longdisplay times for large images. The Raster Pyramid-ing control allow you to choose how the cell valuesin the pyramid tiers are produced from the sourceraster cells: by averaging the corresponding sourcecells or by sampling single cell values.

Rasters you import can be compressed to reducethe stored size of the objects in your Project Files.Use the Compression menu to choose a compres-sion method. (Compression can only be applied torasters with integer cell values.)

If the image fileincludes blankareas with aknown value,you can turnon the NullValue toggleand enter the

“blank cell” value in the numeric field that is acti-vated by the toggle. When the raster is displayedthe null areas can then be rendered transparent ifyou choose. If you are importing a digital elevationmodel for use in a 3D display, turn on the toggle toCompute 3D Surface Properties so these propertiescan be computed and stored during import ratherthan the first time you render the 3D display.

24-bit color image of part of the East Rift Zone of Kilauea volcano onthe island of Hawaii, derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery.The dark blue to black areas are lava flows erupted since 1969.

Importing Geodata

page 8

Import a Raster Object from GeoTIFFSTEPS

press [Remove All] toclear the file listpress the Rasterfilter buttonchoose GeoTIFFfrom the format listpress Select Files andselect RIVER.TIF from theIMPORT data collectionclick [Next]in the Import Parameterswindow, turn on theImport to TNT internalformat togglechoose Single Compositefrom the Import RGB asmenuclick [Import] and directthe new raster object tothe TEMP_IMP Project Filewhen the import processis complete, click [OK] onthe Process Statuswindow

Although you can directly use GeoTIFF files in theTNT products, there may be occasions when youwant to do a full import instead. (Perhaps you wantto streamline your dataset by storing all of the datain a single Project File.) TIFF/GeoTIFF files can storeimages in a variety of data types: binary, one or more8-bit or 16-bit grayscale rasters, or 24-bit compositecolor. When the TIFF file you have selected con-tains a 24-bit color image, the Import RGB as menuallows you to import the file as either a single 24-bitcolor composite raster or as a set of separate 8-bitgrayscale rasters (one for each RGB color compo-nent). Import the image as an RBG raster set if youwish to modify its contrast and color balance later inTNTmips.

Raster image files such as GeoTIFF and GeoJP2 in-clude georeference information embedded within theimage file. When you select such a file, the coordi-nate information and reference system are read fromthe file automatically during import without further

action on your part. You can import GeoTIFFimages using either the TIFF or GeoTIFF formatentries in the Import window.

The sample GeoTIFF file is a 24-bitcolor composite image of the GreenRiver in Utah, USA. This natural-color image is an extract of a pan-sharpened Landsat 7 ETM image.

Use these radio buttons to choose betweenimporting or manually linking to the file.

Importing Geodata

page 9

Import a Raster with an Arc World FileSTEPS

press [Remove All] toclear the file listpress the Rasterfilter buttonchoose JPEG fromthe format listpress Select Files andselect LAKE.JPG

click [Next]in the Import Parameterswindow, turn on theImport to TNT internalformat togglepress the ReferenceSystem buttonon the Predefined panelin the CoordinateReference Systemwindow, choose Globaland Regional / UniversalTransverse Mercator(UTM) / UTM zone 13Nchoose North American1927 (NAD27) from theDatum menu on theDatum panelpress [OK] on theCoordinate ReferenceSystem windowclick [Import] and directthe new raster object tothe TEMP_IMP Project Filewhen the import processis complete, click [OK] onthe Process Statuswindow

Image files that do not contain embedded georefer-ence information may be accompanied by an auxillarygeoreference file. This file should share the rootname of the selected image file and be in the samedirectory. MapInfo *.tab and ArcGIS *.prj files iden-tify the coordinate reference system as well asproviding coordinate information. These files areread automatically when the Import Parameters win-dow opens, and the detected coordinate referencesystem is then shown in the Reference System fieldat the bottom of the window.

An Arc World file (*.jfw with a JPEG image or .tfwfor other image types) includes coordinate informa-tion but does not identify the reference system. Toproduce complete georeference information on im-port you must use the Coordinate Reference Systemwindow (opened by the Reference System buttonon the Import Parameters window) to select the ap-propriate datum and coordinate system usinginformation provided in the metadata accompany-ing the image.

The sample JPEG image is a false-colorcomposite from 3 Landsat TM bandsshowing a lake (dark blue) in northernWyoming, USA. Vegetation is bright green.

CoordinateReferenceSystem field

Importing Geodata

page 10

Create a Multifile Raster ObjectSTEPS

press [Remove All] toclear the file listpress the Rasterfilter buttonchoose GeoJP2from the format listpress Select Files andselect VOF_11.JP2,VOF_12.JP2, VOF_21.JP2,and VOF_22.JP2 from theIMPORT data collectionclick [Next]in the Import Parameterswindow, turn on the Linkto files in original formand location toggleturn on the Single tiledraster for all files toggleclick [Import] and directthe link raster object tothe TEMP_IMP Project Filewhen the import processis complete, click [OK] onthe Process Statuswindow

Multifile raster object linked to the fourtiled JP2 files, each of which is 256 cellssquare. The image is natural-colorcomposite of Landsat TM bands of anarea in southern Nevada, USA.

Choose the Single tiled raster for allfiles option to create a single linkedmultifile raster object.

Large image datasets may be distributed in pieces,or tiles. The Import process allows you to set up alink that creates a single, multifile raster object thatlinks simultaneously to a collection of image tile filesthat you select. A linked multifile raster object ap-pears in TNT dialogs and processes as a single rasterobject. Meanwhile, the original data files remain avail-able for individual use in the TNT products or othersoftware. A multifile raster object can be created injust a few minutes even for very large tiled rasterdatasets representing gigabytes of image data.

Multifile linking is available for the following rasterfile formats: JP2/GeoJP2, MrSID, SRTM, and TIFF/GeoTIFF. The component image files must be geo-referenced, have uniform line and columndimensions, and be arranged in a regular rectangulargrid. The edges of the tiles must abut or have auniform width of overlap for all tiles. These restric-tions enable rapid display of very large multifile rasterimages.

Importing Geodata

page 11

Import a Raster Object from Simple ArrayThe dialogs for most standard raster file formats arevery similar to those you have already seen. But insome cases you may need to import a single rasterimage that is encoded as a generic stream of binarybyte data. To import such a file you can use theSimple Array format option. You must know the sizeof the image (in Lines and Columns) and the numericdata type (8-bit unsigned, for example), which youmight find in an accompanying readme, label, or head-er file.

Generic binary files might also contain multiple im-age bands, file header information, band headerinformation, and so on. For these more complex filesyou can use the User-Defined raster format, whichallows you to create and save a format file that com-pletely describes the file format.

STEPSpress [Remove All] toclear the file listpress the Rasterfilter buttonchoose SIMPLE-ARRAYfrom the format listpress Select Files andselect file KILSHADE.ARR

click [Next]in the Import Parameterswindow, enter 511 in theLines and Columns textfieldsenter 60 in the Line CellSize and Column Cell Sizetext fieldsselect 8-bit unsignedinteger from the Cell Typeoption menuclick [Import] and directthe new raster object tothe TEMP_IMP Project Filewhen the import processis complete, click [OK] onthe Process Statuswindow

Set the dimensions of theimage in Lines and Columns.

Set the data type forthe raster cell values.

The Byte Order setting applies if the filecontains 16-bit values (each valueconsisting of two bytes) or 32-bit values(four bytes).

The sample file in Simple Array format is ashaded relief image produced from adigital elevation model (DEM) of Kilaueavolcano on the island of Hawaii.

Importing Geodata

page 12

Import a CAD Object from MIFSTEPS

press [Remove All] toclear the file listpress the CADfilter buttonchoose MIF from theformat listpress Select Files andselect NECOUNTY.MIF

click [Next]turn on the Generate‘Standard Attribute’tables toggleclick [Import] and directthe new CAD object tothe TEMP_IMP Project Filewhen the import processis complete, click [OK] onthe Process Statuswindow

NOTE: The TNT products can directly use MapInfo TAB files as described onpage 6. These linked objects are treated and styled as CAD objects.

The sample MIF file is a mapof Nebraska counties.

Files in the MapInfo Interchange Format (MIF) storecoordinate lists for polygon, line, and point elements,as well as information about the map projection, inan ASCII text format. An accompanying file with the“mid” file extension stores attribute values for a sin-gle database table; this file is read automatically whenyou import the MIF file. You can choose to importMIF data to either a CAD or Vector object using theObject Type menu at the top of the Import Parame-ters window.

Import to CAD or vector objects from most formatsprovides the option to compute Standard Attributetables for the new object during the import. For CADimports a single CADSTATS table is produced; forvector imports, one table is produced for each typeof geometric element (point, line, polygon) in the

object. These tables contain basic statisti-cal attributes of each geometric element,such as length, area, centroid coordinates,and so on, that can used in selection que-ries, shown in DataTips, or used toconstruct more complex computed field at-tributes in other tables.

The illustrations on thisand subsequent pagesshow imported objectsthat have had displaystyles set after import.See the tutorial entitledCreating and UsingStyles for informationon setting up displaystyles for vector, CAD,and shape objects.

Importing Geodata

page 13

STEPSpress [Remove All] toclear the file listpress the Vectorfilter buttonchoose DXF from theformat listpress Select Files andselect FOOTPRINT.DXF

click [Next]choose Polygonal fromthe Topology Level menuturn on the Optimizevector for faster drawingtogglepress the ReferenceSystem buttonuse the CoordinateReference Systemwindow to set the CRS toNAD27 / UTM zone 17Nand press [OK]click [Import] and directthe new vector object tothe TEMP_IMP Project Filewhen the import processis complete, click [OK] onthe Process Statuswindow

Import a Vector Object from DXFThe AutoCAD DXF format has become one of thestandard means of exchanging drawing data betweenCAD programs. You can directly use DXF files,manually link them as CAD objects, or import themto CAD or vector objects.

When you import to a vector object, use the Topol-ogy Level menu to set the type of vector topologythat is most appropriate for the data. Use Polygonaltopology if the data includes polygons with at-tributes, Planar topology if only lines or pointsrequire attributes, and Network topology if linesshould be allowed to cross without intersecting at anode (for road, pipeline, or other network applica-tions). You should also routinely turn on the toggleto optimize the vector for faster drawing. Optimiza-tion assigns element numbers based on spatiallocation to speed rendering when you are zoomedin to local areas of the object.

Elements in a DXF file can be organized intodifferent drawing layers representingdifferent types of feature. You can chooseto create a separate object from eachdrawing layer. If you choose not to separatelayers, you can still use the imported Layertable to set up display styles by attribute forelements in the different DXF layers.

The sample DXF file containslines that depict street curbs andpolygons that represent houseand building outlines.

Importing Geodata

page 14

Much geometric map data is available in the form ofshapefiles. Shapefiles can contain point, line, orpolygon data, but only one type of element can bestored in a particular shapefile. Although you candirectly use shapefiles in the TNT products (as shapeobjects), you may wish to import a shapefile to avector object to provide the benefits of vector to-pology.

A shapefile actually consists of a suite of files withthe same root name but different file extensions.When you select a shapefile for import, the Selectfile(s) to import window filters the set to show onlythe main file with the .shp file extension, which youthen select for import.

Most vector imports provide the option to generatean element ID table for each element type. This op-tion is most useful when the external data has noattribute table but will have attributes assigned in

TNTmips. An element ID table pro-vides a unique ID number for eachelement; these IDs can be used to re-late the elements to records in otherattribute tables.

Import a Vector Object from Shapefile

The sample shapefile data set showselevation contour lines for an area inCrater Lake National Park, Oregon, USA.

STEPSpress [Remove All] toclear the file listpress the Vectorfilter buttonchoose ARC-SHAPEFILE from theformat listpress Select Filesselect file CONTOURS.SHP

from the SHAPE

subdirectory in the IMPORT

directoryclick [Next]choose Planar from theTopology Level menuclick [Import] and directthe new vector object tothe TEMP_IMP Project Filewhen the import processis complete, click [OK] onthe Process Statuswindow

Importing Geodata

page 15

Import a Vector Object from Arc E00STEPS

press [Remove All] toclear the file listpress the Vectorfilter buttonchoose ARC-E00-VECTOR from the formatlistpress Select Files andselect CBSOILS.E00click [Next]choose Polygonal fromthe Topology Level menuturn on the Optimizevector for faster drawingtogglechoose Point/Polygonfrom the Database forother tables menuclick [Import] and directthe new vector object tothe TEMP_IMP Project Filewhen the import processis complete, click [OK] onthe Process Statuswindow

TNTmips can import vector and attribute data fromseveral file formats produced by ArcInfo, includingthe “Export” format (e00). The import processprovides options to attach any line attributes andpoint/polygon attributes in the e00 file to theirrespective vector elements. The default “Automatic”option for attaching attributes should work for moste00 files. If records in the imported table are notattached correctly, try re-importing the file using oneof the other options on the attachment menu.

The import writes basic point or polygon attributesto a table named PAT, while line attributes are storedin a table named AAT. The e00 file also stores internalattribute information (such as line length andpolygon area); toggle buttons allow you to choosewhether or not to include these fields in the importedPAT or AAT table. Some e00 files may also containadditional attribute tables; the Database for othertables menu lets you specify which element databasethese tables should be stored in.

The sample e00 file is a soil map ofpart of the Crow Butte quadrangle innorthwest Nebraska.

Importing Geodata

page 16

The TEXT format allows you to create a vector pointobject from sets of 2D or 3D coordinate values in atext or database file. The coordinate values in a textfile can be aligned in columns or separated by a de-limiter character (the default is comma-delimited). Youmust specify the coordinate reference system forthe object and identify the text field that containseach of the coordinate values (X, Y, and Z). In thisexample, Field 1 contains the elevation value (Z),Field 2 the X value, and Field 3 the Y value.

The sample text file includes map coordinates andelevation values for a set of locations.

2408,517464.88,1410819.55763,538770.73,1440642.9898,517406.05,1440642.431475,538769.55,1410760.09

Z , X , YSample of inputtext file withcomma-delimitedcoordinate values.

Import Vector Points from TEXTSTEPS

press [Remove All] toclear the file listpress the Vectorfilter buttonchoose TEXTfrom the format listpress Select Files andselect ELEVPTS.TXT

click [Next]choose Points from theImport As menuchoose 3D-XYZ from theCoordinates menuturn on the Delimitedradio button for Formatfor Field Numbers enter2 for X, 3 for Y, and 1for Zpress the ReferenceSystem buttonuse the CoordinateReference Systemwindow to set the CRSto NAD27 / UTM zone17N and press [OK]click [Import] and directthe new vector object tothe TEMP_IMP Project Filewhen the import processis complete, click [OK] onthe Process Statuswindow

You can use theAdditional Attributestabbed panel to createan attached databasecontaining otherattribute information.

Use the Formatradio buttons tochoose columnaror delimited format.

Importing Geodata

page 17

Link to Access Database

STEPSpress [Remove All] toclear the file listpress theDatabase Tablefilter buttonchoose ACCESS fromthe format listpress Select Files andselect CBSOILS.MDB

click [Next]turn on the Link Onlytoggle button in theImport Parameterswindow

NOTE: To complete thisexercise your computermust be running aWindows operating system(98/2000/XP).

press [Import]in the Select Objectwindow, navigate intothe CBSOILS vector object(double-click on theobject name) that youpreviously imported intoyour TempImp Project Fileclick on thePolygonDatabasesubobject and press [OK]in the Select Objectswindow that appears,press the Auto-Name icon buttonto accept thenames of the 5 tables inthe Access filepress [OK] on the SelectObjects windowwhen the import processis complete, click [OK] onthe Process Statuswindow

TNTmips can import or link to Microsoft Access orSQL Server databases and create tables from sheetsin an Excel spreadsheet. These procedures use spe-cially-tailored Windows OLE DB connections to thedatabase or spreadsheet, providing faster and morerobust connection than the older ODBC methods.In addition, all table relationships previously set upin the Access or SQL Server database are automati-cally maintained by the link or import. In this exerciseyou link to an Access database that includes fiverelated tables with soil type attributes for the CrowButte soils vector object you imported in a previousexercise.

Linked tables can be edited by Access while theyare in use in the TNT products. An open TNT tab-ular view of the table can be updated manually toshow saved changes made in Access,or the table’s Preferences can be set toautomatically refresh at a specified timeinterval.

Importing Geodata

page 18

Import a Database Table from DB-TEXTYou can also import an attribute table from anASCII text file. The attribute information foreach record must be on a separate line in thetext file. The fields can be aligned in columns,as in the sample file for this exercise, or they can

be delimited by a separator character (the default is acomma). In this exercise you import projected cropyield values for the different soil types in the CrowButte area. The records in the sample input file in-clude the soil type symbol and yield values for wheat,oats, and dry-farmed and irrigated alfalfa (hay). Thefirst few lines of the sample input file are shown inthe box above left.

The text file is automatically scanned to determineits format, field types and widths, and default fieldnames (from the first record in the text file), and theresulting information is shown in the Import Param-eters window. In this example, there is no headerrecord with field names, so you must manually enterthe correct field names in the Name column in theFields list.

STEPSpress [Remove All] toclear the file listpress theDatabase Tablefilter buttonchoose DB-TEXT from theformat listpress Select Files andselect YIELD.TXT

click [Next]in the Fields listing in theImport Parameterswindow, drag the mouseto highlight the defaultname for the first field(Bc) and rename itSYMBOLrename the other fieldsWHEAT, OATS, HAYDRY,and HAYWET, in thatorderpress [Import]in the Select Objectwindow, navigate into theCBSOILS vector object thatyou previously importedclick on thePolygonDatabasesubobject and press [OK]press the New Objecticon button and acceptthe default table nameYIELD

press [OK] on the SelectObject windowwhen the import processis complete, click [OK] onthe Process Statuswindow

Bc 19 24 1.1 3.0Bd 0 0 1.5 2.8Bf 0 0 0.0 0.0Bg 39 46 2.2 5.5

If the default Text Encoding is not correct, the file format may not beinterpreted correctly. Use the Text Encoding menu to choose theproper encoding and press [Determine from File] to rescan the file.

Importing Geodata

page 19

Relate Imported TablesSTEPS

choose Tools / Database/ Edit from the TNTmipsmenuin the Select Objectwindow, select theCBSOILS vector object thatyou previously importedinto your TempImp ProjectFile and press [OK]choose Polygon in theSelect window andpress [OK]press the Relateicon button in theDatabase Editor windowleft-click and drag anarrow from the classtable to the PAT tablein the Relate windowthat appears, note theCLASS field in the classtable will be related tothe Class field in the PATtable and press [OK]left-click and drag anarrow from the yieldtable to the class tablein the Relate windowthat appears, press theField button for the yieldtable and select theSYMBOL fieldpress [OK] on the Relatewindowverify that all tables arenow related and thenchoose Close from theFile menu on theDatabase Editor window

Database Editorafter the newtable relationships.Records in theimported tablesare now indirectlyrelated to thevector polygons.

Initial appearance ofthe Database Editorwindow. Only thePAT table created bythe vector import hasrecords attached tothe vector polygons(represented by theInternal table).

Relate window for theyield and class tablesafter choosing theSYMBOL field from theyield table.

The previous two exercises imported tables into thepolygon database of the CBSOILS vector object youimported earlier. In this exercise you use the TNT-mips Database Editor to establish relationshipsbetween the imported tables and the existing PATtable, which contains records that are directly at-tached to the polygons. These new relationshipsrelate records in the imported tables indirectly to thepolygon elements via records in the PAT table.

Importing Geodata

page 20

Carefully selected limitations have been placed onthe size of objects in TNTmips Free. If you are usingTNTmips Free and attempt to import an object thatexceeds these limits, an error message informs youthat the object is too large for TNTmips Free. MostTNT import processes allow you to designate a por-tion of the spatial object to import. The limitsdiscussed below do not apply to the professionalversion of TNTmips. However, professional userscan still use the techniques described to import spe-cific portions of large geodata files.

Meeting TNTmips Free Object Size Limits

Raster Objects in TNTmips Free cannot exceed314,368 cells (614 x 512), with a maximum dimensionof 1024 cells. You may find the dimensions of theraster file you wish to import in an accompanyingmetadata or header file. Most of the raster importdialog windows allow you to select a range of linesand columns from the input raster. You can use thesesettings to ensure that the size of the object you areimporting fits within the TNTmips Free raster sizelimitations. For common raster file formats such asTIFF, GIF, JPEG, PNG, and BMP, you can also usereadily-available shareware utilities to preview a rasterbefore import and either crop it to the required sizeor determine a range of lines and columns to selectduring import.

Database Objects containing attribute informationcan be imported along with a spatial object or inde-pendently. Vector objects have a separate databasesubobject for each type of spatial element (vectorpolygons, for example), and each of these databasesubobjects can include more than one table. Data-base tables can also be imported to a database objectthat is independent of any spatial object in the ProjectFile. TNTmips Free places no limit on the number oftables in a database object or subobject, but a singletable can contain no more than 1500 records.

Specify a range of lines andcolumns to extract from alarge raster during import.

The low-cost TNTmipsBasic allows use of rasterobjects with up to 4 millioncells. The limits for otherdata types in TNTmipsBasic are the same as forTNTmips Free.

Importing Geodata

page 21

Vector and CAD Objects are limited inthe number of elements they can containin TNTmips Free. The maximum allowednumbers for different elements in a singlevector object are: 500 polygons, 1500 lines,1500 points, and 1500 labels; there is no limit on thenumber of nodes. The limits for CAD objects are500 drawing elements (lines or geometric shapes)and 5 blocks.

The Import Parameters windows for vector and CADformats include an Extract panel that you can use tospecify the extents of a rectangular selection area(in map coordinates for a georeferenced object). Usethe Coordinates button to choose the coordinatereference system you wish to use forspecifying the extents of the extractedarea. The Extract option menu allowsyou to specify how the selection area isapplied. You can choose entire elementsthat are either Completely Inside or Par-tially Inside the selection area, or usethe Clip Inside option to trim enclosedelements at the boundary of the selec-tion area.

The selection and possible segmenta-tion of elements caused by the extractionprocedure create new topological rela-tionships for the extracted elements. TNTmips Freemust compute the new topology during the importprocedure before it can determine whether the im-ported object falls within the TNTmips Free limitsfor the specific object type. If it does not, you needto try again with a smaller selection area.

Meeting TNTmips Free Object Size Limits

Specify the extents of aselection area to extractelements from a vector orCAD file.

When you import a vector orCAD object with anassociated database usingthe Extract option, only therecords attached to theselected elements arecopied. This should ensurethat a table created toaccompany a Lite-sizedvector or CAD object will notexceed the TNTlite recordlimit for a database table.

The Clip Inside option usedwith this selection areaboundary will segmentseveral now-continuouslines and polygons.

Shape Objects linked to a shapefile or other externalshape data source can be used in TNTmips Free ifthey include no more than 1500 shape elements.

Importing Geodata

page 22

As the use of geospatialdata has spread, theconcept of metadata hasbecome important. Simplyput, metadata is “data aboutdata”. Metadata is text thatdescribes the content,source, accuracy,georeference control, andother characteristics ofdigital geographic data andassociated attribute data.

Digital geospatial data can be copied, edited, andtransformed with ease, and it can be displayed atvirtually any scale. Without metadata, the end userof geospatial data has no way to know the originalpurpose, scale, and accuracy of the data and maybe unaware of other potential limitations.

In TNTmips, metadata is contained in a special textsubobject stored with any spatial or database ob-ject. A metadata subobject should include anyinformation that would help potential users of thegeospatial data to determine whether it is appropri-ate for their needs and how best to use it. Forexample, you can document the source, accuracy,georeference control, and any transformations ap-plied to the geosopatial data. You can use theMetadata Viewer and Editor to create your own meta-data text or to copy an internal RVC text object orexternal text file into a metadata subobject. You ac-cess the Metadata Viewer and Editor from the FileManager window.

Incorporating Metadata

Use standardkeyboard andmouse operationsto add, delete, oredit text withinthe editingcanvas.

STEPSchoose Tools / FileManager from theTNTmips menunavigate to your TempImpProject File and highlightthe CBSOILS vector objectpress the Metadataicon buttonchoose Insert File fromthe Edit menu on theMetadata Viewer andEditor windowselect file METADATA.TXT

from the IMPORT directorychoose File / Save on theMetadata Viewer, thenFile / Closepress [Exit] on the FileManager window

Click the Metadata icon button to open themetadata subobject for the selected object.

Importing Geodata

page 23

Raster Import FormatsADRG: NIMA ARC Digitized Raster GraphicsARC-BIL/BIP, E00-GRID, GRID, TEXT: Arc/Info formatsASTER-HDF: EOS ASTER in HDFAVIRIS HyperspectralBig TIFFBMP: Microsoft Windows BitmapCADRG: NIMA Compressed ADRGCCRS: Canadian Centre for Remote SensingCDED: Canadian Digital Elevation DataCOQ: USGS Compressed Ortho QuadDCR: Kodak Digital Camera RawDEM: USGS Digital Elevation ModelDEM-GTOPO30: GTOPO30 Global DEMDIMAP: Digital Image MapDOQ: USGS Digital Orthophoto QuadDTE: Socet Set Digital Terrain formatDTED: Digital Terrain Elevation DataECW: ER-Mapper Enhanced Compressed WaveletENVI Hyperspectral and Raster formatER-MAPPERERDAS-GIS/LAN, ERDAS-IMG: ERDAS IMAGINEERS-SAR: ERS-1 and ERS-2 Synthetic Aperture RadarGeoJP2: JPEG2000 JP2 format with georeferenceGEOSOFT-GRD: Geosoft Grid formatGEOSOFT-GXF: Geosoft eXchange formatGeoTIFFGIF: Graphics Interchange FormatGRASS-RASTERHDF4-Generic: Hierarchical Data Format Version 4 GenericIDRISI_ASCII and IDRISI_BINARYIDRISI32_ASCII and IDRISI32_BINARYILWISR: ILWIS Raster .MPR formatIRS Super Structure (LGSOWG)JERS1: NASDA JERS-1 CEOS OPS radarJP2: JPEG-2000 JP2JPEGKML: Google KMLLANDSAT-CCRS: CCRS Landsat CCT formatLANDSAT-NLAPSLANDSAT7-HDF: LANDSAT7 ETM in HDFMODIS-HDF: EOS MODIS in HDFMRSID: Multiresolution Seamless Image DatabaseNetCDF: Network Common Data FormatNedCDF_GMTNITF, NITF2.1: NIMA National Imagery TransferNTF-DTM: UK National Transfer Format 2.0 DTMPALSAR: Radarsat CEOS radar formatPCI: PCI Image FormatPCXPICTOMETRYPNG: Portable Network GraphicsPRISM: ALOS Prism formatRADARSAT: Radarsat CEOS Radar FormatsSDTS DEMSIMPLE-ARRAYSPOT: SPOT Image formatSPOTView: SPOTView/GeoSPOT Image formatSRTM: Shuttle Radar Topography Mission FormatSUNRAST: Sun Raster Format

SURFER: Surfer ASCII, 6, 7 GRDTEXT-RASTER: ASCII Text formatTEST-XYZ: ASCII Text, 3 coordinates per cellTIFF: Tag Image File FormatTM-FAST: Eosat Landsat TM FastTM-FAST-L7A: NASA Landsat 7A FastUSER DEFINED

Vector / CAD Import FormatsARC-COVERAGE, E00-VECTOR, and GENERATE: Arc/InfoARC-SHAPEFILE: ArcView ShapefileCARISCGM: Computer Graphics MetafileDBASEDGN: MicroStation/Intergraph .DGNDLG-OPT: USGS Digital Line Graph OptionalDWG: AutoCAD Drawing (.DWG)DXF: AutoCAD Drawing eXchangeGEODATABASE: ESRI Personal GeodatabaseGEOSOFT-XYZGIRAS formatGPX: GPS Exchange formatINFO database formatLAS: LIDAR point dataMAPINFO: MapInfo .tabMIF: MapInfo Interchange formatMOSS: Map Overlay & Statistical SystemMYSQL-SPATIAL: MySQL Spatial DataNTAD: National Transportation Atlas DatabaseNTF-VECT: UK National Transfer Format 2.0ORACLE-SPATIAL: Oracle Database “Spatial” FormatPOSTGIS: PostGIS Spatial DataSDF: Spatial Data Framework (Japan)TEXT: Point text data 2D (X,Y) and 3D (X,Y,Z)TIGER: Census Bureau TIGER/Line

Linked Shape Object FormatsARC-SHAPEFILE: ArcView ShapefileGEODATABASE: ESRI Personal GeodatabaseLAS: LIDAR point dataMYSQL-SPATIAL: MySQL Spatial DataORACLE-SPATIAL: Oracle Database “Spatial” FormatPOSTGIS: PostGIS (PostgreSQL Spatial Data)

Database Import FormatsACCESS: Microsoft Access (OLE DB)CSV: Comma Separated ValuesDB-TEXT: Text FormatsDBASE: dBASE III/IV & FoxProEXCEL: Microsoft Excel (OLE DB)INFO: ArcInfo Database formatLAS-DB: LAS LIDAR point dataMAPINFO-ATTRIB: MapInfo Attribute FileMIPS-EXTERNAL (DOS MIPS)MYSQL: MySQL DatabaseODBC: Microsoft Open Database ConnectivityPOSTGRESQL: PostgreSQL DatabaseSQLSERVER: Microsoft SQL Server (OLE DB)

Supported Import Formats

Importing Geodata

page 24

Advanced Software for Geospatial AnalysisI

MPORTING

MicroImages, Inc.

MicroImages, Inc. publishes a complete line of professional software for advanced geospatialdata visualization, analysis, and publishing. Contact us or visit our web site for detailed productinformation.

TNTmips Pro TNTmips Pro is a professional system for fully integrated GIS, imageanalysis, CAD, TIN, desktop cartography, and geospatial database management.

TNTmips Basic TNTmips Basic is a low-cost version of TNTmips for small projects.

TNTmips Free TNTmips Free is a free version of TNTmips for students and profession-als with small projects. You can download TNTmips Free from MicroImages’ web site.

TNTedit TNTedit provides interactive tools to create, georeference, and edit vector, image,CAD, TIN, and relational database project materials in a wide variety of formats.

TNTview TNTview has the same powerful display features as TNTmips and is perfect forthose who do not need the technical processing and preparation features of TNTmips.

TNTatlas TNTatlas lets you publish and distribute your spatial project materials on CD orDVD at low cost. TNTatlas CDs/DVDs can be used on any popular computing platform.

IndexAccess, Microsoft................................17Arc e00.................................................15Arc Shapefile...........................................6Arc World file.........................................9AutoCAD..........................................6,13BMP.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7CAD..........................................3,6,12,21compression, raster................................7database.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3,17-20direct use of external files.....................3,6DLG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14DXF........................................................13element ID table..................................14extract

from CAD..........................................21from raster.......................................20from vector......................................21

GeoJP2.....................................................8GeoTIFF...................................................8JP2... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10JPEG......................................................9

linking............................................6,10,17MapInfo MIF........................................12MapInfo TAB....................................6,9metadata................................................22MrSID.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 ,10multifile raster object.............................10pryamid, raster.......................................7raster........................................3,6,7-11,20shapefile........................................14simple array............................................11standard attribute tables.....................12tex t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

import to database......................18import to vector...............................16

TIFF...........................................8,20TNTlite, object size limits

CAD..............................................21database......................................20raster............................................20vector.........................................21

vector.......................................3,13-16,21