Format translator development

[Rich Shepard]

On Sun, 14 May 2000, Eric G . Miller wrote:

> Well, there's that beast known as SDTS! There's even a C++ lib put out
> by the USGS for working with it (sdts++).  It's kind of a hair ball, but
> there's at least a Topological Vector Profile.  I think there's a
> similar profile for elevation/grid type data.  GRASS already does the
> vector import (supposedly).  SDTS is supposed to be able to describe any
> kind of spatial data with associated attribute data and metadata.

  SDTS is *supposed* to be able to describe any kind of spatial data. It
doesn't. If you follow what transpired over the past few years (and I gave
up several years ago when I saw what a boondogle it is), you'll see that it
does nothing well and is so complex that even the people who developed it
don't particularly like it.

  If you want something to work, perhaps the old DLG format would do. That's
very well documented, uses ASCII text files instead of a highly complex
binary file format, and has translators into just about every known GIS data
structure.

  The proof of the failure of SDTS is the lack of inexpensive commercial
support. Before I moved to linux, the only SDTS translator on the market
cost a minimum of $US800. Why? Because it was so complex and poorly
documented that only one company stuck with the effort to make something
work.

  There are options other than SDTS. I strongly urge the use of anything
else.

Rich

Dr. Richard B. Shepard, President

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