GDAL
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This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (May 2009) |
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| Developer(s) | Open Source Geospatial Foundation |
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| Stable release | 1.9.0 / December 29, 2011 |
| Operating system | Cross-platform |
| Type | Library |
| License | X/MIT |
| Website | www.gdal.org |
GDAL (Geospatial Data Abstraction Library) is a library for reading and writing raster geospatial data formats, and is released under the permissive X/MIT style free software license by the Open Source Geospatial Foundation. As a library, it presents a single abstract data model to the calling application for all supported formats. It may also be built with a variety of useful command-line utilities for data translation and processing.
The related OGR library (which is part of the GDAL source tree) provides a similar capability for simple features vector data.
GDAL was primarily developed by Frank Warmerdam until the release of version 1.3.2, when maintainership was officially transferred to the GDAL/OGR Project Management Committee under the Open Source Geospatial Foundation.
GDAL/OGR is considered a major free software project for it "extensive capabilities of data exchange" and also in the commercial GIS community due to its widespread use and comprehensive set of functionalities[1]. In the words of Howard Butler "I see GDAL as the glibc/glibc++ of the geospatial software world. It's open, it provides core functionality, I can't understand how anybody gets anything done without it."
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[edit] Software that uses GDAL/OGR
Several software programs use the GDAL/OGR libraries to allow them to read and write multiple GIS formats. Such programs include:
- World Wind Java NASA's open source virtual globe and world imaging technology
- GRASS GIS
- OSSIM
- GvSIG
- JMap
- Quantum GIS
- FWTools – a cross-platform open source GIS software bundle compiled by Frank Warmerdam
- MapServer
- Google Earth - A virtual globe and world imaging program.
- OpenEV
- SAGA GIS - a cross-platform open source GIS software
- R - an open source statistical software with extensions for spatial data analysis
- gdaltokmz, a Python module translating from GDAL-supported raster graphics formats to the Google Earth KMZ format
- ArcGIS 9.2 can use GDAL for customized raster formats[2]
- TopoQuest - Internet topographic map viewer
- Orfeo toolbox - A satellite image processing library
- Biosphere3D – open source landscape scenery globe
[edit] Supported raster data formats
GDAL provides at least partial support for more than 120 raster geospatial data formats[3]. A subset of data formats is supported to ensure the ability to directly create files and georeferencing them with the default GDAL compiling options.
Here follows the list of data formats whose support is compiled by default allowing creation and georeferencing.
| Raster data format name | Code |
|---|---|
| Arc/Info ASCII Grid [1] | AAIGrid |
| ADRG/ARC Digitalized Raster Graphics (.gen/.thf) [2] | ADRG |
| Magellan BLX Topo (.blx, .xlb) [3] | BLX |
| Microsoft Windows Device Independent Bitmap (.bmp) [4] | BMP |
| VTP Binary Terrain Format (.bt) [5] | BT |
| Military Elevation Data (.dt0, .dt1, .dt2) [6] | DTED |
| ESRI .hdr Labelled [7] | EHdr |
| NASA ELAS [8] | ELAS |
| ENVI .hdr Labelled Raster [9] | ENVI |
| ERMapper (.ers) [10] | ERS |
| NOAA .gtx vertical datum shift | GTX |
| HF2/HFZ heightfield raster [11] | HF2 |
| Erdas Imagine (.img) [12] | HFA |
| Image Display and Analysis (WinDisp) [13] | IDA |
| ILWIS Raster Map (.mpr,.mpl) [14] | ILWIS |
| Intergraph Raster [15] | INGR |
| USGS Astrogeology Isis cube (Version 2) [16] | ISIS2 |
| KMLSUPEROVERLAY | KMLSUPEROVERLAY |
| In Memory Raster [17] | MEM |
| Vexcel MFF [18] | MFF |
| Vexcel MFF2 [19] | MFF2 (HKV) |
| NITF [20] | NITF |
| NTv2 Datum Grid Shift | NTv2 |
| PCI Geomatics Database File [21] | PCIDSK |
| Raster Matrix Format (*.rsw, .mtw) [22] | RMF |
| Idrisi Raster [23] | RST |
| SAGA GIS Binary format [24] | SAGA |
| SGI Image Format [25] | SGI |
| SRTM HGT Format [26] | SRTMHGT |
| USGS ASCII DEM / CDED (.dem) [27] | USGSDEM |
| GDAL Virtual (.vrt) [28] | VRT |
| ASCII Gridded XYZ [29] | XYZ |
[edit] References
- ^ Neteler M., Raghavan V. (2006). "Advances in Free Software Geographic Information Systems". Journal of Informatics. http://ojs.info.gscc.osaka-cu.ac.jp/JI/include/getdoc.php?id=133&article=36&mode=pdf.
Extensive capabilities of data exchange are essential for the daily GIS work. GRASS profits from an external project, the GDAL/OGR library (http://www.gdal.org). This FOSS library is also used even by global data vendors as well as in some proprietary GIS applications. Many of the raster and vector formats supported for reading can be also be generated.
- ^ "ArcGIS 9.2 Desktop Help: Supported raster dataset file formats". ESRI. 2007-08-15. http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisdesktop/9.2/body.cfm?tocVisable=1&ID=2458&TopicName=Supported%20raster%20dataset%20file%20formats.
- ^ "GDAL Raster Formats". GDAL - Geospatial Data Abstraction Library. 2011-06-05. http://www.gdal.org/formats_list.html.
- Notes
- Schuyler Erle, Rich Gibson and Jo Walsh (2005). Mapping Hacks. O'Reilly. ISBN 0-596-00703-5.
- Tyler Mitchell (2005). Web Mapping Illustrated. O'Reilly. ISBN 0-596-00865-1.
