GDAL
 | |
| Developer(s) | Open Source Geospatial Foundation |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 1.11.2 / February 17, 2015[1] |
| Written in | C, C++ |
| Operating system | Cross-platform |
| Type | Library |
| License | X/MIT |
| Website |
www |
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 (OGR Simple Features Library[2]), 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 its "extensive capabilities of data exchange" and also in the commercial GIS community due to its widespread use and comprehensive set of functionalities.[3][4]
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:
- ArcGIS – Uses GDAL for custom raster formats.[5]
- Biosphere3D – Open source landscape scenery globe.
- Geoconcept integrated GDAL in its 7.1 release.
- FWTools – A cross-platform open source GIS software bundle compiled by Frank Warmerdam.
- gdaltokmz – A Python module translating from GDAL-supported raster graphics formats to the Google Earth KMZ format.
- GeoDjango – Django's support for GIS-enabled databases
- GeoView Pro – IOS mobile mapping application
- Google Earth – A virtual globe and world imaging program.
- GRASS GIS
- gvSIG
- JMap
- MapServer
- World Wind Java – NASA's open source virtual globe and world imaging technology.
- OSSIM – Libraries and applications used to process imagery, maps, terrain, and vector data.
- OpenEV – Geospatial toolkit and a frontend to that toolkit; to display georeferenced images and elevation data.
- Orfeo toolbox – A satellite image processing library.
- QGIS
- R – An open source statistical software with extensions for spatial data analysis.
- SAGA GIS – A cross-platform open source GIS software.
- TopoQuest – Internet topographic map viewer.
- Rolta Geomatica software
Supported raster data formats
GDAL as of version 1.9.0 provides at least partial support for more than 120 raster geospatial data formats.[6] While the next version up to 200 drivers.[7] 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 [8] | AAIGrid |
| ADRG/ARC Digitalized Raster Graphics (.gen/.thf) [9] | ADRG |
| Magellan BLX Topo (.blx, .xlb) [10] | BLX |
| Microsoft Windows Device Independent Bitmap (.bmp) [11] | BMP |
| VTP Binary Terrain Format (.bt) [12] | BT |
| Military Elevation Data (.dt0, .dt1, .dt2) [13] | DTED |
| ESRI .hdr Labelled [14] | EHdr |
| NASA ELAS [15] | ELAS |
| ENVI .hdr Labelled Raster [16] | ENVI |
| ERMapper (.ers) [16] | ERS |
| NOAA .gtx vertical datum shift | GTX |
| HF2/HFZ heightfield raster [17] | HF2 |
| Erdas Imagine (.img) [18] | HFA |
| Image Display and Analysis (WinDisp) [19] | IDA |
| ILWIS Raster Map (.mpr,.mpl) [20] | ILWIS |
| Intergraph Raster [21] | INGR |
| USGS Astrogeology Isis cube (Version 2) [22] | ISIS2 |
| KMLSUPEROVERLAY | KMLSUPEROVERLAY |
| In Memory Raster [23] | MEM |
| Vexcel MFF [24] | MFF |
| Vexcel MFF2 [25] | MFF2 (HKV) |
| NITF [26] | NITF |
| NTv2 Datum Grid Shift | NTv2 |
| PCI Geomatics Database File [27] | PCIDSK |
| Raster Matrix Format (*.rsw, .mtw) [28] | RMF |
| Idrisi Raster [29] | RST |
| SAGA GIS Binary format [30] | SAGA |
| SGI Image Format [31] | SGI |
| SRTM HGT Format [32] | SRTMHGT |
| USGS ASCII DEM / CDED (.dem) [33] | USGSDEM |
| GDAL Virtual (.vrt) [34] | VRT |
| ASCII Gridded XYZ [35] | XYZ |
References
- ↑ Rouault, Even (2015-02-17). "GDAL/OGR 1.11.2 Released".
- ↑ "FAQGeneral – GDAL". Trac.osgeo.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ Neteler M., Raghavan V. (2006). "Advances in Free Software Geographic Information Systems". Journal of Informatics.
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.
- ↑ Mark Wilcox (2009). Porting to the Symbian Platform: Open Mobile Development in C/C++. Wiley.
In the words of Howard Butler, a director of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation, "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."
- ↑ "ArcGIS 9.2 Desktop Help: Supported raster dataset file formats". ESRI. 2007-08-15.
- ↑ "GDAL Raster Formats". GDAL - Geospatial Data Abstraction Library. 2011-06-05.
- ↑ Even Rouault. "Geo tips & tricks: Welcome to the 200th GDAL/OGR driver !". Erouault.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats". Gdal.org. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats". Gdal.org. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "BLX - Magellan BLX Topo File Format (available from GDAL 1.6.0)". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "BMP - Microsoft Windows Device Independent Bitmap". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats". Gdal.org. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "DTED - Military Elevation Data". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats". Gdal.org. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "ELAS - Earth Resources Laboratory Applications Software". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats". Gdal.org. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "HF2 - HF2/HFZ heightfield raster". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "HFA - Erdas Imagine .img". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats". Gdal.org. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats". Gdal.org. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "INGR - Intergraph Raster Format". Gdal.org. 2013-03-23. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "ISIS2 - USGS Astrogeology ISIS Cube (Version 2)". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "MEM - In Memory Raster". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats". Gdal.org. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "MFF2 - Vexcel MFF2 Image". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "NITF - National Imagery Transmission Format". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "PCIDSK - PCI Geomatics Database File". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "RMF - Raster Matrix Format". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "RST - Idrisi Raster Format". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats". Gdal.org. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats". Gdal.org. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats". Gdal.org. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "Usgsdem - Usgs Ascii Dem (And Cded)". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "Virtual Format Tutorial". GDAL. 2003-07-21. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- ↑ "XYZ - ASCII Gridded XYZ". Gdal.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
- 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.