The Geospatial Value Chain: Stage Three

This post is the third in a five part series and will explain the five stages of the Autodesk geospatial value chain. The five-stage model may help you understand where you are today and how you can extend the value of your geospatial data going forward. This series is taken from the "Best Practices for Managing Geospatial Data" document.

Stage Three: AutoCAD Map 3D + FDO

AutoCAD Map 3D provides data-access and data-management tools to make the process of integrating different types of data easier. In particular, FDO data providers and a consistent data-connect interface simplifies access and management of multiple feature sources. With AutoCAD Map 3D, you can extend your existing workflows and take advantage of efficiencies created through geospatial tools and store some of your information in a spatial data store, such as SDF. Also, you can augment your maps (DWG or other) by bringing in data from a variety of formats, including free data sources, such as web services (WMS and WFS).

SDF (Spatial Database File) format can be very useful at this stage. SDF is an open format for storing both geometry and associated attribute data. The SDF format is a GIS-oriented alternative to DWG. SDF has some significant advantages over DWG:

➔ It stores and manages an order of magnitude more data than DWG.

➔ It is very fast, allowing Autodesk applications, such as AutoCAD Map 3D and MapGuide (Autodesk MapGuide Enterprise and MapGuide Open Source), to read and display tens of thousands of features per second.

➔ It provides the power of a database without the overhead and cost of a full relational database management system (RDBMS), such as Microsoft® SQL Server™ or Oracle®.

➔ An SDF file can store a single feature class, or it can store multiple feature classes.

➔ It is easy to manage, providing access to the database schema.

With AutoCAD Map 3D, you can extend the traditional reach of DWG files and combine data sources with maximum flexibility.