Table of Contents

EDXCV ...................................................................................................................................... I CONVERSION UTILITY........................................................................................................ I REFERENCE MANUAL ......................................................................................................... I VERSION 2.5.1 NOVEMBER 11, 2009 ................................................................................... I 1 - EDXCV CONVERSION UTILITY ............................................................................. 1
1.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Installation ...................................................................................................................................................................... 1

- GETTING STARTED ...................................................................................................2

2.1 Opening EDXCV .......................................................................................................................................................... 2 2.2 File Conversions ............................................................................................................................................................. 2 2.3 FCC Databases ................................................................................................................................................................ 3

- CONVERSION MENU.................................................................................................4
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Terrain File Conversion ................................................................................................................................................. 4 Land Use (Clutter) File Conversion ............................................................................................................................. 5 Building File Conversion ............................................................................................................................................... 6 EDX Working File Conversion .................................................................................................................................... 7 Measurement File Conversion ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Set Geographic Parameters ........................................................................................................................................... 9 Display Map of File Contents ..................................................................................................................................... 10

- FCC DATABASES MENU .......................................................................................... 11

4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 AM Database Conversion ........................................................................................................................................... 11 FM Database Conversion ............................................................................................................................................ 11 TV Database Conversion ............................................................................................................................................ 11 Tower Database Conversion ....................................................................................................................................... 11

- BATCH OPERATION ................................................................................................ 12

5.1 Introduction................................................................................................................................................................... 12 5.2 Setup and Operation .................................................................................................................................................... 12

- PROJECTIONS AND MAPPING .............................................................................. 14

6.1 Coordinate Systems ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 6.1.1 Latitude/Longitude .......................................................................................................................................... 14 6.1.2 Projected ............................................................................................................................................................ 14 6.2 Datums ........................................................................................................................................................................... 15

- TERRAIN CONVERSION DETAIL ......................................................................... 17

- iii Revised: 11/11/09

7.1 Introduction................................................................................................................................................................... 17 7.2 Australian 18 second format to EDX .PTR format ................................................................................................. 17 7.3 DTED format to EDX .PTR format......................................................................................................................... 17 7.4 DTED Level 1 CD-ROM files to EDX PTR format.............................................................................................. 17 7.5 EDX ASCII text format to EDX .201 format ......................................................................................................... 17 7.6 EDX ASCII text format to EDX .PTR format........................................................................................................ 18 7.7 EDX .PTR format to USGS ASCII format .............................................................................................................. 18 7.8 EDX .PTR format to EDX ASCII text format ....................................................................................................... 18 7.9 ESRI/ArcView binary grid format to EDX .201 format .................................................................................... 18 7.10ESRI/ArcView ASCII grid format to EDX .201 format .................................................................................... 20 7.11ESRI/ArcView Float Grid to EDX .201 format .................................................................................................. 20 7.12IGN planimetric data for France to EDX .201 format ........................................................................................... 20 7.13INEGI 3 arc second Mexico data to EDX .201 format.......................................................................................... 20 7.14Italy 10 sec. x 7.5 sec. format to EDX .PTR format................................................................................................ 21 7.15MSI Planet format to EDX .201 format ................................................................................................................ 21 7.16OS NTF v2.0 England 50m x 50m format to EDX .PTR format ........................................................................ 22 7.17Phoenics RAW format to EDX .201 format ............................................................................................................ 22 7.18South Africa 200m x 200m format to EDX .PTR format ...................................................................................... 22 7.19SRTM 3-arcsecond and 1-arcsecond .HGT format to EDX .201 format ............................................................ 22 7.20Surfer grid to EDX .201 format .............................................................................................................................. 23 7.21USGS ASCII format to EDX .PTR format .............................................................................................................. 23 7.22USGS ASCII format to EDX .201 format................................................................................................................ 23 7.23X,Y,Z format to EDX .201 format ............................................................................................................................ 23 7.24ATDI .GEO format to EDX .201 format............................................................................................................. 23 7.25ATDI .GEO+.BLG format to EDX .201 format ................................................................................................ 24 7.26DTED format to EDX .201 format .......................................................................................................................... 24 7.27CelPlan .TPG format to EDX .201 format ........................................................................................................... 24

- LAND USE (CLUTTER) CONVERSIONS DETAIL ............................................... 25

8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 ASCII groundcover file to EDX .GCV format ........................................................................................................ 25 ArcView .SHP file to EDX .GCV format ............................................................................................................. 25 Polygon .BNA file to EDX .GCV format................................................................................................................. 25 USGS DEM format to EDX .GCV format.............................................................................................................. 25 MSI-Planet format to EDX .GCV format ................................................................................................................ 26 ArcView ASCII Grid to EDX .GCV format ........................................................................................................ 27 ArcView Binary Grid to EDX .GCV format ........................................................................................................ 29 ATDI .SOL format to EDX .GCV format............................................................................................................... 30 Mapinfo .MIF vector data to EDX .BNA................................................................................................................. 31

- BUILDING CONVERSIONS DETAIL ..................................................................... 32

9.1 ArcView SHP/DBF format in UTM to new MCS Format .................................................................................... 32 9.2 MapInfo MIF/MID format in UTM to new MCS Format .................................................................................... 32 9.3 Spatially Filter an MCS file .......................................................................................................................................... 33

- iv -

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility

1 - EDXCV Conversion Utility

1.1 Introduction
Engineering tools such as those made by EDX Wireless (EDX SignalPro, SIGNAL, MSITE, TPATH, and AMW) are fundamentally manipulators of data. Data in the form of terrain elevation data, clutter data, building data and so forth are used by the program to generate binary data files that contain signal level metrics resulting from radio propagation and network planning calculations. The terrain, clutter, and building data used by these types of programs are created by GIS data suppliers and are stored in many different formats; both in ASCII and binary form. In order to allow for the most flexibility in using this data, EDX provides this free utility named EDXCV that can convert data stored in many formats into forms that are usable by the EDX family of wireless planning tools.

1.2

Installation

A copy of the EDXCV utility is automatically installed in the BIN folder of the directory where the EDX main program is installed. The utility consists of the following two files:
edxcv.exe edxcv.def

The utility is run using these files when the utility is started from the Utilities menu inside the main EDX main program. The shortcut added to the Windows Start -> Program -> EDX menu also uses these files. However, a copy of these files can also be located anywhere on the hard drive of a computer. The program is run using the files at that location; they do not need to be located in the EDX program directory. This is a useful option if the data conversion will be taking place on a computer other than one having the main EDX program installation. EDXCV is updated often to add new conversions or to improve upon existing conversions. The most current copy is always available on the EDX web site (www.edx.com) in the Tech Support -> Files and Utilities section. The downloadable file on the site contains the two files listed above as well as a current copy of this manual and a text file outlining the history of additions and changes to the program.

-1-

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility

2 - Getting Started
2.1 Opening EDXCV
After starting EDXCV either from the Utilities menu inside the main EDX program or from a shortcut, choose File and either select New or Open to initialize the program and load the conversion settings and parameters. After making changes to the program, these changes can be saved for future sessions by using the Save or Save As command to store the settings in a named file. Or, just use Save Defaults to save the settings to the edxcv.def file. The New command uses this default file to initialize the program. Close or Exit will shutdown the EDXCV program. There is no reminder to save settings before the program closes so be sure to do this before closing the program.

2.2

File Conversions

The Conversions menu provides a number of conversion types. In most cases a source file is selected by browsing for it and the type of conversion desired along with the destination file is entered in the appropriate dialog box. Upon completion of the conversion the destination file is now complete and in the case of terrain and clutter it can be displayed in EDXCV. The functions available in this menu are described in detail in chapter 3 of this manual. This menu is organized into several categories of data. Terrain and clutter data is composed of data points that are arranged in a regular two-dimensional grid. The points in the grid can be referenced to their true earth location either with latitude/longitude or meters. Terrain data points are height of the ground in meters with reference to mean sea level. Clutter data is the clutter type at that location expressed as a number between 1 and 99. A building or structure can be described as combination of 2D surfaces (horizontal or vertical) stored using the corner coordinates of each surface. When the EDX propagation modeling program performs calculations a number of binary working files are produced containing either intermediate or final signal level data. EDXCV can be used to convert these working files to either ASCII data or a format compatible with other mapping tools such as ArcView or MapInfo. Drive test or Measurement data sometimes needs to be processed before it is usable in the main EDX program. EDXCV has various filtering functions for this data.

-2-

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility The geographic characteristics of data is many times not complete or fully described. The Geographic Parameters dialog is use to enter information about the source data such as reference coordinates, units, projection, or datum. Converted terrain or clutter data can be displayed inside EDXCV to confirm the correctness of the geographic parameters as well as display an image to see if the data itself is reasonable. While most conversions will probably be run from within EDXCV, the program can also be run in a batch mode to process multiple files sequentially. Batch operation is described in Chapter 4.

2.3

FCC Databases

Some older EDX programs can utilize FCC data in the original Unix format (not the CDBS format). This section of EDXCV will convert this type of data into files that can be used by EDX. AM databases are used by EDX AMW or SIGNAL with the AM module. FM data is used by FMSR and SIGNAL with the FM module. TV data by TVSR and SIGNAL with the TV module. The Tower data conversion is not compatible with the current FCC tower database.

-3-

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility

3 - Conversion Menu
3.1 Terrain File Conversion
Terrain elevation data, also know as DEM (digital elevation model), is converted using this function. EDXCV can convert terrain elevation data that is composed only as a grid (a two dimensional array of elevations). Elevation data that is described as series of contour lines (vector data) would first need to be converted into this grid form. The number of rows and columns in the grid can be different but the grid must be regular; meaning that all the rows have the same number of elements and all the columns have the same number of elements.

Depending on the type of source data, either a file name is entered in the Source File. However in the case of ArcView Binary Grid files, this will be the location of the directory where the multi-file source data resides. The Destination File will be the output file. EDXCV does not automatically add the appropriate file extension to the output file. Therefore, if the conversion type creates a .201 format file for example, the destination file should use .201 as the extension to the file name (example: dem_out.201). Conversion Type is a drop-down list of the various terrain data types that can be converted. A description of these data types and any specific notes on converting the data will be found in Chapter 7 of this manual. Set Geographic Parameters is a shortcut to the Geographic Parameters dialog where a number of parameters are available to describe the source data and to allow for datum shifts. This dialog is described in detail below. Start Conversion initiates the conversion of the data and the creation of the destination file. During most conversions a conversion status is displayed on the status bar at the bottom of the main EDXCV window indicating the conversion activity taking place and the percent completion. A message is displayed upon successful completion of the conversion and usually the option is given to plot the converted data to the display. When this is done, a complete list of the output file data parameters is shown as well as a colored image of the data as it might appear on a map. The minimum and maximum terrain elevations in the file are

-4-

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility automatically scaled across a set of arbitrary colors. There is no user option to modify this image.

3.2

Land Use (Clutter) File Conversion

Clutter data also know as Land Use or Groundcover information is converted using this function. EDXCV can convert clutter data that is composed of a grid (a two dimensional array of elevations). The number of rows and columns in the grid can be different but the grid must be regular; meaning that all the rows have the same number of elements and all the columns have the same number of elements. An EDX clutter data file can also be created from a file containing polygons that describe clutter areas.

Depending on the type of source data, either a file name is entered in the Source File. However in the case of ArcView Binary Grid files, this will be the location of the directory where the multi-file source data resides. The Destination File will be the output file. EDXCV does not automatically add the appropriate file extension to the output file. Therefore, if the conversion type creates a .GCV format file for example, the destination file should use .GCV as the extension to the file name (example: clutter_out.gcv). Conversion Type is a drop-down list of the various clutter data types that can be converted. A description of these data types and any specific notes on converting the data will be found in Chapter 8 of this manual. A file containing a grid of clutter points in the EDX format can be created from an ArcView .SHP file or simple .BNA file. In either case, the source file contains a series of polygons each of which is assigned a clutter code attribute. EDXCV will create a grid of points based on the increment values. When using .SHP files specify which field in the .DBF file contains the clutter code values. Set Geographic Parameters is a shortcut to the Geographic Parameters dialog where a number of parameters are available to describe the source data and to allow for datum shifts. This dialog is described in detail below.

-5-

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility Start Conversion initiates the conversion of the data and the creation of the destination file. During most conversions a conversion status is displayed on the status bar at the bottom of the main EDXCV window indicating the conversion activity taking place and the percent completion. A message is displayed upon successful completion of the conversion and usually the option is given to plot the converted data to the display. When this is done, a complete list of the output file data parameters is shown as well as a colored image of the data as it might appear on a map. The clutter values in the file are automatically scaled across a set of arbitrary colors. There is no user option to modify this image.

3.3

Building File Conversion

In addition to traditional terrain and clutter data the EDX wireless planning tools can also using building or structure data when doing propagation path loss calculations. If the data is not already in the EDX building format it can be converted from several different forms. Data already in the EDX format can be cropped or shifted in location or converted into a traditional terrain elevation file.

A file name is entered in the Source File. The Destination File will be the output file. EDXCV does not automatically add the appropriate file extension to the output file. Therefore, if the conversion type creates an .MCS format file for example, the destination file should use .MCS as the extension to the file name (example: structure.mcs). Conversion Type is a drop-down list of the various formats that can be converted or processes that can done on an MCS file. A detailed description of these data types and any specific notes on converting the data will be found in Chapter 9 of this manual.

-6-

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility

If the data is coming from a MID or DBF file then the field containing the height value needs to be specified. Also, if a DXF file is used a set of coordinates need to be supplied since this geographic reference is not part of the DXF file. When using AutoCad data a better option is to use the EDX Building Editor program. This program allows importation of DXF or DWG files as well as full editing of data layers. The support for DXF files in EDXCV is limited in that not all DXF files versions are supported and some data types in a DXF file will disrupt the conversion. Grid spacing for rasterizing is used when MCS data is converted to a .201 terrain file. Sometimes only a portion of a large structure database needs to be used in a study. The ability to reduce the size of the structure file to only the relevant buildings can have a major effect on reducing the total processing time. The MCS file filter parameters are used to determine how an MCS file is processed to modify its data. The filtering of the data is confined to the area between two concentric circles centered on the DXF Section geographic reference. Only the structures within these two circles will be sent to the output file. In addition, buildings below a minimum height can be excluded from the output file and the data can also be shifted in position by using the x,y shift value. Set Geographic Parameters is a shortcut to the Geographic Parameters dialog where a number of parameters are available to describe the source data and to allow for datum shifts. This dialog is described in detail below. Start Conversion initiates the conversion of the data and the creation of the destination file. During most conversions a conversion status is displayed on the status bar at the bottom of the main EDXCV window indicating the conversion activity taking place and the percent completion..

3.4

EDX Working File Conversion

The various conversions found in this section are used to take binary data files produced by the EDX program and convert to another form so that the data can either be viewed in a text editor or by another program. There are also some conversions that will do the reverse.

-7-

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility

Doing the conversion is a matter of selecting the conversion type, entering the name of the source and destination file, and then pressing Start Conversion. The following is a list of the types of data files that can be converted: TRN - containing terrain elevations along radials extending from a Site as used in Radial Calculation Area Studies SDY - containing signal level information along radials from a Site as used in Radial Calculation Area Studies MXX - containing the displayed study information for an Area Study. This is known as the Study Grid TXX - containing the displayed terrain elevation data as found in the Terrain Map Layer. GXX - containing the displayed clutter code data as found in the Clutter (groundcover) Map Layer. DXX - containing the displayed census data as found in the Census (demographic) Map Layer. GRX - containing the grid signal level data for a specific transmitter as used in Direct-to-Grid Area Studies. CTR - containing the Distance-to-Contour information for a specific transmitter. These are generated during Contour studies (FCC-type and Interference).

In addition to the above types there are a few conversions for obsolete data types that are not described here. Please contact EDX if you need information on these.

3.5

Measurement File Conversion

The single conversion in this section is used to take an STI format measurement file and create an EDX format measurement file. STI measurement files can contain multiple RSSI values. In order to use this data in the EDX products, it is necessary to specify which one of these RSSI sets is to be used.

Doing the conversion is a matter of selecting the conversion type, the measurement value to convert, entering the name of the STI source file and the EDX format destination file, and then pressing Start Conversion.

-8-

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility

3.6

Set Geographic Parameters

The data provided in some source data files do not contain a complete description of the parameters required to accurately map the data in the EDX program. If the data is provided in a projected form this is especially true. In this case not only reference longitude and latitude is necessary but also the mapping projection used as well as datum and ellipsoid. This dialog is used to enter this information. A further explanation of these parameters and how they relate to geographic mapping is found in Chapter 0 of this manual. The detailed instructions for each type of data conversion as found in the Appendices should be referenced to determine if any these parameters are needed for a particular conversion. The parameters in this dialog are arranged in several groups as follows: Map Projection selects the type of projection used by the data. In general, Transverse Mercator will be used. The concept of mapping projections as well as the various projection parameters are discussed in more detail in Appendix A of this manual. For those users who are new to mapping and projections, this appendix should be reviewed in order to gain a fuller understanding of how this information is used. Reference Longitude and Latitude specify the earth location from which the x and y values in meters are measured. These are decimal degree values with Western

-9-

Revised: 11/11/09

10

EDXCV Conversion Utility longitude and Southern latitude expressed as negative values. For example: W12330-00 would be entered as -123.50. Standard Parallel 1 and 2 are part of definition of the Lambert Conformal and Albers projections. These are decimal degree latitude values. Map Scale Compression is a relative value (typically 0.9996 for UTM projection) that specifies the relative scale of the map data offsets with respect to the actual offset distances on the earth. False Easting and False Northing specifies the fixed offset value applied to the x and y offsets of the map coordinates. These values are used to keep the x and y map coordinates positive even though the actual x and y offsets may be negative. Earth Ellipsoid - Major axis and Flattening. There are a number of assumed earth diameters called ellipsoids. Each ellipsoid is defined by the diameter of the earth at the equator and the flattening which is the ratio of the equator diameter to the polar diameter. The most common is the WGS84 ellipsoid with a major axis of 6378137.0 meters and a flattening of 0.003352811. Datum Shifts relative to WGS84. In both projected systems and ellipsoidal systems (latitude/longitude) identical coordinates from two systems do not necessarily specify the same location on the earth. This is due to differences in the assumed earth size and shape. In order to reconcile these differences Delta values are used to correct the positions relative to the WGS84 datum which is the standard datum used in the EDX programs. This datum shift uses the Molodensky method. ArcView and x,y,z conversions. The coordinates used in these types of data are not specified as part of the terrain elevation or clutter data file itself. In the case of ArcView, this can usually be found by examining the .PRJ file. In an x,y,z data file this is specified by the supplier of the data or is found in an ancillary parameters file.

3.7

Display Map of File Contents

EDX .201 terrain format files and EDX .GCV clutter format files can be viewed as a graphic image along with a listing of the data parameters. This is done by this display option. Enter the name of the file to be displayed and press the Display Map button.

- 10 -

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility

11

4 - FCC Databases Menu

4.1 AM Database Conversion
The conversion is done by entering the name of the FCC flat data file (not the CDBS data) and pressing Start Conversion. Two files are created named: AMyymmdd.edx and AIyymmdd.edx where yymmdd is the two-digit year, month and day date of the database. These files are automatically placed in the same directory as the original data file.

4.2

FM Database Conversion

The conversion is done by entering the name of the FCC flat data file (not the CDBS data) and the FCC directional antenna data file. The date of the database also needs to be supplied. Press Start Conversion to start the process. Three files are created named: FMyymmdd.edx, FIyymmdd.edx, and FAyymmdd.edx where yymmdd is the two-digit year, month and day date of the database. These files are automatically placed in the same directory as the original data file.

4.3

TV Database Conversion

The conversion is done by entering the name of the FCC flat data file (not the CDBS data) and the FCC directional antenna data file. Two other files that contain the original DTV allotment information are also needed. Press Start Conversion to start the process. Three files are created named: TVyymmdd.edx, TIyymmdd.edx, and TAyymmdd.edx where yymmdd is the two-digit year, month and day date of the database. These files are automatically placed in the same directory as the original data file.

4.4

Tower Database Conversion

While this conversion will create an EDX format symbol data file the FCC data files in the format supported by this conversion are likely no longer available. This conversion will eventually be removed or updated.

- 11 -

Revised: 11/11/09

12

EDXCV Conversion Utility

5 - Batch Operation
5.1 Introduction
The interactive features in EDXCV make it convenient and easy to use for individual files. But if many files need to be converted, the batch mode of EDXCV is a better option. Batch mode operation involves creating a setup file that defines how the files are to be converted and file containing a list of the files to be converted.

5.2

Setup and Operation

EDXCV is run in a batch mode by creating a text file containing a list of the files to be converted and then running the program from a command prompt or from Windows Start -> Run using the appropriate command line string. This could also be done from within a Script or .BAT file or other job control method. Use the following steps to set up and operate a batch mode conversion. Input/Output Data Folders There need to be two specific folders (directories) on the computer hard drive - one for files to be converted and another for converted files. These folders must be placed inside the folder where the EDXCV.EXE program is located. Name the two folders "batchin" and "batchout". Put the files to be converted in the "batchin" folder. Also put a text file in this folder named "edxcv_cv_list.txt" that contains a list of the files to be converted. A sample of the contents of this file is shown below (the file names are not casesensitive): 35N086W.ASC 35N087W.ASC 35N088W.ASC Hint: This list file can be generated by doing a listing of the "batchin" folder using the Windows "dir" command from a command prompt (inside the "batchin" folder) and sending the output listing to the file. dir /b > edxcv_cv_list.txt Converted files are put in the "batchout" folder along with a "log" file and any error messages generated during conversion. The converted file names will be the same as the input files except that the file extension name will be replaced with either ".201" or ".GCV". Running the process Open a Command Prompt window and use the CD command to navigate to the directory where EDXCV.EXE is located. The command string to be used is:

- 12 -

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility

13

EDXCV conv_num setup_file

(Example: EDXCV 1 edxcv.def)

Where:
conv_num is one of the following numbers that correspond to the conversion type

desired: 1 - Terrain file conversion (only conversions to .201 files) 2 - Groundcover (clutter) file conversion (only conversions to .GCV files)
setup_file is the name of the file that contains the entries for the 1) type of

conversion and 2) common geographic parameters (projection, datum, etc). This file is created by running EDXCV, adjusting the conversion settings as needed, and then use File -> Save As to create the setup file. NOTE: When starting EDXCV from a command prompt window, the prompt will return immediately since EDXCV runs in a background process when started this way. To know when the conversions are done, monitor the output "batchout" folder. When the last file listed in "edxcv_cv_list.txt" appears in the folder, the process is complete.

- 13 -

Revised: 11/11/09

14

EDXCV Conversion Utility

6 - Projections and Mapping

6.1 Coordinate Systems

A coordinate system is used to define the location of a point on the earths surface. There two ways to do this. One is to specify the location as a set of spheroidal angular parameters also known as geographic coordinates. These are coordinates expressed in Latitude and Longitude. The other is to use a projected or linear system that specifies a location based on an x, y position in meters. In a projected system there is always a latitude and longitude that is the reference for the x, y values. UTM is a type of world-wide coordinate system. There are also a number of country-specific projected systems that have unique grid systems and coordinate naming conventions. The UK National Grid, Irish National Grid, Australian and New Zealand grids are examples of this type.

6.1.1

Latitude/Longitude

A Latitude/Longitude system is straightforward and relatively unambiguous because it is obvious that 0 degrees Latitude is the equator and 0 degrees Longitude is usually the Greenwich meridian in England (also known as the Prime Meridian).

6.1.2

Projected

A projected system begins with a reference latitude and longitude and then locates points using an x, y offset in meters from the reference point. The x, y value is measured across a flat surface. This flat surface or plane is formed (projected) from the curved surface of the earth, hence the term projection. In order to do this one can use one of a number of geometric projection methods (such as Transverse Mercator, Lambert, etc). Some projections also require two additional reference latitudes. A projection calculation uses the assumed ellipsoidal shape of the earth within the projected area. This ellipsoid is defined by the equatorial and polar diameter of the earth. The values used are typically the equatorial radius and the ratio between the two diameters. This ratio is called the flattening value and is calculated as follows: Flattening = (major_diameter - minor_diameter) / major_diameter WGS-84 is a common ellipsoid with a major radius of 6378137.0 meters and a flattening of 0.003352811. A list of ellipsoids used in the EDX software can be found in a file named ellipsoids.dat which is located in the DATA folder of the EDX program installation directory. Linear mapping systems can also use a Map Scaling factor to adjust the scale of the mapping x, y values to improve the projection. This value is always close to 1.0. For example, in the UTM mapping system the flattening is 0.9996.

- 14 -

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility Finally, linear systems typically use False Easting and/or False Northing values to insure that the map x, y coordinates are always positive. If a map point is located West or South of the reference Latitude/Longitude the actual offset is negative. In order to avoid these negative values, a falsing value is applied to the actual offset. For example, in the UTM mapping system the reference longitude is in the center of a six degree-wide area. Three degrees of longitude at the equator is approximately 333,000 meters so the actual x offsets West of the reference could be negative by as much as that amount. A False Easting of 500,000 meters added to the offsets insure that they remain positive.

15

6.2

Datums

Data from different mapping systems and projections can be used simultaneously in the EDX software. So that all the data is synchronized as to location, the EDX program converts all projected (linear) data into its latitude/longitude equivalent. Data using latitude/longitude remains in that form. But even though all data is in the same form there can still be differences in the Latitude and Longitude values used for a specific point on the earth so further corrections must be applied. Historically the earth has been mapped in regions rather than the entire earth in a single go. Each region used its own unique set of benchmarks or fixed references defined by latitude and longitude. In addition each region has its own assumption for the radius and curvature of the earth. This size assumption forms the basis for a height reference or datum. By convention the mapping system used in a particular region is given what is called a datum name. Examples of these datums are NAD-27 US Continental, Australian Geodetic 1984, Ordnance Survey of Great Britain, and many others. EDX uses a three parameter geographic conversion known as the Molodensky method to adjust the latitude and longitudes from different datums so that they all agree as to the location of geographic points. The WGS-84 datum is used as the standard datum within the EDX software and all other datums are converted to it. A list of datums used in the EDX software can be found in a file named datums.dat which is located in the DATA folder of the EDX program installation directory. This file also contains the Molodensky x, y, z shifts required to convert each datum to a WGS-84 datum. The following is an example of how a geographic location is converted to the WGS84 datum inside the main EDX program: In UTM using NAD-27 a particular point in zone 10 has x, y coordinates of 490960, 4871930. In Latitude/Longitude NAD-27 this point has a latitude/longitude of 44-08.66N and 123-6-45.92W Converting the NAD-27 coordinates to WGS-84 results in 44-0-7.98W and 123-6-50.14W.

It is important to note that EDXCV does not do any coordinate conversion. The utility
simply reads the information from the original data file and writes it out to a new file in a format that is usable by the EDX program. In addition to changing the

- 15 -

Revised: 11/11/09

16

EDXCV Conversion Utility format, the necessary geographic parameters are added to the output data file so the EDX program properly locate the data point locations in a WGS-84 datum reference. For Datum conversion the critical parameters are major axis, flattening, and datum delta x, y, z.

- 16 -

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility

17

7 - Terrain Conversion Detail

7.1 Introduction
The section will describe in detail the methods and required input parameters to effect a conversion of the various terrain elevation data formats that are found in the EDXCV Conversions -> Terrain File Conversion list.

7.2

Australian 18 second format to EDX .PTR format

An original data source for the continent of Australia was a database using 18 arcsecond point spacing. This data is converted by entering the name of the source and destination file and pressing Start Conversion. No other parameters need to be specified.

7.3

DTED format to EDX .PTR format

DTED stands from Digital Terrain Elevation Data. This is the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) format. Level 1 and 2 refers to 3 arc-second and 30 arc-second point spacing of the data. This data is converted by entering the name of the source and destination file and pressing Start Conversion. No other parameters need to be specified

7.4

DTED Level 1 CD-ROM files to EDX PTR format

Some of the DTED data distributed on CD-ROM used a variation of the NATO format so this conversion type was provided to handle those files. The conversion is performed in the same way as the previous DTED conversion.

7.5

EDX ASCII text format to EDX .201 format

Terrain elevation data can be stored in the EDX ASCII format which is documented in Appendix B of the main EDX program Reference Manual. This conversion creates a binary file that is smaller in size than the ASCII file and can be used more efficiently by the EDX program. There are two EDX ASCII formats. The older format did not contain entry fields to set the x,y,z datum offsets. In this case these parameters need to be entered in the Geographic Parameters dialog. Regardless of the EDX ASCII format used, the data is converted by entering the name of the source and destination file and pressing Start Conversion

- 17 -

Revised: 11/11/09

18

EDXCV Conversion Utility

7.6

EDX ASCII text format to EDX .PTR format

Terrain elevation data can be stored in the EDX ASCII format which is documented in Appendix B of the main EDX program Reference Manual. The binary PTR format is an older format with no provision for datum and is not recommended except as for data that needs to be backward compatible with older EDX programs. This data is converted by entering the name of the source and destination file and pressing Start Conversion. No other parameters need to be specified

7.7

EDX .PTR format to USGS ASCII format

The older binary EDX .PTR format can be converted into the USGS ASCII format as described in their User Guide 5. This data is converted by entering the name of the source and destination file and pressing Start Conversion. No other parameters need to be specified

7.8

EDX .PTR format to EDX ASCII text format

Files in the older binary EDX .PTR format can be converted into the current EDX ASCII format (as described in Appendix B of the main EDX program Reference Manual). This data is converted by entering the name of the source and destination file and pressing Start Conversion. No other parameters need to be specified

7.9

ESRI/ArcView binary grid format to EDX .201 format

ESRI/ArcView data in their standard grid format can be converted into the EDX binary 201 format. A single rectangle of ArcView data is represented by a number of files that all reside in a single folder. The following files are in this folder:
dblbnd.adf hdr.adf sta.adf vat.adf w001001.adf w001001x.adf prj.adf

The Source File must contain only the name of the folder where these files reside and not the name of any of these files. The Geographic Parameters necessary for the conversion can be found by opening the PRJ.ADF file in a text editor. The following example lines will be displayed:
Projection GEOGRAPHIC Datum NAD83 Zunits METERS Units DS Spheroid GRS1980 Xshift 0.0000000000 Yshift 0.0000000000

- 18 -

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility

Parameters

19

If the Projection is Geographic as shown, then choose Source file uses latitude/longitude in the Geographic Parameters dialog. The Units entry will determine the type of latitude/longitude coordinates. DD indicates Decimal Degrees and DS is Seconds. If the Units is METERS than the Source file uses x,y meters is chosen. The Datum entry is used to determine the correct Datum shifts relative to WGS84. The x,y,z delta values can be found in the datums.dat file located in the DATA folder of the main EDX program installation directory. If the Datum is WGS84 or NAD83 then the x,y,z delta values are all zero. When using latitude/longitude coordinates, the above are the only parameters that need to be set in this dialog. To run the conversion, enter the name of the Destination File and press Start Conversion If Source file uses x,y meters was selected then note the entry for the Projection parameter. This will be a projected coordinate system such as UTM which requires additional entries in the geographic parameters as listed below. The Spheroid value will determine the ellipsoid parameters (Major Axis, Flattening). The parameters for different spheroids can be found in the ellipsoids.dat file also found in the same folder as datums.dat. The Reference Longitude and Reference Latitude can be found as part of the Parameters section at the end of the .PRJ file. If the Map Projection is determined to be Lambert Conformal then the Standard parallel 1 and 2 will also be in the Parameters section. Map Scale Compression is determined by the coordinate system specified in the Projection value, or it might be specified in the Parameters section. The proj_coord_systems.dat file located in the DATA folder of the main EDX program installation directory contains the map scale factor for a number of coordinate systems. For the UTM coordinate system, the following parameters are used: Map Projection = Transverse Mercator Reference Longitude is determined by the Zone Number. The longitude can be calculated from this number as follows: Ref_longitude = Zone_number * 6.0 - 180.0 - 3.0 Reference Latitude = 0.0 False Easting = 500000 False Northing = 0 (North of the equator), 10000000 (South of the equator) Map Scale Compression = 0.9996 The data is converted by providing the name of the destination file and pressing Start Conversion.
Xshift and Yshift are False Easting and False Northing respectively.

- 19 -

Revised: 11/11/09

20

EDXCV Conversion Utility

7.10

ESRI/ArcView ASCII grid format to EDX .201 format

ESRI/ArcView data in their ASCII grid format can be converted into the EDX binary 201 format. A single rectangle of ArcView data is represented by two files. Both files use the same name except that the file extensions are different. The file containing the terrain elevation data usually has an .ASC extension. This file name is entered into the Source File name. The other file has the extension .PRJ and contains information that is entered into the Geographic Parameters dialog. See the section above from the ArcView Binary Grid conversion for information on the data in this file. Finally, the data is converted by providing the name of the Destination file and pressing Start Conversion.

7.11

ESRI/ArcView Float Grid to EDX .201 format

ESRI/ArcView data in their Float grid format can be converted into the EDX binary 201 format. This data is converted in the same way as the ASCII grid data as described in section 7.10 above. The only difference will be that the terrain elevation data source file will probably have a file extension of something other than ASC.

7.12

IGN planimetric data for France to EDX .201 format

Terrain data from IGN in France is always stored in projected coordinates. The corner coordinates of the data as well as grid point spacing are provided inside the source data file. In order to convert these files all of the required Geographic Parameters entries must be found from data sheets provided by the data supplier. After supplying the needed geographic entries the data is converted by providing the name of the Destination file and pressing Start Conversion.

7.13

INEGI 3 arc second Mexico data to EDX .201 format

This conversion is for Mexican terrain data files from INEGI using 3 arc-second spacing only. Each file is also assumed to cover exactly one square degree. The name of the source file must contain the integer degrees that identify the latitude and longitude of the SW corner of the data. The file name has the following example form:
123W44N

- 20 -

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility Note the the N is the last character in the name. No file extensions are allowed.

21

7.14

Italy 10 sec. x 7.5 sec. format to EDX .PTR format

This was a custom conversion for a particular type of Italian terrain data. The conversion is now obsolete but included for archiving purposes.

7.15

MSI Planet format to EDX .201 format

The Planet terrain data format supported by this conversion is the one originally developed for use with the MSI-Planet program that ran on a Unix platform. The data is composed of three or more files: One or more binary files containing the actual matrix of terrain elevation points An index file describing the geographic corners of the data in the binary matrix files A projection file with the geographic reference and earth ellipsoid parameters

The Source File is the binary file containing the terrain matrix. The projection file is opened using a text editor to retrieve the required entries for the Geographic Parameters dialog. The projection file will look similar to the following:
WGS-84 30 UTM 49 -2 400000 -100000

The first line is the Datum. This is used to determine the correct Datum shifts relative to WGS84, Major Axis, and Flattening. The x,y,z delta values can be found in the datums.dat file located in the DATA folder of the main EDX program installation directory. If the Datum is WGS-84 or NAD-83 then the x,y,z delta values are all zero. The major axis and flattening parameters for different spheroids can be found in the ellipsoids.dat file. If the fourth line is missing from the file then third line will be UTM and the second line will be the UTM zone number. Reference Longitude is determined by the Zone Number. The longitude is calculated from this number as follows: Ref_longitude = Zone_number * 6.0 - 180.0 - 3.0 If the third line is not UTM, then this defines the coordinate system. The proj_coord_systems.dat file located in the DATA folder of the main EDX program installation directory contains parameters for a number of coordinate systems. The fourth line is Reference Latitude, Reference Longitude, False Northing, and False Easting respectively.

- 21 -

Revised: 11/11/09

22

EDXCV Conversion Utility When the data uses the UTM coordinate system (the most likely situation), the following parameters are used: Map Projection = Transverse Mercator Reference Longitude is determined by the Zone Number as calculated above. Reference Latitude = 0.0 False Easting = 500000 False Northing = 0 (North of the equator), 10000000 (South of the equator) Map Scale Compression = 0.9996 Finally, the data is converted by providing the name of the Destination file and pressing Start Conversion.

7.16

OS NTF v2.0 England 50m x 50m format to EDX .PTR format

The Ordnance Survey in England produces terrain data for the U.K in what they call the NTF format. This conversion will handle v2.0 of this data. All geographic parameters are included with the data file so to run the conversion enter the Source File, enter the Destination File, and press Start Conversion. EDX can also supply this same data. The cost is generally less than purchasing the data from the Ordnance Survey and the licensing issues are much less restrictive.

7.17

Phoenics RAW format to EDX .201 format

This is the Phoenics RAW format which is composed of two files- a RAW file and a HDR file. The RAW file is a simple matrix of 2 byte integers, one for each point in the matrix. The byte order in this conversion is Intel/MS. All of the data parameters are found in the HDR file. All geographic parameters are included with the data file so to run the conversion enter the Source File, enter the Destination File, and press Start Conversion.

7.18

South Africa 200m x 200m format to EDX .PTR format SRTM 3-arcsecond and 1-arcsecond .HGT format to EDX .201 format

This is an obsolete format included for archiving purposes only.

7.19

SRTM is Shuttle Radar Tomography Mission that was performed by one of the NASA space shuttle missions that effected a mapping of the earths surface over the latitude range of approximately 60 degrees North and South. The publicly available format is 3 arc-second spacing for the world with additional 1 arc-second for the

- 22 -

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility United States. Note that it is necessary to select the appropriate arc-second spacing format to match the data in the file. All other geographic parameters predefined by this format so to run the conversion enter the Source File, enter the Destination File, and press Start Conversion. The "3-arcsecond" data format is also directly supported in the EDX software without a need to convert first to .201 format.

23

7.20

Surfer grid to EDX .201 format

Golden Software produces a data manipulation program named Surfer that can create terrain grid data from vector data or manual digitizing of maps. The data file is composed of the terrain data matrix only and is recognized by the ID marker DSAA on the first line of the file. No geographic information is included in the grid file and must be found through other documentation and then entered into the Geographic Parameters dialog. This includes the selection for linear x,y or geographic horizontal units.

7.21

USGS ASCII format to EDX .PTR format

This is an obsolete conversion included for archiving purposes only. Use the USGS ASCII format to EDX .201 format described next.

7.22

USGS ASCII format to EDX .201 format

This is used to convert files which are in the USGS DEM (sometimes known as the 250K format). A User Guide 5 from the USGS is the official description of the format. This is a limited implementation of the format in that only data that is composed of a regular grid can be converted. This is a grid that has the same number of elements in each of its profiles (data columns).

7.23

X,Y,Z format to EDX .201 format

Data composed of three columns of data x (longitude), y (latitude), z (elevation) can be converted to the .201 format. The order of the data in the x and y columns (row order, column order, N to S, S to N, etc) is not important as long it remains consistent throughout the file. And, the data must be represented as a regular grid; this is one that has the same of number elements in each of the rows. No geographic information is included in the data file and must be found through other documentation and then entered into the Geographic Parameters dialog. This includes the selection for linear x,y or geographic horizontal units.

7.24

ATDI .GEO format to EDX .201 format

ATDI terrain elevation files typically store the data based upon a projected grid system. At this time only the UTM grid type is supported in this conversion. The converter will determine the correct reference latitude and longitude from the grid type value in the ATDI file but you will need to specify the correct earth ellipsoid

- 23 -

Revised: 11/11/09

24

EDXCV Conversion Utility and Datum shift values in the Geographic Parameters dialog. These values will be defined by the coordinate system datum. If this is not known, start the conversion process on the ATDI file and view the message box that reports the ATDI Grid code found in the file. If the code contains 2FR or 3FR then this is WGS84 datum which requires the following parameters: Map Projection = Transverse Mercator Map Scale Compression = 0.9996 Major Axis = 6378137.0 Flattening = 0.003352811 Datum Delta (x, y, and z) = 0.0 The other parameters in the Geographic Parameters dialog can be ignored. Otherwise, if the code contains UT then the number preceding the UT is the ATDI datum index. Index 4 is WGS84 and indices 3,18, and 83 are essentially equivalent to WGS84. A complete list of datum indices can be acquired from ATDI or the EDX customer support center may be able to help.

7.25

ATDI .GEO+.BLG format to EDX .201 format

This conversion operates as the converson above but looks for a companion ATDI building data file (.BLG extension) of the same name as the ATDI terrain (.GEO) file. Since the ATDI building files are simple raster files where each point in the matrix is a building height (AGL), this conversion will sum the heights in both source files to create a canopy-type file of terrain plus buildings. Obviously, both files must be identical in terms of location and grid size.

7.26

DTED format to EDX .201 format

DTED stands from Digital Terrain Elevation Data. This is the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) format. Level 1 and 2 refers to 3 arc-second and 30 arc-second point spacing of the data. The only Geographic Parameters that need to be set are the x,y,z datum shifts. This data is converted by entering the name of the source and destination file and pressing Start Conversion.

7.27

CelPlan .TPG format to EDX .201 format

The CelPlan RF planning tool uses terrain data in its own binary format. These files are converted using this selection. The only Geographic Parameters that need to be set are the x,y,z datum shifts. This data is converted by entering the name of the source and destination file and pressing Start Conversion.

- 24 -

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility

25

8 - Land Use (Clutter) Conversions Detail

8.1 ASCII groundcover file to EDX .GCV format
Clutter data can be stored in the EDX ASCII format which is documented in Appendix G of the main EDX program Reference Manual. This conversion creates a binary file that is smaller in size than the ASCII file and can be used more efficiently by the EDX program. All geographic parameters are included with the data file so to run the conversion enter the Source File, enter the Destination File, and press Start Conversion.

8.2

ArcView .SHP file to EDX .GCV format

Clutter information in an ArcView SHP file can be stored as a series of polygons; each polygon representing a particular land use type. As long as the coordinate units are latitude/longitude this data can be converted to the EDX .GCV format. The conversion is done by first creating a grid of points and then assigning to each point the code for the land use type in whose polygon it lies. Therefore the appropriate Gridding Parameters found the Land Use (clutter) File Conversion dialog must be supplied. A typical value is 3 arc-seconds (approximately 100 meters). The column in the ArcView .DBF (database) file that contains the land use code must also be supplied. All geographic parameters are included with the data file so to run the conversion enter the Source File, enter the Destination File, and press Start Conversion.

8.3

Polygon .BNA file to EDX .GCV format

Clutter data stored as polygons in a .BNA format as described in Appendix C of the main EDX program Reference Manual can be converted in the same manner as ArcView SHP file data as described in section 8.2 above. Unlike the ArcView file, the land use code is provided as part of each polygon section in the BNA file. All geographic parameters are included with the data file so to run the conversion enter the Source File, enter the Destination File, and press Start Conversion.

8.4

USGS DEM format to EDX .GCV format

While the USGS DEM (sometimes known as the 250K format) is normally used to store terrain elevation data, it can also be used to store land use (clutter) codes as well. A User Guide 5 from the USGS is the official description of the format.

- 25 -

Revised: 11/11/09

26

EDXCV Conversion Utility This is a limited implementation of the format in that only data that is composed of a regular grid can be converted. This is a grid that has the same number of elements in each of its profiles (data columns). All geographic parameters are included with the data file so to run the conversion enter the Source File, enter the Destination File, and press Start Conversion.

8.5

MSI-Planet format to EDX .GCV format

The Planet clutter data format supported by this conversion is the one originally developed for use with the MSI-Planet program that ran on a Unix platform. The data is composed of four or more files: One or more binary files containing the actual matrix of terrain elevation points An index file describing the geographic corners of the data in the binary matrix files A projection file with the geographic reference and earth ellipsoid parameters. If this is missing, the one found in the companion heights folder can be used. A menu file containing a list of the numeric clutter codes and text description

The Source File is the binary file containing the clutter code matrix. The projection file is opened using a text editor to retrieve the required entries for the Geographic Parameters dialog. The projection file will look similar to the following:
WGS-84 30 UTM 49 -2 400000 -100000

The first line is the Datum. This is used to determine the correct Datum shifts relative to WGS84, Major Axis, and Flattening. The x,y,z delta values can be found in the datums.dat file located in the DATA folder of the main EDX program installation directory. If the Datum is WGS-84 or NAD-83 then the x,y,z delta values are all zero. The major axis and flattening parameters for different spheroids can be found in the ellipsoids.dat file. If the fourth line is missing from the file then third line will be UTM and the second line will be the UTM zone number. Reference Longitude is determined by the Zone Number. The longitude is calculated from this number as follows: Ref_longitude = Zone_number * 6.0 - 180.0 - 3.0 If the third line is not UTM, then this defines the coordinate system. The proj_coord_systems.dat file located in the DATA folder of the main EDX program installation directory contains parameters for a number of coordinate systems. The fourth line is Reference Latitude, Reference Longitude, False Northing, and False Easting respectively.

- 26 -

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility When the data uses the UTM coordinate system (the most likely situation), the following parameters are used: Map Projection = Transverse Mercator Reference Longitude is determined by the Zone Number as calculated above. Reference Latitude = 0.0 False Easting = 500000 False Northing = 0 (North of the equator), 10000000 (South of the equator) Map Scale Compression = 0.9996 In some cases the number of codes in the clutter file may need to be adjusted. A file named clutter_translate can be put into the folder containing the MSI data files that will cause codes to be changed and/or merged during conversion. The file has the following format:
MSI_code(1), GCV_code(1) MSI_code(2), GCV_code(2) . . MSI_code(n), GCV_code(n)

27

MSI_code is the clutter code found in the MSI data file GCV_code is the code that will be written to the EDX GCV file. Multiple MSI_codes can be converted to the same GCV_code. An MSI_code can be deleted from the data by assigning it as a GCV_code of zero. Finally, the data is converted by providing the name of the Destination file and pressing Start Conversion.

8.6

ArcView ASCII Grid to EDX .GCV format

ESRI/ArcView data in their ASCII grid format can be converted into the EDX binary GCV format. A single rectangle of ArcView data is represented by two files. Both files use the same name except that the file extensions are different. The file containing the clutter code data usually has an .ASC extension. This file name is entered into the Source File name. The other file has the extension .PRJ and contains information that is entered into the Geographic Parameters dialog. Open the .PRJ file in a text editor. The following example lines will be displayed:
Projection GEOGRAPHIC Datum NAD83 Zunits METERS Units DS Spheroid GRS1980 Xshift 0.0000000000 Yshift 0.0000000000 Parameters

- 27 -

Revised: 11/11/09

28

EDXCV Conversion Utility If the Projection is Geographic as shown, then choose Source file uses latitude/longitude in the Geographic Parameters dialog. The Units entry will determine the type of latitude/longitude coordinates. DD indicates Decimal Degrees and DS is Seconds. If the Units is METERS than the Source file uses x,y meters is chosen. The Datum entry is used to determine the correct Datum shifts relative to WGS84. The x,y,z delta values can be found in the datums.dat file located in the DATA folder of the main EDX program installation directory. If the Datum is WGS84 or NAD83 then the x,y,z delta values are all zero. When using latitude/longitude coordinates, the above are the only parameters that need to be set in this dialog. To run the conversion, enter the name of the Destination File and press Start Conversion If Source file uses x,y meters was selected then note the entry for the Projection parameter. This will be a projected coordinate system such as UTM which requires additional entries in the geographic parameters as listed below. The Spheroid value will determine the ellipsoid parameters (Major Axis, Flattening). The parameters for different spheroids can be found in the ellipsoids.dat file also found in the same folder as datums.dat. The Reference Longitude and Reference Latitude can be found as part of the Parameters section at the end of the .PRJ file. If the Map Projection is determined to be Lambert Conformal then the Standard parallel 1 and 2 will also be in the Parameters section. Map Scale Compression is determined by the coordinate system specified in the Projection value, or it might be specified in the Parameters section. The proj_coord_systems.dat file located in the DATA folder of the main EDX program installation directory contains the map scale factor for a number of coordinate systems. For the UTM coordinate system, the following parameters are used: Map Projection = Transverse Mercator Reference Longitude is determined by the Zone Number. The longitude can be calculated from this number as follows: Ref_longitude = Zone_number * 6.0 - 180.0 - 3.0 Reference Latitude = 0.0 False Easting = 500000 False Northing = 0 (North of the equator), 10000000 (South of the equator) Map Scale Compression = 0.9996 In some cases the number of codes or their value in the original clutter file may need to be adjusted. A file can be put into the folder containing the ArcView data
Xshift and Yshift are False Easting and False Northing respectively.

- 28 -

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility files that will cause codes to be changed and/or merged during conversion. This file should have the name datafile.mrg where datafile is the root name of the ASCII data file. For example if the ASCII data file is named clut01.asc the clutter translate file should be named clut01.mrg. The file has the following format:
Original_code(1), GCV_code(1) Original_code(2), GCV_code(2) . . Original_code(n), GCV_code(n)

29

Original_code is the clutter code found in the ArcView data file GCV_code is the code that will be written to the EDX GCV file. Multiple Original_codes can be converted to the same GCV_code. An Original_code can be deleted from the data by assigning it as a GCV_code of zero. Finally, the data is converted by providing the name of the Destination file and pressing Start Conversion.

8.7

ArcView Binary Grid to EDX .GCV format

ESRI/ArcView data in their standard grid format can be converted into the EDX binary GCV format. A single rectangle of ArcView data is represented by a number of files that all reside in a single folder. The following files are in this folder:
dblbnd.adf hdr.adf sta.adf vat.adf w001001.adf w001001x.adf prj.adf

The Source File must contain only the name of the folder where these files reside and not the name of any of these files. View the data in the PRJ.ADF file to determine the entries for the Geographic Parameters dialog. See the detail above in the ArcView ASCII grid conversion for more detail on the information in this file. In some cases the number of codes in the clutter file may need to be adjusted. A file named clutter_merge.ini can be put into the folder containing the ArcView data files that will cause codes to be changed and/or merged during conversion. The file has the following format:
Original_code(1), GCV_code(1) Original_code(2), GCV_code(2) . . Original_code(n), GCV_code(n)

Original_code is the clutter code found in the ArcView data file GCV_code is the code that will be written to the EDX GCV file.

- 29 -

Revised: 11/11/09

30

EDXCV Conversion Utility Multiple Original_codes can be converted to the same GCV_code. An Original_code can be deleted from the data by assigning it as a GCV_code of zero. The data is converted by providing the name of the destination file and pressing Start Conversion.

8.8

ATDI .SOL format to EDX .GCV format

ATDI clutter files typically store the data based upon a projected grid system. At this time only the UTM grid type is supported in this conversion. The converter will determine the correct reference latitude and longitude from the grid type value in the ATDI file but you will need to specify the correct earth ellipsoid and Datum shift values in the Geographic Parameters dialog. These values will be defined by the coordinate system datum. If this is not known, start the conversion process on the ATDI file and view the message box that reports the ATDI Grid code found in the file. If the code contains 2FR or 3FR then this is WGS84 datum which requires the following parameters: Map Projection = Transverse Mercator Map Scale Compression = 0.9996 Major Axis = 6378137.0 Flattening = 0.003352811 Datum Delta (x, y, and z) = 0.0 The other parameters in the Geographic Parameters dialog can be ignored. Otherwise, if the code contains UT then the number preceding the UT is the ATDI datum index. Index 4 is WGS84 and indices 3, 18, and 83 are essentially equivalent to WGS84. A complete list of datum indices can be acquired from ATDI or the EDX customer support center may be able to help. ATDI typically uses clutter code 0 as a valid code for Open or Rural where EDX assumes code 0 means no clutter type. If a merge/translate file (see below) is not used during conversion, a point with a code of 0 in the ATDI file will be classified as 99 in the EDX .GCV file. In some cases the number of codes or their value in the ATDI date may need to be adjusted. A file can be put into the folder containing the ATDI data file that causes codes to be changed and/or merged during conversion. This file should have the name code_adjust.ini. The file has the following format:
Original_code(1), GCV_code(1) Original_code(2), GCV_code(2) . . Original_code(n), GCV_code(n)

Original_code is the clutter code found in the ATDI file GCV_code is the code that will be written to the EDX GCV file. Multiple Original_codes can be converted to the same GCV_code. An Original_code can be deleted from the data by assigning it as a GCV_code of zero.

- 30 -

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility

31

8.9

Mapinfo .MIF vector data to EDX .BNA

This conversion does not create clutter data. Instead it takes vector data (LINES and POLYLINES) from a MapInfo .MIF and writes it to a new EDX .BNA file. Typically this data represents streets and roads. These files can then be used by the clutter carving option in the Mesh Module. The clutter carving process requires a street width value to be placed in the 2nd text comment field for each section in the BNA file. EDXCV will put 15.0 representing a 15 meter street width unless an optional data file is included with the MIF data. This optional file takes the same name as the .MIF file except that the MIF extension name is replaced with WID. This file contains a single line with a number designating the street width for all the lines in the .MIF file. For example, if the MIF file is streets.mif, the width file would be named streets.wid. Note that the EDX .BNA file is assumed to contain coordinates in the WGS-84 datum only. Only MapInfo data using an equivalent datum should be used as the source file for this conversion.

- 31 -

Revised: 11/11/09

32

EDXCV Conversion Utility

9 - Building Conversions Detail

9.1 ArcView SHP/DBF format in UTM to new MCS Format

The ArcView SHP file contains all of the line segment information that describe the walls and other building objects. The coordinate system used for this data must be UTM using the WGS84 datum. The DBF file should contain a column that specifies the height of each wall or object found in the SHP file. It may be necessary to view the ArcView data in the ArcView program to determine which column to use for the height information. The SHP file name is entered into the Source File box. Enter the desired name for the Destination File. This file name needs to use the extension of .MCS (example: buildings.mcs). Enter the number of the column in the DBF file containing the wall height values into the Column number for building height value in MID or DBF file box. Select the Set Geographic Parameters button to make the necessary geographic projection entries. For the UTM-WGS84 coordinate system, the following parameters are used: Map Projection = Transverse Mercator Reference Longitude(dd) is determined by the Zone Number. The longitude can be calculated from this number as follows: Ref_longitude = Zone_number * 6.0 - 180.0 - 3.0 Reference Latitude = 0.0 False Easting = 500000 False Northing = 0 (North of the equator), 10000000 (South of the equator) Map Scale Compression = 0.9996 Major axis = 6378137 Flattening = 0.003352811 Datum shifts relative to WGS84, all Delta x,y,z = 0.0 Additional data for x,y,z and ArcView Conversions is set to Source file uses x,y meters. Finally, the data is converted by pressing Start Conversion.

9.2

MapInfo MIF/MID format in UTM to new MCS Format

The MapInfo MIF file contains all of the line segment information that describe the walls and other building objects. The coordinate system used for this data must be UTM using the WGS84 datum. The MID file should contain an INTEGER, FLOAT, or DECIMAL data column that specifies the height of each wall or object

- 32 -

Revised: 11/11/09

EDXCV Conversion Utility found in the MIF file. The MIF and MID files are ASCII and can be viewed in a text editor to determine which column to use for the height information. The MIF file name is entered into the Source File box. Enter the desired name for the Destination File. This file name needs to use the extension of .MCS (example: buildings.mcs). Enter the number of the column in the MID file containing the wall height values into the Column number for building height value in MID or DBF file box. Select the Set Geographic Parameters button to make the necessary geographic projection entries. For the UTM-WGS84 coordinate system, the following parameters are used: Map Projection = Transverse Mercator Reference Longitude(dd) is determined by the Zone Number. The longitude can be calculated from this number as follows: Ref_longitude = Zone_number * 6.0 - 180.0 - 3.0 Reference Latitude = 0.0 False Easting = 500000 False Northing = 0 (North of the equator), 10000000 (South of the equator) Map Scale Compression = 0.9996 Major axis = 6378137 Flattening = 0.003352811 Datum shifts relative to WGS84, all Delta x,y,z = 0.0 Additional data for x,y,z and ArcView Conversions is set to Source file uses x,y meters. Finally, the data is converted by pressing Start Conversion.

33

9.3

Spatially Filter an MCS file

This function can be used to spatially filter or shift the data found in an MCS file. This is most useful when a smaller number of the buildings needs to be extracted from a large MCS file. It is also possible to shift the geographic location of the data in an MCS file by specifying x,y shift values. The name of the source MCS file name is entered into the Source File box. Enter the desired name for the Destination File. This file name needs to use the extension of .MCS (example: buildings.mcs). In the DXF File section enter a latitude/longitude that defines the center of the data area from which the filtering is to take place. In the MCS Filter File Parameters section the Inner Radius and Outer Radius are referenced to the latitude/longitude entered and determines the region from which buildings in the original file will be sent to the destination file. The Minimum Height entry is used to further limit which buildings are processed. Only buildings at or above the Minimum Height are sent to the destination file.

- 33 -

Revised: 11/11/09

34

EDXCV Conversion Utility Normally the Artificial Shift values are left at 0.0 meters. However, if it is necessary to shift the location of the buildings to a new x,y location, these entries are used for that. Typically this is done when there are two MCS files that use different reference latitude/longitudes and the buildings in one file need to shifted to conform to the reference in the other file so that all the buildings can be merged together in one file. Finally, the data is converted by pressing Start Conversion.

- 34 -

Revised: 11/11/09