DSpatial
file format
The DSpatial file format was developed specifically to support large data sets (i.e. a raster with many bands of different data types), multiple data sets per file, and access to huge data sets. Data is stored in tiles, each 16kB long. This size is efficient for today's computer hardware and it provides fast access and efficient memory management. A single file is completely self-contained. It is the only format that supports all DSpatial features (for instance, named raster bands).
| General |
Complex file-based format for an unlimited number of data sets. Raster data sets can have up to 512 bands of differing data types. |
| Read |
Data is read in 16kB tiles. A caching mechanism gives fast access to frequently used tiles. |
| Write |
Raster files can be written, with support for named bands and all other DSpatial features. |
| Attributes | Attributes are not yet supported, but text can be stored in the file together with the binary data. |
| Coordinate system |
Coordinate system information is stored as WKT strings with the data sets. |
| Documentation | This format is specific to the DSpatial project. Documentation is currently being developed. |
| Data sources | This format is specific to the DSpatial project. There are no external sources of spatial data. |
| Developer information |
The file format itself is very straightforward, being entirely composed of 16kB tiles of data. The first tile contains the header, and the last tile(s) contain a table translating from logical page indices to physical indices. Every data type that is supported by the format uses a progressively more complex arrangement to represent spatial data. See the help file for more information. The format is still under development, with support for additional spatial data features (e.g. points, lines, polygons, TINs) added in the future. Backwards compatibility will be provided. The format and the driver have not been tested exhautively, although no bugs have been reported. |