Home
> Resources
> Software
> 'Free' Software
> Data Translators/Converters
Bodleian Library Map Room GIS Translators
The translators/GEO Tools on this page are freeware, and have been developed by Nigel James (Bodleian Library, University of Oxford). The site includes:
***NTF2MIF translates Ordnance Survey NTF files into MapInfo Interchange Format (MIF);
***OSM2MIF translates the new Ordnance Survey MasterMap data in GML format to MapInfo Interchange Format (MIF);
***LL2DXF is a free OS Land-Line NTF to DXF translator;
***TOMS2XYZ converts Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer data into a delimited text file containing lon, lat and value for each point, ready to use in a GIS or other software.
Go to website
CSV to Shapefile Converter
This is a tool for converting CSV ("Comma Separated Value") files, or any delimited text files, into ESRI Shapefiles, the format used by ArcMap and MapWindow. This software is open source under the MPL and was created using MapWinGIS.
(Permalink) | Bookmark
Go to website
Directions Magazine
Directions provide links to free data translator tools and a variety of other tools such as:
* Base GIS
* Code Samples
* Database
* Format Conversion
* Projection Conversion
* Remote Sensing
* Symbols, Patterns
* Utilities, Extensions, Scripts
* Viewers
* Visualization
Go to website
DXF to Shapefile Converter
This is a tool for converting AutoCad DXF (Data eXchange Format) files into ESRI Shapefiles, the format used by ArcMap and MapWindow. This software is open source under the GPL and was created using two other open-source tools: dxflib and MapWinGIS, without which this would have been much more difficult to create.
(Permalink) | Bookmark
Go to website
Edbsilon
Intevation GmbH has published a Free Software converter for the GIS data format EDBS. This data format is especially known in Germany where it's mainly used for cadastral data. The current version of edbsilon is 0.8.2. It can be downloaded as GNU GPL software from Intevation's homepage (see below).
edbsilon can be used for the initial migration of cadastral geodata as
well as for updates coming in BZSN-format. The EDBS-files will be
processed by scripts into SQL-commands for example for Oracle Spatial.
edbsilon can easily be adapted to EDBS variants coming from different
federal states or to application-specific table schemas. edbsilon is
plattform independent and has been tested on GNU/Linux and Windows.
Go to website
Flex Projector
Flex Projector is a freeware, cross-platform application for creating custom world map projections. The intuitive interface allows users to easily modify dozens of popular world map projections—the possibilities range from slight adjustments to making completely new projections. Flex Projector is intended as a tool for practicing mapmakers and students of cartography.
The goal of Flex Projector is to democratize the creation of world map projections—mathematical expertise is no longer a requirement. It is the hope of the authors that Flex Projector will encourage users to develop innovative and useful new map projections, as Arthur Robinson did one half century ago. For the first time ever, a user-friendly tool is available to do this.
Note: Flex Projector is not a conversion tool as such. It allows you to project data and to create custom projections.
Go to website
Gen2Shp
gen2shp is a simple C-Progam which can read the format required by the ArcInfo generate command. The data in this file will be converted to the shapefile format which actually means to three files: .shp, .shx and .dbf.
usage: gen2shp outfile type < infile
reads stdin and creates outfile.shp, outfile.shx and outfile.dbf
type must be one of these: points lines polygons
infile must be in 'generate' format
Go to website
GEO-GARNIX
Geo-GARNIX is a scriptable coordinate conversion tool. GEO converts lon/lat, ECEF und TM (Gauss-Krüger) coordinate systems and is fully configurable.
(Permalink) | Bookmark
Go to website
GeoCommunity
GeoCommunity have put together a collection of data translator tools divided into categories for converting data from standard formats such as including ArcView and MapInfo.
(Permalink) | Bookmark
Go to website
Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL) and OGR
GDAL and OGR are comprehensive, mature and well-supported raster/vector conversion libraries with useful UNIX/Windows command-line utilities. OpenEV ( http://openev.sourceforge.net ) is a GUI application that builds upon these libraries.
(Permalink) | Bookmark
Go to website
GEOTRANS
GEOTRANS (Geographic Translator) is an application program which allows you to easily convert geographic coordinates among a wide variety of coordinate systems, map projections, and datums. GEOTRANS runs on Microsoft Windows (95, 98, NT, 2000, XP) and UNIX Motif environments.
The user interface of GEOTRANS is similar to that of a calculator. To convert a set of coordinates, simply select the coordinate system or map projection, and the datum, in which your coordinates are defined, enter the source coordinates, select the coordinate system or map projection, and the datum, to which you want the coordinates to be converted, and click on the Convert button. The resulting coordinates will be displayed. Because the GEOTRANS application stores your previous selections, you can convert additional coordinate sets from the same source by just entering the new coordinates and clicking the Convert button. You can change any of the coordinate system, map projection, or datum selections at any time. Currently, twenty-five different coordinate systems, map projections, grids, and coding schemes, and over two hundred different datums, are supported.
GEOTRANS can also be used to efficiently convert large numbers of coordinates contained in text files. The file format is very simple. A multiline file header defines the coordinate system or map projection, and datum, of the coordinates contained in the file. Following the header, each line contains a single set of coordinates, separated by commas. Using the GEOTRANS file processing interface, you can select an existing file of coordinates to be converted, define the coordinate system or map projection, and the datum, to which you want to convert the coordinates, and specify the name and location of the output file that is to be created. GEOTRANS then converts the input file and creates the output file as a single operation.
Go to website
InterpOSe for Digimap (EDINA)
Free for registered Digimap users.
Processes OS MasterMap data from Digimap, but not direct from Ordnance Survey.
InterpOSe for Digimap is designed to process the data delivered as part of EDINA's new OS MasterMap service for Academic Organisations within the UK. It handles both the Topography and ITN layers of OS MasterMap for conversion to various file formats, including Shape, TAB, mid/mif and DWG/DXF.
The InterpOSe for Digimap edition can slice OS MasterMap data into tiles, which means that CAD users will benefit from fast drawing speeds while using the full richness of the data set. Also included is the Dotted Eyes style file, enabling the rich styling of OS MasterMap data to be fully realised in ArcGIS as well as MapInfo software.
Go to website
Map Wraper
Map Wraper is an online tool that allows you upload maps and rectify it against a real map. Once you are happy with the rectification, you can download your rectified map for use in your GIS application.
To get started you need to register on the web site. At present (March 2010) the service is a Beta release so my have a few issues or instabilities.
Go to website
MapAnalyst
MapAnalyst is is free open-source software for testing the accuracy analysis of old maps. Its main purpose is to compute distortion grids and other types of visualizations that illustrate the geometrical accuracy and distortion of old maps.
The software uses pairs of control points on an old map and on a new reference map. The control points are used to construct distortion grids, vectors of displacement, accuracy circles, and isolines of local scale and rotation. As a by-product, MapAnalyst also computes the old map's scale, rotation and statistical indicators.
Note: MapAnalysis is not a GIS, it tests the accuracy of old maps.
Go to website
Nearby.co.uk
Not strictly a piece of software but Nearby.co.uk is an online tool that allows users to geo-code various pieces of information such as postcodes and places, as well as converting from lat/lon, WGS84 to OSGB coordinates. Very useful if you do not have a long list of points to convert, or if you just want to check something quickly.
(Permalink) | Bookmark
Go to website
OSGB Converter
Latitude/Longitude to OSGB Converter. Simple little gui tool but seems to only convert one position at a time, with no option to upload a file for batch conversions which is a shame.
(Permalink) | Bookmark
Go to website
POIConverter
POIConverter will convert Points of Interest, routes and tracks stored in the formats shown in the first list to any of the other formats in that list.
* TomTom overlays (*.ov2, *.ovr)
* TomTom ASCII files (*.asc)
* TomTom Itinerary files (*.itn)
* Maptech Marks files (*.mxf), Route files (*.rxf), Track files (*.txf)
* Memory-Map CSV files (*.csv)
* Garmin Database files: Waypoints (*.gdb)
* Garmin PCX5 Waypoint files (*.wpt), Route files (*.rte), Track files (*.trk)
* GPS eXchange files (*.gpx)
* AutoRoute Pushpins (*.csv)
* Excel files (*.xls)
* OziExplorer Waypoint files (*.wpt), Route files (*.rte), Track files (*.plt)
* Google Earth Points files (*.kml)
* Elektrobit EBA Points files (*.csv)
Also the following formats can be read
* NMEA Log files (*.pgl, *.txt, *.log, *.gps)
* MapSource waypoint, route and track data (*.txt) using decimal Lat/Long coordinates
* Microsoft Map files (*.axe,*.est,*.ptm) PushPin and route data
* Pocket Streets PushPin files (*.psp)
and the following formats can be written
* AutoRoute PushPins with Continental numbers (*.tab)
* Destinator 3 waypoint files (*.csv)
* Mapopolis waypoint files (*.mlp)
* Google Earth Routes and Tracks (*.kml)
Go to website
Safe Software
Safe Software, or FME, is a complete spatial ETL solution that enables GIS users to quickly translate, transform, integrate and distribute spatial data.
* Convert and integrate data in 225+ formats
* Manipulate data into the exact data model you need
* Share spatial data and ETL tasks over the we
Software is available as a desktop application or as a servery utility that allows many users to access the software's functionality at the same time. The software is also available as a free 14 day trial.
Go to website
ShapeChange - UML to GML Application Schema Converter Tool
ShapeChange offers a software capability that can generate a valid GML Application Schema when provided an UML model that follows a well-defined set of modelling guidelines that are available as well for download. The source code is available under the GNU Public License.
(Permalink) | Bookmark
Go to website
shptosvg translator
This perl based tool (you will need a perl compiler installed to run the script) allows you to convert shape coverages to SVG and, significantly, retain the theming that may have been applied to the shape file.
Features
See the Usage page for how to do these cool things, and Real-world example for, um, a real-world example.
- Accepts source SRS specs on the command line, allowing multiple input files to have disparate coordinate systems.
- Generates the results projected to any SRS using Geo::Proj4.
- Works on multiple shapefiles at a single invocation, layering them in order into the SVG map.
- Supports specification of color and other rendering options, per source file, on the command line.
- Optionally select subset of shapes by regex on arbitrary attribute fields.
- Support coloring of shapes by value of an attribute field.
- Allow specification of a shapefile to use in scaling but not in rendering. That supports independent production of layers to be later combined in an SVG editor; they can all be scaled and translated according to the geometry of the base/largest layer to aid layering after the fact.
Go to website
WayPoint+ (WayPoint Plus) to Shapefile Converter
his is a standalone program to convert WayPoint+ text format files to ESRI Shapefile format files.
The program will optionally reproject the data from latitude and longitude to a projected coordinate system during conversion. This makes use of MapWinGIS and is released under the GPL.
Go to website
