I was considering some of the issues as regards access to increasingly free spatial data like www.geodata.gov and a host of others like it. It seems so simple.
The one issue that bothers me most in the lure of free data (and/or conversation with ArcGIS projects), is the de-facto condition/standard that all of this available data is constructed in .SHP format. With MapInfo Pro 7.0 and MapX conceptually all you do is point at the .SHP file and it loads - well sort of. Something is missing. It seems that the "public" form of SHP that we increasingly must deal with is deficient in all sorts of ways - no internal info on projection nor datum, all geographical attributes default to black lines, black dots, and white interiors. Is this buy design? Given that we MapInfo'ers must correspond in an increasingly ESRI-centric data environment, I was wondering if some of you with dual MapInfo and ESRI citizenship, might clue me/us in on how to better deal with .SHP data? To make advantage on .SHP data, do we simple accept that it's generally free character is just good enough to overcome the frustration of the absence of necessary metadata? Is a retarded .SHP format just the millstone we, as MapInfo users, must carry? In my case, all of the additional "detail" needed to reliably depend on SHP importation (the necessary projection info is never readily available) creates enough FUD (Hmmm, things are not lining up as expected - I guess my GPS data must be wrong?) that I wonder if I too should just jump the fence as well? The grass may not be greener? I understand there are some other issues with .SHP that are not generally well understood like the difference between a 2D and 3D .SHPs as well as some detailing in the use of the DBF for attributes? Are there other .SHP issues we need to smarten up on? Should MapInfo add an Appendix to 7.5 and beyond to explain how to adjust a .SHP definition of our Nation and World? MidNight Mapper Aka neil --------------------------------------------------------------------- List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message number: 7808
