Licensing options for this format begin with FME Professional Edition.
The Autodesk GIS Design Server (VISION) GINA (General INterchange and Archive) file format is an open standard format used by VISION*® products.
Graphic, tabular, and coordinate system data are stored in VISION* GINA files. GINA is an ASCII file format that is used to
- transfer data between VISION* and other systems
- archive databases
- copy data between VISION* databases
One GINA file defines one database or a portion of a database.
Versions
The FME GINA format currently supports:
- reading: versions 3.0-3.4 files
- writing: version 3.4 files
These are distinct in form from the version 2.6 or 2.7 files, which use fixed-formatting and are not supported.
Overview
In a VISION* system, spatial features such as roads and utility poles are essentially data units. Each feature can have both geometry and associated attribute data. Features are organized into VISION* layers and networks. Different feature codes are used for further grouping.
A feature’s coordinates are meaningful in a certain plan. Each plan has its own coordinate system (plan 0 is the main database). FME should deal with each plan separately (that is, one at a time). FME may convert several plans together only if those plans have the same coordinate system.
A feature’s associated attribute data includes its system attributes and primary attributes. A feature’s system attributes are always associated with it, representing its identification, grouping, and characteristics. A feature’s primary attributes, which may or may not exist, are stored in a VISION* primary table, so their names, types, and ordering must match a certain schema.
A feature’s data can be conditional or permanent. This can be recognized from the feature’s version (version 0 means permanent).
The FME GINA reader and writer use symbolic names for the different feature types stored in a GINA file. The table below gives a brief description of each of the different GINA feature types currently supported by the reader and writer. The features are described in more detail below.
|
FME GINA Feature |
Description |
|
gina_arc |
Circular arc features |
|
gina_c_point |
Point features that are, or can be, centroids of polygons |
|
gina_c_text |
Point features each with an associated text string that are, or can be, centroids of polygons |
|
gina_circle |
Closed circle features |
|
gina_line |
Line features |
|
gina_polygon |
Polygon, donut, or point-in-polygon features |
|
gina_point |
Point features |
|
gina_text |
Point features each with an associated text string |
Feature Grouping
GINA features are grouped according to their feature code, layer number, network number, and type.
gina_text
A gina_text feature is generated if a point feature has an associated text string. The feature type is inserted into the grouping name.
For example, the point feature with a feature code Post in layer 3 and network 312 is represented as
Post_T_0000300312
gina_c_point and gina_c_text
The gina_c_point and gina_c_text feature types are treated the same as gina_point and gina_text respectively. These two types are used to indicate that the original features are GINA polygon centroids.
gina_polygon
A gina_polygon feature is generated only by the VISION* GINA reader using FME factories. The feature type is inserted into the grouping name. For example, the GINA polygon feature with a feature code yard in layer 4010 and network 4013 is represented as
yard_P_0401004013
gina_line and gina_point
The gina_point and gina_line feature types have a grouping name consisting of a feature code (up to 12 characters), a layer number (5 digits), and a network number (5 digits).
For example, a feature code road in layer 3 and network 311 is represented as
road0000300311
gina_arc and gina_circle
The gina_arc and gina_circle feature types have their types inserted into the grouping name with the feature code, layer number, and network number.
For example, an arc feature group with a feature code rainbow in layer 5 and network 501 is represented as
rainbow_A_0000500501
A circle feature group with a feature code policechecks in layer 0 and network 22 is represented as
policechecks_C_0000000022