Vector Product Format (VPF) Coverage and Database Reader/Writer

FME can access data in any of the number of formats that follow the VPF1 specification.

This includes, but is not limited to, data that adheres to the following database standards:

  • Digital Chart of the World (DCW)
  • Digital Nautical Chart (DNC)
  • VMap Level 0
  • VMap Level 1
  • VMap Level 2
  • UVMap

FME can write to a VPF product database. Product database types include:

  • Vector Smart Map Level 0, 1 and 2 (VMap0, VMap1, VMap2)
  • Digital Nautical Chart (DNC)
  • Urban Vector Map (UVMAP)
  • Foundation Feature Data (FFD)

The Vector Product Format (VPF) is a standard format, structure, and organization for large geographic databases. VPF data is stored in a structure described in the Military Standard, Vector Product Format, MIL-STD-2407. The Standard specifies the structure for folders, tables, table columns, table join relationships, and media exchange conventions for all VPF data. While the Standard describes the structure, it does not describe the contents of a set of VPF data; this is the role of VPF Product Specifications.

VPF Coverage Product and System Requirements

Format

FME Platform

Operating System

Reader/Writer

FME Form

FME Flow

FME Flow Hosted

Windows 64-bit

Linux

Mac

Reader

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

VPF_DB Product and System Requirements

Format

FME Platform

Operating System

Reader/Writer

FME Form

FME Flow

FME Flow Hosted

Windows 64-bit

Linux

Mac

Reader

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Writer

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Reader Overview

The VPF reader produces FME features for metadata and feature class features in a VPF database.

VPF databases are implemented using a hierarchy of file system folders. The root of this hierarchy is the database folder, which contains a subfolder for each library in the database. Each library contains a subfolder for every coverage in that library. Coverages contain one or more feature classes, and these feature classes are implemented as feature table files (*.*ft).

When the reader is invoked in database mode (VPF_DB), it examines feature classes in every coverage of every library in a database and produces an FME feature for each row in each feature table file. The reader also examines the metadata tables available at each level in the hierarchy and produces non-geometric metadata features that contain the table’s data.

When the reader is invoked in coverage mode (VPF), the set of features produced is restricted to only those feature classes in the input coverage folder.

The feature set produced by the reader can be further restricted by specifying a subset of feature classes.

The tiles that the reader produces for its feature set can be restricted by specifying a tile subset value using the Tile IDs reader parameter.

Writer Overview

The VPF writer converts a set of FME features into a VPF database.

All feature class user attributes are statically defined by its product specification.