Retrieves the FME coordinate system name of the feature into an attribute.
Typical Uses
- Identifying the coordinate system of a feature or dataset.
How does it work?
The CoordinateSystemExtractor receives any type of geometry and retrieves its FME coordinate system name, adding it to the features as an attribute.
If the input feature does not have a coordinate system defined, or if its coordinate system is not present in the FME coordinate systems file coordsys.db, the attribute value will be blank.
Examples
Example: Extracting a coordinate system
In this example, we have a shapefile of transit lines. Note that the FME Data Inspector knows what the coordinate system is and displays it, but that information is not readily accessible in attribute form.
The transit lines are routed into a CoordinateSystemExtractor.
In the parameters dialog, we keep the default Coordinate System Attribute name of _coordsys.
The output features now have the coordinate system name stored as a new attribute.
Usage Notes
- To convert the FME coordinate system name to another format such as EPSG number or OGC WKT, use the CoordinateSystemDescriptionConverter.
- To manually assign a coordinate system, use the CoordinateSystemSetter.
- For more information, see Working with Coordinate Systems.
Working With Coordinate System Transformers
FME inherently supports coordinate system transformations and reprojections, using the CS-Map coordinate system library.
Coordinate System Support and Reprojection
Coordinate systems generally have a name and a definition, and the syntax of that definition can vary greatly between both spatial data formats and other coordinate system libraries. Custom and local coordinate systems can also be defined in FME, further complicating matters. For in-depth information, see the Working With Coordinate Systems documentation.
Coordinate System Support
These transformers perform various coordinate system-related tasks, but do not reproject the data. If a coordinate system library is required for a task, CS-Map is used.
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Converts coordinate system names and definitions between FME’s internal format and common third-party and open source representations, storing the results as an attribute. |
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Retrieves the FME coordinate system name of the feature into an attribute. |
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Removes the coordinate system from features, without modifying geometry or coordinates. |
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Assigns a specified coordinate system to features, without modifying geometry or coordinates. |
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Assigns a specified local coordinate system to features, without modifying geometry or coordinates. |
Coordinate System Reprojection
Different coordinate system libraries (engines) not only contain coordinate system definitions, they also have unique reprojection algorithms. FME’s generic reprojection transformers, in the first table below, use CS-Map. A selection of other libraries is also available, some of which are specific to certain areas of the world or certain software platforms.
Default reprojections, as in a workspace with different input and output coordinate systems selected, are performed with the CS-Map library, also the equivalent of using the generic Reprojector transformer.
If you are reprojecting explicitly with a transformer in the workspace, using library-specific transformers is recommended. In the case of CsmapReprojector versus the Reprojector, the library is identical, but the CSMapReprojector handles vertical coordinate calculations whereas the Reprojector does not.
Generic Reprojection Transformers
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Library |
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Reprojects x and y coordinates stored as attributes from one coordinate system to another. |
CS-Map |
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Reprojects one or more features to a local coordinate system centered on the bounding box containing all features. |
CS-Map |
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Converts a given angle from one coordinate system to another. |
CS-Map |
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Converts a given distance from one coordinate system to another. |
CS-Map |
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Reprojects feature x and y coordinates from one coordinate system to another. |
CS-Map |
Library-Specific Reprojection Transformers (Recommended)
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Library (External Links) |
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Reprojects x, y, and optionally z coordinates stored as attributes from one coordinate system to another using the CS-MAP library. |
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Reprojects feature x, y, and optionally z coordinates from one coordinate system to another using the CS-Map library. |
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Reprojects feature coordinates from one coordinate system to another using the Esri reprojection library. |
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Great Britain Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland |
Reprojects feature coordinates from one coordinate system to another using the Grid InQuestII reprojection library. This library allows you to use the GridInQuestIIReprojector to transform coordinates between ETRS89 (WGS84) and the national coordinate systems of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. |
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Sweden |
Reprojects attributes holding coordinate values from one coordinate system to another using the Gtrans reprojection library (from the National Land Survey of Sweden), and the specified translation file. |
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Sweden |
Reprojects features from one coordinate system to another using the Gtrans reprojection library (from the National Land Survey of Sweden) and the specified translation file. |
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Reprojects attributes from one coordinate system to another using the PROJ library. |
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Reprojects feature coordinates from one coordinate system to another using the PROJ library. |
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Switzerland |
Reprojects feature coordinates from one coordinate system to another using the REFRAME library. This transformer handles the usual planimetric and altimetric reference frame change for Switzerland. |
Configuration
Input Ports
Input
This transformer accepts any feature.
Output Ports
Output
Features with the extracted coordinate system name stored as an attribute.
Parameters
Parameters
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Coordinate System Attribute |
The name of the attribute to contain the extracted coordinate system name. |
Editing Transformer Parameters
Using a set of menu options, transformer parameters can be assigned by referencing other elements in the workspace. More advanced functions, such as an advanced editor and an arithmetic editor, are also available in some transformers. To access a menu of these options, click 
beside the applicable parameter. For more information, see Transformer Parameter Menu Options.
Defining Values
There are several ways to define a value for use in a Transformer. The simplest is to simply type in a value or string, which can include functions of various types such as attribute references, math and string functions, and workspace parameters. There are a number of tools and shortcuts that can assist in constructing values, generally available from the drop-down context menu adjacent to the value field.
How to Set Parameter Values
Using the Text Editor
The Text Editor provides a convenient way to construct text strings (including regular expressions) from various data sources, such as attributes, parameters, and constants, where the result is used directly inside a parameter.
Using the Arithmetic Editor
The Arithmetic Editor provides a convenient way to construct math expressions from various data sources, such as attributes, parameters, and feature functions, where the result is used directly inside a parameter.
Conditional Values
Set values depending on one or more test conditions that either pass or fail.
Parameter Condition Definition Dialog
Content
Expressions and strings can include a number of functions, characters, parameters, and more.
When setting values - whether entered directly in a parameter or constructed using one of the editors - strings and expressions containing String, Math, Date/Time or FME Feature Functions will have those functions evaluated. Therefore, the names of these functions (in the form @<function_name>) should not be used as literal string values.
Content Types
| These functions manipulate and format strings. | |
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Special Characters |
A set of control characters is available in the Text Editor. |
| Math functions are available in both editors. | |
| Date/Time Functions | Date and time functions are available in the Text Editor. |
| These operators are available in the Arithmetic Editor. | |
| These return primarily feature-specific values. | |
| FME and workspace-specific parameters may be used. | |
| Creating and Modifying User Parameters | Create your own editable parameters. |
Dialog Options - Tables
Transformers with table-style parameters have additional tools for populating and manipulating values.
Table Tools
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Row Reordering
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Enabled once you have clicked on a row item. Choices include:
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Cut, Copy, and Paste
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Enabled once you have clicked on a row item. Choices include:
Cut, copy, and paste may be used within a transformer, or between transformers. |
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Filter
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Start typing a string, and the matrix will only display rows matching those characters. Searches all columns. This only affects the display of attributes within the transformer - it does not alter which attributes are output. |
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Import
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Import populates the table with a set of new attributes read from a dataset. Specific application varies between transformers. |
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Reset/Refresh
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Generally resets the table to its initial state, and may provide additional options to remove invalid entries. Behavior varies between transformers. |
Note: Not all tools are available in all transformers.
Reference
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Processing Behavior |
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Feature Holding |
No |
| Dependencies | None |
| FME Licensing Level | FME Base Edition and above |
| Aliases | CoordinateSystemFetcher |
| History |
FME Community
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Examples may contain information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver and/or the Open Government Licence – Canada.