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ESRI geodatabase format .gdb

22 REPLIES 22
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Message 1 of 23
TimSR
4718 Views, 22 Replies

ESRI geodatabase format .gdb

I was asking about this on the Infrastructure Design Suite group, but thought someone here might have an answer. Our county GIS department has started giving us data in ESRI geodatabase format. They are directories of files and the directory has a .gdb in the name. I am using AutoCadMap 2013. I was asking about how to convert these files.

In AutoCadMap 2011 the subscription advantage pack had the ability to do this through the FDO I believe. In 2013 it is not there. Why not?

It seems to me that the things AutoDesk includes in the SAP in one version should be included in the next version.

Is there an easy way to do this? I mean easy like click the file, then click the format you want it in. Or, even better, click the file and it opens. Not easy like landing a Mars orbiter. Anything that requires programming language, switches, etc. is not what I mean! LOL

Thanks!

Tim

22 REPLIES 22
Message 2 of 23
NateMoore
in reply to: TimSR

Hi Tim, Yes, it is included in later releases in the standard installer. Look for the ArcGIS provider - its only there on 32-bit installations, so you won't see it if you are on x64.


Nate Moore, GISP
Geospatial Premium Support Specialist
Global Services
Autodesk, Sarl
Message 3 of 23
TimSR
in reply to: NateMoore

Thanks Nate,

This brings up some questions.

1. Do I need to somehow boot to a 32 bit Windows, or just install a 32 bit version of the AutoDesk product on my Windows 7 64 b it machine?

 

2. Do I have to have an ArcGIS license to do this?

 

Thanks, Tim

 

Message 4 of 23
NateMoore
in reply to: TimSR

Hi Tim,

 

1) Yes, you need to be on a 32-bit version of windows

2) Yes, any version of ESRI will work, but it does require a license.

 

Another option is the open source OGR provider http://fdo.osgeo.org/fdoogr/index.html , but I've only been able to get it to work on x86 systems.  It will connect to personal geodatabases though without an ESRI license.



Nate Moore, GISP
Geospatial Premium Support Specialist
Global Services
Autodesk, Sarl
Message 5 of 23
TimSR
in reply to: NateMoore

LOL, excuse me while I scream and flop on the floor....

 

Ok, so I guess I need some advice or need to know what people who rely on AutoCad Map to do ALL of their GIS work do.

I desperately need the county data to do conceptual design before a lot of money is spent on survey. AutoCad Map USED to give me every function I need to to all of this then I convert over to Civil3d, conceptual design, viola.

BUT, I wouldn't need AutoCad Map if I were forced to purchase ArcGIS would I?

So, is this something I should argue with the county and say that they should be providing more sustainable data to the public? Data that can be easily read by more than one proprietary program?

OR, if I could beg someone to put the OGR2OGR in some format where I could understand what I am doing to convert the files? The ogr thing looks like it would do it, but I am lost as last year's Easter eggs on how to even begin getting everything in the correct syntax needed to convert. The geodatabase directory has 50 or so files in it all of different file types and knowing what to do to convert that is beyond me.

I'm a paying customer if anyone wants to put EXACTLY what to do in a tutorial to convert these files.

Thanks for all your help, I've learned a lot from this process, I just don't have an answer yet.

 

Editorial: Public data should be easier than this to access and use! Not AutoDesk's problem per se, but.....

Tim

Message 6 of 23
jggerth1
in reply to: TimSR

So it appears from the on-line Help for Map that this is still a nasty problem with Map3D 2014 still unable to access GIS data in a .Gdb file.   An increasingly nasty problem since county and state governments are increaing the use of .gdb as a distribution format, and deprecating shape files.  The explanation for that, so i've heard' is smaller file size/better compression  -- dunno if that's correct or not.

 

The takeaway is:

 

After spending thousands on the initial license from Autodesk, and multiple hundreds of $US annually for subscription, in order to access county/state data in GDB format I have to (A) buy another computer running a 32 bit Windows OS (B), buy a second license of Map3d 2014 to install on it, and then (C) buy ESRI software to read the data anyway.

 

Please -- will someone explain how that makes any kind of sense????

 

Message 7 of 23
antoniovinci
in reply to: jggerth1
Message 8 of 23
jggerth1
in reply to: antoniovinci

I appreciate that, but a link to a discussion regarding a five year old beta program that doesn't even reference .gdb  is not exactly waht anyone could call 'officially suupported'.  So, allow me to express my disapointment with Adesk for dropping this ball so badly.  32 bit limitations?  requiring ESRI software to in order tp work in Autodesk Map?  good grief....

 

Corporate IT really does not enable us to pursue/install non-supported, beta, or otherwise un-official software on company machines.  And i don't really disagree to much with that attitude.... even when it tends to feel stifling.

Message 9 of 23
antoniovinci
in reply to: jggerth1

Feel free to zip your Geodatabase folder and send it by email to:

 

antoniovinci AT wp.pl

 

I have an idea to help you, but I don't own any .GDB to test it...

Message 10 of 23
Alfred.NESWADBA
in reply to: jggerth1

Hi,

 

the GDB-format is a proprietary format, comparable to DWG. There is software out that can read it (and convert it), but at least it's not documented and afaik there is no API to read the data without having a license of ArcGIS.

 

So if anyone defines that as data-exchange format it is a bad strategy or bad decision, but if this "anyone" is the one who pays the jobs you have to use it, I see that, but with a watery eye (as I never understand that type of decision not to look to some format that is a really (open) standard and not a one-company-format).

To compare now: if anyone decides to make DWG-2013 the default format there are ArcGIS-people crying why they can't.

 

The best chance I see is to look for converter (e.g. look >>>here<<<) that can convert gdb to other formats that can be used then with Map3D.

 

Good luck, - alfred -

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alfred NESWADBA
Ingenieur Studio HOLLAUS ... www.hollaus.at ... blog.hollaus.at ... CDay 2024
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(not an Autodesk consultant)
Message 11 of 23
jggerth1
in reply to: antoniovinci


@antoniovinci wrote:

Feel free to zip your Geodatabase folder and send it by email to:

 

antoniovinci AT wp.pl

 

I have an idea to help you, but I don't own any .GDB to test it...


I posted to 360.autodesk.com, and sent you a share invitatin.  seemed like an opportunity to try out a few different things all at the some time....  I'll be curious how well it works at transfer across continents.

Message 12 of 23
TimSR
in reply to: TimSR

I had come to the conclusion when I was trying to get this to work was that the only way to force the issue was for government entities to be forced to produce the output in a format most people could read. Public data that is only able to be read by people owning 5K worth of software is not public data. I made my county government convert the data. They didn't like it, but its my tax dollars at work. I now have little use for AutoCad Map because the data is all in .gdb format and getting all government entities to convert the data is more of a pain than it is worth. Proprietary formatting of public data is ridiculous IMO.

 

Message 13 of 23
jggerth1
in reply to: TimSR


@TimSR wrote:

I had come to the conclusion when I was trying to get this to work was that the only way to force the issue was for government entities to be forced to produce the output in a format most people could read. Public data that is only able to be read by people owning 5K worth of software is not public data. I made my county government convert the data. They didn't like it, but its my tax dollars at work. I now have little use for AutoCad Map because the data is all in .gdb format and getting all government entities to convert the data is more of a pain than it is worth. Proprietary formatting of public data is ridiculous IMO.

 


HEAR HEAR!  it's even worse when the DOT claims the location of stormwater facilities is a 'homeland security' issue, or the county uses that to not suplly catch basin locations.

 

Mandating that public entities can only distribute or accept electronic files in publicly documented file formats ought to a requirement of law in every jurisdiction.  Getting vendor's and their lobbyists to agree to that is a different kettle of worms.....  They might have to spend more effort competing on functionality rather than relying on customer lock-in.

 

Message 14 of 23
antoniovinci
in reply to: jggerth1


JGerth wrote:
I posted to 360.autodesk.com

Ain't be used to give up, sir: that's the time.
I applied this how-to, which allows me to read and write Esri geodatabases in Qgis environment, except your data.

 

gdb_9x.gif


Seems like your .GDB was created by Arcgis 9.x, while the opensource FileGDB Osgeo API supports only the 10.x releases.

Sorry, I did my best...

Message 15 of 23
Murph_Map
in reply to: jggerth1


@jggerth1 wrote:

I posted to 360.autodesk.com, and sent you a share invitatin.  seemed like an opportunity to try out a few different things all at the some time....  I'll be curious how well it works at transfer across continents.


Can you send me an invite as well, I have ArcMAP 10.1 to convert it if you need it in shp format.

 

Murph
Supporting the troops daily.
Message 16 of 23
jggerth1
in reply to: antoniovinci


@antoniovinci wrote:
Seems like your .GDB was created by Arcgis 9.x, while the opensource FileGDB Osgeo API supports only the 10.x releases.

Sorry, I did my best...


OK, thanks for trying

Message 17 of 23
rmacan
in reply to: jggerth1

I'm making this comment to keep this thread active, as this limitation is a huge burden for me to bear.  All it is doing is forcing me explain to my boss that I can't do what he's requesting because my $5500 software package can't read the files our client gave him.  When the spotlight is in my eyes, all I can do is squint and say "Sorry boss, I can't do it with our invested configuration."  We'll have to buy a 32bit system to do that.  Of course he asked why I needed to buy old technology to use a new GIS data format, to which I had no good answer.  (I tried but it wasn't very convincing) 

This is so embarrassing, and at times such as this I fear for my job. 

Has anything changed that I'm not aware of?  New FDO driver for 64bit or something that really works for this connection?

 

Message 18 of 23
Alfred.NESWADBA
in reply to: rmacan

Hi,

 

>> that I can't do what he's requesting because my $5500 software package can't read the files our client gave him.

I can buy a lot of software with > $5000 that can't read files from competitive vendors.

 

>> can't read the files our client

Did anyone define the data exchange format before signing the working contract?

And has anyone asked if the client can send the data in SHP-format (for ArcGIS it's no problem to export GDB data as shapes) ... and SHP is more an official exchange format for GIS-information. Again GDB is a proprietary non documented format, so not really great for data exchange.

 

>> why I needed to buy old technology to use a new GIS data format,

At least you don't need to do that, create a virtual machine with 32bit Windows, install the 32bit AutoCAD Map there (you have access to it in your subscription downloads), convert the GDB data and use then the converted data with your  64bit Map3D to do your work.

 

- alfred -

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alfred NESWADBA
Ingenieur Studio HOLLAUS ... www.hollaus.at ... blog.hollaus.at ... CDay 2024
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(not an Autodesk consultant)
Message 19 of 23
rmacan
in reply to: Alfred.NESWADBA

Thanks for your reply Alfred,

 

I wrote a bunch but just deleted it since it's more in line with a "Complain about AutoDesk" blog.  But I thought gdb was simply Access with a connection to shapes, and not strictly an ESRI thing....my ignorance in proprietary technology.   

 

I appreciate you mentioning the virtual machine capabilities.  I had no idea that was even possible.  Our IT guy only comes in once a week and I rarely see him as he generally works downstairs on the server.  But I cornered him the other day and asked him about it.  He got excited, explained a little about it, and said he'd be happy to set up on my computer.  So hopefully next week, I can install 32bit MAP and check out the gdb connection features in it.  It will enable me to create another workaround to stay competitive.  

 

Thanks again.  Have a great weekend,

Randy

Message 20 of 23
luc.vanlinden
in reply to: rmacan

A bit another angle in this specific discussion.

OGC is currently working on a new Open standaard called GeoPackage, currently in draft:

http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/requests/95

 

This should at least be a leverage trying to force those organisation to supply data as an Open standards data container.

 

Luc.

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