I need help understanding GIS layer and GPS data dictionary standards

[bartonc]

I'm working on a project where I have been collecting grade, cross-slope and distance from sensor unit of my own design and exporting the data (from an SQL database) to a proprietary format. Now I need to make this package more widely usable and have been asked if I can export above data + GPS + feature data to a general GIS layer format to be read by (arcView????) or some CADD software. This is my first stop along the research path for this project (actually thinking that dshimer may be a great resource). TIA,
Barton

[bvdet]

I'm working on a project where I have been collecting grade, cross-slope and distance from sensor unit of my own design and exporting the data (from an SQL database) to a proprietary format. Now I need to make this package more widely usable and have been asked if I can export above data + GPS + feature data to a general GIS layer format to be read by (arcView????) or some CADD software. This is my first stop along the research path for this project (actually thinking that dshimer may be a great resource). TIA,
Barton

Barton - Consider exporting your data to a DXF format. This format can be read by a number of CAD packages and translaters.

[dshimer]

I would agree that the most widely accepted generic format is almost certainly DXF. Many applications a very forgiving when reading a DXF file and can get by with some very basic information. Oddly enough the program which seems least forgiving of poorly formed or incomplete files is the one it was developed by.

So much though would depend on the individual application, many may also have the ability (or could use add-on packages) to import comma separated files which are infinitely easier to write than DXF.

I have never tried it but there are probably some modules for going straight to Esri shape files (it seems like python may even be a part of the Arc family of programs). One other possible reference might be
GDAL - Geospatial Data Abstraction Library at http://www.gdal.org/
or
FWTools: Open Source GIS Binary Kit for Windows and Linux at http://fwtools.maptools.org/
which relies heavily on python

[bartonc]

I would agree that the most widely accepted generic format is almost certainly DXF. Many applications a very forgiving when reading a DXF file and can get by with some very basic information. Oddly enough the program which seems least forgiving of poorly formed or incomplete files is the one it was developed by.

So much though would depend on the individual application, many may also have the ability (or could use add-on packages) to import comma separated files which are infinitely easier to write than DXF.

I have never tried it but there are probably some modules for going straight to Esri shape files (it seems like python may even be a part of the Arc family of programs). One other possible reference might be
GDAL - Geospatial Data Abstraction Library at http://www.gdal.org/
or
FWTools: Open Source GIS Binary Kit for Windows and Linux at http://fwtools.maptools.org/
which relies heavily on python

You are the man, D. Thanks. I think that FWTools is what I was looking for. I'll check out the other links when I get some time.