Send Data Across Software ApplicationsPrior to LandXML, the software
applications used by land-use
planners, surveyors and designers
created project data only in their
own proprietary formats. When people
wanted to review project data, the
software used to originally create
the project data had to be the same
software that was used in the review
process, or a translation process
needed to take place.As a result, it's been common
practice by many D.O.T. and other
governmental organizations to
require specific proprietary data
formats in the delivery of completed
proposed projects. This forced
consulting firms to use specific
"required" software applications in
the development of those projects,
regardless of whether or not those
applications provided the best
solution to the issues and
challenges associated with the
project.
LandXML eliminates this problem by
letting you choose the software
solution that most effectively
allows you to design your projects -
no matter which software application
others involved in the project may
use or require (as long as those
applications read/write LandXML
data). This allows you to develop
project data in a format that can be
easily read and understood without
the software solution that created
the file. All of this reduces the
time required for you and the people
associated with your projects to
develop and/or act on project data.
True Data Integration
The true importance of LandXML is
that it allows all parties involved
in a project to truly integrate
their business processes throughout
the life cycle of the project. By
utilizing LandXML, you now have the
capability to make better decisions,
and make them faster in order to
maximize project development
effectiveness. You can create,
maintain, and share data more
effectively - allowing you to
identify and capitalize on new
opportunities, as well as simply
eliminate avoidable mistakes. This
facilitates more dynamic business
relationships and streamlines the
delivery and/or receipt of project
information to and from your
clients.Frequently Asked Questions
What is Stored in the LandXML
Data File?
The following is a list of the LandXML objects that you can
import and/or export.
- Lot/Parcel Data
Lot Names, Owner ID, Tax IDs, Area, Perimeter, Lot Geometry, Lot Group Definitions
- Node/Point Data
Survey and Design Node IDs, Coordinates, Descriptions, and "Field" Codes.
- Alignments/Roads
- Alignment Names, Stationing (including equations), Horizontal Geometry, Vertical Profile Geometry (original ground and proposed), and Cross-Section Stations with various surfaces (original ground and proposed).
- Surface Models
- Surface Point Data and Triangle Faces (TIN data).
All of these types of data can be
exported through an Explorer-like
user interface offering very
flexible selection methods to
include only the data you need in
the XML file. You can even create
multiple groups of these data
objects for even greater file
organization. Likewise, you have
the flexibility of importing only
the groups of data or various
selection sets of data you need
into the current project. Prior to
exporting or importing, you are
also allowed to graphically
preview the data to ensure you
have the correct objects selected.
Where can I learn more about LandXML and see if the agencies I
work with are "onboard"?
For more information, please
visit the LandXML web page at
www.landxml.org.
Are there other LandXML
elements that Eagle Point will
support in the future?
Today the LandXML Schema also
includes the definitions for
watersheds and pipe networks. We
anticipate supporting those in the
near future. There are also
definitions for raw survey and GPS
data, and those too will be
supported LandXML elements for
importing. In the future, other
items may be added to the schema and
we anticipate supporting those
elements as needed.
Do I need a certain Web
browser to use this feature in Eagle
Point?
No. The Data Transfer module
contains the Import and Export
commands that read and write the LandXML format.
Does this mean my permanent
data files will be converted to this
new format?
No. The same databases and file
formats that the software actively
reads and writes to will not change.
The LandXML format is utilized
through the Import and Export
LandXML commands found in Data
Transfer and it uses "this moment in
time" data within the current
project. |
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Do I Need LandXML?
Do you work on projects that get
delivered to State DOT's, Counties,
or other agencies that today require
proprietary software file formats?
If so, you may be forced into buying
a software package that you and your
work force are not familiar with,
and/or that adds substantial
productivity costs, in order to bid
on these types of projects. LandXML
allows you to use whatever software
you want and deliver the data in a
standard, universally accepted
format without worrying about the
interoperability problems that
previously existed between software
packages.
Do you work and collaborate on
projects with others that use
different software packages and/or a
different CAD system?
Again, the LandXML data format is a
vehicle for data to flow
electronically through different
departments and different software
packages without performing
conversions. As long as the various
products have the ability to
import/export LandXML data, you can
share and exchange the data through
this universal format without losing
any data integrity whatsoever.
Would you like to easily convert
Imperial unit-based projects into
current SI (Metric) unit based
projects?
Because the LandXML schema defines
just the "numbers" of the project,
performing unit conversion is as
simple as selecting an Imperial unit
LandXML project file to import while
you are working in a SI (Metric)
unit project. Eagle Point converts
all of the data in the XML file
automatically when you import. Of
course taking a project from SI
units to Imperial units works the
same way (only in reverse).
Would you like a more efficient
method of handling long-term project
data archival?
Because LandXML is becoming the
industry standard for communicating
data between software applications,
it also has the ability to act as a
data archival mechanism. Future
releases of Eagle Point will include
the latest version as well as all
the past versions of the LandXML
data model, making the "activation"
of old projects as easy as
"pointing" the software to these
archived files and importing the
necessary data. Archiving data for
the future is critical, but its
value is lost if that data is not
usable in the future. Twenty years
from now, the sewer networks you are
building today will need to be
referenced and used in
rehabilitation projects.
Do you use, or plan to use, the
Internet to enhance the link between
field and office, and/or between you
and your clients?
Numerous possibilities exist
regarding how LandXML project files
can be used to streamline remote
project communication. Eagle Point,
along with other companies in the
LandXML initiative that specialize
in field software and hardware,
believe the link between office
personnel and field personnel will
continue to get tighter in the
future. An engineer in the office
can easily export a LandXML project,
store it on a web server and someone
in the field can remotely access the
data via the Internet on a number of
mobile devices. If information is
missing, the surveyors can call back
to the office, have the engineer
"re-post" more data and then access
this new file almost instantly. The
possibilities to streamline the
efficient flow of data by utilizing
LandXML and the Internet are almost
endless.
Do you need your data to be
easily GIS-accessible?
XML is also a "database friendly"
file format, making the link to the
GIS world even easier and more
transparent. As more and more
software developers and businesses
start to take advantage of this
format, data sharing and exchange
throughout the life of a project
will become more prevalent.
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