Two messages on VPF and the DCW.----------Johnnie --------------------------------- Mon, 21 Jun 1993 19:02:26 -0600 (MDT) [log in to unmask] (THOEN WILLIAM ) Re: VPF (was World Atlases) > >From : [log in to unmask] > > Has anybody out there used DCW (Digital Chart of the World) or know anything > about the file formats the maps and vectors are stored in.It is produced Chadwyk-Healey also sells the documentation that goes with it. Order MIL-STD-600006, Vector Product Format, and MIL-D-89009, Digital Chart of the World. US citizens can these free by requesting them in writing to: Dept. of the Navy Defense Printing Service Detachment Office 700 Robins Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094 Allow a couple of weeks (and up to 6) for delivery. It's pretty nice data. We just created a 3D view of the UK that looks excellent. Perhaps the Ordnance Survey may reconsider their pricing schedule, since these data are pretty accurate with good resolution, and may be just the thing for maps of 1:1,000,000 or smaller scale. I found it was easier to write my own unpacker though than to try to use the source code that comes with the package (if you can believe that!). I found the format to be difficult to understand, but once I did see how it works, I was fairly impressed. It's a good job, and a VERY useful data set. - Bill Thoen ------------------------------------------- Tue, 22 Jun 93 10:03:37 EDT [log in to unmask] (Keith Clarke) Re: World Atlases VPF, the vector product format, as advanced by the U.S. Defense Mapping Agency, is the NATO standard for the transfer of digital spatial data. Technical documentation on the standard is available from the DMA. The DCW data sets are distributed in the U.S. by the U.S. Geological Survey for $200 (not #200), and can be ordered by calling 1-800-USA-MAPS in the U.S. or by writing to the Earth Science Information Center, U.S.G.S. National Center, Reston, VA 22092, USA. The data is indeed uncopyrighted. The source maps were digitized from the 1:1,000,000 DMA JNC and ONC charts under contract by ESRI of Redlands, CA. I'm not totally sure, but think that there are about 14 layers, including vegetation, hydrology, political boundaries, coastlines, contours, place names, transportation, etc. In spite of the format (I think several vendors now will import the files, including ESRI and Intergraph), this is a real bargain. The software on the CD-ROM for the DOS environment is very slow, even on a 486, and seems to be designed for direct retrieval from the CD. Keith Clarke [log in to unmask]