 Release
of V5.40 TNT products
July 1996
Table of Contents
Color
Plates
Population
Theme Map for California Counties
Color
Binarization
TIN
Densification in DEM Extraction
Vector
Combinations
Directional
Analysis
Distance
Rasters
A
New Look and New Features for TNTview (PageMaker version)
A
New Look and New Features for TNTview (RVC layout version)
Release of V5.40 TNT products
Introduction
MicroImages is pleased to
distribute V5.40 of the TNT products and the 39th quarterly
release of the Map and Image Processing System (TNTmips).
Different
Features.
It has been an anomalous,
unusual, and "off-schedule" quarter for MicroImages. The shipment of V5.30
was delayed six weeks by releasing so many new useful additions and extensions
which could be completed within the shortened period. This required the
alteration of almost every software development objective scheduled for the
quarter and set forth in the MicroImages MEMO shipped with V5.30.
As a result, a totally unannounced set of surprise features are being released
as V5.40.
Unfortunately the switch in
objectives did not work, and V5.40 is still late. V5.30 used a
dual partition Mac and Windows format for the "A" disk and
repeated the sample data, llustrations, etc. in each partition. V5.40
uses a new "A" hybrid disk format covering Windows and Mac (and
UNIX if ever needed) on the same CD. This is the format which
records common data only once on the CD and is used in those few advanced
games and commercial software whose single CD can be used on Windows or
Mac platforms. It is the format needed if most of the CD is to be used
for data which is too large to be repeated (such as with a TNTatlas).
Finally, at the last minute, two
workstation UNIX platforms had to be completely set up from scratch to be
used to build V5.40 of the TNT products: the HP-UX
platform, whose system hard drive was lost, and the DEC Alpha UNIX
version, where a replacement computer was finally delivered.
Upon the completion of V5.40,
MicroImages' software engineers have resumed working on the master plan. Most of
those features previously outlined for release in V5.40 are now underway
for release in V5.50 in September and are reiterated below.
Status
of Client Base?
General comments.
Based upon key exchanges,
registrations of new systems, and other related information, 80 to 90% of
clients actively using the TNT products have now switched from W31 to
W95. Those professionals and students sending in registrations cards for TNTlite
are using W95 over W31 in a ratio of 15 to 1! Those who have not
switched should do so as soon as possible.
-
TNTmips and the other TNT
products run significantly faster via W95 than with W31.
-
W95, and therefore the TNT
products, operate better than W31 if you are still running with 8 mb
of real memory and slower 486 machines.
-
W95 is a lot easier to
learn and operate than W31. W95 costs very little. It markedly
increases your productivity and system reliability. It is thus difficult for
MicroImages to understand why the remaining users have not moved to it.
On 1 May 1996 each client was
sent a MicroImages MEMO entitled Securing TNT Keys. Since
that time, MicroImages has continued to receive almost all keys returned for
exchange by regular mail. Furthermore, these keys are still being sealed loosely
in an envelope. It is your decision to return your valuable product in such an
insecure fashion, however if you lose your MicroImages hardware authorization
key at your location or while in transit to MicroImages, the cost of its
replacement will be the cost of the original TNT product you purchased.
Software
Support.
TNTtalk.
Clients using the TNT professional products as well as others using the TNTlite
products are encouraged to join the moderated TNTtalk listserver. You can
join TNTtalk by visiting our web site and selecting the appropriate
option. The registration page will then query you for your name and email
address and add you to this mail list server.
TNTtalk is
provided by MicroImages to assist students and our clients in communicating with
each other, requesting help, discussing applications of mutual interest, seeking
staff, and so on. TNTtalk does not replace MicroImages' direct Software
Support for the TNT professional products. However, it can be of
assistance to TNTlite users in getting help and as a means for everyone
to access the experience of others in spatial data analysis.
Clients using the TNT
professional products should continue to address technical and business
questions directly to MicroImages' Software Support by the most convenient means
of communication.
TNTpatch.
TNTpatch is our FTP site where you can get the latest expanded or
corrected processes. If they are of particular immediate value to you, please
request them via Software Support, or you can download the respective process
from ftp.microimages.com. The files at this location are located in
/pub/outgoing/tntpatch and are updated frequently. They are further organized by
operating system (platform) subdirectories.
When MicroImages' Software
Support provides via a call, FAX, or email message, the name of the file
to be downloaded, there is always one additional file which must be downloaded
with the correction. This file is called NEEDED.ZIP and contains necessary
reference files. For example, if it has been recommended that you download the
latest copy of the vector
combinations process, the files that you will need are: VECTANLY.ZIP and
NEEDED.ZIP. It is important to remember that all downloads must be in BINARY
mode rather than the default ASCII mode. If a file such as a TNTmips
executable is downloaded in ASCII mode it will not work in TNTmips!
NOTE: All files in the Win31, Win32, NT_alpha, 68K, and PPC directories
are compressed with PKZIP (BINHEX for the Mac and PMac platforms). This is done
to assist clients who have reported difficulties in downloading large files from
our FTP site. Therefore, it will be necessary to use the appropriate
routine to decompress and actually use the extended or corrected process. Files
placed on this FTP site for workstations are not compressed.
Summary
of New Features.
-
The following is a brief summary of highlights of the new features
and processes which are being released in V5.40.
-
TNTview now provides a
tool bar with which to access a variety of new features added to it from TNTmips.
The most important addition is access to all the vector, CAD, raster,
and database import and linking processes formerly provided only by TNTmips.
-
Large icons also provide access to other support processes for
project file maintenance, project file recovery, text editor (2-byte
international), map calculator, scientific calculator, setup preferences,
and setup fonts (including 2-byte international).
-
ESRI's shapefiles (*.SHP)
can now be exported as well as imported into CAD files. A hot-link
can also be made so that the shapefile can be used directly in the TNT
products as a CAD object.
-
The AtlasGIS external file format (*.BNA) can now be
exported as well as imported into a CAD object. A hotlink can also be
made so that the *.AGF files can be used directly in the TNT
products as a CAD object.
-
The AtlasGIS internal file format (*.AGF) can now be
exported as well as imported into a CAD or vector object. A hotlink
can also be made so that the *.AGF files can be used directly in the TNT
products as a CAD object.
-
The georeference information needed by MapInfo as a *.TAB
file can be exported with rasters.
-
Users of TNTlite and TNTmips can now subset a window
from any large foreign CAD file format during import (e.g. *.DXF,
*.DGN, *.SHP, *.AGF, *.MIF/MID, ...).
-
Users of TNTlite and TNTmips can now subset a window
from more, but not all, types of large foreign raster file formats during
import. The most important addition to this is the windowing of small areas
from all TIFF formats while importing from them.
-
A new option is available in display for managing automatic map
projection conversion computations when overlaying CAD or vector
objects on rasters. Formerly the choices were affine (approximate) and
Exact. The default is now Automatic, which will automatically use the fast
affine method of transformation when it produces no detectable displacement
(extents of the display are small). It will automatically switch to Exact
computation when the displacement would be greater than 1.5 pixel (extents
of the display are large).
-
A new color balance gadget is available for use in fine tuning in
the display process. The measurement tools now contain a tool bar for
selecting each tool.
-
When pin-mapping, the label angle and position relative to the label
point can be selected.
-
A new interactive process is provided to assist in the color
binarization of map scans.
-
Warping now provides the optional selection of bilinear and cubic
convolution resampling methods for all distortion models. Also, the map
projection of the output object being created can now be specified, avoiding
the separate reprojection process.
-
A new process is available to create a raster object whose cell
values are the minimum distance to the "0" and/or "1"
values in a binary raster object. Contours of the minimum distance
raster which result are setbacks or buffer zones.
-
Computed or virtual fields can now be created from the real fields
attached and related to any graphical element. A computed field appears and
acts in processes as if it were a real data field in the database table.
However, it is defined and created everywhere it is needed by an expression
which combines several other real and/or computed fields in one or more
related tables. Thus the expression defining a computed field can be edited
and altered at any time to redefine the field's values.
-
The display process can use a computed field. Defining and using a
computed field in display permits the combination of several variables in a
single theme mapping operation.
-
The georeferencing process has numerous improvements and additions.
Two different images (or any raster objects) can now be overlaid in color
(red and green, green and blue, ...). With the addition of three or more tie
points, one of the images can be altered to match the scale, location, and
geometry of the reference image (e.g. an airslide versus another reference
airslide, orthophoto, or a scan of a map). Automatic correlation of a new
tie point to the corresponding point in the reference image is provided.
Warping by any model is now in this process, so that at any point during the
addition of tie points, a redraw will show the current match between the two
images, and additional tie points can be added.
-
A new directional
analysis process is provided to inspect, analyze, and use the
orientation of the lines in a vector object. Its initial application is to
study the orientation of geologic lineaments in visually interpreted or
filtered images. A new surface extraction process has been added to the DEM/ortho
process. This option in Step 2 provides a new approach to cross-correlating
the two images called "TIN
densification". While currently slower, it creates an elevation
raster with much more of the surface detail. It also allows the derivation
of a reasonable DEM from some marginal quality stereo images such as
underwater video or uniform, semi-arid areas of low relief. A new process is
available to partition existing vector polygons with squares, triangles,
rectangles, hexagons, or parallel lines and then save all the partitions as
new polygons in a new vector object.
-
A totally new process is provided to combine vector objects by an
extract, inverse extract, extract and clip, extract adding border, subtract,
add, logical OR, logical AND, and logical XOR. It replaces the previous
vector intersection process. It combines features from two overlapping
vector objects, one operating on the other. The two objects may be in
different map projections. The graphical elements to be combined can be
selected from both objects by query or by attributes. Elements can also be
interactively selected from the source and operator objects and in a View
window.
Probably Available Now.
-
The following features which did not make V5.40 should be
completed by the time you read this MEMO. If they are of particular
immediate value to you, they can be obtained for use with V5.40.
Please see the section above entitled TNTpatch for information on how
to go about obtaining these additional features. Remember, these are weekly
or daily additions and alterations and are error prone.
-
The Wallis filter for local contrast enhancement is being
implemented.
-
Support for devices interfaced by GPIB boards (e.g. scanners)
is being implemented foruse under W95 (already available in W31 and
NT).
-
Stereo viewing support is available for the CrystalEyes and
SimulEyes devices manufactured by StereoGraphics. Additional information on
the current stereo devices supported by all the TNT products occurs
below. It should be emphasized that viewing is all that can be done at
present with these stereo viewers.
-
The import, export, and linking of the GeoTIFF format is now
available. Note that the use of this import process required changes in the RVC
functions. Thus, your pre V5.50 release of this feature will
require the Internet downloading of most of the current post V5.40
system (call it V5.50 alpha).
-
Improved procedures have been established at MicroImages' web site
for those newcomers who will be directly downloading and installing the FREE
TNTlite 5.4 during this quarter. For those with fast modem
communications (28.8 Kb), a piece-by-piece downloading is now provided.
Modem-oriented phone communications are occasionally interrupted. Under
these circumstances, the probability of completing the download of a file is
inversely related to its size. The improved approach for this quarter
downloads the TNT systems in component pieces. If interruptions
occur, access can be reinitiated and downloading resumed to obtain the
missing pieces. A more advanced installation process is also downloaded as
the first step. It will assemble the required pieces on the local system and
identify any missing pieces based upon a reference file.
Planned
Features.
-
Some of the priorities for V5.40 have been carried over
without change as priorities for V5.50. Others have been adjusted to
meet changing requirements of MicroImages and our clients.
-
The 3D display process is to be completely rewritten and
integrated into a consolidated display process. The result will probably
then be referred to as the viewing or visualization process. The objective
of this rewrite is to modernize the 3D activity, increase its ease of
use, incorporate new features, support stereo perspective viewing, prepare a
framework for "fly-by" viewing, and so on. Extension of stereo
viewing to view stereo renderings of 3D CAD, vector, and TIN
objects will also be incorporated. Creating stereo views from single
images and their associated DEM will also be added.
-
A suite of indicator and selection tools will be created for use in
stereo views. They will be incorporated first into the DEM/ortho
process to allow the stereo-aided selection of tie and control points,
drawing of ridge and drainage lines (break lines), and so on. These tools
are also headed for the stereo view process to support the selection of
object features (lines, cells, ...) while viewing in stereo. Ultimately,
they will provide the basis for a stereo object editor.
-
The surface fitting processes scattered around in various locations
within TNTmips will be collected and integrated into a more intuitive
single process.
-
Development of the new vector
combination process, raster
distance process, and grid process will be continued.
-
An ODBC interface between TNTmips and Microsoft Access
will be undertaken.
-
A new, separate interactive menu process for directly editing
attached and related database tables will be created.
-
The current mosaic process will be refurbished, its interface
modernized, and some new
features added.
-
The interactive, interobject selection and analysis procedures have
been rescheduled for this quarter. These are the means by which questions
about multiple objects can be answered interactively. For example, draw a
circle on the display of an image, and ask for an overlay or pin map of the
water wells from a vector object not currently displayed. The X server
for use on W95 and NT platforms is being modified further to
enable each remote user of TNTmips to have their own individual
reference files. This permits multiple users to share a TNTmips
running under NT and yet still have their own defaults, preferences,
etc. It will also subsequently lead to a multiple user license requirement
for multiple, simultaneous users of TNT products on an NT server.
New Platform.
A version of the TNT
products will be provided for the IBM PowerPC based workstation
platform and IBM's AIX V4.10 of UNIX.
MI/X
(MicroImages' X Server)
for
Microsoft Windows W95 and NT Platforms.
Minor alterations include
"Switch Language" toggle methods. Changing to a different keyboard
layout and language (e.g. English to German) in W31 requires running a
control panel function. W95 and NT4, and now the TNT
products, let you toggle between keyboard layouts and languages using an icon on
the start bar icon. Previously the TNT products handled this for W95 in
the MI/X server.
The server also no longer covers
up the task bar when started.
for
MacOS platforms.
Problems associated with the
concurrent installation of the MI/X server and TCP/IP network
access have been eliminated.
Similar problems between the MI/X
server and an active PPP (Point to Point Protocol) function have been
eliminated. Starting V5.30 of the MI/X would dial your modem
unless the PPP desktop extension was shut off.
Stereo Viewers
The following is a summary of
the stereo viewing devices which have now been supported for use in TNTmips.
These devices will all be used in the new stereo applications which are being
added, such as stereo measurements, editing, flyby, and so on. The support for
anaglyph glasses, 3DMax, mechanical stereo viewers, and cross-eyed stereo
is incorporated into TNTmips 5.4. Support for the digital CrystalEyes and
SimulEyes viewers manufactured by StereoGraphics has already been added, but
post V5.40. MicroImages would be pleased to receive any technical
information you can supply on similar equipment.
StereoGraphics CrystalEyes®
Platforms supported:
W31, W95, and NT (Intel).
Supported Modes:
800 by 600 pixels at 8-, 16-, and 24-bit color depths.
Effective resolution:
about 800 by 220 pixels.
Eyewear comfort:
fair
Eyestrain:
high
Connection:
A small component box which sits on top of the monitor is plugged between the
output of the computer video card and the computer monitor and transmits an
infrared sync signal to a sensor in the glasses. No wire is required for the
glasses, and thus multiple viewers are possible with multiple glasses.
Comments:
This device is designed more for UNIX workstation use by customized
software and is popular now on SGI platforms. The left image is displayed
across the top of the screen and the right image across the bottom. This
over/under stereo approach makes accurate positioning of the two windows awkward
within separate windows. Eyestrain is increased and usability decreased due to
overlap of windows where corresponding user interface elements don't appear in
both eyes (e.g. tool bar icons).
Retail Price:
$500
StereoGraphics SimulEyes™
VR
Platforms supported:
W31, W95, and NT (Intel).
Supported Modes:
1024 by 768 pixels at 8-bit color depth only.
800 by 600 at 8-bit color depth
only.
The above are the only modes for
which StereoGraphics has supplied a DLL for this device. They have
promised to subsequently supply DLLs, which if ever delivered, would
provide support for the following additional modes.
640 by 480 pixels at 8-bit color
depth only.
1280 by 1024 pixels at 8-bit
color depth only.
Effective resolution:
1024 by 384 pixels.
800 by 300 pixels.
Eyewear comfort:
poor
Eyestrain:
moderate
Connection:
A special box is plugged between the output of the computer video card and the
computer monitor. This connector has a thin cable which connects to a small
component box. (4 AAA batteries required). Jacks allow for one to four sets of
glasses to connect to this sync box by thin cables.
Comments:
This device is designed more for a game user, but gives stereo as good as the
more expensive CrystalEyes. The left and right images are spliced together into
a single image with odd lines for the left image and even lines for the right.
Icons and text in both images are readily decipherable with or without the
glasses in this arrangement. The color depth is limited to 8-bit which is good
enough for games. However, the color quantitization which results may not match
between left and right images, causing some interpretive problems. Limited color
depth will also limit the use of color in identifying features by direct color,
stereo photo-interpretation.
Retail Price:
$180, $100 for extra glasses
Kasan Electronics 3DMax
Platforms supported:
W31, W95, and NT.
Supported Modes:
1280 by 1024 pixels at 8-, 16-, and 24-bit color depths.
1024 by 768 pixels at 8-, 16-,
and 24-bit color depths.
800 by 600 pixels at 8-, 16-,
and 24-bit color depths.
(may even function at 1600 by
1280 pixels but not tested)
Effective resolution:
1280 by 512 pixels.
1024 by 384 pixels.
800 by 300 pixels.
Eyewear comfort:
fair
Eyestrain:
moderate
Connection:
A small interface card goes into the PC bus. The output of the video card
passes through this I/O card which syncs on it. The video output of this
new card then goes to the monitor. The stereo effect can then be turned on and
off via the keyboard. It is widely compatible with many video cards. A thin
cable also connects the glasses to this card by a jack on the card. Splitters
and extra sets of glasses can be added. A remote infrared unit may also be
available.
Comments:
This device is also designed for game users, but gives just as good stereo, if
not the best stereo, of these devices. The left and right images are spliced
together into a single image with odd lines for the left image and even lines
for the right. Icons and text in both images are readily decipherable with or
without the glasses in this arrangement. The color depth is limited only by the
display board and Windows driver being used, so full color stereo is possible.
This Korean made device would be MicroImages' recommended unit except that there
is no U.S. source, and availability anywhere else is probably also a problem.
Retail Price:
$200, $100 for extra glasses
Anaglyph Glasses.
Platforms supported:
Every possible TNT platform.
Supported Modes:
Every display mode available (24-bit recommended).
Effective resolution:
Same as display resolution.
Eyewear comfort:
good
Eyestrain:
moderate
Connection:
No connection of any kind.
Comments:
This is simply a set of two color lens glasses which you can make as simple or
as elaborate as desired. The advantage is that this viewing device is as simple
as possible and free. The disadvantage is that the approach is limited to
monochrome viewing.
Retail Price:
free (A set will eventually be distributed free with every TNT product
when more stereo tools are incorporated.)
Installation
for
Mac and Power Mac.
Hybrid Format.
The "A"CD for
V5.40 has been prepared in a new hybrid format which shares data and
other common files between Mac and Windows programs (and UNIX if needed).
This is currently the most advanced "computer only" format. More
advanced formats are appearing for the incorporation of sound, video, and other
multimedia applications not needed to distribute the TNT products. Only
two known CD-R software mastering programs are available for preparing
such hybrid CDs (MicroImages has both), and using either of them is error
prone and a big headache.
MicroImages has purchased most
of the types of commercial CD-R mastering software. V5.20, V5.30,
and V5.40 each used a different mastering software and successively more
advanced means of integrating the Mac and PC releases on the single
"A"CD. However, it is not anticipated that further
delays will be experienced in producing the "A"CD, as
all objectives of this integrated "A"CD have now been
met.
Two very minor shortcomings
appear in the "A"CD when viewed from a Mac or PMac, both
due to flaws in the hybrid CD creation software. 1) A single PC
file icon is shown which has nothing to do with TNTmips and is used by,
and should be hidden by, the mastering software. 2) The MicroImages icon does
not appear representing the CD on the desktop, as was the case for V5.30.
The Apple generic CD icon is shown instead.
Running From CD.
The Mac and PMac versions of the
TNT products can now be run directly off the "A"CD
with only minor reference materials transferred to the hard drive. The
installation process for the Mac and PMac provides the option for any or all TNT
professional products and TNTlite products to be installed on the hard
drive or to be set up to run directly from the CD. Operating directly
from a fast CD (4X or greater) is a very useful option for those with
limited hard drive space, such as students using TNTlite. It also allows
those who move around a lot to be up and running on a new platform in less than
one minute. Unfortunately, only the most recently produced Power Macs have
incorporated the 4X and faster CD-ROM drives, which have been available
for some time on Windows based platforms.
IMPORTANT: Most
have not had success in using the serial or universal version of the TNT
products hardware protection key on the serial port of the Mac and PMac. Apple
has recently admitted in writing that a wide variety of variations and problems
exist in the "so called" standard serial ports of their many, many
models of Macs and PMacs. This is the direct cause of the highly varied results
achieved by attaching an RS232 rated device to an Apple serial port. This
is also the reason that a Mac rated version of many products which use the RS422
serial have been marketed, whereas serial devices from the "other"
world may or may not work.
for
W31, W95, and NT.
The process for entering an
authorization code no longer distinguishes between upper and lower case letters.
On W95 program. This is
Microsoft's recommended standard procedure for installing under these systems.
An Autoplay program can do anything any other legitimate W95 or NT program
might do. In the TNT products, it puts up a color window showing the
capitol dome of the State of Nebraska, a common view in the downtown area of the
MicroImages offices. It also provides three simple buttons to proceed: Setup,
Browse, or Exit. When Setup is selected, it will find and use the proper
installation process for the W95 or NT platform (Pentium or
Alpha). No more hunting around by the newcomer to find the correct Setup
program.
for
UNIX.
The installation procedures for UNIX
based workstations remain the same as in V5.30. These scripts used to
install on UNIX workstations already follow the standard installation
procedures on these platforms and continue to require only incremental changes
to improve them.
Installed
Sizes.
Loading a full installation of TNTmips
5.4 only onto your hard drive (exclusive of any other products, data sets,
illustrations, Word files, etc.) requires the following storage space in
megabytes.
PC using W31 73
PC using W95 100
PC using NT (Intel) 100
DEC using NT (Alpha) 100
Mac using MacOS 7.1
(680xx) 61
Power Mac using MacOS 7.5
(PPC 60x) 75
Hewlett Packard workstation
using HPUX 86
SGI workstation via IRIX 110
Sun workstation via Solaris 1.x
80
Sun workstation via Solaris 2.x
75
IBM workstation via AIX 3.x (RS/6000) 148
DEC workstation via UNIX=OSF/1 (Alpha) 122
V5.40 of the illustrations for the on-line documentation require an additional
23 megabytes. The sample data sets for Crow Butte and San Francisco require an
additional 11 and 13 megabytes respectively.
V5.40 of the TNT products for the DEC Ultrix and the Data
General Aviion platforms are available upon special request for which a special CD
will be produced.
Upgrading.
If you did not order an upgrade
of your TNT professional product, and wish to do so now, please contact
MicroImages by FAX, phone, or email to arrange to purchase your quarterly
upgrade to V5.40. Upon receipt of your order and processing, MicroImages
will supply you with an authorization code by return FAX only.
Entering this code when running the installation process allows you to complete
the installation and immediately start to use TNTmips 5.4 and the other TNT
professional products.
If you do not have an annual
subscription to TNTmips, you can purchase V5.40 under the elective
upgrade plan at the cost in the tables below. Please remember that new features
have been added to TNTmips each quarter. Thus, the more quarters you are
behind V5.40, the higher your upgrade cost, up to a fixed limit. Upgrades
from all previous versions of MIPS and TNTmips 4.9 or earlier are
the same, fixed cost shown below. As usual, there is no additional charge for
the upgrade of your special peripheral support features, TNTlink, or TNTsdk
which you may have added to your basic TNTmips system.
Within the NAFTA point-of-use
area (Canada, U.S., and Mexico):
TNTmips
Product Code Price to upgrade from TNTmips: V4.80
V5.30 V5.20 V5.10 V5.00 V4.90 or earlier
D30 to D60 (CDs) $250 450 600 700 750 750
D80 $375 675 900 1050 1125 1125
M50 $250 450 600 700 750 750
U100 $450 800 1000 1200 1300
U200 $780 1400 1875 2200 2350
U300 $1030 1850 2475 2900 3100
For a point-of-use in all other
nations:
TNTmips
Product Code Price to upgrade from
TNTmips:
V4.80
V5.30 V5.20 V5.10 V5.00 V4.90
or earlier
D30 to D60 (CDs) $300 560 750 875 940 940
D80 $425 800 1050 1225 1300 1300
M50 $300 560 750 875 940 940
U100 $500 850 1050 1250 1350
U200 $830 1450 1925 2250 2400
U300 $1080 1900 2525 2950 3150
TNTview
® 5.4
Tool
Bar.
Additional functionality has
been transferred into TNTview from TNTmips. As a result, the
installed size of TNTview has almost doubled. In order to continue to
provide for simple access, these Within the NAFTA point-of-use area
(Canada, U.S., and Mexico):
TNTview Product
Price to upgrade from TNTview:
V5.30 V5.20 V5.10 V5.00 V4.90
V4.80 or earlier
W31, W95, and NT $95 170 225 265 280 280
Mac and PMac $95 170 225 265 280
280
DEC/Alpha via NT $125 225 300 350 375 375
UNIX single user $155 280 375 440 470 470
For a point-of-use in all other
nations:
TNTview Product
Price to upgrade from TNTview: V4.80 V5.30 V5.20 V5.10
V5.00 V4.90 or earlier
W31, W95, and NT $115 205 270 320 335 335
Mac and PMac $115 205 270 320
335 335
DEC/Alpha via NT $150 270 360 420 450 450
UNIX single user $185 335 450 530 565 565
TNTatlas™
5.4
A "home" icon has been
added to the tool bar to automatically return the view back to the first screen
in the atlas.
Upgrades.
For a point-of-use in all other
nations:
TNTatlas Product
Price to upgrade from TNTatlas:
V5.30 V5.20 V5.10 V5.00 V4.90
V4.80 or earlier
W31, W95, and NT $80 135 180 210 230 230
Mac and PMac $80 135 180 210 230
230
DEC/Alpha via NT $95 170 225 265 280 280
UNIX single user $115 205 270 320 335 335
TNTatlas™ sampler of San Francisco
A Prototype3 TNTatlas of
San Francisco is being actively prepared now that the procedures have been
mastered for producing a single hybrid Mac, Windows, and UNIX CD
which shares one set of Project Files. Since the procedures for running the TNTatlas
software directly from a CD on a Mac and Power Mac are now available,
this option will be included in Prototype3.
TNTlite™
5.4
Unexpected Demand.
Demand for the TNTlite
products via the "A"CD ramped up far faster than
expected by MicroImages. As a result, three additional quantity reprintings had
to be made for V5.30 of the "A"CD after the
initial preplanned, extra stock produced with the release of V5.30 was
exhausted. The original extra supply of the "B"disk for UNIX
platforms was exhausted half-way through the quarter, and subsequent orders for
the "B"UNIX CD were delayed and are now being
filled with V5.40.
MicroImages had anticipated a
gradual and cautious introduction of this TNTlite concept with V5.30
and V5.40 as its beta releases with time for feedback. Fortunately,
others of you had other ideas. Most of the MicroImages Authorized Dealers
immediately ordered stocks of the CD kits to distribute as part of their
training, marketing, and promotion programs. Several have ordered hundreds.
Academic types who are not currently clients have ordered in units of 10 to 25.
MicroImages has also provided TNTlite to those who visited MicroImages'
booth at a couple of meeting/shows. The mess with AtlasGIS (see V5.30
of the Grapevine MEMO) has also generated interest in using TNTlite
as a FREE replacement for AtlasGIS.
Network Access.
Over the quarter MicroImages has
focused upon getting the TNTlite information up on our web site, and this
is beginning to generate totally independent interest. You will now find summary
information about the TNTlite product is easily accessible to anyone who
visits http://www.microimages.com. This includes a promotional description, the
explanatory MEMO, a list of dealers, and other descriptive material such
as the two page "press release" enclosed on its use in Precision
Farming. A very simple TNTlite CD ordering procedure is also
available to order via email or to generate a form for FAXing. Toward the
end of the quarter, V5.30 was also made available for all platforms for
direct downloading via Netscape in compressed form (if you had the network
capacity needed). We now have had successful downloads and installations of TNTlite
in Japan, the U.S., and elsewhere despite the large file size. An alternative
means of downloading TNTlite in a sequence of smaller pieces is currently
being added to the http://www.microimages.com site.
Promotion.
Departments in various
universities have indicated that they are adopting TNTlite for use in
their GIS and/or Remote Sensing courses. This is encouraging, as these
universities are not currently using the TNT professional products. It is
also interesting to note that this has happened somewhat spontaneously via
dealers and "verbal/email grapevine" promotion. Concurrent with the
release of V5.40, MicroImages has begun a promotional campaign to inform
academicians about the availability of the TNTlite products for
instructional purposes. However, as a counter-point, the TNTlite
registration cards returned to date indicate that most of those trying it are
professionals, and not students.
Sample Data = TNTlite
Cells.
MicroImages hopes that the
expanding academic and professional use of TNTlite will result in the
creation of many interesting TNTlite sample geodata sets. It is also
hoped that all of you who create TNTlite geodata cells will share them
with others. The easiest way to do this would be via Internet. The first
user-contributed TNTlite geodata cell is being posted for downloading on
http://www.microimages.com at this time. If you have sample cells of TNTlite
geodata you wish to share to promote your capabilities, please send them to
MicroImages via Internet or on physical media. Please also include any
descriptive materials you have prepared. MicroImages will then place this
material in a collection of sample data sets on the web site for easy access and
use by all. Or, if you are maintaining a home page of your own, simply inform
MicroImages of the specific page you would like a link to where interested
parties can find a description and access to what you have to offer in TNTlite
cells, as well as other promotional information.
Upgrades.
A copy of the standard V5.40
of the "A"or "B"CD will be shipped to
each party who has registered their copy of the V5.30 CD. These
copies will be shipped when all materials have been shipped to professional
clients.
TNTdemo™
The full scale introduction of
the TNTlite program has removed most of the need for trial use of the TNTdemo
program. Effective with this release, the promotion and availability of the TNTdemo
program is canceled.
On-Line Documentation
The size of the documentation
has expanded this quarter to 2135 pages. A lot of new pages were added, but the
extensive subsections in the Prepare volume on Edit Vector and Edit CAD
were deleted along with the processes. The corresponding subsections on the
object editor have not yet expanded to such a level of detail.
Last minute supplemental
sections which do not occur in the on-line documentation were created for new
processes and features. These sections were completed for V5.40 after the
master CDs were created for the reproduction process. These 79 additional
pages are included in supplemental, printed form as follows.
Georeference (13 pages)
Distances (5 pages)
Directional Analysis (10 pages)
Vector Combinations (8 pages)
Generate Grid (11 pages)
Stereoscopic Modeling (11 pages)
Color Binarization (21 pages)
NOTE: MicroImages has excess copies of the printed documentation for V5.30 which
are available on a first come, first served basis for $50 plus the cost of
shipping by the method of your choice. The shipping weight is 12 pounds.
New TNTmips Application Features
* Paragraphs or main sections
preceded by this symbol "*" introduce significant new processes, or
features in existing processes, which are released for the first time in TNTmips
5.4.
Paragraphs or main sections
preceded by this symbol ">" introduce modifications in the TNT
professional products which have additional, special significance to the users
of the TNTlite products.
System.
* New Hot Links
TNT project files can now have links to the ESRI shapefile format and
to the AtlasGIS internal AGF format. It is not necessary to import
these file types (along with DXF, MIF/MID, and many rasters
including TIFF) to use them in the TNT products. Both these newly
hot-linked file types have no topology and thus fall into the category of CAD
objects from the viewpoint of their direct use in TNT processes.
Lite Switches.
Objects created or modified by TNTlite
can be used only in TNTlite. Each user of TNTlite is warned of
this each time the student version of TNTmips (i.e. TNTlite
version of TNTmips) or the student version of TNTview is started.
Any object (but not the whole Project File) created by the professional version
of TNTmips can be made inoperable in the professional version of TNTmips
by its subsequent modification in the student version of TNTmips.
You may be making your
professional Project Files available to students (e.g. an instructor's
professional TNTmips system operating on a network with student versions
of TNTmips). Thus, system preferences can now be set up in each student
version of TNTmips or TNTview to control its use of objects
created by the professional versions of TNTmips. One of the following
warning options can be set via Support / Setup / Preferences using the General
System Preferences window.
Full Access.
No warning is provided (i.e.
just as in TNTlite 5.3). The student version of TNTmips can access
any object of the allowable size or smaller in any Project File regardless of
who created it. Correspondingly, any new object or modifications to existing
objects can be saved by the student version in any Project File. Objects so
modified or created can then only be used in TNTlite.
Warn When Attempted (default
setting in V5.40).
A warning is exposed, and then
you can proceed. With this choice, the student version of TNTmips has
read and write access to a "lite sized" object created by the
professional version of TNTmips. However, the warning alerts you that the
object was created in the professional version of TNTmips and may be
confined (i.e. captured) by TNTlite should you choose to proceed.
Access Denied.
Write access is denied, and you
cannot modify or create objects in a Project File previously prepared in the
professional version of TNTmips. This provides absolute protection for
your professional files. Note carefully that it does not prevent read access for
a "lite sized" object from a professional Project File. It merely
forces the user of student version of TNTmips to save to a new "lite"
object which will be captured for all future use in the student version.
Miscellaneous.
The minimum displayed elapsed
time for a process will now be one second. This eliminates the "Time to XXX,
0 seconds" messages.
A preference can now be set to
control the initial state in which attributes will be displayed--in single
record form or in tabular form. If the attribute view method is subsequently
changed in the process, then its viewed parameters will be saved and reused the
next time. Use the General System Preferences window accessed via Support /
Setup / Preferences to set this initial kind of attribute display to be used.
Project
File Maintenance.
> Any time any object is
selected in the Project File Maintenance window, a message automatically appears
that: "Object usable in TNTlite" or "Object is NOT usable
in TNTlite". This allows TNT professional users to determine
which objects can be immediately used by students or others using TNTlite
without starting up TNTlite and trying them or by careful checking of
each of the object's size parameters.
The cell size for raster objects
and scale for vector, CAD, TIN, and database objects can be
changed by selecting any one of the object's associated georeference subobjects.
Use the Edit Object Information subwindow, and select the button Set From
Georeference.
Measurement
Tools.
Icon buttons are now available
for selecting each available tool: caliper, protractor, planimeter, rectangle,
circle, ellipse, solid trace, and boundary trace. Additional icons are also
shown for displaying a profile and updating a histogram for the area of those
measurement tools which define a closed shape.
The currently selected
measurement tool will be retained as the default for the next time the
measurement tools are opened.
Display.
Color Balance.
There is a new Color Balance
gadget window available for use in display via Enhance / Color Balance. This is
the same gadget window as has previously been provided in printer setup, but
here it allows you to control the color balance on the screen as well as for the
printer. The tools it contains can be used to directly change contrast and
saturation and to shift selected components of the hue. The Apply button
provides for direct application of the tuning of the color balance to the image
being displayed. If you also subsequently make additional color balance changes
in the printer setup dialog, the effects are cumulative.
Automated Projection
Management.
A new "Positional
Accuracy" option of "Automatic" has been added via Options /
Positional Accuracy / Auto-Select. This is now the initial default and will
automatically choose between the "affine" and "exact"
positioning for each layer based on the estimated distortion. If the distortion
exceeds 1.5 screen pixels, the "exact" method will be automatically
used.
This new default will reduce the
common misconception of inaccuracy in relative positioning of objects if they
are in different projections. This confusion has been frequently reported when
you have zoomed into a composite display and forgotten to switch from the fast
affine approximate method of converting a layer's projection to the slower exact
method.
This smarter method now uses the
affine conversion for fast display where the composite display scale is large
and the displacement is not evident. It then switches to the exact method of
conversion between projections as you zoom in, and thus continues to display
good registration. Since the areas of the objects involved are also drastically
reduced when zoomed in, fewer of the complex computations are required and there
is no apparent loss in the responsiveness of the display process.
Theme Mapping.
* V5.30 added the
capability to interactively design theme maps of individual attributes similarly
to less expensive desktop mapping systems. But, the single field to be mapped
had to exist in the attribute table. V5.40 significantly expands the
utility of theme mapping. Now a computed field (defined in detail below) can be
selected wherever a real field can be selected, including in theme mapping.
Simply write an expression to mathematically or logically combine the fields for
the polygons or other elements. Then select and use this new field in the
interactive theme mapping operation.
Pin Mapping.
It is now possible to set the
label angle and position relative to the label point. The angle is set by
specifying a value for "LabelAngle" in the query. Values are in
degrees counter-clockwise around the label point. The position is set by
specifying a value for "LabelPosn" from 1 to 9. The LabelPosn values
arranged around the point (5 is the center) are:
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
Thus to draw the label below the
label point set LabelPosn = 8. By choosing multiple layers and positions, a
single point can have several different labels or values positioned about it.
The default is to draw the label to the right of the point as before.
Video Capture.
Video capture is now available
for those using W95 and an auxiliary TARGA video capture board.
Previously the W31 version of TNTmips was the only version
supporting the TARGA boards. This required keeping a portion of TNTmips
for W31 installed on a W95 based platform to capture video images
with these boards.
Color Merge.
A transparency coefficient may
now be specified for each layer. This allows a display blending multiple rasters
into a single color result by picking a transparency value for each.
Miscellaneous.
There is now a toggle-button for
the "Examine Raster" tool on the tool bar in the View window. This
makes it easier to switch between this tool and the "Select" tool for
examining attributes.
An option and icon push-button
has been added to the tool bar in the Display / 2-D window to draw the currently
selected layer. Some of you were toggling the hide option on and off to
accomplish this.
The Enhance / Contrast dialog
now allows previously saved contrast tables to be opened. Tables may even be
read and used from other rasters of the same type and depth.
The Examine / Raster Correlation
view now allows the correlation histogram to be saved as a raster. This raster
can then be used as a layer in a layout for later viewing and/or printing.
Raster
Color Conversion.
Grayscale rasters may now be
used for this process. For example, an 8-bit grayscale raster object can be
converted to a 16-bit color composite raster (still grayscale). The inverse is
also useful where a grayscale image stored in a 16-bit color composite can be
converted to an 8-bit raster object.
Remap
Raster Null Cells.
A new process is available to
"remap" all null cells in the selected raster(s) to a new value. This
is not only useful within TNTmips but also to convert the default 255
null value in TNTmips to the 0 value in preparation for exporting to
other less flexible systems which often fix the null value at 0.
* Color
Binarization.
(prototype process)
What Is It?
A new Input the Proper Scans!
V5.30 introduced a new color interactive line following process into the
object editor to be used for semi-automatic map digitization. An integral part
of this process is an automatic neural network color compression step. This step
automatically reduces any 16-bit or 24-bit RGB color composite raster
object selected for tracing to the selected number of important colors. It
learns and presents the distinct colors making up the map. It weights the
selected number of colors toward their separation in a color sense or model
(e.g. color distinctness), but not necessarily toward the map area that the
color or very similar colors occupy. It tries to find and group each distinct
color together. For example, when used for reducing a 24-bit color raster for
presentation on an 8-bit display board, it would preserve a sharper transition
between the red cells representing a road and their white background.
Color
Binarization color plate
The standard 8-bit color
compression method used everywhere else in TNTmips (in the scanning
program, RGB to 8-bit color compression, RGB display on 8-bit
color display boards, etc.) optimizes image appearance (map or photo) based upon
the cell area that the colors occupy. It is designed specifically to reduce the
color quantization or color banding in a continuous tone image viewed on a 256
color display board. Used on a map with distinct colors, it will tend to present
a good looking display of the map for similar reasons. These 8-bit color
compressed raster objects can be selected for use in the color separation
process and the color interactive line following process. If this process is
started by selecting an existing 8-bit color composite, the power of the
"front-end" neural network analysis is aborted, and all you are doing
is selecting colors from the existing color palette. For best results do not
do this. Use these two processes on 16-bit and 24-bit color raster objects
so that the automatic neural network compression method designed for them is
applied.
The How Does It Work?
The interface for the process is
very similar to that provided in V5.30 for the similar operation used in
smart line following. A Color Binarization window is opened. Select an 8-, 16-,
or 24-bit color composite raster object to be processed. If you select an 8-bit
raster, (see caveats above) the process immediately continues on to display it
and initialize the graphical contents of the Color Binarization window.
If you choose a 16- or 24-bit
color composite raster, the process provides an auxiliary Separation window
where you can select the number of color separations to be produced (2 to 256)
and the sampling rate for the training of the neural network color classifier.
The default for this window uses every 8 by 8 pixel to train this color
separation process and is usually adequate unless the input objects are small
rasters or represent unusual source materials. The higher the sample rate
selected and the greater the number of colors, the longer it will require to
prepare this color separation raster. Select the Apply button to continue and
specify the destination of the source object to contain the color separated
result. When the new 8-bit color object has been created, you are returned to
the Color Binarization control window where it is automatically used.
Within the Color Binarization
control window is a small binary test window showing a zoomed sample of any
selected area of the color separated map. At any time, you can interactively
select or unselect colors from this color palette or directly from the feature
of interest in the display of the color separated map in the View window. The
objective is to select and test a final set of color selections from the display
and/or palette which will best map the color features of interest with the best
internal continuity and without adding in background features of some other
color.
Choose Show As Binary at any
time to see in another test window how the currently selected colors actually
map into a distinct binary feature for possible overlay or as the continuous
lines needed for its automatic raster to vector conversion. A number of other
useful control buttons are provided to Reset, Invert, select a Range, Replace,
Merge, and Restore the current color selections. Toggle between a histogram or
pie diagram to automatically show the number of cells in the map which match the
current selection of colors.
Warping
Objects.
A comprehensive expansion of the
georeferencing process occurred as outlined in detail below. A number of
features were added into the object warp process to support these important
georeferencing changes as well as for direct application.
* The bilinear and cubic
convolution resampling methods are now available for all warping models. This
has been requested by many of you for some time!
* The "Piecewise Affine"
model is now available for warping vectors and CAD objects. This is
important as it allows distorted CAD and vector objects to be warped to
fit the geometry and projection of scanned maps and orthoimages. This is
particularly useful with CAD objects which were sketched in the field
(e.g. via CAD sketching in TNTview) over uncorrected airphotos. Or
alternately, with TIGER vector objects crudely georeferenced at a scale
of 1:100,000 which does not fit your new, accurate orthophoto.
* The output projection may now
be set for all warping models. This eliminates the need for the special
"change projection" model.
* Minimum
Distance Raster.
(prototype process)
What is it?
A new process is available to
compute a raster whose cell values each contain the minimum distance to a
particular kind of feature. It is located at Interpret / Raster / Distances. A
typical application might be to compute a minimum distance raster for drainage
lines and lakes represented in a "hydrology" binary raster. The
contours subsequently computed for this minimum distance raster would be a
series of buffer zones around the hydrologic features. These buffer zones would
be similar to those produced by the previously available buffer zone process
which operates on line elements in CAD or vector objects. A monochrome
illustration is attached entitled Distance
Rasters which will assist you in understanding this new process and
a sample application. A printed section of supplemental documentation for this
new process entitled Distance Rasters is enclosed.
A distance raster can be used to
create a "distance to" field for a large collection of field sample
points in a CAD or vector object. First compute the minimum distance
raster for the other element(s) of interest (e.g. the drainage lines). Then use
the transfer attributes process to create a new attribute field for the field
sample points which contains the distance value in the raster object for each
point. You now have a distance to the drainage field to use in pin-mapping,
theme-mapping, and other appropriate TNT processes.
The minimum distance raster can
be used directly in combination with other rasters. For example, a raster of the
minimum distance to hundreds of GPS located sample points and polygons
recording the occurrence of some surface material or geochemical value could be
coregistered with a georeferenced color-infrared SPOT satellite image.
The four bands could then be used in a classification process to map selected
surface materials only when they are close to a sample point. Alternatively, the
same four bands could be used in the feature mapping process to interactively
explore for the distribution of a single "three color" surface
material relative to its distance from the known occurrence of the sample points
and polygons.
How Does It Work?
This new process calculates the
minimum distance to the white or black pixels in a selected binary raster object
for every cell in a new raster object. The minimum distance is computed as the
smallest Euclidean distance between each new cell and the nearest white or black
binary cell. The new raster object produced has the same cell size, projection,
and other reference characteristics as the input binary raster object.
You may choose the data type for
the new raster object from one of the following types:
16-bit or 32-bit unsigned
integer,
16-bit or 32-bit signed integer,
or
32-bit or 64-bit floating point.
The minimum distance might be
calculated for each binary cell four different ways:
only to white pixels,
only to black pixels,
to both pixels with a positive
sign for distance value, or
to both pixels with opposite
sign (positive distance to white and negative to black pixels).
A great deal of computation and
data buffering occurs in this new process where every cell in the new raster
requires computing the distance to many cells in the binary raster. As a result,
the current prototype implementation requires computation time. If this new
process becomes widely used, more programming effort can be expended to speed it
up.
Sample Application.
The following is a test
application of the process using data in the sample data set CB_DATA and which
produces the buffer zone results in the attached black and white plate entitled Distance
Rasters. Use Prepare / Convert / Vector to Raster / Flat to convert the
hydrology vector object from the DLG data in CB_DATA to a binary raster
object where the ponds and drainage lines are "1" and all other cells
are "0". Select the SPOT image in the CB_DATA set as a
reference to establish the cell size and other spatial properties of the new
minimum distance raster object. Select 16-bit integer as the data type for the
new minimum distance raster. When the process is complete, display the new
minimum distance raster produced as a gray scale image.
Use the contouring process at
Prepare / Convert / Raster to Vector / Contours. Contour the new 16-bit minimum
distance raster [omit the "0" value contours] and select to create the
100 unit contour [buffer zone] from the minimum distance object in a new vector
object. This will produce a vector object containing a buffer zone for the
drainage.
* Dynamically
Computed Database Fields.
What are They?
It is now possible to create a
"computed" field in a new or existing database table. The values for
the computed field are not actually stored in the table. Instead, you enter an
expression that is evaluated to generate the values for the field in each
record. The expression can be constructed of the real and/or other computed
fields in the same table and/or fields in other relational tables.
A computed field is recomputed
each time the table is used in a display, selection, theme map, pin map, vector
analysis, and so on. In other words, a computed field acts identically to a real
field in all operations where a database or attribute table is used. However,
the text which appears in the field label button for a computed field is blue,
whereas that for a real field is black. This blue text indicates that the
specific field is computed and that its current values can be altered at any
time by editing the controlling expression. For example, an expression might
provide a computed field which is a linear combination of other real and
computed fields. At any time the coefficients of the expression of the linear
combination can be altered to create new values in the computed field.
Using Computed Fields.
To create a computed field in an
existing table, select "Edit Definition" for that table and click on
"Add". Change the field type to "Computed", then click on
"Edit Expression ..." and create the expression used to compute the
field's values. To create a computed field in a new table, follow the same
steps.
The values of a computed field
can be viewed by opening the table in Examine Attributes. A computed field can
be used anywhere a normal numeric field can be used except Style by Attribute.
The reason it can't be used there is that Style by Attribute requires the field
to be a Primary Key and to have an index. Since computed fields don't actually
exist, they cannot be made primary keys. Correspondingly, the individual values
for a specific record of a computed field cannot be edited since they do not
exist and are controlled directly by the expression.
More than one computed field can
be created for a table. Computed fields can use fields as input which are in
separate relational tables attached to the same object. However, in V5.40
an expression cannot be formed which would use fields from separate tables which
are not related through a primary key and thus are not relational. This
unfortunately prevents a field from a standard attribute table (e.g. polygon
area) from being used in an expression with a field from another table (e.g.
demographics) attached directly to that key. For example, an expression for a
computed field containing population density using the area from the standard
polygon attributes table could not be formed. As a work-around, a standard
attributes table could be exported, reimported, and then attached to the other
tables in a relational sense. It is anticipated that this limitation for
computed fields will be removed in V5.50.
Sample Applications.
An attached color plate entitled
California County Theme Map illustrates a sample use of a very simple
computed field. It provides a theme map of California counties where only
counties with a population density of more than 40 persons per square kilometer
are color coded by increasing population density. The last field in the
attribute table shown is a computed field containing population density. (Note
that this illustration was printed before the "blue" field label
feature was added to distinguish computed from real fields.) This population
density field is computed by the expression (CA_CENT.pop / CA_CENT.SQKM) where
the real field for county population is divided by the real field for county
area. Once the new field was defined for population density, it was a simple
matter to choose it in display as the field to be theme mapped. In this
illustration the population density theme map was layered over an available AVHRR
mosaic of the southwest United States.
While rather simple in concept,
the computed field represents the addition of a powerful new GIS capability
into TNTmips and TNTview. Complex expressions can be designed to
model results which can immediately be visualized via theme mapping, queries,
element labels and other activities. For example, the new Vector Combination
process also released in V5.40 can be used to combine a soil map vector
object and a current crop map vector object of a county. The resulting vector
object would have attribute fields from which the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE)
could be modeled as a computed field. The rainfall factor can be introduced as a
coefficient in the USLE expression and could be changed at any time. This
vector object and computed field can then be immediately theme mapped.
Larger Overview.
MicroImages is currently
actively working toward connection to, and use of, other external databases,
such as Access and Oracle. Once this is complete, the use of computed fields
becomes even more powerful. Suppose that all attributes for each crop area
(farmer's "field") are stored externally in Access relational tables
linked to the crop area polygons in a vector object. Suppose further that all
the records and fields in the Access tables were set up at the beginning of the
growing season for each crop area and remain fixed while their contents are
updated daily in some fashion (manually, via sensors, via image processing,
etc.). Within TNTmips, internal tables can be set up consisting only of
computed fields which use these "external fields" to model growth
parameters. Since a computed field is always re-evaluated at the time of use,
these internal tables, and any TNTmips use of them, will continually
adjust to reflect these dynamic conditions changing during the growing season.
One can even expand these operations a little further where an "alarm"
scenario is constructed. Within this type of application, an alert map is
displayed where the tabular conditions in a dynamically updated external
database combine with the geographic information within a TNTmips to
automatically identify problem areas. This might be an automatic display of
where immediate irrigation water is required in all or part of a crop area.
* Georeferencing.
Advanced Concepts.
Important modifications and Sample
Uses.
1) An accurate database of
section corners or other survey points collected by a GPS unit could be
selected as a reference layer and displayed as labeled points. A vector object
containing section lines is selected for georeferencing and each corner
co-located with the survey points. Then the new vector object is saved by the
process which is warped with the selected model to match the survey points in
the database object.
2) Another example relates
directly to photointerpretation. A vector object is available with accurate
geometry and georeferencing from a orthophoto interpretation prepared by someone
else (i.e. the orthophoto is not readily available as a reference layer). Choose
this vector object as the reference layer and a new airphoto raster object to be
georeferenced. Add control points, redrawing periodically to warp the portion of
the airphoto being worked on to check its current fit to the vectors. When a
satisfactory fit has been achieved, save the airphoto and these control points,
but without warping to save time and get on to the next airphoto. Later, warp
all the airphotos prepared in this fashion in a batch process.
Operational Details.
A "Reference Layer
Controls" dialog has been added which allows for the selection of multiple
reference layers. Layers may be added, removed, reordered, enhanced, etc. via
this dialog. In addition, map grid and database pinmap layers may be used for
reference. All these features are useful when you have a group of nicely
matching layers and wish to georeference one new layer to them using all
available information. For example, an orthophoto, section corners, street map,
and other survey data can all be composited as reference layers to use in
georeferencing a new airslide or additional CAD or vector layer.
The object being georeferenced
may now be "warped" by a redraw at any time to the currently selected
control point model. This allows immediate evaluation of the currently selected
set of control points.
As noted above, a distort | 
