GDAL explained

GDAL
Logo Size:	150px
Author:	Frank Warmerdam
Developer:	Open Source Geospatial Foundation
Programming Language:	C, C++, Python
Platform:	Cross-platform
Language:	English
Genre:	Library
License:	X/MIT

The Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL) is a computer software library for reading and writing raster and vector geospatial data formats (e.g. shapefile), and is released under the permissive X/MIT style free software license by the Open Source Geospatial Foundation. As a library, it presents a single abstract data model to the calling application for all supported formats. It may also be built with a variety of useful command line interface utilities for data translation and processing. Projections and transformations are supported by the PROJ library.

The related OGR library (OGR Simple Features Library^[1]), which is part of the GDAL source tree, provides a similar ability for simple features vector graphics data.

GDAL was developed mainly by Frank Warmerdam until the release of version 1.3.2, when maintenance was officially transferred to the GDAL/OGR Project Management Committee under the Open Source Geospatial Foundation.

GDAL/OGR is considered a major free software project for its "extensive capabilities of data exchange" and also in the commercial GIS community due to its widespread use and comprehensive set of functionalities.^{[2] [3]}

Software using GDAL/OGR

Several software programs use the GDAL/OGR libraries to allow them to read and write multiple GIS formats. Such programs include:

• ArcGIS – Uses GDAL for custom raster formats^[4]
• Avenza MAPublisher - GIS and mapping tools for Adobe Illustrator. Uses GDAL for coordinate system transformation, format reading & writing, geometry operations, & unit conversion.
• Avenza Geographic Imager - Spatial imaging tools for Adobe Photoshop. Uses GDAL for coordinate system transformation, format reading & writing, & unit conversion.
• Avenza Maps - iOS & Android mobile mapping application. Uses GDAL to read metadata information for geospatial maps / data to transform them to WGS84 for offline navigation.
• Biosphere3D – Open source landscape scenery globe
• Biotop Invent
• Cadwork
• ENVI – Remote Sensing software
• ERDAS APOLLO - Image Server and remote sensing geo-services
• ERDAS GeoCompressor - Image compression to ECW and JP2 formats
• Geoconcept integrated GDAL in its 7.1 release
• FWTools – A cross-platform open source GIS software bundle compiled by Frank Warmerdam
• gdaltokmz – A Python module translating from GDAL-supported raster graphics formats to the Google Earth KMZ format
• GeoDjango – Django's support for GIS-enabled databases
• GeoDMS - A framework for building spatial calculation models.
• GeoView Pro – iOS mobile mapping application
• Google Earth – A virtual globe and world imaging program
• GRASS GIS
• gvSIG
• JMap
• MangoMap
• MapServer
• MS4W - MapServer for Windows, a widely popular installer for the MapServer community, using GDAL for data access.
• MapWindow GIS - Open Source C++ based geographic information system, ActiveX Control, and application programmer interface
• Merkaartor
• NASA Ames Stereo Pipeline, an open-source software package for photogrammetry
• World Wind Java – NASA's open source virtual globe and world imaging technology
• Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSSIM) – Libraries and applications used to process imagery, maps, terrain, and vector data
• OpenEV – Geospatial toolkit and a frontend to that toolkit; to display georeferenced images and elevation data
• Orfeo toolbox – A satellite image processing library
• QGIS
• R – An open source statistical software with extensions for spatial data analysis.
• SAGA GIS – A cross-platform open source GIS software
• TopoQuest – Internet topographic map viewer
• Rolta Geomatica software

Supported raster data formats

As of version 2.2.3, GDAL/OGR provides at least partial support for 154 raster and 93 vector geospatial data formats.^[5] A subset of data formats is supported to ensure the ability to directly create files and georeferencing them with the default GDAL compiling options.

Here follows the list of data formats whose support is, by default, compiled to allow creation and georeferencing.

Raster data format name	Code
Arc/Info ASCII Grid^[6]	AAIGrid
ADRG/ARC Digitalized Raster Graphics (.gen/.thf)^[7]	ADRG
Bathymetric Attributed Grid (.bag)^[8]	BAG
Magellan BLX Topo (.blx, .xlb)^[9]	BLX
Microsoft Windows Device Independent Bitmap (.bmp)^[10]	BMP
VTP Binary Terrain Format (.bt)^[11]	BT
Military Elevation Data (.dt0, .dt1, .dt2)^[12]	DTED
ESRI .hdr Labelled^[13]	EHdr
NASA ELAS^[14]	ELAS
ENVI .hdr Labelled Raster^[15]	ENVI
ERMapper (.ers)	ERS
NOAA .gtx vertical datum shift	GTX
HF2/HFZ heightfield raster^[16]	HF2
Erdas Imagine (.img)^[17]	HFA
Image Display and Analysis (WinDisp)^[18]	IDA
ILWIS Raster Map (.mpr,.mpl)^[19]	ILWIS
Intergraph Raster^[20]	INGR
USGS Astrogeology Isis cube (Version 2)^[21]	ISIS2
KMLSUPEROVERLAY	KMLSUPEROVERLAY
In Memory Raster^[22]	MEM
Vexcel MFF^[23]	MFF
Vexcel MFF2^[24]	MFF2 (HKV)
NITF^[25]	NITF
NTv2 Datum Grid Shift	NTv2
PCI Geomatica Database File^[26]	PCIDSK
Raster Matrix Format (*.rsw, .mtw)^[27]	RMF
Idrisi Raster^[28]	RST
SAGA GIS Binary format^[29]	SAGA
SGI Image Format^[30]	SGI
SRTM HGT Format^[31]	SRTMHGT
USGS ASCII DEM / CDED (.dem)^[32]	USGSDEM
GDAL Virtual (.vrt)^[33]	VRT
ASCII Gridded XYZ^[34]	XYZ

Supported vector data formats

GDAL supports a variety of vector data formats as seen here. It is extensible as well.

References

Notes

• Book: Mapping Hacks . Schuyler Erle, Rich Gibson and Jo Walsh . 2005 . O'Reilly . 0-596-00703-5.
• Book: Web Mapping Illustrated . Tyler Mitchell . 2005 . O'Reilly . 0-596-00865-1.

External links

• • OSGeo project homepage

Notes and References

1. Web site: FAQGeneral – GDAL . Trac.osgeo.org . 2014-01-20.
2. Neteler M., Raghavan V. . Advances in Free Software Geographic Information Systems . Journal of Informatics . 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110823150539/http://ojs.info.gscc.osaka-cu.ac.jp/JI/include/getdoc.php?id=133&article=36&mode=pdf . 2011-08-23 .
3. Book: Mark Wilcox. Porting to the Symbian Platform: Open Mobile Development in C/C++ . Wiley . 2009.
4. Web site: ArcGIS 9.2 Desktop Help: Supported raster dataset file formats . ESRI . 2007-08-15.
5. Web site: GDAL Raster Formats . GDAL - Geospatial Data Abstraction Library . 2011-06-05.
6. Web site: Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats . Gdal.org . 2013-11-18 . 2014-01-20.
7. Web site: Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats . Gdal.org . 2013-11-18 . 2014-01-20.
8. Web site: BAG - Bathymetry Attributed Grid . Gdal.org . 2018-06-16.
9. Web site: BLX - Magellan BLX Topo File Format (available from GDAL 1.6.0) . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.
10. Web site: BMP - Microsoft Windows Device Independent Bitmap . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.
11. Web site: Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats . Gdal.org . 2013-11-18 . 2014-01-20.
12. Web site: DTED - Military Elevation Data . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.
13. Web site: Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats . Gdal.org . 2013-11-18 . 2014-01-20.
14. Web site: ELAS - Earth Resources Laboratory Applications Software . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.
15. Web site: Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats . Gdal.org . 2013-11-18 . 2014-01-20.
16. Web site: HF2 - HF2/HFZ heightfield raster . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.
17. Web site: HFA - Erdas Imagine .img . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.
18. Web site: Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats . Gdal.org . 2013-11-18 . 2014-01-20.
19. Web site: Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats . Gdal.org . 2013-11-18 . 2014-01-20.
20. Web site: INGR - Intergraph Raster Format . Gdal.org . 2013-03-23 . 2014-01-20.
21. Web site: ISIS2 - USGS Astrogeology ISIS Cube (Version 2) . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.
22. Web site: MEM - In Memory Raster . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.
23. Web site: Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats . Gdal.org . 2013-11-18 . 2014-01-20.
24. Web site: MFF2 - Vexcel MFF2 Image . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.
25. Web site: NITF - National Imagery Transmission Format . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.
26. Web site: PCIDSK - PCI Geomatics Database File . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.
27. Web site: RMF - Raster Matrix Format . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.
28. Web site: RST - Idrisi Raster Format . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.
29. Web site: Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats . Gdal.org . 2013-11-18 . 2014-01-20.
30. Web site: Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats . Gdal.org . 2013-11-18 . 2014-01-20.
31. Web site: Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats . Gdal.org . 2013-11-18 . 2014-01-20.
32. Web site: Usgsdem - Usgs Ascii Dem (And Cded) . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.
33. Web site: Virtual Format Tutorial . GDAL . 2003-07-21 . 2014-01-20.
34. Web site: XYZ - ASCII Gridded XYZ . Gdal.org . 2014-01-20.