Main Functionality

Data Collection

　　◆ Semi-automatic tracking for raster vectorization

Semi-automatic tracking for raster vectorization is a popular and most commonly used method for data capture at present. It adopts a human-computer interaction interface to carry out semi-automatic vectorization and tracks each linear element on the scanned raster image. This function greatly improves efficiency and precision of data capturing, which especially applies to the mapping of line features like contour map, water system map, transportation and road map and so forth.

You can perform semi-automatic tracking on the images in various popular image formats such as BMP, TIFF, and JPEG etc. with different color modes, either monochrome or multicolor.

Furthermore, SuperMap Desktop products allow you to go back to any step of tracking and provide you with rolling back function during semi-automatic tracking vectorization, which makes boring work easy and pleasant. SuperMap Deskpro 2008 further provides full automatic vectorization for raster images.

　　◆ Map registration

Map registration is done before digitalization for adjusting coordinates and making mosaic accurate. The registration window is shown below:

Figure 8 Map registration

　　◆ Multiple registration methods:

Rectangular registration (2 control points), linear registration (4 control points), and binomial registration (7 control points) are available.

　　◆ New registration procedure

Preparations for registration – setting registration options (registration method, control points, etc.) – performing registration. SuperMap Deskpro and SuperMap Express have a user-friendly interface and clear steps making map registration easier.

　　◆ Registration error checking

After locating the control points in the original map and the target map, SuperMap Deskpro and SuperMap Express will calculate the error of the control points, including x error, y error and RMS (root mean square) error. After selecting all the control points, the errors of all the control points will be listed.

　　◆ Import and saving of control points

The information of all the control points can be saved as a registration control point file (.drf) for batch registering raster data. By using the DRF file, there is no need for users to select control points, and after importing the DRF file, the information of all the control points will be loaded.

Data Editing

　　◆ Smart snapping and editing

SuperMap Desktop GIS products learn from CAD in its powerful editing functionality and give considerations to the particularity of GIS data editing. Meanwhile, shortcut keys and editing toolbar are carefully designed.

　　　○ Direct edit of over 20 geometric object types such as point, line, polyline, arc, rectangle, polygon, circle, ellipse, text, etc.

　　　○ Smart snapping capability with lots of pre-defined snapping operations as well as the user-defined mode, in which the user can set snapping options and their priorities

　　　○ Support for commonly used CAD parameterized design of offset, clip, stretch, line jointing, surface segmentation, inverted right angle, inverted rounded angle, rotate, curve smoothing, merge, intersect, decompose, etc.

　　　○ Support for unique GIS objects such as island polygon.

　　　○ Flexible control of object handlers.

Figure 9 Object Handle Control

　　◆Map and data clip

　　　○ Two clip modes: one is clip using the selected region object, which means using one or more selected objects as a clipping area to clip the map; the other is pattern clip, which includes rectangle clip, circle clip, and polygon clip, and you clip the map by drawing a rectangle, circle or polygon.

　　　○ Clip multiple map layers at the same time: SuperMap Desktop GIS products will save the clipping results of each layer into new datasets and also the clipping data and display style. This function applies to both the vector and raster layer.

　　　○ Allow to specify whether to delete the data of the clipped area or not while clipping the map.

Data Presentation

　　◆Map display

　　　○ Layer display and management with What You See Is What You Get (WYISWYG) style: You can perform various visualized operations such as controlling different layers and setting styles for different map layers etc. in a legend manager.
　　　○ Browsing functionality: Zoom in/out, pan, overview map etc.
　　　○ Display of special symbols like graduated line, raster symbol, TrueType font etc.
　　　○ Support for gradient fill and transparency fill effects, and map rotation.

Figure 10 Map Display Window

　　◆ Thematic map creation

SuperMap Express and SuperMap Deskpro are equipped with powerful and rich thematic map creation ability. The users can create different thematic maps according to their requirements. There are seven types of thematic map available for the vector dataset, including unique value map, ranges map, graduated symbol map, dot density map, graph map, label map and user-defined map, and it also supports DEM ranges thematic map. The thematic map represents the statuses, distribution rules of the phenomenon and associations between them, and can indicate the dynamic changes and development rules, which can help to forecast and predict the development trends as well as decision-making.

Figure 11 Thematic map

With the thematic map creation wizard, only three steps are required in creating a thematic map. Also, the thematic map is allowed to be saved as a composite (CAD) dataset making it convenient for further processing.

　　◆  Powerful symbol design and management

SuperMap Desktop GIS products contain popular marker symbols and line symbols as well as fill symbols for map display. What’s more, the powerful, flexible and easy-to-use symbol editors for marker symbol, line symbol and fill symbol respectively are available at your hands so that you can design your own symbol style according to your needs or you can adjust template symbols to obtain custom symbols. User-defined symbols can either be exported into symbol files for use in other situations or saved in workspace to ensure you can see your own symbol on any computer once you open your saved workspace.

　　◆  3D visualization

SuperMap Deskpro has a built-in 3D visualization engine kernel for 3D manipulation such as zooming, rotating, panning, and supports creating 3D orthoimage with each layer be set respectively and also supports texture mapping, 3D display rendering and fly simulation, etc.

Figure 12 3D Modeling and visualization