SDTS News Announcements

• Replacement SDTS Data Dictionary/Schema (DDSH) Files are available. Please see the Data Problems page for more information. (11/12/2003)
  
• DSpatial is an open-source software development project that is working towards providing a geospatial analysis toolkit for users of the Delphi programming environment. The first raster format to be supported by DSpatial was SDTS-RPE. The SRPE code was written from the ground up in Delphi, and consists on an ISO8211 parser, a generic SDTS module reader, and an RPE profile reader which provides the user-interface to the code. While the RPE profile is not completely implemented, it does successfully read the 1:24,000 DEMs released by the USGS.
  DSpatial is released at no cost under the MPL 1.1 license and is available at http://dspatial.sourceforge.net/ (source code only, no binaries). (09/11/2003)
• Version 1.5.1 of SDTS++ is now available at SDTS++. (06/23/2003)
• ATDI's web site has returned to service. All of our partners are available to serve data. (06/14/2002)
• Due to circumstances beyond their control, the ATDI website is temporarily unavailable. ATDI expects to be back in operation within a week. Please check here for further information. (06/14/2002)
• Version 0.018 of Gregg Townsend's sdts2dem program is now available at his web site: http://www.cs.arizona.edu/topovista/sdts2dem/. Greg reports a number of improvements in this version including the proper translation of 10x10 meter grids that encode elevation values as integers. (05/2002)
• Advanced Topographic Development and Images (ATDI) (Sterling, Virginia) is the latest commercial vendor to partner with the USGS to distribute free SDTS DEMs on the Internet. ATDI is an online resource for the location and acquisition of a variety of digital map data. ATDI provides the ICS Map Server package that allows import and export of SDTS DEMs, re-projection, tiling, and generic functions for handling DEMs, Images and Land Cover files. ATDI's interface allows users to enter a central coordinate and immediately retrieve the selected quadrangles. They also sell a worldwide catalogue of digital elevation models, reference images, and ground occupancy information. (03/2002)
• MapMart.com, IntraSearch's (Englewood, Colorado) online initiative has partnered with the USGS to distribute free 7.5' SDTS DEMs on the Internet. MapMart.com is an online resource for the location and acquisition of a variety of digital map data. The MapMart.com interface allows users to zoom-in to an area of interest and to determine digital data availability and select quadrangles to be ordered. MapMart.com also sells numerous digital data products. The ordering of digital data can be done at different map scales, and in various mapping software formats. (01/2002)
• New FGDC Compliant USGS SDTS 7.5' DEMs available on-line. A Non-compliant profile identifier was used in the USGS SDTS DEMs that were released to the public at the GeoCommunity GIS Data Depot in July 2001. The compliant USGS SDTS DEMs are now available from the GIS Data Depot. Non-compliant data have been purged and are no longer being distributed. The issue of non-compliance was with the profile identifier name only and did not affect the integrity of the data. Please note that the GIS Data Depot is not responsible for the non-compliant identifier name. The USGS is the maintenance authority for SDTS and continues to be the technical contact for the data and is responsible for policy regarding data distribution. You will also notice a change in the naming convention regarding the FGDC-compliant dataset and the tar file. For example, the Dixon, Missouri quad's .tar file name is 1626663 (preceded by GeoComm's unique download instance identifier) and the .ddf names are 7364. This change is the result of USGS maintenance requirements and does not affect the data. For more information, please see this notice: New FGDC-Compliant SDTS 7.5' DEMs available at GeoCommunity site (10/2001)
• Gregg Townsend offers version 0.017 of the sdts2dem program. This version of sdts2dem corrects output errors in the minimum and maximum elevations in the B record headers of the individual data columns. The minimum value was not allowed to exceed 32767 units, and the min/max values were not reset for each column but instead were cumulative. (10/2001)
• Gregg Townsend has updated his version of the sdts2dem program. The new sdts2dem program handles the new DEMs created after December 31, 2000. The most important correction to his software is a correction to the "off-by-one" problem in the x- and y- coordinate calculations. The minimum and maximum elevations are now output correctly when given floating-point input. The new version (V0.016) was released September 5, 2001. (9/2001)
• Software develepors and vendors, if your software can currently process USGS SDTS DEMS, then it may fail after October 1, 2001. A non-compliant profile identifier was used in the USGS SDTS DEMS that were released for vendor software testing, and those subsequently released to the public at the GeoCommunity GIS Data Depot. (8/2001)
• MacDEM is a free Macintosh application for viewing, merging, and manipulating DEM files, including the new SDTS DEM files available through GIS Data Depot. MacDEM also handles floating-point elevations. MacDEM imports USGS ASCII DEM files and SDTS DEM files. It also imports DTED, GTOPO30, GLOBE, TerrainBase, PGM, Raw ASCII, and Raw Binary. (8/2001)
• The sdts2dem program has been revised by Gregg Townsenend, Staff Scientist, University of Arizona. The new sdts2dem program handles the new DEMs created after December 31, 2000. The software handles files with floating-point elevation values and larger grids, specifically 10x10 meter quadrangles. sdts2dem also runs correctly on on big-endian architectures (e.g. Sun). (8/2001)
• The decision to provide SDTS DEMs through commercial vendors is consistent with the USGS goal of making more public domain data available at no charge while enabling the private sector to have a greater role in the distribution of USGS data. The recent agreement with the GeoCommunity to serve updated, SDTS format, Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) for no charge is not an exclusive agreement. If this is your interest, please see the information about the USGS Business Partner Program. (8/2001)
• USGS SDTS 7.5' DEMs are available on-line at GeoCommunity. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has entered into an agreement with the GeoCommunity to serve updated, SDTS format, Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) through the GIS Data Depot for no charge. The 7.5' SDTS DEM data are also available for purchase via premium (fast) download and on CD-ROM from GeoCommunity. (8/2001)
• Problems using SDTS 7.5' DEMs? Prior to the change in distribution of SDTS DEMS from a USGS web site to the commercial GeoCommunity site, the USGS reprocessed all of its DEMs to fix a positional error problem introduced by the previous mass conversion (circa 1997.) Also at the same time the USGS made two other changes in the data. These changes collectively affected all of the USGS SDTS DEMs. Some GIS software may be unable to read the new SDTS DEMS because of either or both of these changes. (8/2001)
• A preliminary workaround is available if your software does not accommodate the new SDTS DEMs (SRPE: RASTER PROFILE and EXTENSIONS), editing the Profile Identification Module (PRID) is suggested. Although cumbersome when dealing with a large volume of data, this edit is fairly simple and will allow you immediate use of the data. (8/2001)
• dlgv32 Pro is Windows-based software for viewing USGS SDTS, DLG-O, and DRG data. dlgv32 Pro has all the functionality of the USGS dlgv32 software in addition to a number of new functions including: reading decimal value DEMs, export of all raster data to GeoTIFF image or as a DEM file (if all elevations are present), and loading SDTS DLG and SDTS DEM data directly from the .tar.gz files. Other non-SDTS related improvements exist. Merging of multiple data files into a single data file is now possible. You may download a copy to use freely; however, full functionality exists only in the registered version. (8/2001)
• Digital Terrain Mapping offers utilities for converting native and SDTS DEMs. SDTS2POV and SDTS2TGA are Windows-based utilities. SDTS2POV converts 7.5' SDTS DEMs to a POV-Ray version of a 24-bit Truevision TGA file. SDTS2TGA converts SDTS DEMs to the 8-bit graysca le format that is used by many GIS programs. Additionally, DEM2TGA4 and DEM2POV are avail able for use in converting native DEMs to Truevision TGA and POV-Ray format, respectively. (6/2001)
• Virtual Geographics, Inc. offers DEMWorks, a free Windows application for visualizing DEM and Geo Tiff files. The application can show 2D (point-to-point) terrain profiles, relief shading, shading by height, line of sight analysis, 3D regions, 3D regions with texture overlays (such as aerial photography), and 3D regions with line of sight analysis overlays. DEMWorks also provides several printing options. (5/2001)
• SDTS DEMs created before January 1, 2001 may contain up to 30-meter horizontal error. The error may affect user applications where absolute positional accuracy or tile-to-tile relative accuracy is critical. These errors were generated during the conversion from USGS native DEM format to the SDTS DEM format. Native format DEMs do not contain these positional errors. The USGS is presently considering the further actions to be taken regarding these errors. For details regarding the two types of errors refer to SDTS DEM Positional Error. (2/2001)
• Due to a problem with current SDTS conversion software, the SDTS version of new DEM's will not be available for the next few months. These new DEM's are available in native format for purchase through any USGS ESIC office or by calling 1-888-ASK-USGS. (11/2000)
• 3D Nature's World Construction Set has recently expanded their SDTS capabilities. More information is online at http://www.3dnature.com. (6/2000)
  
• AutoCAD and GRASS have expanded their capabilities for FGDC SDTS data. (4/2000)
  
  • Autodesk announced new drivers that support SDTS data for AutoCAD Map 2000 release 4 and Land Development Desktop release 2 through the GIS Data Transformer Extension. More information is online at http://pointa01.autodesk.com/
  • The GRASS Development Team at Baylor University and the University of Hannover announced expanded support for SDTS data in the new release of GRASS 5.x. More information is online at http://www.baylor.edu/~grass/grass5/index.html
• Products that have recently announced support for data in FGDC SDTS format now include MapRender3D,Cadcorp SIS, Informix, E&S RAPIDsite, Bryce 4, and ENVI. (4/2000)
  
  • MapRender3D from Digital Wisdom
  • Spatial Information System (SIS) version 5.1 from Cadcorp
  • Informix
  • RAPIDsite version 1.1 from Evans & Sutherland
  • Bryce 4 from MetaCreations
    ENVI 3.2 (Environment for Visualizing Images) from Research Systems Software
• For ArcView 3.2 users, Mike Price's article "Use Raster to Grid Utility to Model SDTS Format DEM Data" from the January 2000 issue of ArcUser is now online at http://www.esri.com/news/arcuser/0100/webdata8.html (4/2000)