Geographic Data Files (GDF) is an interchange

file format A file format is a standard way that information is encoded for storage in a computer file. It specifies how bits are used to encode information in a digital storage medium. File formats may be either proprietary or free. Some file formats ...

for

geographic data Geographic data and information is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as data and information having an implicit or explicit association with a location relative to Earth (a geographic location or geographic position). It is also call ...

. In contrast with generic

GIS A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing Geographic data and information, geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with Geographic information system software, sof ...

formats, GDF provides detailed rules for data capture and representation, and an extensive catalog of standard features, attributes and relationships. The most recent extension expanded applicability further towards pedestrian

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...

, 3-D map rendering, and

advanced driver-assistance systems An advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) is any of a groups of electronic technologies that assist drivers in driving and parking functions. Through a safe human-machine interface, ADAS increase car and road safety. ADAS uses automated technol ...

(ADAS). GDF is commonly used for data interchange in many industries such as

automotive navigation system An automotive navigation system is part of the automobile controls or a third party add-on used to find direction in an automobile. It typically uses a satellite navigation device to get its position data which is then correlated to a position on ...

fleet management Fleet management is the management of: * Commercial motor vehicles such as cars, vans, trucks, specialist vehicles (such as mobile construction machinery), forklifts, and trailers * Private vehicles used for work purposes (the 'grey fleet') * Avi ...

, dispatch management, road traffic analysis,

traffic management Traffic management is a key branch within logistics. It concerns the planning control and purchasing of transport services needed to physically move vehicles (for example aircraft, road vehicles, rolling stock and watercraft) and freight. Traffi ...

, and automatic vehicle location. Originated as a flat

plain-text In computing, plain text is a loose term for data (e.g. file contents) that represent only character (computing), characters of readable material but not its graphical representation nor other objects (Floating point numbers, floating-point numb ...

file, GDF is not intended to be used directly for any large scale geographic application and normally requires conversion into a more efficient format. Consumability has been increased with most-recent developments for XML and SQL renditions. The maps in GDF format are provided by many map vendors such as

HERE Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Technologies, Here Television * Here TV (form ...

TomTom TomTom N.V. is a Dutch multinational developer and creator of location technology and consumer electronics. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Amsterdam, TomTom released its first generation of satellite navigation devices to market in 2004. ...

Mapscape BV Mapscape BV is a Netherlands-based independent business-to-business digital maps service provider. The company was founded in 2007 by Henk Eemers and Ralf Stollenwerk. It is active in the navigation and automotive industry. Mapscape is involved in c ...

, GeoSmart,

Automotive Navigation Data GeoJunxion, formerly AND Automotive Navigation Data (AND), supplies digital map data for GPS-based applications. History AND was founded in 1984 by Hans Abbink and Eiko Dekkers. Surnames of the founders were used to create the company name: AND. ...

AutoNavi AutoNavi Software Co., Ltd. ()) is a Chinese web mapping, navigation and location-based services provider, founded in 2001. One of its subsidiary companies, Beijing Mapabc Co. Ltd. (www.mapabc.com), is a map website in China. AutoNavi was acquire ...

and NavInfo.

Standardisation

GDF is an international standard that is used to model, describe and transfer

road network A street network is a system of interconnecting lines and points (called ''edges'' and ''nodes'' in network science) that represent a system of streets or roads for a given area. A street network provides the foundation for network analysis; for exa ...

s and other geographic data. The standard was initially drawn up by CEN in co-operation with digital map providers, automotive and electronic equipment manufacturers. The outcome of these standardisation efforts (CEN GDF 3.0, or ENV14825:1996) has formed the major input to a global standard created by ISO/TC204 Sub

Working group A working group, or working party, is a group of experts working together to achieve specified goals. The groups are domain-specific and focus on discussion or activity around a specific subject area. The term can sometimes refer to an interdis ...

3: *

ISO ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance * Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007 * Iso ...

GDF 4.0, formally referred to ISO14825:2004, now replaced by *

GDF 5.0, formally referred to ISO14825:2011. However, despite the existence of an ISO GDF standard, the nature of model abstractions as well as semantic interpretations and proprietary content extensions lead to

interoperability Interoperability is a characteristic of a product or system to work with other products or systems. While the term was initially defined for information technology or systems engineering services to allow for information exchange, a broader defi ...

issues between flavors of GDF map products from different vendors. In practice the GDF files are not fully interchangeable due to vendor specific extensions. To this end, GDF5.0 provides major improvements in terms of extended meta data and flags for signalling implementation choices.

The new GDF5.0

The specifications of GDF5.0 were developed and compiled between 2001 and 2008, involving experts from Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, and the United States of America. Extensive activities towards harmonization with ISO/TC211 standards were undertaken. GDF 5.0 was published in July 2011. Major GDF5.0 enhancements include UML model migration & refinements; harmonization with

linear referencing Linear referencing, also called linear reference system or linear referencing system (LRS), is a method of spatial referencing in engineering and construction, in which the locations of physical features along a linear element are described in te ...

and geo-spatial web standards; support for 3-D content and time coordinates; comprehensive character set and

phonetic representation Phonetic transcription (also known as phonetic script or phonetic notation) is the visual representation of speech sounds (or '' phones'') by means of symbols. The most common type of phonetic transcription uses a phonetic alphabet, such as the ...

s; and new XML and SQL based delivery formats.

Background and rationale of GDF standardization

By the late 1980s, producers and users of digital road map data became increasingly aware of the need for a common data interchange standard. Lack of such a standard was seen as an impediment to the commercial growth and success of industries using such data. Before the advent of the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) industry, development of spatial data interchange standards was done mostly on a regional basis and not designed for the specialised requirements of road transport-related applications. In the 1990s, the GDF standard was instrumental in enabling the European

business-to-business Business-to-business (B2B or, in some countries, BtoB) is a situation where one business makes a commercial transaction with another. This typically occurs when: * A business is sourcing materials for their production process for output (e.g., a ...

(B2B) market for in-vehicle navigation in that it provided interoperability for exchanging digital map data between map manufacturers and navigation system integrators. The GDF specifications provided a base for both the capturing of geographic content and the exchanging of it. Its original design foresaw a powerful, application-independent model, while its initial rendition as a standard specifically addressed the requirements for the richness of navigable map databases. Since then, GDF has evolved in terms of data modelling capabilities, broadened international applicability, expanded geographic domains, and diversified exchange formats. As a result, GDF covers a wide range of application domains and has been adapted to many geo-spatial technologies.

External links

Link to GDF5.0 standard on ISO website
GIS file formats Navigation Satellite navigation

Standardisation

The new GDF5.0

Background and rationale of GDF standardization

See also

External links