TheGeospatial Data Abstraction Library(GDAL) is a computer softwarelibraryfor reading and writingrasterandvectorgeospatial data formats(e.g.shapefile), and is released under thepermissiveX/MIT stylefree software license by theOpen Source Geospatial Foundation.As a library, it presents a singleabstractdata modelto the calling application for all supported formats. It may also be built with a variety of usefulcommand line interfaceutilitiesfor data translation and processing. Projections and transformations are supported by thePROJlibrary.
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| Original author(s) | Frank Warmerdam |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Open Source Geospatial Foundation |
| Initial release | 8 June 2000 |
| Stable release | 3.10.0[1] 
/ 6 November 2024 |
| Repository | |
| Written in | C,C++,Python |
| Platform | Cross-platform |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Library |
| License | X/MIT |
| Website | gdal |
The relatedOGRlibrary (OGR Simple Features Library[2]), which is part of the GDALsource tree,provides a similar ability for simple featuresvector graphicsdata.
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 theOpen Source Geospatial Foundation.
GDAL/OGR is considered a majorfree softwareproject for its "extensive capabilities of data exchange" and also in the commercial GIS community due to its widespread use and comprehensive set of functionalities.[3][4]
Software using GDAL/OGR
editSeveral 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[5]
- Avenza MAPublisher - GIS and mapping tools forAdobe Illustrator.Uses GDAL forcoordinate systemtransformation, format reading & writing, geometry operations, & unit conversion.
- Avenza Geographic Imager - Spatial imaging tools forAdobe Photoshop.Uses GDAL for coordinate system transformation, format reading & writing, & unit conversion.
- Avenza Maps -iOS&Android mobilemapping application. Uses GDAL to read metadata information for geospatial maps / data to transform them toWGS84for 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
- Geoconceptintegrated GDAL in its 7.1 release
- FWTools– A cross-platform open source GIS software bundle compiled by Frank Warmerdam
- gdaltokmz– APythonmodule translating from GDAL-supported raster graphics formats to theGoogle EarthKMZ format
- GeoDjango–Django's support for GIS-enabled databases
- GeoDMS- A framework for building spatial calculation models.
- GeoView Pro–iOSmobile mapping application
- Google Earth– Avirtual globeand 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 SourceC++based geographic information system,ActiveX Control,and application programmer interface
- Merkaartor
- NASAAmes 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 displaygeoreferencedimages andelevationdata
- 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
editAs of version 2.2.3, GDAL/OGR provides at least partial support for 154 raster and 93 vector geospatial data formats.[6]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[7] | AAIGrid |
| ADRG/ARC Digitalized Raster Graphics (.gen/.thf)[8] | ADRG |
| Bathymetric Attributed Grid(.bag)[9] | BAG |
| Magellan BLX Topo (.blx,.xlb)[10] | BLX |
| Microsoft Windows Device Independent Bitmap(.bmp)[11] | BMP |
| VTPBinary TerrainFormat (.bt)[12] | BT |
| Military Elevation Data (.dt0,.dt1,.dt2)[13] | DTED |
| ESRI.hdr Labelled[14] | EHdr |
| NASAELAS[15] | ELAS |
| ENVI.hdr Labelled Raster[16] | ENVI |
| ERMapper (.ers)[16] | ERS |
| NOAA.gtx vertical datum shift | GTX |
| HF2/HFZ heightfield raster[17] | HF2 |
| Erdas Imagine(.img)[18] | HFA |
| Image Display and Analysis (WinDisp)[19] | IDA |
| ILWISRaster Map (.mpr,.mpl)[20] | ILWIS |
| IntergraphRaster[21] | INGR |
| USGSAstrogeologyIsiscube (Version 2)[22] | ISIS2 |
| KMLSUPEROVERLAY | KMLSUPEROVERLAY |
| In Memory Raster[23] | MEM |
| Vexcel MFF[24] | MFF |
| Vexcel MFF2[25] | MFF2 (HKV) |
| NITF[26] | NITF |
| NTv2 Datum Grid Shift | NTv2 |
| PCI GeomaticaDatabase File[27] | PCIDSK |
| Raster Matrix Format (*.rsw,.mtw)[28] | RMF |
| IdrisiRaster[29] | RST |
| SAGA GISBinary format[30] | SAGA |
| SGI Image Format[31] | SGI |
| SRTMHGT Format[32] | SRTMHGT |
| USGS ASCII DEM / CDED (.dem)[33] | USGSDEM |
| GDAL Virtual (.vrt)[34] | VRT |
| ASCII Gridded XYZ[35] | XYZ |
Supported vector data formats
editGDAL supports a variety of vector data formats as seenhere.It is extensible as well.
References
edit- ^"Release 3.10.0".6 November 2024.Retrieved21 November2024.
- ^"FAQGeneral – GDAL".Trac.osgeo.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^Neteler M., Raghavan V. (2006)."Advances in Free Software Geographic Information Systems".Journal of Informatics.Archived fromthe originalon 2011-08-23.
Extensive capabilities of data exchange are essential for the dailyGISwork. GRASS profits from an external project, the GDAL/OGR library <http://www.gdal.org>. ThisFOSSlibrary is also used even by global data vendors as well as in some proprietary GIS applications. Many of the raster and vector formats supported for reading can be also be generated.
- ^Mark Wilcox (2009).Porting to the Symbian Platform: Open Mobile Development in C/C++.Wiley.
In the words of Howard Butler, a director of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation, "I see GDAL as the glibc/glibc++ of the geospatial software world. It's open, it provides core functionality, I can't understand how anybody gets anything done without it."
- ^"ArcGIS 9.2 Desktop Help: Supported raster dataset file formats".ESRI. 2007-08-15.
- ^"GDAL Raster Formats".GDAL - Geospatial Data Abstraction Library. 2011-06-05.
- ^"Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats".Gdal.org. 2013-11-18.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats".Gdal.org. 2013-11-18.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"BAG - Bathymetry Attributed Grid".Gdal.org.Retrieved2018-06-16.
- ^"BLX - Magellan BLX Topo File Format (available from GDAL 1.6.0)".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"BMP - Microsoft Windows Device Independent Bitmap".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats".Gdal.org. 2013-11-18.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"DTED - Military Elevation Data".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats".Gdal.org. 2013-11-18.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"ELAS - Earth Resources Laboratory Applications Software".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^ab"Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats".Gdal.org. 2013-11-18.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"HF2 - HF2/HFZ heightfield raster".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"HFA - Erdas Imagine.img".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats".Gdal.org. 2013-11-18.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats".Gdal.org. 2013-11-18.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"INGR - Intergraph Raster Format".Gdal.org. 2013-03-23.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"ISIS2 - USGS Astrogeology ISIS Cube (Version 2)".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"MEM - In Memory Raster".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats".Gdal.org. 2013-11-18.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"MFF2 - Vexcel MFF2 Image".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"NITF - National Imagery Transmission Format".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"PCIDSK - PCI Geomatics Database File".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"RMF - Raster Matrix Format".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"RST - Idrisi Raster Format".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats".Gdal.org. 2013-11-18.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats".Gdal.org. 2013-11-18.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"Various Supported GDAL Raster Formats".Gdal.org. 2013-11-18.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"Usgsdem - Usgs Ascii Dem (And Cded)".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"Virtual Format Tutorial".GDAL. 2003-07-21.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- ^"XYZ - ASCII Gridded XYZ".Gdal.org.Retrieved2014-01-20.
- Notes
- Schuyler Erle,Rich Gibson and Jo Walsh (2005).Mapping Hacks.O'Reilly.ISBN0-596-00703-5.
- Tyler Mitchell (2005).Web Mapping Illustrated.O'Reilly.ISBN0-596-00865-1.
