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From Geocap we have two methods for exporting data to ArcMap and other software.

  1. Export as shapefiles or other formats.
  2. Use the DataLink for ArcGIS to copy directly to an ArcGIS file geodatabase when using the 32 bit version of Geocap.

Export to files

Each dataset also have an Export entry on the right-click menu where different formats can be selected. 

In Geocap Seafloor the data can be exported from the 2. Charts folder by the commands Export Chart Data and Export Contours.

Export Chart Data

The Export Chart Data command has the four tabs Polygons, Points, Surfaces and Hill Shade.
In each of the tabs, select which charts to export. For some of the formats there is an option to check the Lat/Lon box when the coordinates should be exported as geographic.

  • From the Polygons tab export the Frame and Boundary polygons for the selected chart(s). The best output format is Esri Shapefile Polygons (as Polygon Feature).
  • From the Points tab export the Seafloor surface as points for the selected chart(s). The best output format is Esri Shapefile Points (as Point Feature).
  • From the Surfaces tab export the Seafloor surface for the selected chart(s). The best output formats are Bathymetry Attributed Grid (BAG) and Geo TIFF.
  • From the Hill Shade tab export the Seafloor surface as a hill shade image for the selected chart(s). The output format is Geo TIFF.
  • Specify the output directory for the files by clicking the browse button and select folder.
  • The file name will (for instance) be Surfacepoints_<Chart Name>.shp. If the file already exist it can be overwritten or a new version can be created. A prefix to the filename can be specified in the input field.

Export Contours

The Export Contours command has the two modes, export as Contour Lines or Contour Areas. For ordinary contour lines, select the first mode.

  • In the Chart Name part, select from which charts to create the contours.
  • Select the contouring method (Increment) and the increment value.
  • Check the Lat/Lon box when the coordinates should be exported as geographic. The option is not available for all format types.
  • Select if the contours should be saved to a file, to the project, or both. The project object will get the name Contours.
  • Select Export Format. The best output format is Esri Shapefile Contours (as Line Feature).
  • Specify the output directory for the files by clicking the browse button and select folder.
  • The file name will (for instance) be Contours_<Chart Name>.shp. If the file already exist it can be overwritten or a new version can be created. A prefix to the filename can be specified in the input field.
  • The contours in the shape file will have the same layer name for all contour line levels. If some contours (for instance every 5th) should be displayed with different line width, it is necessary to do the export 2 times with the different increments, for instance 1 meter and 5 meter increments. When later creating annotation on the contour lines, the operator can decide which contour data set to use, if all contours should have annotation or just every 5th.

Export to ArcGIS file geodatabase

The export to the ArcGIS file geodatabase requires a license of the module Geocap DataLink for ArcGIS. The feature in the license file will have the name "gis". 

On the computer the ArcMap (ArcGIS) program must be installed and have a valid license.

To run the module the 32-bit version of Geocap must be started, since ArcGIS is a 32-bit application.

Activate the Geocap DataLink for ArcGIS

From the Geocap main window select Tools > Options …

In the Options menu select Plug-ins in the left part. In the Plug-ins part, check the box for DataLink for ArcGIS.

Below the Plug-ins part the ArcGIS version must be selected. The latest version is 10.3.

Then click the Apply or OK buttons to activate the module. Next time Geocap is started after exit, the module will be automatically loaded. If the 64-bit version is started, the module will just be ignored.

Create datasets for copying

One of the preparations before the copying is to create the datasets which should be presented in the map.

  • Boundary: Execute the Make Boundary and Holes command to create the Boundary dataset (outline) around the input points or the generated surface (Seafloor).
  • Contours: Execute the Export Contours command to create a Contours dataset for the chart. Note that if you want to have two contour data sets (see the text in section Export Contours) the command must be executed two times, and the first Contours data set must be renamed before executing the command the second time.
  • Surfacepoints (Seafloor surface as points): Execute the command Export Chart Data and go to the Points tab. Select the option Seafloor surface as points, and also select Save in project only. When clicking Execute the Surfacepoints data set is created for the selected chart(s).

Create or open an ArcGIS file geodatabase

The ArcGIS file geodatabase can be opened as an object in a Geocap project. So before you can open a geodatabase the Geocap project must be loaded.

Click the arrow next to the   icon in the project toolbar, and open the menu:

  • If the ArcGIS file geodatabase already exist, click Add Data Source in the menu. Set Datasource to File Geodatabase and click the Browse button for the correct database (folder). When clicking the Connect button the database is opened in the project tree.
  • To create a new file geodatabase, click Create ArcGIS File Geodatabase. In the dialog which appears select In project or Outside project. If the database is to be shared, it is recommended to create it outside the Geocap project. Browse to the proper folder. Then, in the Name field, enter the name of the database (for instance myChart). Click OK to create the database.

Copy data to the ArcGIS file geodatabase

To copy data from a Geocap project to an ArcGIS file geodatabase is done from the right-click menu option Copy on the selected data items. It is possible with multiple select and also different data types. In addition to select data in the list view, it is also possible to use the Multiple > Copy from a folder in the project.

Click on the file geodatabase (for instance myChart) in the project tree, right-click and select Paste.

Then a menu opens for setting parameters for the different datatypes Points, Lines and Surfaces.

Copy Point data as:

  • Export as Point Feature or Multipoint Feature. To copy as Multipoint Feature it will be faster to copy the data, but if the each points will be labeled with depth value, the Point Feature class is required.
  • Add Z value of points as fields in feature class: To be able to print the depth value in a map, the Z value must be a column in the attribute table.

Copy Line data as:

  • Export as Line Feature, Contours (Line Feature) or Polygon Feature.
    In ArcMap line data are defined in two types of features: Lines Features and Polygon Features. Lines (polylines) are open-ended lines, and Polygon Features are closed lines defining an area. A polygon is always connecting the last point to the first point in the line. Geocap not differ on line data, and do not check if it the lines are open or closed.
    The selected feature type is dependent on the data to copy. For instance, the Frame and Boundary data sets should be copied as Polygon Features, while the contour lines should be saved as Contours (Line Feature).
    The Contours (Line Feature) option stores the lines as line features even if there are closed contours in the data set. The contours are sorted on increasing depth to easier check the depth levels in the dataset. Each line element will also be saved as a row in the ArcGIS data table. This makes it possible to use the Editor tool in ArcMap to select and edit or delete small contour lines.

  • Also export to Point Feature class: When turning on this option the lines data can also be copied as a point data set with the postfix _points in the feature name. This is necessary if any attributes of points in the line should be used in the map document.

 

The next options are appropriate for all data types, both Points, Lines, Polygons and Rasters.

Vertical Options:

  • Flip Z values means that the z values in the data geometry is multiplied with -1 to convert to elevation (height) with positive values upwards, instead of depths with positive value downwards.
  • Set Vertical Coordinate system: When vertical reference system is known it can be defined by using this option. The system can be an elevation or a depth system. First select the region (Africa, Asia, Europe, World etc), and then a system in the region.
    If a depth system is selected the Z values do not need to be flipped. 
    Note: The option only sets the actual vertical reference system and no shift between the systems is performed. 


Target database: The name and path to the database selected for copying to.

 

Output Spatial Reference:

  • Set the horizontal coordinate system for the data. The information box will contain the coordinate system of the first selected data object which is copied. The Geocap geodetic properties are translated into the ArcGIS definition. If a vertical reference system is defined it will appear after the horizontal system.
  • Click the Browse button to open the dialog to set the spatial reference.


Note: The selected vertical and spatial reference will be set on all the selected data sets. If the selected data items have different coordinate systems, for instance projected and geographic, the copying should be done in two operations. In ArcMap the data will automatically be transformed to the projection in the data frame during display and plotting, so it is no problem to have data with different coordinate systems in the same database.
Click OK to start the copying. Large point data sets copied as Point Feature may take some time.

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