Overview
GeoBase uses GBFS A methodology of storing spatial data for optimal performance in geospatial or location-based applications. For more information see the GeoBase File Systems FAQ page. data files with a .gbfs extension. While most files contain comprehensive information about a geographic area, some contain broader information (such as country names and borders) that is required by GeoBase regardless of which other data files are being used.
GBFS files may be created from custom data using the ShapeFileImport tool.
It is possible to control what areas are mappable by choosing which GBFS files are available to GeoBase.
Locations of Data Files (GBFS)
GeoBase data files must have .gbfs extensions. GeoBase searches for data files in the following order:
- At the location specified by the Settings.DataPath value, if it has been set
- In the startup directory of your application
- In the directory that contains geobase.net.dll
- In a subdirectory named data below the directory referred to by the Path registry key, stored at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Telogis\GeoBase
Once a folder has been found in this list, GeoBase checks a version dependent subfolder. This subfolder has a name of the form "gb.<major>.<minor>". For example, gb.2.0 will have GBFS 2.0 files in it. This allows multiple versions of GeoBase to coexist on a single machine. If no version specific subfolder exists, GBFS files from the main folder are used.
Example
One use case might be that your application sets Settings.DataPath to E:\GeoBase\Data. When geobase looks for its data files, it will first check E:\GeoBase\Data\gb.2.0, if no GBFS files are found, it will try opening the data files in E:\GeoBase\Data.
The USA.gbfs file
This file contains the sum total of mapping information required for the USA (including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands). It is available as a single file, or as 10 regional files, shown in the map below as "DCA 1" to "DCA 10". A separate Canada.gbfs file covers Canada (shown as "DCA 11"):
