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  • 1.  Your MapInfo Pro v2021 Webinar questions answered!

    Employee
    Posted 10-14-2021 14:57
    Edited by Peter Møller 10-15-2021 01:33

    MapInfo Pro v2021 Customer Webinar Questions

    You can find the recording of the webinar here: Webinar Recording

    The presentation used during the webinar can be found here: MapInfo Pro v2021 Presentation

    You can find the Release Notes here: Release Notes MapInfo Pro v2021


    Q: Now that we possibly enter the post-Covid era it would be great to see some live MapInfo Pro events in various countries. To meet other users and share.

    We agree. No specific plans yet for an in-person event however we are hosting a Customer Support Forum on November 17, 1:00 pm ET using an interactive platform.  If there is enough interest, we will also host in other regions.

    Click here to register

    MapInfo Pro v2021 Time Series

    Q: What type of data columns can be used for time series?

    Time Series requires a temporal column type. That can be a simple date or time column, or the combined date/time column. Time Series also supports variations of these which means it can work with a combination of a date and a time column.

    Q: Can this be saved as a GIF, MOV or some other format?
    Yes, a time series can be exported into an animated GIF, or to a video of type AVI or MP4.

    Q: Hello, are time series (animations) publishable in Spectrum Spatial?

    No, not directly. You can't upload a map with a time series to Spectrum Spatial and then have that working in Spectrum Spatial Analyst for instance. Having said that, we do have custom solutions taking advantage of temporal data in Spectrum Spatial.

    MapInfo Pro v2021 New OGR Table Type and other data sources

    Q: Did Peter mention access to GPX files through the new file formats?

    Yes, the GPX format is also supported through the new Vector Files (OGR) table format. And the GPX format is one of those formats that contains multiple datasets which means you can pick which to open.

    Q: With these new formats does MapInfo Pro still need to save it as a TAB file to open it or can it actually read these formats natively without the need for a TAB file?

    Yes, and no. MapInfo Pro will always create a tab file when you access these new formats. But you don't have to convert the actual data file into a native tab file. MapInfo Pro can read, and for some formats, write directly to the other data format. There are also a few formats where we require the data to be saved into a native tab file.

    Q: Will all .tab files created in legacy MapInfo Pro versions still remain fully accessible in 2021? Presumably the development of new powerful features will not preclude basic functions?

    Yes, MapInfo Pro v2021 is still able to open older native tab files with full access (read/write). We have no plans to stop supporting older native tab files and continue to be backwards compatible.

    Q: Will we able to export to the new file formats within MapInfo Pro, or would we need to use Universal Translator?

    Yes, that's something we didn't cover in the presentation or the demo. You can import these new formats into Native or NativeX tab files using the Open dialog, and you can export to these formats using the improved export capabilities that we improved radically. Export now also supports multi-file export. Read more here: MapInfo Monday New OGR Table Format in MapInfo Pro v2021.

    Q: I see you can read TopoJSON files, do you know if you can write to that format too? It would be very handy as no other software we've found can do that easily

    TopoJSON is one of the layers we haven't done much testing on. Looking at the GDAL Documentation for TopoJSON it states the driver can only read this format.

    Comment: FME can successfully write to TopoJSON.

    Thanks for pointing this out.

    Q: Can the new version read JSON without FME?

    Yes, the new OGR table format support JSON and GeoJSON.

    Q: Can we import KML file to MapInfo Pro v2021?

    Yes, the new OGR Table type supports KML formats too.

    Q: We rely heavily on MapInfo Pro and using Safe Software's FME software. Will the 2021 version work with FME down the track/available already?

    Yes, for every new version of MapInfo Pro we make sure to update the FME engine that comes with MapInfo Pro.

    Q: Can you bring in weather data? I saw the lightning demo that Patrick showed after I asked the question. http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/data/stations

    I suggest you raise this as a separate question in the MapInfo Pro community and we can help you out from there. 

    MapInfo Pro v2021 Select by Attribute

    Q: Can the Select by Attribute window be docked?

    No, it's not dockable as it's not a panel like, for example, the SQL Window. It is a non-modal dialog.

    Q: With Select by Attribute tool, when the attribute value is changed does a new query window open or just refreshes the already open result table?

    Currently, you create a new query every time you run the query through any of our querying tools. We are however consider adding the capability to refresh a potential existing query to be able to keep this in any open windows. If you'd find this helpful feel free to enter it into the Precisely Ideas Portal and look at it for the next release.

    Right now you can do this but only through the MapBasic Window or the SQL Window as you need to use a specific syntax:

    Select Update For testtable Where State_Name Like "al%" refresh

    MapInfo Pro v2021 MapInfo Virtual Raster and Raster in general

    Q: Can I only create a virtual raster from MRR files?

    You will get better performance with MRR files but you can also create an MVR using other raster formats. You just need to ensure that the rasters have overview cache files.

    Q: Any Specific use case for MVR. Value add on top of Merge Raster Functionality

    • Access and process source raster without needing to copying/duplicating raster data by referencing it to an MVR.
    • On the fly processing for supported operations, without waiting for an operation to complete. MVR will process rater data on the fly as you access it.
    • No raster data is created physically on disk as you access MVR, unless you crystalize it.
    • Crystalize MVR to formal raster by converting it to MRR or another supported format when needed.

    Q: Great presentation, Virtual Raster is also available in Spectrum Spatial Analyst?

    Not yet, but it is certainly on the roadmap.

    Q: Is there a limit on the number of raster files/tables making up an MVR?

    Yes, currently there is a limit at 2,048 raster files. This is caused by the limit on open file handles.

    Q: What about LIDAR any improvement?

    Not specifically for MapInfo Pro v2021. However, in the updates to MapInfo Pro v2019 we added some new capabilities around Surface Analysis and Tree Canopy Analysis. You can find these on the Raster tab under LiDAR tools. Surface Analysis is part of standard MapInfo Pro and can also be found on the Map tab.

    Q: Can you classify an MVR

    No, not currently. We are working towards fully supporting MVR for input and output for most of the processing and tools.

    MapInfo Pro v2021 Web Service Improvements

    Q: I like the reprojection for Bing etc. Where is the "hot key" you mentioned for the reprojection? I didn't spot where it was as you did it quite fast.

    Ah, sorry, I misspoke. It's not a hotkey but a hotlink. Click on the Coordinate System Name in the Status bar and the Choose Projection dialog appears. And, as a bonus, you can also right-click on a layer in your map and set the coordinate system of the map to match the coordinate system of the layer.

    Also note that if you have an open map window and you have enabled image reprojection, then the coordinate system of the map will not change if you add a tile server layer to the map.

    Check out this article for more details: MapInfo Monday: Raster Reprojection in Map Windows

    Q: Now the OS Maps APIs can be used in MapInfo Pro will there also be support for the British National Grid EPSG:27700 projection in Spectrum Spatial Analyst? Currently only EPSG:3857 is available to me.

    Spectrum Spatial Analyst does support British National Grid, and we can have BNG tiles – such as the "viaEuropa" OS MasterMap tile service (which we support out of the box), as well as BNG business data and WMS.

    As far as the new OS WMTS services are concerned, Spectrum Spatial Analyst can support the EPSG:3857 version and set the Analyst project to show in EPSG:27700 if other data is in the BNG projection Analyst will re-project the EPSG:3857 WMTS on the fly using OpenLayers and proj4js.

    The issue is supporting a more complex WMTS tile matrix which is not a simple 1 tile at the first zoom, then 4, then 16 etc This is on the road map.

    MapBasic v2021

    Q: Will all the new functionality be available within MapBasic or .Net?

    Yes, all the functionality will be available in either MapBasic, .NET, or Python. Some of it will be available across the languages.

    The new raster capabilities will not be available directly through MapBasic but you can use it from .NET and if required make it available to MapBasic too.

    Time series is available through MapBasic and through the object model in .NET and Python

    Q: Will there be any new updates and changes to MapBasic?

    There will be a new version of MapBasic too. It will support the new features we have been discussing today. MapBasic has a new pure MapBasic syntax for building the ribbon interface. We have also added support for Layer Filter and Time Series to .NET and Python via our Extensibility Object Model.

    Q: Do we know when MapBasic 2021 will be released?

    English version of MapBasic 2021 will be released in October.

    Q: I heard that there will be some new changes to UI development in MapBasic can you comment on this?

    Yes, you can now use MapBasic statements to create control on the ribbon. Earlier you were limited to creating buttons using the Create and Alter Buttonpad statements, using the slightly complex .NET Ribbon SDK or using a third-party MapBasic library that didn't support all the flavors of the ribbon controls. With this enhanced MapBasic support you can inspect, create, and modify the ribbon through MapBasic.

    Q: Any improvements to hosting MapInfo in a .Net app or MapInfo automation?

    No specific improvements. Maybe you can let us know what you are looking for? I'd recommend asking a question in the MapInfo Pro Developers Community on this topic.

    MapInfo Pro v2021 localized versions

    Q: Will there be localized versions of MapInfo Pro v2021? If yes, when are they expected?

    Yes, we have started working on the localized versions of MapInfo Pro already. They will be made available over the next 3-4 month so we expect to have the last localized version out in the beginning of 2022.

    Q: When will the French version be available?

    Probably later this year but I don't think we have an estimated date for the localized releases yet. We will make sure to let you know as soon as they are available.

    Q: Is MapInfo Pro 2021 available in Spanish right now? Or will it be next year?

    The localized versions are in the works. We expect them all to be released by early 2022. Unfortunately, we do not have an updated timetable for the individual languages at the moment.

    MapInfo Pro Installation and Licensing

    Q: Will the subscription be extended to OEM / Runtime versions

    Not yet, feel free to add this idea in the Precisely Ideas Portal.

    Q: When will existing customers receive their upgrades to MapInfo Pro v2021?

    Currently we have sent out a temporary serial number and access code that provides full functionality (minus Bing Maps) through DEC 1st. We are working on shipping out all existing customers' account-specific serial numbers and access codes by then.

    Q: Any plans for a web version of MapInfo Pro?

    We got a lot of questions related to a web or browser version of MapInfo Pro. In fact, we already have a solution that allows you to share maps through browsers. It's called Spectrum Spatial.

    Spectrum Spatial is much more than just a web-GIS solution. It also allows you to publish data through common formats such as OGC WMS, OGC WFS and OGC WMTS. You can use Spectrum Spatial to create workflows to process your data coming in from a third-party and publish a workflow as a web service for other parties to access your data. Read more about Spectrum Spatial in this blog: An Introduction to Enterprise Location Intelligence with Spectrum Spatial.

    Please let us know if you want to know more.

    Q: Is it possible to run MapInfo Pro v2019 and earlier version like v15 as a contract to keep them running at the same time?

    Yes, you should be able to have multiple versions of MapInfo Pro installed at the same time. Just make sure to install them into separate folders.

    Q: If I have a standard perpetual license, will I be forced to upgrade to the current, advanced license?

    No, switching to a subscription license that includes Advanced is an option. You can stick to your current standard perpetual license too.

    Q: What are the actual risks of not having the dependencies (listed in page 11 of release notes) in place before MapInfo Pro v2021 is installed?

    The risk is that MapInfo Pro will not start or not work.

    If you install using the supplied Setup.exe, the installer will install the necessary prerequisites for you. If you want to install using the supplied MSI, you will have to install these yourself.

    We no longer require that the cumulative update KB3156387 from Microsoft is installed.

    Q: If I buy more licenses, will the new licenses be co-termed with my existing licenses? And the price pro-rated?

    Yes, that is doable.

    Q: What incentives are going to be to migrate from perpetual old licenses to the new subscription license?

    If you want to move from your current perpetual license to the new subscription license, we will give you access to the Advanced capabilities. If you are on maintenance, you can stick to the maintenance price which is slightly lower than the new subscription price.

    Q: Is MapInfo Pro v2021 tested on Windows 11

    MapInfo Pro v2021 was tested on Window 11 64-bit and Windows Server 2022.

    Q: What's the basic computer configuration required to run MapInfo Pro v2021? As I experienced slow processing issue with MapInfo Pro v17 & v2019

    What specs does your current computer have? And what processing were you performing?

    These recommended specifications are from the Install Guide:

    • Memory: 16+GB RAM (64-bit) Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD Athlon X2 or better
    • Disk Space: 25GB (64-bit), Data 2.3GB.
    • Graphics: Dedicated GPU: AMD Radeon HD 2000 series, NVIDIA GeForce 8 series or better Integrated GPU: AMD Radeon HD 3200, NVIDIA GeForce 9400, Intel HD Graphics or better
    • Monitor: 1024x768 resolution or better

    Q: Is MapInfo Pro v2021 compatible with SQL server 2019?

    Yes, these are the spatial databases MapInfo Pro v2021 supports:

    • Microsoft SQL Server 2019
    • Microsoft SQL Server 2017
    • Microsoft SQL Server 2016 SP1 (also called SQL Server Spatial)
    • PostGIS 3.1 using PostgresSQL 13.2
    • PostGIS 2.5 using PostgreSQL 10.1
    • PostGIS client is 13.01 x64
    • SQLite v3.8 / FDO 3.8
    • Oracle 19c msp19c
    • Oracle 18c msp18c
    • Oracle Spatial 12C r2 msp12cr2
    • Oracle11gr2

    Datamine Discover

    Q: When will Discover v 2021 be released?

    That's a question for our partner Datamine. It seems that Datamine is releasing Datamine Discover in early Nov 2021.

    Q: Does MapInfo Pro include Discover?

    No, it's more the other way around. When you buy Datamine Discover, MapInfo Pro is included.

    Q: Can MapInfo Pro v2021 install side by side with Datamine Discover 3D/2019 package?

    That's a good question and probably one we should get Datamine's view on too. I would say yes. But if you currently have Datamine Discover 3D maybe you want to wait for Datamine to bring their new version of Discover with MapInfo Pro v2021 to the market early next month (Nov 2021).

    Ideas or suggestions for improvements

    Q: Do you have deep learning capabilities?

    Our raster team has looked into using our raster technology to identify elements from satellite and aerial images but this is only at an early stage. What exactly are you looking for?

    Q: Thanks for the presentation. Are there any plans to develop more content for YouTube for people learning MapInfo Pro? Thanks

    You are welcome. And yes, we will add more content to the YouTube play list for MapInfo Pro. Is there anything specific you'd like to see? Also note that we have weekly #MapInfoMonday articles with tips & tricks in the MapInfo Pro community.

    Q: Is SMB 2.0 or 3.0 supported now?

    We are aware that there are some issues when using SMB 2.0 or SMB 3.0. Typically, we don't do anything extra-ordinary when accessing files. The errors that we have seen reported are similar to the issues we see when users work with data in folders that are synced using OneDrive or Dropbox. Our engineering team is working with our technical support engineers to see if we can find a solution.

    Q: In MapInfo Pro v2021 when layers are subjected to a table structure change (e.g.: add new field) in Table>Maintenance, does the layer still get removed from the visible tables list?

    The layer will be removed from any windows that showed the data, yes. The table will be visible in the Table list. A workaround would be to save your workspace before changing the table structure and then reopening the workspace when the table(s) had been restructured.

    Q: Any plan for adding a MapInfo visualization to Power BI?

    Not specifically. Maybe Spectrum Spatial (Analyst) could be an option for you?

    Q: Any plans to include the older Table Structure Manager tool into any new version of MapInfo Pro?

    Not specifically but we are considering adding capabilities to help users restructure their tables and handle casting of data between formats.

    Q: I've tried to reproject Bing raster files and I get a message saying I need to change the Image Processing setting to "Always" or "Optimized". Well, I did and still get the same error message.

    You can change this setting in two places: on the current map and under Options. Read this week's #MapInfoMonday post as that might help you out. In general, you should use Optimized instead of Always.

    Q: Have any improvements been made in the spatial processing performance?

    Not specifically, no. We would love to hear what processing you are doing to see if we can help you improve the performance in one way or another.

    Q: Any plans for utilizing GPUs in the future?

    We currently do not have plans to incorporate GPU processing in MapInfo Pro. Feel free to add this to the Precisely Ideas Portal for future consideration.

    Q: Has the raster registration interface been updated in the new 2021 version?

    No, that has not been changed. We are aware of an idea to improve this posted to Precisely Ideas.

    Q: With the new raster functionalities, is it possible to set a default zoom range and save it against the raster file so when someone else opens the file it defaults to that zoom range?

    No, unfortunately not. However, I'd love to see us being able to save and reuse layer settings when opening any table into a map. Something for the Precisely Ideas.

    Q: How about services that require token security permission to open?

    We may need some more details here. Typically, a token is a key that can be passed to such services through the URL. Is this what you are looking for? Here is an example of a Danish WFS Service using a token in the URL: https://api.dataforsyningen.dk/service?request=GetCapabilities&servicename=mat_gml2&token=046b83d1ee49bce21996c7feb109cab0

    Q: Is there an option in MapInfo Pro 2021 to import and run epanet models?

    Currently not, we would probably need to understand a bit more about epanet models. Feel free to add this as an Idea in the Precisely Ideas Portal.

    Q: Data.NSW publishes and shares live data namely in ArcGIS featureserver/mapserver. Any plans for MapInfo Pro to connect to these feature services? Would save time rather than having to convert data via FME or QGIS. Thanks

    Good question. Are you referring to https://data.nsw.gov.au/?  These service types don't seem to be OGC compliant and seem to be FeatureService layers returning ESRIJson format, which I believe is a proprietary format. According to the University of Minnesota's Digital Conservancy "Curators may also encounter the EsriJSON file format. This is a proprietary, ESRI standard for encoding spatial data in JSON structured text. It is set as the default conversion option when a spatial dataset is transformed from another vector format to JSON using the software ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro. While the format and syntax are largely similar to GeoJSON, there are some key differences, particularly in the "type" member. An explanation of how to identify an EsriJSON file is provided in the section "Recommendations for File Transformation." If an EsriJSON file is submitted for curation, consider asking the submitter for the dataset in a different format."Are there any specific datasets you want to use? Please post this as a question in the MapInfo Pro community.

    Other technical questions

    Q: Have you corrected the projection issues when using Bing maps together with raster files in this version? This sometimes caused a shift in earlier versions?

    Yes, this has been updated in v2021. I think this issue also can be fixed in older versions of MapInfo Pro. If you enable raster reprojection for your map window, MapInfo Pro will reproject any raster data in your map window. If this hasn't been enabled, MapInfo Pro will not reproject a smaller raster to a larger raster, say a raster grid to a tile server layer. This might result in the issue you refer to. Let us know if this isn't the solution.

    Q: Can we copy and paste TAB layers from one workspace's Explorer window to another?

    You can't drag a layer from a map in one instance of MapInfo Pro into a map in another instance of MapInfo Pro. You can however drag a layer from one map into another map if the maps are in the same MapInfo Pro session.

    Q: In the demo of opening the CSV file with Crash Stats, how does MapInfo interpret the data types for the coordinates?  It looks like it might have interpreted the coordinates as Float and truncated the longitude to 3 decimal places.  This is a current annoyance with opening CSV files.  It should bring in Coordinates as Decimals data type.

    I think you may be misled by the value shown in the browser window and the actual values stored in the table. Typically, MapInfo Pro only shows 3 or 4 decimal values for floating-point values even though the value contains more decimals.

    Q: Can we select roads, and then reference points along that road? I have a data set, with several thousand locations, so to select a major highway from point A to B, then select points to show say within 30miles along that highway from points A to B

    We do have a few tools that might be helpful to you for creating points along a polyline. Routeware do have a tool called Toolbox that can create points for every x meter along a line. I'd suggest that you ask this question in the MapInfo Pro community

    Q: Is there a way to save an Oracle Spatial connection? I find I have to create a new connection each time.

    MapInfo Pro allows you to set a connection to get opened when you start MapInfo Pro. Would that work for you? This would be easiest if you have enabled Windows Authentication for your Oracle connection so that it doesn't prompt you for your login details.

    Q: Can I bring in data from an Advantage database?

    I'm not familiar with this specific database. MapInfo Pro lets you connect to most ODBC databases so that might be a path to investigate. You can read more about connecting to Advantage Using the Advantage ODBC Driver.

    Q: Can you have multiple users making edits to the same file?

    No, a standard native MapInfo tab file can only be edited by a single user at a time. As soon as one user starts editing a native table, MapInfo Pro creates transaction files next to the tab file. These files prevent another user from making changes to the same table. If your data was stored in a spatial database, multiple users would be able to edit this data via individual tables referring to the data in the database. And MapInfo Pro even has conflict resolution built-in to manage two users changing the same record.

    Q: Hi, is Spectrum Spatial be same as the Web-GIS version of ESRI ArcGIS online?

    Not quite. Spectrum Spatial is our server-based Location Intelligence offering that you can deploy locally on your own server or deploy in your cloud environment on AWS or similar. We can also host it for you but it's not true SaaS. Spectrum Spatial comes with an out-of-the-box Web-GIS application, Spectrum Spatial Analyst, a data management tool, Spatial Manager, and options to publish your data through common service such as TMS, WMS, WMTS and WFS. Read more about Spectrum Spatial.

     



    ------------------------------
    Patrick Collins
    Senior Product Manager - MapInfo Professional
    Precisely
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  • 2.  RE: Your MapInfo Pro v2021 Webinar questions answered!

    Posted 10-15-2021 08:55
    Lots of great info here. Regarding this question:

    Q: When will existing customers receive their upgrades to MapInfo Pro v2021?

    Currently we have sent out a temporary serial number and access code that provides full functionality (minus Bing Maps) through DEC 1st. We are working on shipping out all existing customers' account-specific serial numbers and access codes by then.

    If I add v2021 to my machine using the temporary serial number & access code, will Bing Maps not work? I currently have Bing Maps in v2019 and don't want to lose it.



    ------------------------------
    Nick Letourneau
    Verisk
    Minneapolis, MN
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  • 3.  RE: Your MapInfo Pro v2021 Webinar questions answered!

    Posted 10-15-2021 09:02
    Hi Nick,

    2021 temporary license includes Bing standard (Bing Aerial & Bing Hybrid), but does not include Bing Premium (Bing Roads & "Move Map To"). If you have Bing Premium in your 2019 version, it will continue to work as before.

    Andrei


    ------------------------------
    Andrei Veselov
    Precisely
    Troy NY
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  • 4.  RE: Your MapInfo Pro v2021 Webinar questions answered!

    Posted 11-05-2021 11:00
    How does one get the temporary serial number & access code? Where were those sent?

    ------------------------------
    Nick Letourneau
    Verisk
    Minneapolis, MN
    ------------------------------