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MapInfo Monday: Integration with Spectrum Spatial in MapInfo Pro v2023

  • 1.  MapInfo Monday: Integration with Spectrum Spatial in MapInfo Pro v2023

    Employee
    Posted 09-14-2023 03:08

    Happy #MapInfoMonday,

    In case you are jumping on now, let me make it clear: Today is not Monday, but during the release week for MapInfo Pro v2023, we do #MapInfoMonday articles all week.

    In today's article, I want to show you the improved integration between MapInfo Pro and Spectrum Spatial.

    Using the MapUploader tool that comes with Spectrum Spatial, you have for a long been able to upload map and layer settings to Spectrum Spatial Repository. This made it easy to configure your map in MapInfo Pro and then hit the Upload button to push these settings up into the repository for use in Spectrum Spatial Analyst for example.

    With MapInfo Pro v2023, we have extended the integration to allow you to export tables from MapInfo Pro up to the Spectrum Spatial server and to access and view Named Tables from the Repository in MapInfo Pro. This enhancement allows you to better manage and use the data in Spectrum Spatial from within MapInfo Pro, especially when the Spectrum Spatial instance isn't running on your network allowing you to access the same files as Spectrum Spatial accesses.

    This functionality in MapInfo Pro will work better if you have the MapUploader loaded. MapInfo Pro will use dialogs from the MapUploader to let the user select Named Connections and similar.

    Export a Table up into Spectrum Spatial

    For the export of tables from MapInfo Pro up onto the Spectrum spatial server to work best, we recommend that you have the latest version (2.1.2 or newer) of the MapUploader running.

    Click the Export control on the Table tab in the Context group and now select the table(s) to export/upload to Spectrum Spatial.

    You can also right-click on the table to export in the Table List and select Export.

    In the Export Table(s) to File(s) dialog, you must specify the name and location of the TAB file referencing the Named Table in Spectrum Spatial after the upload. This means that you afterwards can use the Output File specified below, to access the data stored on the Spectrum Spatial instance.

    For Export as Type select MapInfo Feature Service - MIFS (OGR). Click OK to continue.

    In the MapInfo Feature Service Export Options dialog, you must now specify the Connection URL, select the Named Connection to be used for the export, select the Upload Folder for where to store the data on the Spectrum Spatial instance and select the Named Table Repository for where to create the Named Table.
    Start by specifying the URL, or select it from the list if you already have connected to Spectrum Spatial from MapInfo Pro.
    If you have the MapUploader tool running, you can use the Browse buttons next to the 3 fields to browse the Spectrum Spatial instance for these values. You can also enter these values by hand if you know the values.
    Once done, the MapInfo Feature Service Export Options dialog could look like below. Click the OK button to continue
    You can now see the task running in the Tasks window.
    If you browse the Repository with Spectrum Spatial Manager, you should be able to find the new Named Table.
    The next step would be to use the MapUploader to upload the map and layer settings.

    Access a Named Table in the Spectrum Spatial Repository

    From the Open dialog, click on the Open Connection button in the top left corner.

    Now you must select OGR from the list of Connection Types from the Open Connection dialog. Click the New... button to continue.
    In the OGR Web Connection dialog, specify the URL you normally would use to connect to Spectrum Spatial. Prefix it  MIFS:as seen in the image below. If you already have connected to your Spectrum Spatial instance, you should be able to select the URL from the list From the OGR Driver list, select MapInfo Feature Service - MIFS (OGR). Click OK to continue.
    You don't have to specify anything in the Vector File (OGR) Open Options dialog. Click the OK button to continue.
    MapInfo Pro will now prompt you to log into Spectrum Spatial, and then you will see a list of Named Tables from the Repository in the Select One or More Tables to Open dialog.
    You can select one or more tables to download and use the Options button to control if the data should stay connected to Spectrum Spatial or if you prefer to save a copy of the data into a native TAB file. You can also specify a folder for the tables using the Folder button under the list of tables.

    As you download the Named Tables from the Repository, they will not bring down any styling or layer settings.

    Give it a try

    If you want to give the new version of MapInfo Pro a try, grab a 30-day trial version and take it out for a spin. We would love your feedback!

    As I mentioned above this is one of several #MapInfoMonday articles about the new features of MapInfo Pro v2023. Stay tuned for more!



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    Peter Horsbøll Møller
    Principal Presales Consultant | Distinguished Engineer
    Precisely | Trust in Data
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