LINK -- Live Link to Non-PCIDSK Image File

Creates a PCIDSK database file header allowing indirect access to imagery on a non-PCIDSK file. In addition, auxiliary information such a LUTs or bitmaps are transferred to the newly created PCIDSK file.

This link allows most PACE programs to operate on imagery stored in non-PCIDSK files.

See Also: IMAGELN, IMAGERD, CIM, PCIADD2, GeoGateway, FIMPORT

PARAMETERS

LINK is controlled by the following global parameters:

Name     Prompt                                  Count     Type
FILI     Database Input File Name                1-64      Char
FILO     Database Output File Name               1-64      Char
DBIW     Database Input Window                   0-4       Int

FILI

Specifies the name of the supported imagery file for which a PCIDSK link is to be created. Supported formats include TIFF, Intergraph Continuous Tone (COT), X11 Dump, Sun Raster, and Erdas image files. A more complete listing of supported formats can be found in GeoGateway help (which can be accessed by typing "help geogateway" in EASI).

 EASI> FILI="houston.tif"

It is suggested that full pathnames from the root be used for the target file, as this is the filename that is placed into the PCIDSK file to later allow programs to find the original imagery file.

FILO

Specifies the name of the PCIDSK file to be created, which will contain the PCIDSK file header. This file will be created automatically. Please specify a filename.

 EASI>FILO="houston.pix"

DBIW

Specifies the image window to be linked from the input channels.

 EASI>DBIW=Xoffset,Yoffset,Xsize,Ysize
 EASI>DBIW=                     | link entire image

DETAILS

LINK is used to create a live link to a non-PCIDSK imagery file of a supported format. A link cannot be made to a compressed file. Supported formats include Intergraph Continuous Tone (COT), X Windows Dump, Sun Raster, TIFF G, TIFF RGB, ERDAS, uncompressed GRASS Raster layers, USGS DOQQ, UNIDSK-VMS, Spot Image CD-ROMs and Aries (Dipix) image files.

When LINK is run, the input file (FILI) is analysed by the GeoGateway library, the type is detected, and a PCIDSK file is created, linked to the selected window (DBIW) of the input imagery file.

The PCIDSK file created by LINK is FILE interleaved, like PCIDSK files created by CIM with DBLAYOUT="FILE". This means that the actual imagery is stored in a separate file (FILI). No additional copies of the imagery are created. The FILE interleaved PCIDSK file created by LINK contains a description of the data stored in the non-PCIDSK file, similar to that which has to be specified when running PCIADD2.

Only data that is organized as band sequential, band interleaved by line, or band interleaved by pixel can be linked to, so TIFF files with a tiled organization cannot be linked to. Compressed imagery, or image data that is not 8 bit, 16 bit unsigned, 16 bit signed or 32-bit real cannot be linked to, so TIFF bitmap files cannot be linked to.

In addition to linking the newly created PCIDSK file to the imagery on the source file, LINK will also copy over any auxiliary information such as LUTs, PCTs, bitmaps, or vectors. The georeferencing of the output file will be appropriately set based on the subarea of the selected input file (DBIW).

LINK will generate detail lines indicating the imagery size, number of channels, and any auxiliary information copied over.

EXAMPLE

The user wishes to create a PCIDSK file linked to a large TIFF file.

 EASI> FILI="houston.tif"
 EASI> FILO="houston.pix"
 EASI> DBIW=
 EASI> RUN LINK

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