FAQ for SDSFIE 3.0

FAQ's Versioon 3.0

What is the SDSFIE?
Why is the SDSFIE Important?
Why don't the line style, colors and line weights in SDSFIE match those in the National CAD standard?
What is the difference between an Entity Type Name and a Feature Class Name?

Submitting Comments

How do users submit comments?
Can users suggest content changes?
Can users suggest changes to domain values?
Are there any constraints to email attachments sent to helpme@sdsfie.org?
What is the policy or procedure for submission of suggested modifications to content of the SDSFIE?

Tools

How does the SDSFIE support various GIS Vendor products?

Think of the SDSFIE as just a series of naming conventions. It is simply a way for the government users to understand data without the need for an endless stream of Metadata. And it includes mechanisms to rapidly generate schemas, validate data content, and transform data. It is really all about sharing data and ensuring the proper interpretation of that data.

Why is the SDSFIE Important?

Without standards, the DoD geospatial enterprise cannot mature
SDSFIE is more that a contract – it is a cornerstone for IGI&S future
SDSFIE requires programmatic oversight, not just project management
Successful SDSFIE must meet DoD Business Mission Area needs for Components, USACE and NGA
SDSFIE will become a key part of the National System for Geospatial Intelligence (NSG). The DISDI and NGA staffs have already started the process of incorporation of SDSFIE as an integral component of the larger system of GEOINT standards.
Adoption rate must dramatically improve; Re-engineering investment will be wasted without broad acceptance, adoption, compliance and long-term sustainment

Why don't the line style, colors and line weights in SDSFIE match those in the National CAD standard?

ArcMap uses dynamic (scale-dependent) symbolization, which doesn't translate line-weight like AutoCad. Unfortunately, this is one aspect of CAD to GIS translation that doesn't work very well.

What is the difference between an Entity Type Name and a Feature Class Name?

Both the Entity Type Name and a Feature Class Name describe the same thing. The concept of an Entity Type Name in the SDSFIE has been around since 1993, and is intended to be platform neutral. The Feature Class Name is used by various GIS Vendors, including ESRI. In these GIS systems, however, the Entity Type Name contained too many characters. The Feature Class Name is limited, particularly in SDE, to be 32 characters. So, while many Entity Type Names are identical to their corresponding Feature Class Name, the long ones are not. They have been shortened in order to satisfy the requirement. Therefore, 'airfield_imaginary_surface_area' becomes 'airfield_imag_surface_area'. The Browser shows both the Entity Type Name and Feature Class Name. The Browser Lite uses only the Feature Class Name.

Submitting Comments

How do users submit comments?: User comments should be made via the feedback form, an email sent to helpme@sdsfie.org or a phone call to the help desk at 1-866-973-7343.
Can users suggest content changes?: Yes, anyone is welcome to submit content change reqeusts. When submitting changes be sure to include complete definitions, for attributes, entity types, orjects, etc....
<Can users suggest changes to domain values?: Yes, anyone is welcome to submit suggestion to domain values. We welcome all requests and will address as many as we can get to.
Are there any constraints to email attachments sent to helpme@sdsfie.org?: No, there are currently no constraints on attachments sent to helpme@sdsfie.org
What is the policy or procedure for submission of suggested modifications to content of the SDSFIE?: The whole topic of how suggestions will be received and how they will be incorporated into the SDSFIE is one that is not yet resolved. The procedures used in the past to include large quantities of changes with incomplete analysis has resulted in many areas of the standard where ambiguities lead to duplicate or near duplicate placeholders for Features or Attributes.

Over the next several months, a complete review of the SDSFIE is to be conducted in an attempt to identify and clarify these ambiguities and more accurately define the Features and the boundaries between Features.

However, suggestions are being taken via e-mail to the Help Desk (HelpMe@sdsfie.org) or via phone (1-866-9SDSFIE). These suggestions will be considered in the analysis that is to begin. At the same time, users are encouraged to make their feelings and desires known to their Service Leads as this analysis moves forward.

Tools

How does the SDSFIE support various GIS Vendor products?: The SDSFIE starts with a “Logical” model. This type of model ignores specific limitations and capabilities of database structures and organizations. From these logical models, we build what we call a PIM (Platform Independent Model), which begins to introduce uniform limitations that are common across most of the GIS Vendor community. So, we limit the length of a class name or an attribute name, and we constrain data types.

Browser

What is the SDSFIE Browser?: Browsing is the operation where users can see the content of the SDSFIE. Each element in the SDSFIE (Feature Types, Attributes, and Enumeration Values) are assigned to either Gold, through a group of Feature Types known as a "Thematic Package", or to a Discipline, or to a Service or User Adaptation. The Browser permits seeing, and printing, the organization of these elements.

Adaptation

What is SDSFIE Adaptation?

Adaptation: A customized collection of Featrue Types and Attributes, derived from SDSFIE Gold, intended to specifically satisfy an individual users geospatial information needs.
Adaptation is the process of customizing the contents of the SDSFIE to meet the information needs of local users without compromising the ability to share data both between organizations as well as up and down the Chain of Command. All Adaptations are constructed from a "Parent", which is, in itself, an Adaptation A customized collection of Featrue Types and Attributes, derived from SDSFIE Gold, intended to specifically satisfy an individual users geospatial information needs. of SDSFIE Gold The sum of all modeling efforts for the SDSFIE. It includes Feature Types, Attributes, Enumerations, and Associations. . Adaptation A customized collection of Featrue Types and Attributes, derived from SDSFIE Gold, intended to specifically satisfy an individual users geospatial information needs. is one of the more complex concepts within the new SDSFIE. A more detailed discussion can be found in Adaptation Concept.

What are the steps to create an SDSFIE Adaptation?

Create the Adaptation. All Adaptations are created from a parent Adaptation. The initial creation step involves selection of the Parent Adaptation (which must be approved), and the clicking of from the Toolbar. Initial creation permits “profiling” the Parent Adaptation, if permitted. See Step One for detailed Creation information.
Adaptation Modification and Extending the Adaptation. Additional feature types may be added into an Adaptation from other sources, including certain Prior Release Feature Types, as well as user defined Feature Types. See Step Two on Adaptation modification and extension.
Simple Feature Type modification. Once all required Feature Types have been included in the Adaptation, the mode of the Adaptor tool changes to Adapting Feature Types. See Step Three on Feature Type Modification.
Full Feature Type Adaptation. This permits full modification of attributes within the Feature Type, including ‘custom’ addition of a new attribute. See Step Four for Feature Type Adaptation
Submitting an Adaptation for Approval. Required before the Adaptation can be used unless the user is in an “AutoApproval” role

SDSFIE standard simply does not have a Feature Class or Entity Type which describes what I need to map. What do I do?

You may need to "Extend" the Standard to include features specific to your area. There are several reasons for a Standard. The two most commonly quoted are "Data Sharing" and "Standardized Tools and Training". In the earlier versions of the SDSFIE, extension was not forbidden, but was discouraged, because tools were not sophisticated enough to accommodate the flexibility required for extension.

Without knowing more, follow these steps:

Get a clear picture of the requirement
Determine whether the data you desire can be accommodated with other Entity Types; e.g. if you want to know what is on the ground in the forest, maybe you use another class, map that, and then take intersections of polygons to get what you want.
Extend the SDSFIE.
For more information regarding how to extend the SDSFIE please visit SDSFIE Adaptation

The SDSFIE is a DoD Standard. Details of implementation for DoD are on the basis of the Service Lead, who determines the policy for implementation. Outside of DoD, users are on their own for policy.

How do I add non-standard tables to an SDSFIE geodatabase?

Keep in mind that we are 'between' Release 2.6X0 and 3.0. If you are doing this in Release 2.6X0, you can put the 'extension' tables inside the geodatabase. That way you can create Relationship Classes and, using the Primary Key, link them. This makes the two table potentially appear as one in ArcMAP. It is called a "view".

In 3.0, you could add the attributes you want to the base SDSFIE tables, provided you 'registered' them on the SDSFIE.org web site. Over time, as we see who is adding what to what, we can make more intelligent decisions about what should become an "official" part of the standard

Generation

What is SDSFIE Generation?: Generation is the process of creating SDSFIE compliant schemas for holding and manipulating geospatial data based on the GIS Vendor specifications and desires of the user. Nearly all generation will occur by the web pages constructing a script which must then be run through the Vendor specific tools to create and modify the spatial databases. These scripts, along with instructions for their use are included in a zip download.

Validation

What is SDSFIE Validation?: Validation is the operation where users can obtain information regarding their degree of compliance with current or former Releases of the SDSFIE. Extracts of user datasets in a variety of forms can be submitted to the Web Site for verification, and a detailed compliance report is created for each element in the dataset. It is important to note that only successful Validations can be used as the basis for a migration. For Prior Release validations (2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.61), no specific adaptation is required. For SDSFIE 3.0, validations are performed against a specific adaptation or discipline.

Migration

What is SDSFIE Migration?: Migration is the operation where users can obtain assistance from the toolset in converting/transforming their data from one schema to another, remaining consistent and compliant with various versions of the SDSFIE, beginning as far back as Release 2.40. The concept of migration requires that the migrator tool know the current state, the "as is" as well as the future state, the "to be". Within the SDSFIE tool, the "as is" is a completely successful validation and the "to be" is a completed, approved Adaptation. It is important to note that only successful Validations can be used as the basis for a migration.

Migrations are the ONLY operation within the SDSFIE toolbox that actually modifies the content of a users dataset. For this reason, extreme caution should be used. Any time a dataset is modified, in any way, there is a risk of data loss. The entire process of validation and trial migration are intended to provide as much information to users a s possible to eliminate, or at least minimize, the potential for data loss during the process. It is the USERs responsibility to ensure sufficient safeguards are taken when preparing for, and executing migration. There can be no excuse for loss of data during this process.