For the new scenProc feature to detect features from imagery I started to use the GDAL/OGR libraries. But since the OGR library supports reading many vector formats, I have now also add a new step that allows you to read in data through this library. It is called IMPORTOGR. The attributes are the same as you are used to for the other formats, you specify the filename, the optional geospatial filter and the coordinate system used in the file.

The big advantage is that the OGR library supports many formats. So this makes it possible to load even more data into scenProc. So you can for example read SHP or OSM XML. But also the binary OSM PFB, KML, GML and many many more.

Using the OGR library I think I also have better support for features with holes. Before that was only supported when reading from SHP and for complex features it didn’t always work. That should have been improved now as well.

The existing steps like IMPORTSHP, IMPORTOSM and IMPORTKML are now deprecated. Which means I will not develop them further and they will be drop in a future release. So you are advised to switch to the new IMPORTOGR step. Let me know if there are features that used to work in the old steps, but no longer in the new one.

One feature from the old IMPORTOSM step is not yet implemented, that’s the ability to filter on the attributes and only read the features of the attributes you need. I hope to add such a feature to the new OGR reader as well. Any ideas on what would be the most convenient way to do this are welcome. Assuming that you users are using this attribute to limit the memory usage.