Key Features
The key features of Bentley Map are described as follows:
| Key Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Based on MicroStation technology | MicroStation is the most powerful mapping and design environment available today. Bentley Map is based on MicroStation technology and takes advantage of its powerful capture, editing, display, and output capabilities. Companies around the world have been using MicroStation for over twenty years to produce high quality mapping. Bentley Map capitalizes on this experience and adds geospatial modeling and interoperability tools while preserving MicroStation performance and operation. |
| XFM (XML-based Feature Modeling) engine | The XFM (XML-based Feature Modeling) engine provides an extensible XML-based metadata driven framework on which geospatial feature classes can be modeled. For XM the XFM core has been updated to offer storage of attributes/properties in any of the MicroStation supported relational databases. Refer to the "XFM" section below for additional information. |
| "Map Management" tools and user workflows | Easy to use tool for managing feature information from all supported geospatial file formats. Attach files from any of the supported graphical sources and manage feature display in a common user interface. Functionalities including seamless mapping, scale-sensitive zoom, display priority and transparency support are provided. |
| "Interoperability" tools and user workflows | Bentley Map includes new tools to improve interoperability with other GIS formats. Directly reference ESRI® SHP files, MapInfo® TAB files, and others, or export your data into these formats for sharing with other groups on your project team. The interoperability tools include a unique interface for defining import and export processes. Easily import single files or entire folders of data. The data is automatically projected into the coordinate system defined for your current map. Your project and mapping data can also be exported into these formats using the same tool with full support of attribute data and projection. For users requiring more advanced interoperability capabilities, the Bentley Map FME Extension is provided that makes available many additional geospatial data formats and supports additional data conversion workflows. |
| "Oracle Spatial" direct editing interface | Oracle Spatial is fast becoming the standard method for organizations to store and manage very large volumes of spatial data. Bentley Map can edit data directly in any standard Oracle Spatial environment employing a feature locking mechanism for multi-user environments. Organizations can also take advantage of Oracle Workspace Manager capabilities (long transactions, versioning) to manage conflicts in an "extract, modify and post" workflow enabled by the Bentley Geospatial Server. It's straightforward for Bentley Map to maintain the topological relationships that may have been defined and stored in the Oracle Spatial database because Bentley Map uses the native Oracle Spatial topology model. Please refer to the " Oracle Spatial" section for more information. |
| Oracle "Texture Editing" tools and workflows | A texture is an image that can provide a photorealistic view of one or more parts of a feature. Textures are commonly used to visualize objects stored as spatial geometries. For example, a 3D building might use textures to produce a more realistic visualization than using just colors. Bentley Map provides tools to apply and map textures to Oracle spatial geometries. |
| "Oracle Spatial" bulk data loading application | Provides Oracle database administrators a command line application for loading MicroStation design file geometries and attributes into an Oracle Spatial database. Please refer to the "DGN2SDO.EXE Command Line Application" section for additional information. |
| Microsoft SQL Server spatial geometry direct editing interface | Bentley Map includes tools that allow users to extract, modify and post changes back to spatial geometries being persisted in a Microsoft SQL Server graphical source. |
| Textured 3D City Model Import/Export (A) | 3D city models are digital models of urban areas that represent terrain surfaces, sites, buildings, vegetation, infrastructure and landscape elements as well as related objects (e.g. city furniture) belonging to urban areas. 3D city models support presentation, exploration, analysis and managements tasks in a large number of different application domains. 3D city models allow for visually integrating heterogeneous geoinformation within a single framework and, therefore, create and manage complex urban information spaces. Bentley Map supports the import and export of textured 3D city models in CityGML format through the FME Extension. |
| "Thematic Mapping" capabilities | Easy to use thematic mapping functionality allows users to create choropleth maps for any of the supported geospatial file types. |
| "Buffer" generation and "Spatial Analysis" tools | Easy to use buffer generation and spatial analysis tools provide functionality allowing users to study the spatial relationships of their geospatial data. |
| "Print Preparation" tools | Easily place user defined print borders and have sheet models automatically generated. Print borders provide support for north arrow placement and user definable title block and legend information. |
| Advanced Map Finishing tools (A) | The "Advanced Map Finishing" tools add professional desktop publishing capabilities to MicroStation and provides a unique WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) on-screen display of graduated color fills, transparent fills, and element ordering and symbology. This enables the simple generation of professional publication-quality presentation graphics inside the MicroStation environment. |
| Cadastral Mapping Configuration tools (A) | The "Cadastral Mapping Configuration" tools can be used for developing and maintaining cadastral fabrics, including all node, edge and face relationships in a persistent topological model. Tools are provided to perform common split and merge polygon operations while automatically maintaining ownership information with user defined business rules. Support for creation, storage and retrieval of cadastral information in an Oracle Spatial repository is also provided. |
| Advanced Raster Processing, Point-Cloud and Scalable Terrain Modeling tools (A) | The "Advanced Raster Processing" tools can be used to perform additional raster editing and viewing workflows not available in the standard MicroStation environment, including the ability to view Oracle Spatial GeoRaster and raster grid data. For 3D, advanced tools for applying textures to 3D models are also available. Bentley Map provides users with advanced point-cloud processing scalable terrain modeling capabilities. |
(A) Not available in all Bentley Map product editions. Please refer to the "Product Editions" section for additional information.
XFM (XML-based Feature Modeling)
The XFM (XML-based Feature Modeling) engine provides an extensible XML-based metadata driven framework on which geospatial feature classes can be modeled. Following is an overview of the key features of this robust feature modeling framework.
| Key Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Properties | XFM Features and Operations can both contain properties. Property definitions are defined in the Bentley Geospatial Administrator and maintained as XML metadata or as rows in any of the MicroStation supported relational databases. |
| Data Browser | Provides a spreadsheet like graphical user interface which conveniently collects XFM feature properties from a file, view, fence or selection set. From the list individual or groups of feature instances can be selected for geo-locating or CSV, XML or HTML report generation. When feature instances are loaded from the active model, this spreadsheet like interface also provides bulk editing capabilities. |
| File Based Business Properties | File based business properties provides the ability to store attributes along with the geometries in a design file. This capability can be useful where disconnected editing is required and in environments such as Bentley's Content Management platform (ProjectWise) where having both geometries and properties under a single transaction model can be advantageous. |
| Criteria Expressions | Criteria expressions provide a way to test property values and then take the appropriate action if the criteria evaluates to TRUE. Criteria definitions can be used to determine symbology settings to apply, domain list to use and dialog items to display. These expressions can be assigned a name for simple reuse by multiple items or feature classes. |
| PBS - Property Based Symbology | PBS (Property Based Symbology) rules allow features to have their symbology determined by the value of properties stored in the feature. For example users responsible for maintaining electric facilities may want to define the color and line weight of a "Distribution Line" feature based on a combination of the nominal voltage and phasing. |
| PBA - Property Based Annotation | PBA (Property Based Annotation) rules that generate annotation text from a feature’s properties using either XSLT, VBScript, or simple expressions. The PBA expressions are similar in many ways to the MicroStation displayable attribute functionality but offer significantly more flexibility and customization capabilities. |
| Propagation Rules | Since feature instances can be comprised of one or more component features, XFM uses propagation rules to control how the individual component features are handled during element manipulation commands such as move, copy or rotate. |
| Domain Lists | Domain lists are XML formatted lists that provide valid values for a given property. Domain lists are typically used to populate combo-boxes and listbox items. Domains can be embedded in the property definition, defined in a named list that can be shared, or read from external ASCII files. |
| Feature Collections | Feature collections allow multiple graphic sub-features to define an instance of a single real world occurrence. This capability is often used to model geographically disconnected features such as water bodies or political boundaries. |
| Standard Operations Library | The Standard Operations Library contains a set of standard operations used to place, edit, and annotate features. Included are an extensive set of "Standard Placement Types" and "Standard Annotation Modes" which can be used to digitize and maintain most feature classes. When users find that they need to place a feature by a means that is not supplied in the Standard Operation Library users can build their own custom placements using either VBA or MDL. Help for generating custom placement applications can be found in the Bentley Map API documentation. |
| Dynamic User Interface | Allows the user to specify feature and operation specific dialogs, define prompts, define command tools and customize the existing MicroStation menus. The definition of these user interface objects are all defined in XML metadata. |
| User Defined Messages and Command Prompts | Standard XFM placement and editing operations have default user prompts associated with them. Functionality is provided that allows these default prompts to be overridden for application specific prompting. |
| Automated Metadata and Workspace Generation | All required XML metadata and workspace configuration files are easily created and maintained using the Bentley Geospatial Administrator graphical user interface. |
| Plot Scales | Functionality is provided which automatically adjusts the placement size of text and cell feature components based upon user-definable plotting scales. |
| Geometric Properties | For polygon and linear feature classes, geometric properties such as Area, Perimeter and Length are automatically calculated and maintained for respective polygon and linear feature instances. |