Case StudyData Migration

Replacing Smallworld with GISMobil — with every vector, attribute and raster plan intact

SPIE SAG GmbH · Germany

The existing geographical information system Smallworld was set to be replaced by GISMobil. It was crucial that geographic data continued to be readily available in the GIS of the public utility company — the question was how to carry out this transfer in a clean and efficient manner.

Challenge: Replacing Smallworld with GISMobil while keeping all geographic data readily available for the public utility company.
Solution: X-Translator exporting the complete Smallworld dataset — vector geometries and georeferenced raster plans — for direct import into GISMobil.
Results: Complete, precisely aligned data transfer with no loss of quality, and an economical, time-saving migration.

01Challenge

SPIE needed a migration path that preserved every network detail already captured in Smallworld: raster plans that had been scanned and georeferenced, and vector geometries carrying complete attribute records — without rebuilding any of it by hand in GISMobil.

02How the data flows

01
Smallworld GIS
Vector network and scanned raster plans
02
SEPM X-Translator
Complete export, attributes included
03
TIFF + TFW · Shapefile + DBF
Georeferenced rasters, one file per geometry
04
GISMobil
Assigned by division, displayed individually

03Solution

Export with the SEPM X-Translator

The Smallworld data is exported using the SEPM X-Translator and transferred to the new GIS — raster and vector data each in a format GISMobil can read directly.

Raster data

The scanned, georeferenced, and trimmed raster maps are exported in the best available quality, with their geographical location information intact.

Best available, configurable export quality
Fully georeferenced in the desired coordinate system
The original raster filename is kept
Each file is stored in TIFF format with a corresponding TFW file for georeferencing

Individual raster maps listed by filename and displayed in GISMobil — Individual Smallworld raster maps in GISMobil — each TIFF keeps its original filename and can be displayed on its own.

Vector data

Vector data is exported complete, along with all attribute data, as Shapefiles from the Smallworld GIS. Separate files are created for each geometry, so they can be assigned to the correct division and displayed individually in the target system.

Each geometry's data record is stored in a DBF file, ready to be displayed in GISMobil.

Gas network Shapefile layers from Smallworld displayed in GISMobil — Exported Smallworld vector data in Shapefile format, including attribute data, displayed in GISMobil — one layer per geometry.

Nothing lost in the move

The data can be reused completely, with all geometry and attribute data intact. Scanned raster maps remain available as background information, so nothing is lost, and the vector data was read into the new GIS via the Shapefile format.

The approach is economical and time-saving, without any loss of data quality — and every transfer is executed precisely, ensuring all new models are properly aligned.