![]() Tutorial - Lesson 1 - SPRING General ViewThe topics presented here are:
1. Systems Presentation
The SPRING (Georeferencing Information Processing System) product is a
geographic database of 2º generation, for UNIX and Windows environments with
the following features:
The SPRING is based on an object oriented data model. Its menus and spatial language LEGAL interface were designed based on the same objects. New algorithms, such as the one used for spatial indexing, image segmentation and triangular grid generation, give the required performance for a variety of applications. The SPRING was designed for the RISC architecture and the OSF Motif standard graphical interface. The SPRING presents a very friendly and interactive interface, besides, it has on-line documentation, both written in portuguese, facts that help the system usage and the user support. Another feature, considered extremely important, is that the database is unique, that is, the data structure is the same, no matter if the user works in a micro computer (IBM-PC) or if the user works in a RISC workstation, without data conversion. The same happens with the interface, which is exactly the same, thus, there is no difference about the SPRING operation. Based on these features the SPRING has been a very attractive package in the geoprocessing field as a shareware. It can be downloaded from the Internet ( "http://www.dpi.inpe.br/spring" ), just register in the SPRING home page. The SPRING is a product developed with Brazilian technology, completely implemented in the Brazilian Institute for Space Research - INPE , in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, a city known by the companies and institutes working with technology, mainly in the airspace field.
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2. SPRING DatabaseA SPRING database corresponds, physically, to a directory where the Classes and Categories definitions will be stored, as well as the database projects. The projects are stored in sub directories together with data files: points, lines, orbital and aerial images, thematic images, texts, grids and objects. Only the current user (the one logged in) can activate a Database if he/she has read permission, and only one database can be active in a working section. NOTE: A database is activated automatically every time that the SPRING system is loaded, always the last database used in the last section, or a different database defined in the Environment Setup window. The next figure shows the Database structure in the SPRING. Notice that any geographic data is represented by a Geo-field or a Geo-Object:
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Geo-field : "A geo-field represents a spatial distribution of a variable that has values in all points representing a geographic region." The geo-fields can be specialized in: ![]()
Geo-Objects : "A geo-object is a unique element that has non-spatial attributes and is associated to multiple geographic localizations. The location intended to be exact and the goal is distinguishable of its contour." Each geo-object is associated to one or more regions (or locations) in space. For instance in a map of urban registers, lots in the same neighborhood are stored and presented in a set (see the next figure).
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Activating a database:
- # Start - Programs - Spring - Spring(
Database
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3. SPRING Data ModelBefore the introduction of any data in the SPRING it is required to create/define the Data Model of the active database, because any information has to belong to a Category (a unique Model) that is: Thematic, Numeric, Image, Network, Cadastral or Object . The data graphical presentation characteristics (Visualization of areas, lines, points and texts) are also defined and stored together with the Database model. The user does not need to define all the categories at once, because many times it is not known everything required to reach the goal. At any moment it is possible to add or define new categories. Only the categories for the Thematic model are divided into Thematic Classes, and each class can have a different visual features, for instance:different colors for each soil type .
Data Model
Graphical Presentation - Visual Aspects
Color Selection
* See the visual aspects for Lines, Points and Texts.
Data Model
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4. ProjectsA project really defines the physical working area. It has to give a name, projection and bounding box to create a project. A sub-directory, below the database corresponding directory, will be created, and all data related to a given region will be stored in this directory. It is possible to have as many projects as one wishes, but only one has to be active at once. A Project can have a set of Information Layers (ILs), where these ILs have the same projection system . The original data from other projection systems, will be always remapped for the projection used in the project during the importing process or data input. That is why it is important to define a system adequate with data scale, anticipating also the cartographic products that will be generated. NOTE: A project inside a database is automatically activated after it has been opened in another section. The Spring stores the last project opened before exiting the system, or a determined project defined by the Environment Configuration window.
Projects
Projection
Projects NOTE : The "Control Panel" window is presented to the user together with the Spring main window when a project is activated, and it is in this window that the data selection and window visualization control happen.
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5. IL's Visualization
It is the Control Panel To select an IL over which any operation has to be performed, it is first required to activate it, or even, depending on the operation it is required to present it in the active window. Thus use both lists from the Control Panel: Categories and Information Layers .
When selecting an Information Layer (IL) the options to apply in the IL in the menu bar will be available in the main window. Depending on the operation it is not required a data visualization, only the selection is enough to perform over the active IL.
Control Panel Visualizing an aerial picture in the main window
Control Panel
Control Panel
Control Panel
Zooming the Drawing Area
Once there is one or more ILs drawn in any of the five windows, it is possible to amplify through another window, whatever is seen in a window. In the "Control Panel" use the buttons Zoom to amplify 2, 4 or 8 times the data in the drawing area. Move the cursor over one of the windows and the cursor position will be amplified, according to the selected option. NOTE : This zoom resource is really useful when one wants to localize control points with higher precision in the registration process in an image.
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Zoom Cursor
The Zoom Cursor (zoom) is used to define regions to be amplified in the
drawing areas. The zoom is enabled when this button is active or the mouse has
a small square shape ( The procedure to make a zoom requires 4 main steps: Þ Making a zoom in the drawing area:
NOTE: To disable the zoom cursor and return to the normal mode, just click
on the Point Cursor in the tools bar Once a zoom area is defined (dashed rectangle) this can be adjusted, before the [Execute] [Draw]. Clicking on any of the rectangle side lines or external diagonals, allow to redefine the rectangle's size (see the eight possible positions in the figure below). A second click is required to anchor a new position.
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The marked zoom area can be totally moved to another position, just click on
the internal part of the defined rectangle, drag the rectangle to a new
position and click again to anchor the new position. Visualization Window
The visualization windows or drawing areas are controlled in the "Control Panel ", the window position in the screen and the data being presented. Next the windows facilities will be presented. In the windows footnote area, just below the drawing area, presents a message to the right, indicating which is the active information layer, that is, the IL over which the operation will be performed even if the IL is not visualized in the window, and to the left, it shows the planes or geographic coordinates of the cursor position, in case it is enabled. To know what IL's are selected for visualization in that window just activate the corresponding window in the "Control Panel " and the (V) marks between parentheses in the Categories and IL's indicating which IL's and representations are selected.
The ILs presentation in the drawing area can be controlled by other parameters
that are defined for each window. In the footnote of each window (version
NOTE: When clicking on [Execute] [Reset] or button Coordinates presentation
Once the project is cartographically defined, it is possible to see in real time the cursor position, in planar or geographic coordinates, while it is moved over a drawing area.
Use the options button Inactive/Plane/Geographic that is also in the
footnote of each drawing area. (version Draw, Reset and Previous
The Drawing button
The Reset button
The Previous button Flying over the drawing area
The flying feature through the
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6. Exiting the SPRINGTo exit the SPRING (specifically the "Spring" module) the user does not need to be concerned about saving the data, that is, the information layers that were edited, are automatically saved. Only auxiliary files such as: context files for a classification and control points for a register, requires a saving operation.
Exiting the SPRING:
SPRING * In the Windows version, the environmental variables SPRINGPROJ and SPRINGDB are updated when the system shuts down, making the last database and project active when the "Spring" is started again.
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