Relatively calm beginning of the year (without big projects received with "yesterday's deadline" or participation in exhibitions) gave us an opportunity to "clean the beachhead" and prepare to "new land conquest".

Strengthening of our current position comprised three components:

• We removed protection from our early ET 7.99 version and wished the package happy sailing. The version is somewhat more advanced as compared with the cracked ET 7.9. We do understand that this is the only way to introduce Easy Trace in organizations provided with software "from above", whatever attractive the latest version may be.
  
  Competition with ourselves has dual consequences. We lose something of course but not where they really count money. Effectiveness of the current version is at least ten times higher in all fields of application. Today, we consider the free version as an advertising, which will bring results in future.
• We began publishing of a new User Guide after a long break. Its final version should be ready in a month or two. The guide not only contains descriptions of utilities and tools but states our views upon optimal approaches to vectorizing.
  
  Improvement of program tools led to replacement of some recommendations for opposite ones. It doesn't mean that former approaches were wrong. We just could not realize many methods previously as effectiveness of intermediate stages does little without effectiveness of the entire process flowsheet - it something like chasm crossing in two steps...
• We thoroughly tested the new program build. It resulted both in bug correction and in backfitting of our traditional tools.

About "new land conquest" now:

• We have changed the integrated paradigm of data processing. Previously, individual raster documents "new nothing" about the project. We processed every image on its own, without taking other images and already generated vector data into account.
  
  This is not the case now, first of all at development of new utilities and tools focused on photo decoding. The lion's share of information in imagings is context-dependent. Accurate (vector) information about one kind of objects makes recognition of other objects much faster and more reliable, and vectorizing of multiband imagings requires joint processing of several raster layers by definition.
  
  We have laid the foundation of imagery data decoding, made some steps towards it, and ready to proceed.
  
  We also improve our tracing tools, the very base they are built upon. It is necessary for photo processing and vectorizing of 1:500 maps overladen with data. Now, one may expect "one-touch" extraction of objects.
  
  On top of everything: We do not claim to "already developed territories".
  We plan neither photogrammetric processing of imagings nor copying of common approaches to decoding. Our aim is to extract objects (artificial first of all) from high-resolution photos. This is the field where the program's shell and body of mathematics may be used in full.
  

• Project window. Image processing
  • Main operations of image processing has become accessible directly from the project window through the new Rasters menu. Now, you may process images against the background of vector or other raster layers. Advantages of this approach may be significant although if they are not obvious at first glance.
    
    For example, you want to prepare a raster layer of contrast spots. As a rule, it is necessary to apply Diffusion in that case to dissolve small defects and to smooth spot boundaries. That's nice, but where exactly should be vector contours after processing? Here, or may be a bit closer or farther?
    
    Opportunity to compare boundary position or object size with several reference vector contours completely solves the problem. Long manual correction of object size and position practically becomes a thing of the past.
    
• Project window (contextual menu)
  • Commands Select Image and Duplicate Image are added to the contextual menu. To open the menu, click the mouse right button somewhere in the working field.
• Spot Separation utility
  • This new image-processing utility is meant for segregation of spots from lines first of all as well as line extraction on the base of their width. Many valuable materials representing unique long-term observations are monochromatic - there were no color printers in time of their compiling.
    
    Data in such materials differ usually in line form and width; besides, fillings of different density are widespread. Recently, we had to process such images at data preparing for study of landslide dynamics in one of Japanese prefectures. Results look like that:
    




• Outline Contours utility
  • The utility has gained a new ability. It can vectorize color images now after some preprocessing. At that, two approaches are possible:
    • Use of color sets formed preliminary for filled areas with the Tools -> Tracing -> Color Sets tool;
    • Use of colors represented in the image. Generally, the image should be processed preliminary to reduce color number in it down to 5-10 (there are seldom more in topographic maps). The Image Segmentation utility is developed for this purpose. It is accessible through the new menu item (Rasters).
    The object of these innovations is quick vectorizing of thematic maps comprising homogeneous fillings. As usually, they were developed in the course of a real order for vector data preparing. Nevertheless, we expect them to be useful for many users as such fillings are rather widespread in thematic materials.
    
    Image segmentation will be integrated into the utility in the immediate future, and it will do the utility quite sufficient for processing of simple thematic maps.
    
  • Algorithm of outlining is improved. It works much faster now.
  
  
  
  
• Image Segmentation utility
  • This new image-processing utility accelerates extraction of subject layers out of color images. It is not a full value substitution of methods represented in our videos but works well enough in the case of high-quality or simple images .
    
    Final transformation of individual colors into black-and-white subject layers can be done by means of the Binarize tool.





• Imaging load from WEB
  • Access to new maps of GoogleMaps site from Easy Trace required manual correction of enquiries (change of the integer value after "v=" in a new enquiry). The program does it automatically now.
• Image linking
  • Navigation between missed reference points is added (these are points present in the table but not specified by the user in the image). Navigation is confined within the current image even if the table contains reference points for several map sheets.
• Combine Images utility
  • "Masking" option is added (i.e. "AND" -type combining). It generates a resulting image with an area belonging to both black-and-white source rasters.
• Autodetect Grid utility
  • Navigation between grid nodes by mean of F and V keys (traditional for Easy Trace) is added. It enables quick position control and correction for nodes recognized by the utility.
• Autodetect Ortho-Objects utility
  • Response to change of the "perimeter", "length", and "edge number" parameters in the Preview mode is quickened. Correctness of adjoining objects' orthogonalization is improved.
• Camber Editor
  • Effect of the tool on objects that knowingly have sharp bends (e.g., landslide contours or ground areas with natural boundaries) is specified more exactly. The tool forms line form in the vicinity of sharp turns better.
  • Tool control has become "symmetric" - extrusion and retraction of a bend take equal moves of the cursor.
  • When applied in topology mode (locked-in change of connected objects), the tool does not affect nodes and edges connected with objects of frozen vector layers.
• Group Editor
  • "Winding" parameter is added to conditions of query-based selection. It helps to discard (or on the contrary select) winding line fragments.
    
    As a rule, extraction of any subject layer captures inscriptions, conventional signs, etc. together with usefully lines. These irrelevant objects turn into vector artifacts after automatic vectorizing and hinder in line recovery.
    
    New parameter of the Group Editor allows you to select and delete most of these objects before breakup joining in useful lines of the subject layer. Manual editing may become 2-3 times faster after it.
• Circle Tracer
  • Units of approximation precision may be selected now at vectorized circle transformation into polyline. The value may be specified in pixels or in project units.
• Ruler tool
  • Angle measurement has become more habitual. The tool captures angle vertex rather than its "leg" at right button click.
• View modes
  • Right click on a view mode button opens a dialog box meant for adjustment of corresponding parameters.
    
    It is the Project Properties\ View dialog box for most view modes, Z Parameters for the View Z mode, the Project Properties\ Grid dialog box for the View Grid mode, and Image Transparency Settings for the mode of semitransparent representation of images.
  • Semitransparent screen output of black-and-white images is added; mode control is standardized (left button switches the mode on /off, right button - settings).
• Project Timer
  • This new toolbar is added for labor hours tracking at different stages of data processing. Timer does not count idle time. Time study of individual operations is necessary for calculation of lab our productivity (and therefore price of different kinds of activity).
    Previously, Timer was a part of the Project Properties dialog box. As a result, operators often forgot to stop it on operation completion and thus lost measurement results.
  • Double click in the time field opens the Project \ Project Properties\ Information dialog box. it contains information about total duration of the project and a field for notes (for example, you may write down results of the next metering there).
• Decorator tool
  • A field is provided for the Uncover Porch decoration tool where you may specify step frequency.
• Project Pictures
  • Icons are extremely convenient. These simple pictures substitute long and incomprehensible names of attributes and conventional signs. It is often possible to vectorize a sign and input its attributes correctly even without understanding of its meaning, just on the base of similarity with an icon.
    
    User interface of the Project Pictures dialog bog is improved. You may Drag & Drop, move, delete, create icons as well as create new folders to save them to.
  • Bug at loading icons with Russian letters in names is corrected.
  • Bugs that blocked icon selection from both an arbitrary folder and ET internal repository are corrected.
• Examples and instructions
  • The folder of projects-prototypes may contain subfolders now.

• Export \ Import
  • Export to DWG (AutoCAD): when options "Export objects basing on thematic displaying settings of the current project" + "Generate separate layers for objects with different values of the thematic key attribute" are on, attribute name is included into the layer name now (it was just a number previously).
  • Import from MDB (ArcGIS): optional image import from geodatabase is provided (with automatic transformation from Imagine format into TIFF).
• Debugging:
  • Inspector tool: the program saved the value of "Skip frames without visible objects" option incorrectly; it could result in unauthorized omissions of frames.
  • Autodetect Lakes utility: wrong deletion of source objects is corrected (the utility deleted all connected objects if at least one of them was recognized).
  • The bug is corrected: it was impossible to input negative values in numeric fields at domain setting (minus was not included into the set of admissible symbols).
  • Relink Image: wrong functioning in negative project coordinates is corrected - the program didn't consider end vertices of the real grid located in nodes of the mathematic grid rather than on the frame.
  • Add Image: Some small interface errors are corrected as well as WORLD-file reading - the program didn't read these files if they had empty lines between nonzero ones.
  • Triangulation error is corrected. Sometimes it caused intersection of triangles if their vertices formed an ideal grid.
  • Export \ Import:
  • The bug is corrected: at attribute export into ArcGIS (shp and mdb) field names in attribute tables were displayed incorrectly.
  • Error in determining of the resulting project area is corrected (reduction down to imported area only happened sometimes).
  • Autodetect Ortho-Objects utility: the bug is corrected, which caused wrong determination of the base direction for an object group.
  • Autodetect Grid utility: the bug is corrected, which caused sometimes program hang at grid segment transfer to a specified layer.
  • Shift \ Resize Polyline tool: logic errors at object selection and alteration are corrected.
  • Rasterize Vector Data: the program didn't save rasterization color into strategy and always suggested black.
  • Line types: The Line Direction mode is corrected.
  • Wrong representation of polyline width is corrected.
  • Wrong forming of the output file name at line type import is corrected. File name could be generated without extension.
  • Pulldown panels at line type selection were of wrong size sometimes - not all line patterns could be placed and the "Other line types" element could be overlaid.
  • Other errors:
  • Wrong functioning of the Editor in the "join polylines" mode is corrected. It could caused program fall sometimes.
  • Cut out Subprojects utility: small interface errors are corrected.
  • The bug is corrected - program fall in the absence of a project to be loaded at start.
  • The bug is corrected - loss of attribute patterns at domain editing.
  • The bug is corrected: Layer Manager opened the dialog box for line type selection for frozen layers.
  • The bug is corrected: it was possible to edit domains and attribute settings of frozen layers. Now you may only view them (OK button is inactive in both dialog boxes).
  • The bug is corrected: it was impossible to stop flows from the Status Bar, the progress indicating line and Stop button blinked.
  • The bug is corrected: when you moved to the next object at automatic opening of the Attributes dialog box, object selection was only possible after you closed the dialog.
    
  • The bug is corrected: at deletion of values  (or their descriptions \ icons) from a restricted domain it stopped to be restricted by the specified set of values after project reloading only.

During the year 2009, our company actively participated in different exhibitions and conferences - not only traditional geoinformational ones (GEOFORM+, DATA+), but also specialized (NAVINTEH-EXPO, Sovzond), thematic (MIGAiK), and up to "2009 ESRI European User Conference".

Participation in very different actions was directed at review of the geoinformatics market and clarification of the "role and place of vectorizing in the modern society". As a result, we got a rather unexpected (but may be quite predictable?) impression:

Technology and documentation:

• Easy Trace project more and more becomes a all-sufficient entity. For example, our project-prototype contains not only an adjusted qualifier and data structure but also strategies (parameter sets) of utilities to be used at all stages of the work.
  It has become necessary to think about project-related documents, i.e. instructions. The project manager should be sure that operators have all technical specifications and technological instructions close at hand.
  To add instructions to the project, put them in the Docs subdirectory. These may be MS Word documents or PDF files. References to the instructions get into the Help menu at project loading and thus the documents may be opened from Easy Trace directly.
  
  
  
  

Data exchange :

Easy Trace efficiency is in many respects ensured by simplicity of mutual data exchange with target GISes. Absolute correspondence of the working environment is achievable only for an integrated vectorizer of course but such programs inevitably inherit "the weight of former errors" typical of any highly-developed system environment. As a result, they do not "fly" - speed and effectiveness of their utilities always have limitations.

That is why our vectorizer retains a certain conditionality of data presentation and its own interface focused on specific tasks of vectorizing. Nevertheless, easy data exchange with different GISes and CADs is a matter of our constant efforts.

• ArcGIS export/import is updated for compatibility with ArcGIS version 9.1 and later. Our previous version of data exchange with ArcGIS was developed for the current at that time ArcGIS 8.x. When ArcGIS 9.х was released, we saw that its COM-interfaces underwent a very thorough change and Easy Trace actually could not interact with the new ArcGIS version (apart from documents of the old version, and with difficulties). Now we have improved the situation:
  
  At import from ArcGIS, data may be taken from a personal geodata base (MDB-files) or from ArcMap documents (MXD-files).
  
  Both data structure (layers, attributive tables, coded value domains and subtypes) and vector data themselves (taken from spatial object classes that contain points, polylines, polygons, and annotations ) may be imported to Easy Trace.
  
  Besides, import of raster classes (i.e. registered images) is provided.
  
  For every spatial class selected for import:
  • Easy Trace generates a layer in the project (by default, it has the name of the class being imported).
  • Easy Trace generates an attribute table of the same structure as the imported class has (excepting service fields containing object identifiers, polyline length, polygon area, and the type of geometry) .
  • "Value"-"Description" pairs will be written to the corresponding attribute tables in the Easy Trace project on the base of Coded Value Domains. It will be done also for Subtypes. The attribute that determines the subtype becomes the key for thematic presentation in Easy Trace.
  • If the Import settings only option is off, spatial objects (vector entities) and their attributes will be imported .

  Image extraction from MDB and its linking to the Easy Trace project will be done for every raster class selected for import. As Easy Trace does not support MDB's format of images (Imagine), every raster will be saved as a TIF-file in the project folder. It may take some time.
  
  At import from an ArcMap document (MXD-file), it is possible only to import layers of the current Map. In addition to data from the geodatabase, the following information will be taken:

  • Colors of imported layers remain as in the ArcMap document.
  • If different presentation of objects based on unique values of one of their attributes is provided in the MXD-document for the imported layer, attribute values and their corresponding colors become parameters of thematic presentation (Attribute Display Settings) of the corresponding Easy Trace layer.
  • Besides colors, polygon fillings based on raster templates are partly being imported. The limitation is connected with the fact that Easy Trace supports black-and-white templates only. Any color template of ArcGIS will be transformed into a monochrome one.
  • Easy Trace imports also simple linetypes (that correspond to system ones) and provided point markers.
• Import Wizard is improved in the part common for all formats:
  • you may input parameters of the project generated at import (units, scale, and DPI of the virtual image) explicitly or "ask" the program to calculate them on the base of data being imported;
  • Easy Trace copies images into the project folder at import, if the corresponding option is on;
  • log-file is changed: the program writes nothing into it but shows it in the final dialog box together with import (export) phases and error messages. The same is true for Export Wizard.
  


• Image-to-project linking is updated. Before the alternation, it was possible to see what image was taken, where to it has got in the project and if it corresponds to vector after linking only. Now the image is visible as a part of the project just after the first step of linking (input of the minimal required information).
  
  This approach makes this relatively difficult stage of vectorizing more transparent and simplifies it for novices.
  
  
  Another important change is the possibility to relink the image. It is a logical development of our technique of exact correction of the image based on ALL nodes of the grid (about 400 points in the case of a standard 1:100 000 topographic map sheet).
  
  It is no secret that vectorized topographic maps are often of low accuracy. The Panorama package (GIS MAP 2008) for example registers images using only points on the map frame. At that all distortions in the map (caused by printing, storage, scanning) remain and therefore the electronic map simply can not be exact.
  
  Easy Trace suggests the following approach:
  
  
  1. Image linking to project without any correction, as it is - an easy operation, just several clicks;
  2. Extraction and vectorizing of the "black" subject layer;
  3. Automatic recognition of grid lines ;
  4. Exact correction (relinking) of the image based on all crossings of grid lines with each other and with the map frame.
  Operations 1-3 were automatized earlier, but relinking required several operations. Our new Relink Image option simplifies the process.
  
  Other innovations in image linking:
  
  • Automatic linking of a large group of images (with the help of registration files) is added. There is no need now to link every image individually when you want to input a big raster coverage into Easy Trace (one of an entire city for example, if topological check, correction, and optimization of vector data is intended).
  • Possibility of automatic image copying into the project folder is added. It is useful at project transfer to another working place without any risk to lose raster files.
  • The Hide Automatically option is provided for all stages of image-to-project linking that minimizes the dialog box when the cursor is outside it. It is convenient for estimation of linking results.

Imagery decoding

If the task is more complicated than area calculation at oil spillage or estimation of burnt wood, one may be sure that photo decoding will be mostly done manually.

Lately we started gradually "to stalk up" to some problems of space imagery decoding. In the course of our work for the Rapid Eye Company we had to recognize some areas basing on a series of criteria and considering FOUR photos at once.

Strangely enough, most objects were extracted applying the trivial operation chain Diffuse - Contrast Enhancement- Brightness-based Filtering. After it, the objects were automatically outlined. But in a number of cases groups or chains of small objects were extracted instead of big spots. The following improvement was done for their quick aggregation:

• The Enclose tool received a new option - contour smoothing with a user-specified approximation. It is provided for quick forming of encircling contours around groups of selected vector objects. Final shape improvement of the contours was done with the Camber Editor.
  
  

We had to control accuracy of received vector boundaries applying four photos taken at different time. As it was rather tiresome to switch images on and off all the time, we elaborated a special view mode

• The Synchronize and Split view mode divides the working window into 2 or 4 parts, and you may select the visible image individually in each of them. Project positioning and scale in the split window are synchronized - all the parts always contain the same zone of the project.
  Vector editing and navigation in the image may be done in any part of the window. The mode is extremely time-saving if several images are required simultaneously to control vector data.
  
  
  
• Usually, two images are sufficient for vector control. For example, that is true for vectorizing of a color map with a superimposed color photo. It is enough then to use transparent image superposition instead of the Synchronize and Split view mode.
  
  Easy Trace supports transparent presentation of color images through black-and-white ones for a long time. It is convenient at semi-automatic vectorizing. But comparison of two full-color images (a map and a photo or two photos made at different time) requires rigorous control of transparency. A new video-mode for concurrent presentation of full-color images is called Image Transparency .
  
  
  
• Recognition of the road network is a typical task at imagery decoding. Regular rows of city blocks in photos just put the idea of automatization into one's mind. For example, it is possible to input points at road crossings applying the dynamic scaling mode of the Point tool and then somehow link them with lines.
  
  This idea was realized in the new utility Generate Grid from Points. You just put points at nodes, start the utility, and the network is ready. It will have some false segments most likely and some others will require editing but on the whole it accelerates and simplifies the process notably.
  
  One may run the Buffer Zone Generation utility after network forming to get polygonal coverage of roads.
  
  
  
  By the way, agricultural grounds in foreign photos often look like neat sets of rectangles separated by country roads. As a matter of fact, this utility was developed for them.

Tools

• The Copy option is added to the Group Editor submenu. Just after copying the tool starts the Move Objects mode. The same is true for the Copy/Paste keyboard command (Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V) if a group of objects is selected with the Group Editor.

Utilities

• The Blocks dialog box is updated. Group deletion of blocks is added. Besides, the "Show standard symbols" option is provided.
  
  
  
• At thematic attribute-based presentation of vector objects, their color, linetype, and markers depend on their attribute value. But object presentation returns to the conventional one at object selection and visual check of attributes becomes impossible.
  This inconvenience is partly compensated by thematic color in the Line Sample field at editing. For point objects, the field contains a line of the color selected for thematic presentation.
  
• Simultaneous work of the Auto and Sort flags became possible in the dialog box for attribute input / editing. Previously, sorting of the pulldown list was impossible if the automatic input option was on.
  
• Exact correction of all grid cells in a topographic map becomes even more convincing if the project contains the ideal vector grid. The Relink Image dialog box is supplied with the Generate Mathematical Grid option now. Just look at it:
  
  
  
  
• As Text objects can have attributes since recently, we added thematic presentation for them based on attribute values. It is possible to adjust thematic presentation of text in the present release of Easy Trace.


• It is possible now to import strategies of subject layer extraction from another project.
  
  
  
• The Topology Correction has received the "Convert common vertices into nodes" option.
  

  
  

Bug correction:

• The bug is corrected: the program wrote wrong time in the TAB file at MIF export, and MapInfo could not load this file with "No columns" message
• The bug is corrected: there should not be points in column names at MIF export.
• The bug is corrected: at import of raster layers with transformation, any transformation was considered as one demanding rotation (correction), that prohibited from import.
• The bug is corrected: it was impossible to link a jpg-image to project applying a raster registration file.
• The bug is corrected in the Shift/Resize Polyline tool.
• The bug is corrected: at qualifier loading the program didn't execute name search for standard blocks.

• The first vectorization stage – new project creation – has become extremely simple. It is enough to import frame (project boundary) from target GIS and new project will be automatically created. It is especially convenient when data are prepared not from “zero”. For example, when it is necessary to update vector data basing on imagery data.

• Any information is used to become out of date. Sooner or later your vector data will require to be updated. But the cost of satellite imagery is still unpurchaseable. On the other hand the number of free cartographic services in WEB grows permanently. And Easy Trace offers new feature – Load imagery from Internet.
  
  After loading in Easy Trace data from your GIS you can easily “cover” them with available satellite images. At that it is not necessary to know parameters of your local coordinate system – they can be automatically defined by means of new tool.
  
  Nevertheless the accuracy of imagery reference is not enough. And so, after linking of loaded images they can be subjected to correction based on existing vector or image data. The process is simple and takes several minutes. You can take a closer look at it with video Using imagery from Internet for data renovation .

• It is often happen to hear that accuracy of paper topographic maps is extremely low. That everything (as always) should be realized anew. On the other hand, it is assumed that referencing image by means of 10 frame points perhaps to be acme of perfection…
  Yes, there is a grid on the map image and every cell coordinates are known – by who takes to code more than 400 crosshairs? And who exactly points them at the image and never is wrong?
  So with using of image grid everything is as in saying “so near and yet so far”.
  Everything has been exactly so… till recently. Today Easy Trace offers new facility – Precise image correction basing on coordinate grid.
  
  It is logical completion of technological chain:
  “Black” image extraction.
  Auto-vectorization and grid detection.
  Precise image correction.
  
  Whole correction is reduced to call of Relink Image utility. How it works you can see in videos. But everything should be paid. Accuracy charge is necessity to repeat (after correction) the operations of black image extraction and grid detection. But it takes just several additional minutes – insignificant charge for the material quality that is succeeded to reach.

  
  
  

• We consider the development of interactive object recognition tools to be very promising direction of digitizing automation. In contrast to traditional tracing tools they work not over image but over vector data resulting from automatic tracing. More precisely, they work over vector data that remained after using of automatic recognition utilities.

  The advantages of such approach are as follows:

  1. as distinct from image vector lines are already sewed together and filtered;
  2. when constructing a line it need not to be traced – it (or most of its fragments) already exists;
  3. line can be extracted from such scarps heap where traditional image tracer goes crazy.
  
  
• The Line Searching tool can work in two modes of route choice: Auto-search and Cursor Tracking. When in second mode, even if target line is very long and lacerated, it can be enough to specify two points – at the beginning and at the end of line.
  


• The utility Ortho-object detection is re-worked. It efficiently extracts ortho-objects from maps of different scales. For example, when processing topographic maps, it can extract up to several thousands of city blocks at once . At that it can classify extracted blocks by sizes basing on user defined patterns.

  

  
  

  The ortho-object detection algorithm is also improved. At that when processing maps of vast scales (1 : 500 – 1 : 2000) it is possible to recognize objects having non-orthogonal edges. The example of utility working can be found here.

• The new mode of fast rectangle generation if implemented for Rectangle tracing tool .
  The destination of this mode is fast digitizing of large number of rectangular objects of the same type. For example, when developing targeted plan basing on imagery. After digitizing one rectangle one can copy it just pointing it with right mouse click and then quickly place other rectangles of the same size. It is clear that one can copy and place vector rectangles of any size.

  When placing a rectangle near existing polyline (for example, block boundary) , the rectangle orientation is automatically adjusted to this polyline, and its vertices are snapped to the polyline with making common vertices or nodes according the topological rules.

• Attribute processing is stigmatically re-implemented. At now they are loaded into memory along with project data. This noticeably accelerates object attribute access during utilities execution and thematic displaying of objects. Besides, now attribute changing can be cancelled by means of UNDO operation (and, correspondently, can be restored with REDO operation). This applies both to attribute values and attribute structure modifications.

• New operation, Other, is added in selecting objects by query, in Group editor. This operation is available for attributes having restricted domain values. This allows selecting of objects having incorrect attribute values, not constituent into domain. These objects can appear after importing objects from other sources or after moving (or copying) objects with attributes from one layer to another one. Before such objects could not be selected by query and one should “catch” them by means of attribute table browsing.

• Shift \ Resize Polyline Tool is improved.
  Currently it can modify several objects at once. The objects can be previously selected with Group Editor or pointed with holding SHIFT key.
  This facility appears as means of fast processing of large number of small-size polygonal objects (for example, lakes). During image processing and following auto-tracing such object can be diminished, and there can be several thousand of such objects per map sheet.

• The thematic displaying of objects selected with editor is improved.
  Currently the selected displaying is closer to thematic one. For polygon object thematic fill pattern is used (but not standard as before), and for point displaying thematic block is used.

• The approach to relief contour processing is revised. Before, at elevation assigning stage, the contours were separated into different layers depending on their types. Then, after elevation assignment and verification, all contours were moved to one layer (that is more natural for GIS approach). Currently all contours can remain inside one layer during whole processing, and their type can be defined by value of specified attribute.

  This relieves the relief processing of a number of operations that were not difficult but slightly unusual for GIS-users.

  Correspondently, the window of relief parameters setup has been changed:

  • The whole list of possible layers containing contours and elevation points should be defined beforehand.
    
  
  
  • The way of contour type identification can be defined either by layer (as before), or by specified attribute value.
    
  
  
  • The display parameters of all contour types are defined it the same window. Before one could specify only line width, but its type was taken from layer parameters.
    
    

  

• Import Wizard is re-worked:
  • For a number of imported formats the automatic creation of new project is available. This allows avoiding the determination of project bounds because they are automatically defined during importing.
    
  
  
  • The attributes import is changed: if imported data contains attributes they are imported into corresponding ET project structures. If these are no appropriate structures in the project they will be optionally created. One can restrict the import to vector data importing only if there are no corresponding tables and the option of their automatic creation is switched off.
    
  
  
  • When importing another ET project all attribute settings are imported (domains, attribute prompt icons and fill patterns).
    
  
  
  • The proper import of smoothed curves from DXF is realized. Before reference points were falsely imported along with curve points.
    
    
• Export Wizard is re-worked:
  
  
  • SHP and MIF formats, the new options added that allows exporting block inserts as point objects without additional attributes (type and slope).
    
  
  
• The Layer Manager window is essentially re-developed.
  
  At the moment this window works over the project window not blocking up other tools, and all modification made in it are immediately applied.
  
  
  • The visibility control marks are added into the group tree.
    
  
  
  • One can delete not only groups (folder) but also layers. It is convenient when integrating data received from several operators during layer-by-layer “conveyer” processing.
    
  
  
  • When group is removing all its components (both layers and subgroups) are moved to upper level, but not to the root as before.
    
  
  
  • Currently there are always exactly two groups at the tree root. And these groups always have fixed names – “Image layers” and “Vector layers”; they can be neither removed nor renamed. There are no layers at the root – all layers are distributes between 2 main groups and their subgroups. And they can not be mixed: i.e. it is impossible to move image layer to vector layer group and vise versa.
    
  
  
  • Multiple drag-and-dropping of layers and groups are implemented.
    
    
  
  


• Layer \ Object Attributes dialog are re-implemented. Currently it is called just “Attributes”. Project Databases dialog is removed as not wanted. The layer and the object type are currently selected in the same Attributes dialog.

  
  
  

• Object Attributes dialog is corrected:
  
  
  • Before when showing of Domain Item Parameters dialog, it receives the value of current attribute but not the value of thematic one.
    
  
  
  • After closing Domain Item Parameters dialog there were no updating in the Object Attributes dialog (though picture and description could be changed).

  
  
  

• Project Properties window is re-developed.
  • The pages Options and View that before were contained in Project Parameters dialog are moved to this window. Also Topology rules setting pages are moved here.
    
  
  
  • Navigation between property-pages is executed by means of pages tree at the left pane of the window.
    
  
  
  • At Coordinates property page, the project frame definition is implemented in the same way as in Project Creation Wizard – frame field that displays selected frame side and allows switching to corresponding coordinate field by click.
    
  
  

  
  
  

• Text Styles dialog are improved. The ability to selective or multiple item removing is added.

• Incorrect displaying of line types after export is fixed. Also incorrect line type import into ETL format is fixed.

• At importing one ET project into another having different scale, proper line type displaying is improved.

• Import and export of line types having commas in names are corrected. Some errors in AutoCAD LIN format import are fixed.

• At exporting into AutoCAD DXF and DWG formats, the restriction to exported symbol names is added.

• At exporting MIF, the bug is fixed: column names can’t contain points.

• Buffer zone generating utility: the bug with point zone generation is fixed.
  

• Create Project Wizard is improved. As remote processing of projects (by students - freelancers for example) becomes widespread, project mobility is more important now. That is why a strictly standard directory tree is provided together with automatic copying of all the data required for remote work.
  
  
  • Easy Trace automatically generates a standard folder at project creation for all the images linked to the project;
    
    
  • The "Copy raster to the project folder" option is added; the image will be copied together with the registration file, if exists;
    
    
  • the project scale field is corrected (previously, rounding at DPI-based calculation generated inaccurate figures - 10018 instead of 10000 and so on).
    
    
• The Raw Line Filtering utility is the main tool at vector line preparing for reconstruction of their arc-and-node model after automatic tracing. It automatically detects and repairs typical flaws of vector line connectedness. In some map sheets it may do dozens of thousand alternations of vector data. That is why any improvement of the utility is extremely time-saving. So:
  
  
  • new processing of T-junctions is added. These may be river tributaries, junction points of polygon boundaries, etc. The processing should be done separately, after correction of other vector artifacts;
    
    
  • Artifact correction is based on analysis of connected vector objects' lengths and angles. The thicker are lines in the image, the larger is the zone of uncertain direction near nodes after automatic tracing. The program calculates directions now with a setback from nodes. The setback value depends on the thickness of raster lines;
    
    
  • priority processing of artifacts is added. The change the priority (execution order), move the artifact name up or down in the artifact list;
    
    
  • current parameters of artifact search and correction may be saved as a strategy. There may be several strategies in the project prepared for data of different types - relief contours, roads, hydrographical objects, etc. It is possible to import strategies from another project. Import overwrights strategies of the same name, add new ones, and does not alternate the rest.
    
    
  
  
  
• The Outline Contours utility may be used rather non-typically. For example, good tracing of small lakes in the centerline mode is rather problematic. Their contours "collapse", thin and elongated contour parts may be clipped. But lake outlining may work almost ideally. As resulting contours are a little widened, the utility has now an option for compression/widening of contours received by tracing along outer or inner boundaries.
  
  
  
  
• The Autodetect Lakes utility is improved significantly. It has preview now, and the objects to be recognized may be specified on the screen directly. Some new options
  are added:
  
  
  • cutting-out of inner polygons (islands);
  • deletion of "rubbish" objects within recognized polygons;
  • merging of adjacent polygons;
  • saving of recognition strategies;
  • an area is added for context help on all parameters of the utility;
  • the algorithm of adjacent polygons merging and search for inner polygons is improved.
    
    
  
  
  
• The Autodetect Circles utility is completely revised. Both utility design and the concept of use are changed. The utility may seem to be not so useful at first sight as round objects are rare in maps. On the other hand, there are a lot of topographical signs based on circles, and application of the utility depends on your imagination...
  
  The simplest way to use the utility helps to "discharge" the project after automatic vectorizing. After deletion of circles, it is easy to restore lines that were adjacent to them in some way.
  
  Automatic vectorizing of dot lines (borders of vegetation) gives another example. You may outline outer contours of dots and then recognize them as circles. Transform them into strokes and fulfill Breakup Joining to get accurate boundaries.
  
  Another example - automatic tracing of altitude marks. Outline outer contours of the marks and transform them into points. Then mark the points and use automatic navigation to review them and input altitude values (and delete irrelevant ones).
  
  
  
  
  • First stage of recognition is assessment of diameter size distribution in the image. The distribution is represented as a frequency diagram;
    
    
  • You may specify diameter ranges for circles to be ascribed to different layers in the histogram directly and place them into the table;
    
    
  • You may edit these diameter ranges in the table or by selection of circle examples on the screen;
    
    
  • Preview mode of the utility shows you objects that will be recognized as circles at the current set of parameters. To correct parameters, just click objects on the screen.
    
    
• The Autodetect Orthogonal Objects utility is changed:
  
  • the interface is altered ;
    
  • an area is added for context help on all parameters of the utility;
  • saving of recognition strategies is provided. Once selected parameters may be used in all projects - clones.
    
    
  
  
  
• The Generate Inscriptions utility is a powerful tool that let you control correctness of object attributes. Attribute input may be very unhandy in case of a complex polygonal coverage composed of thousands of polygons (soil maps for example).
  
  The Group Editor enables quick input of identical attributive values for a group of polygons. But it was impossible after generation of inscriptions to correlate uniquely a polygon and the inscription that corresponds to it. So, check-up of attribute data correctness was difficult.
  To avoid the indeterminacy, the insertion point of every inscription is now always placed within the corresponding polygon.
  
  
• The Polygon Subtraction utility is added to the Topology group. It is intended for coordination of polygonal layers with common boundaries. A typical example is subtraction of polygonal objects - "islands" from polygonal objects - "lakes".
  
  To control correctness of alternations at subtraction of polygonal layers, you may mark polygons responsible for common boundary forming during the operation. Use the automatic navigation for quick review of all marked objects and check-up correctness of the alternations.
  
  
  
  
• The Create Polygons utility has now the "Cut out inner polygons" option . When you form a polygonal cover on the base of the arc-and-node model, you needn't any more search and cut out embedded polygons manually. Together with automatic tracing and processing of T-junctions (a new option of vector filtering), this option dramatically accelerated vectorizing of complex polygonal coverages.
  
  To see an example of automatic vectorizing of an extremely "dirty" polygonal coverage, click here (part 1 | part 2)
  
  
  
  
• The Convert Objects new utility has systematized options of object type transformation. The utility enables some unusual methods:
  
  1. Use the Topology Check-up utility to find crossings of rivers and roads;
  2. Convert error marks at the crossings into point objects (bridges and fords);
  
  The utility makes all reasonable conversions of object types including exotic ones ( "circles - strokes "). So:
  
  
  • the utility has substituted options of block and circle transformation previously accessible in the editing mode;
  • the utility enables mutual transformation of all point objects: points, blocks, circles, error marks, text;
  • the utility may be activated both from the Utilities menu and Editors' submenu (for conversion of selected objects).
    
    
• Shears: polygons completely coincident with a cutting contour are protected from changes. It means that when you select lakes as cutting contours (to delete ends of river lines inside them) you may be sure that the lakes themselves will not be cut out.
  
  
• Some improvements are made in the Contras Enhancement raster tool:
  
  
  • output ranges should be adjusted separately for every color channel;
  • maximum and minimal limiters of the sliders in the ranges correspond to 0 and 255;
  • better evaluation of ranges at automatically determined percentage loss;
  • 
    
• The Diffuse and Unsharp Mask raster tools apply a round mask now. The factor in the Diffuse dialog box is changed.
  
  
• The Resample and Color Mode (adaptive palette) raster tools works in the multithreading mode. Color distortion at stretching with interpolation (up to 10% of brightness) is corrected.
  
  
• Cyclical selection of images linked to the project is provided for the Crop/Clip tool. To select the image, press down the Shift key and click the mouse left button.
  

• The bug is corrected that hung the program at image opening from a project if the working window was divided with the help of the Window -> Split command .
  
  
• The bug is corrected that caused sometimes a fall of the program at new layer creation (for example, if the only layer was one called "0")
  
  
• Tool bars "remember" their position now; the program shifts the working window if the bar is outside it.
  
  
• The bug is corrected: incorrect default values of attributes of the "Date" type.
  
  
• Clipboard bug is corrected that caused a fall of the program.
  
  
• The bug is corrected at color mode transformation into 256 colors (adaptive palette).
  
  
• The bug is corrected that caused a fall of the program at object editing / deletion if the attribute table was opened.
  
  
• The Eraser tool could cause a fall of the program at polygon deletion in the vertex deletion mode.
  
  
• A wrong message is corrected at 3D polyline processing by the Camber Editor.
  
  
• The bug is corrected: the Undo command didn't function after automatic detection of the grid.
  
  
• The Undo command after Line Form Optimization works significantly (8 times) faster
  
• The bug of the Create Polygons utility is corrected: if there are more than 8190 vertices in a polygon, the program automatically divides it now and forms two polygons.
  
  
• Import from the SHP format could be interrupted by the "out of Memory" message (for files containing invalid records). Now, the program informs you about incorrect file format and tries to search for the next valid record.
  
  
• Bugs of project creation are corrected:
  • project field was inaccessible for editing without an image
  • after a change of projects units, they were incorrectly represented in the fields of coordinate field borders.
    
    

There is a dilemma we faced with in the course of recent projects.

On the one hand, we prepare ALL color images for automatic tracing. Every individual stage of image processing is simple - students cope with it just after getting acquainted with our software package.

On the other hand, forming of an effective flow chart is a nontrivial task, even more so after the package has gained a lot of new utilities for automatic processing.

We see the way out in use of movies. One may wright a lot of instructions and hope that somebody will read them... But they will never stimulate the keen interest (delight sometimes!) we see when demonstrate data processing in Easy Trace at exhibitions. So, we decided to prepare video-files first and than supplement them with descriptions and instructions. Click here to examine what we have time to do by now.

There is a serious problem in digital cartography today - lack of digital cartographical data standards (including both data structure and the way of presentation). Additional mess is caused by a big number of companies - newcomers in this field. Fortunately, a kind of self-organization is forming now among our customers. In increasing frequency they use different qualifiers based on the so called "Lukoil qualifier".

Experts of the DATA+ company developed different versions of this qualifier. By their authority, several prepared qualifiers are integrated in Easy Trace as projects - prototypes to provide easy start for new users. These projects are also examples of vectorizing that show WHAT to trace, HOW to do it, and HOW does it look after tracing. You will find the examples here.

It does not mean however that we confine ourselves within the bounds of one approach to data vectorizing. For example, another prototype and technology are provided for users of the Panorama software.

In our opinion, even now abilities of the Easy Trace package are sufficient to accelerate processing of ANY material IN SEVERAL TIMES. What presents some difficulties is the problem how + to assemble individual "bricks" - utilities into a flow chart. Click here for examples of some "processing lines".

• Parameters Bar of some tools (Eraser, Camber tool, Point tool) have now buttons to start video illustrating the tool function.
  
  
• Step 1 at new project creation is noticeably revised:
  
  
  • You should specify project name and path at step 1 now. Easy Trace forms a subfolder in the folder you have specified. It has the name of the project and in turn contains folders for auxiliary files of the project.
    
    
  • A new project may be based on a user-specified project-prototype or on one of our standard prototypes. Data structure for these standard projects is developed by leading experts of the company DATA+ - the distributor of ESRI products in Russia. 5 standard projects-prototypes are available, on the scales from 1:100 000 to 1:2 000.
    
    
  • Design of the Coordinate System Definition page is changed. A frame is added that highlights the current coordinate of the project field. You may click a side of the frame to select the corresponding coordinate of the project.
    
    
• The Autodetect Grid Utility was tested and improved in the course of several projects. It is particularly useful at vectorizing of color topographical maps on the scale 1:50 000 - 1:25 000. These maps fit well for automatic vectorizing when the grid is deleted.
  
  Scanning inevitably creates a thin color halo around black lines. It causes distortions of line form at grid crossings with lines of other colors and "adhesion" of closely spaced lines.
  
  Surprint of the vectorized grid into the image deletes defects of color lines and makes other black objects available for automatic tracing.
  So, in the current release:
  
  
  • Algorithm of grid detection and correction of individual nodes' position is improved.
    
  • The "Generate an ideal grid " option is added . It deletes vector fragments of real grid and saves an ideal grid to the specified layer, i.e. forms horizontal and vertical polylines having common vertices at grid nodes.
    
    
  • Grid forming considers the specified area now (the area of autotracing by default). The utility forms grid nodes only within the area and trim the grid along the borders of the zone.
    
    
  • The "Area" button is added to start specifying of the grid forming area. You will see an error message if the zone is not defined (empty).
    
    
  • Color selection for presentation of the grid, detected fragments and borders of the grid forming zone is added.
    
    
• The Generate Points Along Polylines Utility is improved. It may now optionally generate points at a user-specified interval or on polyline vertices only. At that, point duplicates are not allowed.
  For example, you may automatically detect the grid by the corresponding utility, receive a set of points corresponding to grid nodes, and then use them for exact correction of the image.
  
  
• The Autodetect Swamps Utility proved to be very useful at such a labour-intensive operation as forming of polygons that represent swamps in the map. It was a manual operation as a rule, but now the utility automatically forms correct smooth polygons with holes.
  
  Quality of resulting polygons depends mush on correct selection of parameters for the utility use. The process is simplified now - direct selection on the screen is provided:
  
  
  • Selection of parameters for stroke detection is similar to one in the Raw Data Filtering Utility. Click the "Apply" button to see the strokes detected by the utility at the current set of parameters. To change these parameters, specify skipped strokes on the screen and then click "Apply" again to estimate the result.
    
    
  • The utility substitutes real vector lines recognized as swamp strokes for idealized stroke images. It simplifies both search of skipped strokes and estimation of vector strokes' correspondence with the image.
    
    
  • At stage 2 of swamp detection, after forming of polygons, you may specify the minimal area admissible for resulting polygons and for holes. To do it, click the visible or supposed contour of the polygon / hole with the mouse left button.
    
    
  • Right click cancels the last (unsuccessful) change of parameters and restores their initial values.
    
    
• Some new options are provided for the Outline Contours Utility. They simplify automatic tracing of a number of different objects:

• After tracing you may save:
  • All contours;
  • Only external contours;
  • Only contours without holes;
  • Only internal contours.
    
    
• Vectorize (from within!) only holes and apply the Autodetect Circles Utility for automatic search of all symbols representing trees and bushes. Then sort them by diameter and substitute for corresponding point objects;
  
  
• Vectorize buildings and blocks as "Contours without holes " and apply the "Autodetect Orthogonal Shapes" Utility to form their correctly oriented polygons.
  
  
• Vectorize "Only external contours" of small objects for AUTOMATIC FORMING OF DOTWISE LINES. To do it, first eliminate contours of dots in dotwise lines with the Group Editor applying the "number of vertices criterion". Imprint remaining contours into the image. Apply image thinning and mask filtering "Strokes from dots ". Vectorize the image and delete all lines longer than three vertices. Make "Breakups Joining", at that select the option "treat short lines as points". That's all. The entire process takes 5-7 minutes and allow forming of up to 90% of dotwise lines.
  
  
  
• Apply your imagination to invent other versions of data processing...
  

• The Autodetect Orthogonal Shapes Utility is refined significantly. It works well now for data on the scale 1:500 and 1:2 000. (video ). The following improvements were made:
  
  
  • The utility detects objects consisting of tens of individual elements. For example, an image of a summerhouse connected with fence lines consist of twenty elements, and a dozen of them form the contour itself.;
    
    
  • The utility detects conjoint objects and orthogonolizes them together. These are for example houses with a common wall or a house and adjoining front garden;
    
    
  • Preview is added to estimate autodetection with the current set of parameters;
    
    
  • To fit parameters of detection automatically, click objects on the screen. Right click to cancel unsuccessful change of parameters;
    
    
  • Automatic change of selected objects' presentation just after change of selection parameters;
    
    
  • The algorithm is insensitive to small gaps in the contour. The utility detects such contours along with closed ones;

  We recommend the two-stage detection of orthogonal contours. First stage: allowable deviation from the original contour is 15-20%, with deletion of original polylines. Second stage - with parameter adjustment by specifying of remaining objects on the screen. AT that, deviation from the original contour may be 30% and more.
  Permission of a large discrepancy at the first stage may cause loss of short edges.

• Some new options are provided for the Autodetect Circles Utility. Several parameters are added that increase its functionality.

  • Similar to the Autodetect Orthogonal Shapes Utility, contour of the circle may consist of several fragments connected by common vertices or nodes. It means that circles will be recognized that are components of such conventional signs as pits and hillocks;
    
    
  • The "Line thickness in the source image" parameter is added that allows estimation of possible defect size in circles and thus detect even objects with gaps in contours;
    
    
• Fields are added to specify possible range of circle diameters;
  
  
• The "Allowable deviation from the original contour"  parameter allows to limit admissible faultiness of objects that will be recognized as circles;
  
  
• The "Maximal deviation from the template diameter" option lets you to specify allowable spread in values for every standard diameter to be recognized;
  
  
• Preview is provided to estimate autodetection of circles with the current set of parameters. When in this mode, click objects on the screen to adjust parameters of detection automatically;
  
  
• The dialog box of the utility is a modal one. It means that you may select other tools (e.g., the Ruler or an Editor) while it remains open.
  
  
• The Autodetect Lakes Utility emerged from the technology developed for tracing of blue ("hydrographical") objects in color images. It helps to vectorize and "cut out" from the image polygons of water bodies to accelerate tracing of the river net. So:
  
  
  • The utility recognized lakes dissected by lines of the grid as a set of polygons previously and recognition of rivers with bridges could be unsuccessful at all, as the program considered resulting small polygons as a noise. Now it merges neighboring polygons into one and carries out filtering of vector "rubbish" after it.
    

• The Rasterize Vector Data Utility can now rasterize vector points and circles as circles of a user-specified diameter. Together with the Autodetect Circles Utility, it helps to relieve the image of already vectorized objects. Subsequent automatic tracing and joining of gaps in polylines successfully restore the shape of linear objects damaged by numerous circles.
  
  
• Topological utilities - strategies from other projects may be added to the current one without total substitution of the current set of strategies. Groups with unique names in the current set will remain, and groups of the same name as ones selected for adding will be substituted.
  
  
• The Topology editor is a necessary tool for pooling of vertices after automatic tracing. As a rule, this correction of nodes' location should be done before Line Form Optimization.
  Points of convergence of 4 edges are represented usually by two nodes with a very short edge between them after automatic tracing. The Editor automatically deletes such short edges now as they are within the pooling radius.
  
  
• The Camber Editor :
  
  
  • Control of camber size and direction at transition from "bending" to "stretching" is improved. Previously, it could cause abrupt change of the contour shape or even loss of the contour. As you need "press" an object for auto-selection, it happens rather often;
    
    
  • Some bugs are corrected at tool use in the automatic mode.
    
    
• The Shears Tool is useful at connection of neighboring map sheets or interfacing of polygonal and linear objects. After joining of map sheets, you may fulfill cropping along the project boundary. At object interfacing, use the Group Editor to select all polygonal objects and then cut off and delete all line ends within the polygons with the Shears.
  
  
  • As there may be a lot of polygons to be joined with linear objects (up to 4 000 lakes in a map sheet from our experience), the operation takes much time sometimes. We have altered its algorithm to accelerate the work in 50-100%.
    
    
  • Some bugs are deleted.
    
    
• A new option is provided for automatic travel from one error/correction mark to another - "Place in the center of the screen". When on, the current error mark (or correction mark, or marked object) and the cursor will be forcedly shifted to the center of the working window, even if the mark was already within its visible part.
  
  The option is useful at correction of objects' junction points. As a rule, such correction requires only one click in the Cleaning mode (Стягивание вершин) of the Topology Editor. Together with tagging of such points by the Topology Check-up Utility, it accelerates correction significantly.
  
  The option is in the Others page of the Service > System Settings menu.
  
  
• Clipboard for vector objects (Copy / Paste) is restored. It is a convenient alternative of import at copying of individual objects from one project to another. Project field will be extended automatically if the copied object is outside its borders.
  

• Operation Log for image processing:
  
  
  • Multiline data output is provided for tool parameters;
    
    
  • The set of data to be logged is increased for some image processing tools;
    
    
  • The program logs now the name of the used strategy (a named set of parameters provided for some tools).
    

• Data import - Objects having coordinates inadmissible for the field of the current project may be skipped at import. Previously they caused automatic interruption of the operation. The program will ask you if to break or continue import when it meets the first such object; next objects will be skipped without questions but logged in the report together with their coordinates.
  
  
• Data import from AutoCAD:
  
  
  • Empty text in a block does not interrupt the operation any more. At that, the entire block may be skipped if it has no valid elements;
    
    
  • Some bugs are corrected that could lead to failure of the operation.

• Icon manager - the "Собрать" command is added. It resets all used icons and deletes unused ones. After it, a report will be generated which contains the list of all not found icons.
  
• The dialog box for attribute editing - if the list of possible values together with corresponding icons was too large, it could exceed the bounds of the screen. List scrolling is provided now with the help of the mouse wheel or the slider in the dialog box.
  
  
• The "Blocks" dialog box:
  
  • "Delete All" button is added ;
    
    
  • A diagnostic message is provided for the case when a block can not be deleted (included in other blocks);
    
    
  • Screen output of blocks is improved (previously, it could exceed the bounds of the project field).
    

Corrections and alternations:

• The " Save As" command is eliminated as the program generates an individual folder for every project now, and there may be only one project in it not to make a mess of database files.
  
  
• Explicit specification of the image to be vectorized is now required for utilities of automatic tracing and outlining. Previously, the program vectorized all visible images that could cause a shift of the resulting vector from the center of lines in the image.
  
  
• The Create Subproject Utility now forms correct references to images of the new-made subproject. Previously the links were with images of the initial project.
  
  
• Decorators: style saving for the Fill Area tool is corrected.
  
  
• Doubling of objects to the specified layers by the Group Editor:
  
  
  • Doubling to the current layer (previously impossible) is provided;
    
    
  • An error message will be generated now if you select a frozen layer as a target one. Previously, the operation didn't work without any explanation.
    
    
• Navigation to the last (or the only) error mark could be done one time only. The bug is corrected.
  
  
• At semiautomatic tracing, autoclose in the "red" mode preserved screen output of the deleted polygon part and even requested attributes for it (if the corresponding option was on). The bug is corrected.
  
  
• Object selection by a query in the Group Editor didn't allow to search among already selected objects.
  
  
• The bug is corrected that caused loss of records from the Operation Log for image processing after a series of Undo/Redo operations.
  
  

This version of the package contains alternations done during realization of a very large project. We had to revise some fundamental utilities to meet the requirements of the customer, mainly because of huge . data volume.

Extraction of 500 subject layers by itself was a great deal of computation. And when we saw that one correction of the map containing about 500,000 objects took several days, we just had to take urgent steps...

It resulted in new approaches to vectorizing based upon new algorithms. Previously we fulfilled time-consuming correction at final stages, and now it became a part of operators' everyday work.

Quick utilities of image processing enabled us to "draw out" information from overcompressed JPEG files. We saved them as .TIFF, doubled and used these 700 MB images for automatic vectorizing.

On the whole, this project changed our opinion about "what is possible" in automatic vectorizing of color images. We managed to process overcompressed e-copies of deformed, shabby and "colored" originals.

See below about these and other alternations in the package.

• The Sag Editor (details ), received a lot of new abilities. Similarly to the Topology Editor, the tool alternates all linked objects but unlike the former it edits not only one common point - you may now alternate boundaries of adjacent polygons without fear to destroy the polygonal coverage. The number of objects forming a common succession of vertices is unlimited.
  
  
• Three main utilities of the Topology Group, i.e. Topology Correction, Topology Check-Up and Topology Optimization are completely revised. The same is true for the management of test sets.
  
  Individual tests may be grouped into strategies basing on subject or any other feature (e.g., correction \ check-up of Hydrography, Relief, etc.) It means that a series of tests may be started with one click and enables you to verify topology correctness at all processing stages.
  
  Topology check-up is not a time-consuming operation any more - we elaborated new algorithms for these utilities, which accelerated them in more than ten times .
  
  All the utilities were tested in the course of a real project. Processing of material containing more than 500,000 objects took several hours.
  
  More about alternations in every utility:
  
  

• Topology Correction can now :
  
  
  • distinguish reference and variable layers, i.e. changeable objects and objects with fixed geometry (generation of new vertices change the fixed objects of course but just minimally);
    
    
  • fulfill differentiate operations of correction - forming of common vertices at crossings, tightening of line ends, superposing of vertices, adjustment of common boundaries. Each operation has its own snap distance for changeable objects.
    
    
  • the Adjust polyline edges new operation corrects efficiently common boundaries of polygons and more difficult situations - polygon borders formed by lines of other subject layers (e.g., a river or a road as a boundary of a forest). At that, it does not create a line consisting of vertices taken from all the objects to be adjusted. Instead, the border corresponds to the initial polyline of the reference layer, the program only adds vertices required for connectedness (entries and exits of polygons to/from the common boundary).
    
    
  The dialog box for management of correction task sets:
  
  
  
  The dialog box for correction task forming:
  
  
  
  
  
• The Topology Check-Up Utility:
  
  
  • distinguishes reference and variable layers similar to the Topology Correction Utility;
    
    
  • separately check-ups intersections and self-intersections of different types: "Cross"-intersection, overlapping of segments, coinciding vertices;
    
    
  • new tests are added: polyline intersection with polygons, lack of coincidence with reference lines, doubling of points;
    
  • new error marks are added.
    
    
  The dialog box for management of test sets:
  
  
  
  The dialog box for test forming:
  
  
  
  
  
• The Topology Optimization Utility:
  
  
  • can simultaneously optimize artificial objects (represented by broken lines) and borders of natural objects (curves);
    
    
  • enables selection of layer "freezing" strategy: you may completely exclude frozen objects and parts of other objects common with frozen ones from optimization or optimize parts of frozen objects common with other objects.
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Check Polygon Cover Utility is completely revised:
  
  
  • strategies are provided: management of strategies is similar to the utilities of the Topology Group described above;
    
    
  • algorithm improvement accelerated the utility and helped to eliminate fictitious errors at check-up of incomplete polygonal coverages.
    
    
    
• The Search for Kinks utility is alternated :
  
  
  • management of strategies is similar to the utilities of the Topology Group described above;
    
    
  • Kink (violation of line smoothness) search criterion is changed. It has two options now - "angle less than" and "length of one segment less than" , that may be used independently.
    
    
  
  
  
  
• The Group Editor is cardinally revised :
  
  
  • selected objects may be marked now to simplify their processing after automatic tracing. Together with the Unverified Objects Indication view mode and mark-to-mark navigation, this feature forms a real conveyor at vectorized data finishing;
    
    
  • attribute values may be selected from the domain, using descriptions instead of values;
    
    
  • direct check-up of closures is added;
    
    
  • the "Combine conditions"field is provided that enables to use the "OR" flag for selection criteria;
    
    
  • the "Divisible by" criterion is added for numeric fields;
    
    
  • a tooltip appears if an attribute value is too long for the field;
    
    
  • it is not necessary to enter all criteria manually any more, instead you may specify them per sample. Select an object-sample with the Editor and click the "Brush" button in the bar. All attributes of the selected object will be copied to the selection criteria list.
    
  
  
  
  
• The Create Polygons Utility is improved:
  
  
  • a new, more correct and effective algorithm is applied;
    
    
  • interface of the utility is changed.
    
    
  
  
  
  
• The Generate Inscriptions Utility is completely revised:
  
  
  • interface of strategy management is changed - they became explicit and a dialog box is provided for them similar to strategy management in topological utilities;
    
    
  • interface of inscription setting for objects of a specified type is revised;
    
    
  • The "Insert text inside polygon" option is added.
    
    






• The Autodetect Ortho Contours Utility has new algorithm and interface:
  
  
  • it can detect objects consisting of several segments, which form a closed contour;
    
    
  • The Side Ratio parameter is added to avoid false recognitions at processing of automatic outlining results (to delete strokes and short fragments).
    

• The Lake Detection new utility is provided. It recognizes polygonal objects after river net autotracing. The utility greatly accelerates vectorizing of maps containing plenty of small lakes (several thousands per one sheet in our project).
  
  If a lake is represented by a series of individual segments after automatic vectorizing, the utility combines them into one object.
  
  
  
  

• Filling color and type may be specified for selected polygons. A field is added for this purpose to the "View" page of the Project Parameters dialog box.
  
  
• The Medial Line of Polygon Tool works better - it has new algorithms of line forming and optimization. The tool's Parameter Bar is alternated.
  
  
• The progress bar for background tasks shows percentage of fulfillment.
  
  
• View mode does not affect representation of marked objects any more and ceased to be an alternative one. (Actually, it is not a view mode any more).
  
  
• The program always fills selected polygons nonmetering the flag "Fill polygons ".
  
  
• You may click any point inside a polygon (not necessary on its border as it was previously) to specify the area of action for some vector tools (Automatic Tracing, Gap Removing, Inspector, Crop Image, etc.).
  
  
• The Line Direction view mode may be now applied together with the Thematic View. At that, lines are thin and have direction arrows, other parameters depend on attribute values.
  
  
• Some shortcomings are corrected for the Ruler Tool
  
  
• At prototype-based project creation, the program does not copy information about prototype project processing any more.

Bug correction:

• The bug is corrected: after object scission in the Thematic View mode, the new object was shown as if it had no attributes.
  
• The bug is corrected: mark deletion was impossible for the last marked object.
  
  
• The bug of autoclosing is corrected, which could increase the time of the operation in large projects.
  
  
• The bug is corrected that caused fall of the program at project closing during background loading of images.
  

• The bug of broken line optimization is corrected that caused incorrect processing of fixed ends in closed polylines.
  

• The bug is corrected that slowed down the program badly at attribute list-form browsing.
  

We have accomplished several really hard projects since the last Easy Trace news publishing. It would have been reasonably perhaps to refuse from processing of ruined materials but we knew we would manage because Easy Trace is the fastest vectorizer for cartographic data.

This time we played on a strange ground - prepared data for the Panorama system. What is more, we had to be as quick as a fire-brigade - there were only three months for elaboration of a new process flowsheet. Certainly, we provided it with new tools. Some of them are Panorama-specific, others will be useful for ALL (I am sure!) our users. When two of the tools were ready we just forgot about previous approaches - these tools seem to replace most Editors in future. You will see the conveniences for yourself.

The project we are finishing now was fulfilled without semi-automatic tracing - only automatic tracing with subsequent editing or manual tracing in the worst sites. All the maps were color ones, in the form of badly compressed JPEG files 440dpi (it means, less than 30 Mb remained from a 150Mb image). Difficulty of isolation of thematic layers from such images is obvious for anybody who ever tried to do it.

Nevertheless, we managed to vectorize automatically:

- swamp outlines - up to 3500 lines per sheet.
- ponds, rivers, isobathes - up to 5000 objects per sheet
- all relief contours.

All objects drawn in black were also vectorized automatically.

Automatic tracing of black objects is particularly successful. Up to 2500 correctly directed contours of individual buildings out of about 4000 per sheet were vectorized automatically in Italian topographic maps. Automatic vectorizing of roads and other infrastructure lines became possible after the utility for grid line deletion and automatic filtering of vector scraps were elaborated.

A funny story happened with new technology development for dot line tracing (borders of vegetation). We realized that the program already had everything necessary. And this technology helped us a lot as there were up to 2500 polygons with dot boundaries per sheet.

On the whole, we have passed a difficult exam and proved that out package is really good for big and complicated projects. Our apologies to those who got accustomed to new versions every two months. Further still, that's again a beta-version, and a full-value HELP will be ready in a month. So, let me introduce...

• First of all, a new tool that is (now) extensively used at automatic vectorizing. Our new operators don't understand how we managed to work without it. The tool was developed when we had to correct up to 15 000 (!) thalwegs per map sheet. (SUCH discrepancies of river channels and relief seem to be drawn on purpose!)
  
  Anyway, the tool was elaborated, tested, improved and included in this release of Easy Trace. We called it Camber Editor. t's too difficult to explain its functioning in words. Just see the movie.
  
  
• Vector Eraser learned to cut lines in the last release. The tool do it much faster now, even in projects with hundreds of thousands of lines. Round shape of the tool marker is improved. The "Fix current mode" option is added. Erase modes may be changed without compulsory pressing of SHIFT or CTRL.
  It remains to provide the tool with the the Polyline Joining option, and together with the Camber Editor it will substitute almost all the tools used at correction of automatic tracing results. See the movie.
  

News below are grouped in accordance with the flowsheet of color image vectorizing:

• Recently, extraction of thematic (subject) layers began with copying of the initial image with subsequent linking of the copy to the project. Now you may duplicate images in the Manager of Layers. To do it, select the image and open the contextual menu with the right button.
  
  
• Logging of thematic layer separation is improved and debugged. Effectiveness of automatic tracing is directly dependent on quality of thematic layer forming. It is rather difficult to remind all the parameters successfully used in the previous project. But now you may just look through the LOG-files generated separately for every extracted layer.
  
  The journal of raster operations is accessible during thematic layer separation. You may also look over operation fulfilled in past working sessions.
  
  

  
  

• If run on a multi-processor or multi-core computer, most raster utilities provide paralleling of operations to accelerate the work.
  
  
• Values of channel level exceeding in the Subject Layer Extraction dialog box may be negative now. Quality of thematic layer separation increased significantly. That's why we were able to trace color images in the automatic mode completely. Interface of the tool is also alternated, namely:
  
  
  • Earlier used sets of parameters for extraction of every color may be saved as strategies and used again;
    
    
  • Switches are added for estimation of every parameter's individual effect upon the result;
    

• We constantly used deletion of already vectorized data in our last projects. Only swamp contours were an exception as they were traced first. The swamps were then deleted at extraction of the Hydrography layer to enable automatic vectorizing in this way
  
  Even at extraction of black lines, vector lines of rivers and polygons of ponds were "imprinted" into the image. It was done as river and isoline intersections are represented by large black (blue + red) points that will complicate automatic vectorizing of dot lines. So, the following alternations are made in the Rasterize Vector Data utility:
  
• dialog box design is changed ;
• option for forming and saving of raster processing strategies is added;
• width of lines and polygon borders may be specified separately;
• simultaneous rasterization of lines and polygons is provided;
• you may rasterize fill polygons or their borders only in every layer.
  

• Density of lines in some color images requires scanning at 600 dpi and more, otherwise neighboring lines stick together without any gap. On the other hand, high resolution makes line width equal to 6-9 pixels, too much for easy processing. The Image Thinning utility solves many problems, allows mask filtering use and effective separation of raster lines and points.
  
  
• The following chain of operations gives an image suitable for automatic tracing of dot lines: Mask Filtering (Deletion of small raster scraps) + Image Thinning + Mask Filtering (Hachures of points). The "Hachures of points" filter is very simple but it first allowed automatic tracing of dot lines.
  
  
• The Merge utility for image joining is alternated. It can now both merge images into a united cover and subtract one image from another. For example, you may delete small objects (points) from a thinned image and subtract the new image from the initial one to receive an image of points only.
  
  Furthermore. Frames of topographical maps are not strict rectangles. One had to use vector borders of such images' visible parts to merge them. Now, the utility provides image merging applying the borders specified by the Crop / Clip Image tool.
  
  

  
  

• The Gap Removing utility (after automatic vectorizing) is revised. Significance of the utility increased after elaboration of Line Filtering. Deletion of small gaps increases reliability of filtering a lot, and control on admissible angle between line ends separates "repairing" of straight (smooth) and meandering lines. So, you may first join most reliable line segments, then filter the image (to delete vector scraps) and repeat gap deletion with milder parameters. The following alternations of the utility are made:
  
  

• The "Don't cross barrier layers" option forbids line joining with crossing of objects belonging to the specified layers. For example, relief contours will not be joined through relief elements.
  
  
• The "Treat short lines as points" option allows joining of small segments with neglect of their directions - you may restore a line turned into "beads". This ability is also used at restoration of dot lines.
  
  
• Control on admissible line convergence angle helps to avoid mistaken joining at "repairing" of straight or smooth lines.

• The Line Filtering utility is completely revised, tested at processing of several hundred images and proved to be highly effective. One example only: the program inevitably vectorizes slope direction markers (berg-strokes) at automatic tracing of relief contours. Lines can not be joined automatically at these sites. Automatic deletion of small branches helps to avoid 1000 and more manual operations per map sheet.
  Alternations of the utility include:
  
  
  • Dialog box design. Parameter input is more obvious now and has corresponding promptings;
    
    
  • You may input selection parameters by specifying corresponding artifacts on the screen;
    
    
  • Filtering of additional artifact types is provided;
    
    
  • Line joining at problem sites may be done in a specified way;
    
    
  • Automatic navigation from one detected problem site to another is provided. It helps to estimate correctness of filtering parameters;
    
    
  • Once selected filtering parameters may be saved as a strategy and used again.
    
    

  

• The Autodetect Swamps utility is improved. It was rather experimental previously, but at digitizing of Murmansk Region maps we used it to form more than 400 000 polygonal objects. In a turn, it allowed subsequent imprinting of swamp polygons into initial images and automatic vectorizing of other water objects.
  
  The extracted Hydrography layer should be subjected to Mask Filtering (the Extraction of swamp hachures strategy) and automatically vectorized before applying of the utility.
  
  Alternations:
  
  
  • Deletion of short strokes only if failed to join them with neighboring horizontal lines. It helps to restore a lot of damaged initial data;
    
    
  • Forming of smooth curves above upper hachures that neatly close swamp contours;
    
    
  • User-specified elongated of hachures is provided to compensate their contraction at detection and automatic tracing;
    
    
  • Parameters of hachures may be input by example specifying just on the screen. Groups of hachures may be specified by crossing;
    
    
  • Algorithm of resulting contour smoothing is improved;
    
    
  • Lurking of vertical distance in the hatching helps to eliminate parasitical hachures.
    

  
  
  

• The "Inspection" view mode is alternated. The mode is designed for systematic review of vector data before final joining, line form optimization and control. The following options are added:
  
  
  • Arbitrary shape of the zone to be inspected. The options notably decreases the share of "empty screens" at inspection of non-rectangular projects;
    
    
  • optional skip of the screens without visible objects.
    
    

• Settings of vectorizing, vector merging and automatic vector data processing are based on the length of vector elements measured in image pixels. The Ruler tool is revised to make the measurements easier:
  
  
  • Measured distances will be recalculated at DPI, scale, or units change if they were measured in a unite different from pixels.
    
    
• Editing of the Distance field with DPI recalculation is provided for all units but pixels.
  
  
• Automatic visual attachment of the measuring line to vector objects is provided.
  
  
• A new tool is developed to simplify correction of automatic tracing results - Adhesion/Bridge Correction.
  
  
• The line Form Optimization utility is deeply revised:
  
  
  • Strategies of line form optimization may be used now. Parameters specified in the prototype project are accessible in all the projects based on it;
    
    
  • Lines of different length may be processed separately. For example, you may mildly (without curve undercutting) process small closed contours and more strictly (with kick removing) - long polylines;
    
    
  • Bug correction: smoothing of contour closure segment is improved;
    
    
  • Bug correction: processing of fixed line ends at use of the Broken Lines filter;
    
    
  • The "Always fix line ends" option is added . At line form optimization in a layer that is already connected with other layers (for example, lines of rivers are connected with contours of other water bodies) this option preserves the connectedness;
    
    
  • A cell with promptings is added to the utility dialog box.
    
    

    

    
    
• The Topology Correction utility is updated. We use it now actually at all vectorizing stages. For example, line editing after automatic tracing includes the operation of line end pulling to relief elements. Naturally, we do it with the help of the Topology Correction utility. Alternations:
  
  
  • All available tests may be done at one run of the utility;
    
    
  • Reference layers don't interact any more.
    
    
  • The utility ignores bridges in polygons with holes.
    
    
  • If frozen layers are mentioned in strategies, they will be skipped at correction;
    
    
  • Frozen layers are visible and accessible in the layer tree at test specifying. It allows test forming without compulsory unfreezing of these vector layers.
    
    

Alternations in editing tools and utilities:

• Dynamic scaling is added to the Point tool. There is a temptation at point vectorizing to zoom out and thus accelerate the process, especially as text inscriptions are well visible all the same. As a result, most vector points miss centers of corresponding objects... But it is possible to combine wide field of view and accuracy now:
  
  
  • click the mouse left button approximately at the point center and KEEP IT PRESSED;
  • the point "comes near " and appears in the screen center;
  • position the marker correctly KEEPING THE BUTTON PRESSED;
  • RELEASE the left button.
  
  See the movie .
  
  
• The "Enclose" tool is developed and placed to the Special Tools bar. It forms a contour around a group of specified objects (for example, houses). See the movie.
  
  
• The "Shears" ( "Split Line Group") tool is revised. We used it a lot for separation of large vector data massifs (several completely vectorized sheets).
  The following alternations are made:
  
  
  • polygonal objects selected with the Group Editor automatically form a set of cutting borders when you take the Shears. For example, you may vectorize polygonal water bodies and then cut off ends of rivers that cross the contours;
    
    
  • the tool cuts polygons correctly (does not tear them in separate unclosed lines);
    
    
  • cutting areas may have holes; besides, they may cross each other,
    
    
  • processing in individual flow. There is a progress indicator, and you may interrupt the operation. While cutting, you may work with other images or other projects;
    
    
  • an option is provided for processing of some layers only, i.e. you may protect other layers from accidental cutting.
    
    
• The Topology Editor is notably revised and became more convenient:
  
  
  • the last edited object becomes current and selected, just as in the Individual Editor;
    
    
  • some editing operations (close, delete, reverse polyline, change the layer, etc.) are now accessible through hot keys for the current (selected) object.
    
    
  • an option is added that switches the snap mode on/off. You see the snap point before the operation and will not be surprised by the results.
    
    
• The Polyline (Individual) Editor is improved:
  
  
  • the tool checks Z-coordinates (heights) at polyline joining. If both values are admissible but different, the program asks for confirmation. If one of the values is inadmissible (the special value in Z settings, zero as a rule), the second one will be assigned to the resulting polyline. It is impossible now to join two polylines with different Z values by accident;
    
    
  • bug correction: when you wanted to join polylines with a common vertex the program didn't exclude these objects at way selection, and copied a part of one line. Now this way is forbidden and the lines will be connected by a segment - you will see an erroneous joining at once;
    
    
  • bug correction: self-copying at joining of adjacent line fragments if you specified the line end remote from the common vertex. The program always joins adjacent fragments correctly now.
    
    
  • the program asks for confirmation when you try to delete a polyline consisting of many vertices. The number of vertices can be specified in the "General" page of the "Project Parameters" dialog box. It is impossible now to delete a long line by accident.
    
    
• The Block tool is revised:
  
  
  • selection of insertion angle with the help of mouse wheel is provided. Use of block objects became a much more common practice. For example, you may create a rectangular house contour block, quickly insert such blocks with insertion angles "as in the image", and then "explode" them, i.e. change into usual polygons.
    
    
  • visual support of possible snap points is provided now;
    
    
  • insertion angle base depends on block orientation now - the program counts off the angle from the standing axis for vertical blocks and from the horizontal axis for horizontal blocks.
    
    
  • the list of used angles is canceled. In the Fix Angle mode, you may select a value from a predetermined set (from -180 to 180 deg. with 45 deg. step) or input the value manually.
    
    
  • the "Settings" button is added to the Parameters bar. It opens the "Block Tool Settings " dialog box where you may specify the step of angle change with the mouse wheel and switch block grouping by their layers in the block menu on/off.
  
  
• The Text tool is revised:
  
  
  • The Parameters bar of the tool is alternated.
    
    
  • Text height may be measured in mm now (including custom tools created on the base of the Text tool).
    
    
• The Band Polygon tool is revised :
  
  
  • Optional smoothing of the resulting polygon is added. A button in the Parameters bar opens a dialog box where smoothing parameters (yes\no, filter, approximation accuracy) may be specified.
    Smoothing is particularly important when you form polygons out of vectorized objects - river channels of constant width for example. We usually vectorize one boundary of such objects in the automatic mode and then apply the Band Polygon tool. Smoothing results are most evident at sharp turns of rivers.
    
    
• The Current Layer field and the pulldown layer list are improved:
  
  • When you try to switch off the visibility of a layer with selected objects the program does not inform you about impossible operation but just makes the objects unselected and reinitialize Editors.
    
  • You may froze/unfroze layers in the layer list now without opening the Project Layer Settings dialog box.
    
    
  • You may unfroze a layer and change its visibility at object selection with the Editor. Previously, it was necessary to open the Project Layer Settings dialog box if you wanted to transfer an object from a frozen layer to another one.
    
    
    
• The Layer Manager (Project Layer Settings) is alternated:
  
  
  • Similar to raster layer doubling, the new "Duplicate Vector Layer" function is added. To open it, use the submenu of the list of vector layers. It duplicates the selected layer with all the settings including the attribute table structure and qualifier parameters. Optionally, you may also duplicate all objects of the layer together with assigned attribute values.
    
    
• The Line Direction view mode does not show the direction if the scale is less than 30%.
  
  
• The Delete Error Marks utility is revised: error types are represented as a tree, layer selection is canceled.
  
  
• The Crop / Clip Image tool is improved. The "Delete dark area" command is substituted for the "Show cropping area" (if it was not specified before).
  
  
• Image linking to project with correction applying an arbitrary set of reference points is alternated:
  
  
  • Manual editing of coordinates in the table is accessible only if the "Enter manually" option is on, otherwise coordinates may be only selected from a list.
    
    
  • Polyline vertices from a specified layer may be used as reference points now.
    
    
  • Interface of the dialog box for reference point addition is changed.
    
    
  • Algorithm of local affine transformation outside the polygon bounding the reference points is improved.
    
    
  • The "Add boundary points" (image angles ) option is provided. It is applicable for local-affine transformation only and helps to decrease image deformation outside the polygon bounding the reference points.
    

Panorama-specific utilities and improvements

• The Generate Berg-Strokes utility is added. It is designed for automatic generation of berg-strokes on small closed contours. Orientation of the strokes depends on polyline direction. In a turn, automatic contour orientation is provided in the Z checkup utility.
  
  

  

  
  
• The Contour Laying utility is added. It automatically divides polylines passing along relief elements into correctly placed segments of lines with different Z values. As a result, all such polylines are uninterrupted at these sites and time required for search and correction of topology and Z-value errors decreases significantly.
  
  
• Export into the Panorama format is improved: lines consisting of two vertices may be converted into objects of the "vector" type. It should be done if an attribute table for point objects is created for the layer containing such lines.
  
  
• The "Allow attributes of text objects" option (switched off be default) is added in the "General" page of the "Project Parameters" dialog box. When on, attributes specified for point objects of the corresponding layer may be assigned to text objects.

• The new "Orient Rivers" option is added. It helps to detect errors of both vectorizing and map compiling. As Relief and Hydrography layers are logically associated, input of Z-values helps to find rivers that flow "uphill", and river direction allows to check correctness of relief contours.
  The utility not only makes river lines directed with stream, but marks errors of course.
  
  

  

  
  
• The "Edit Direction of Contours" option is added to the "Z Checkup " utility. At Z verification it brings line direction to conformity with Panorama standards .
  
  
• The Z-input tool is improved:
  
  
  • A hot key and a specific cursor type are added for the mode of automatic Z-value selection - the Magic Mode.
    
    
  • Bug correction: Z-value assignment to objects different from polylines. 
  
  

• The "Attribute description" field is added in the "Attribute Domain Setup" dialog box .
  
  
  
  
• Direct access to setup of object thematic displaying according to attribute values is provided from the Object Attributes dialog box . If displaying according to the just input attribute value is incorrect, you may change it immediately, without opening of Layer Manager. To do it, just click the Att. button. It helps to polish up your project - prototype very quickly.
  
  
  

  

• The panel for linetype selection resembles now one for selection of filling:
  
  
  • Five standard and seven last used linetypes are represented (12 in all). Other linetypes are accessible with the help of the "other linetype" button. It opens a dialog box for linetype selection.
    
    
    
    

    

    
    
    
• Applying of the Line width parameter is alternated:
  
  
  • Line width can not be specified for individual polylines any more but for the layer only.
    
    
  • Line width is measured in mm of the map (paper).
    
    
  • When the "Custom lines" view mode is on, line width on the screen corresponds to the units ("mm of the map "), specified for the layer; when off, all lines are thin.
    
    

Bug correction

• Optimization with the help of the Broken Lines filter caused a bug - "Attempt to write a confluent line".
  
  
• There were problems in the Icon Manager connected with representation of remote icons (having a net path).
  
  
• The last selected line in the dialog box for linetype setting is now shown (not selected only).
  
  
• Zero Z- value may be assigned to contours now.
  
  
• Corrections of image-to-project linking:
  • the bug that caused a shift at local affne transformation use;
  • the bug that damaged the image if the bounding polygon was not convex;
  • incorrect preview of an image area and therefore relative positions of reference points;
  • the bug that caused a failure of image linking applying correction with a regular grid of reference points.
    
    
• Corrections of custom linetypes forming and representation:
  • one-dimensional lines of any type but Solid were shown as thin (irrespective of line width);
  • sorting is corrected in the Custom Linetype dialog box - standard linetypes are always on top and have a constant order, Russian alphabet may be used, REG is ignored;
  • representation of the current element at closing of the the Custom Linetype dialog box is corrected.
    
    
• Corrected: the bug at interpolation use in the image scaling tool.
  
  
• Corrected: preview - tools show the progress indicator at the start of the process, not only during the operation.
  
  
• Corrected: the bug that caused self-closing in the Autoclose mode.
  
  
• Corrected: a bug of the Image Merging by Two Points operation
  
  
• The "Ignore black" option of the Subject Layer Extraction utility is corrected - the program fulfills it now at replacing of object points.
  
  Bug correction: invisible text got in the set of errors all the same and was selected at navigation between them.
  
  
• The bug is corrected that caused incorrect allocation of layers into folders at import.
  
  
• The bug is corrected that caused import of existing raster layers.
  
  
• The bug is corrected that caused damage of image path if the image and the project had no a common root.
  
  

In spite of our sincere wish to slow down a little for careful documenting of the package's new abilities (as it was promised in the previous release) we didn't manage to do it.

We were offered a new order for tracing with (almost unbelievably!) the right to determine the format of initial images. What did it result in? ALL THE IMAGES WERE VECTORIZED IN THE AUTOMATIC MODE! And these were usual topographic maps on the 1:200 000 scale - color ones, rather worn and faded, with rather smeared printing.

The format of raster files we used was - 16 million colors, 500 dpi. Do not consider the resolution too high - the gap between neighboring lines was often equal to 1-2 pixels even in this case.

The focus upon automatic tracing required revision of some tools of course, and this was our recent task. Now we would like to represent the results.

Some explanations for those who didn't deal with automatic tracing. Unlike drawings, there are no real lines in topographic maps, only there fragments (or traces sometimes!) broken by numerous inscriptions and spots of different colors. There are also shifts of primary colors at printing, interpenetration of inks, fading, and whatever else. That is why automatic tracing of such maps is followed by analysis and correction of received vector data. It does not work as "press the button - get the result" but saves hundreds and even thousands of man-hours if you process several tens of topographic maps.

So, the following was done:

OPERATIONS WITH THE IMAGE

Successful vectorizing is largely dependant on the quality of images. No automatic processing is possible without proper images - only tedious manual tracing.


• Processing speed is linked directly with image size and resolution. It is recommended to increase the resolution up to 500-600 dpi but to make the size of the image minimal. Already positioned images received from the customer with huge white margins may be cropped in the project without lost of positioning.
  
  The project tool Crop Image/Specify Borders is completely revised. Similar to its image analogue, it allows both rectangular and arbitrary (trapeziform for instance) cropping. You may use any closed vector contour as cropping boundary, for example the frame of the project.
  
  Besides cropping, the tool may define borders of image representation and thus allows to arrange nonrectangular images into the correct mosaic coverage. Joining of neighboring sheets of a topographic map has become a very simple task.
  
  
• Separation is a powerful technique at extraction of subject layers. If objects of different themes have the same color (red roads and puce contour lines) you may separate them by deletion of roads from the image. To do it, vectorize the roads first and then imprint them into the image using white color and line width up to 20 pixels. The Rasterize Vector Data tool was improved for this purpose.
  
  By the way, there is a convenient method for tracing of center lines of the roads represented by two parallel black lines. Separate the black-and-white thematic layer of black objects and do not invert it but apply adjacency filtering with 2/2 parameters twice. Black lines become much thicker, and white pixels between them represent center lines that may be successfully vectorized automatically.
  
  
• The Extraction of Subject Layers tool has become the main instrument at image preparing for vectorizing. Its design and algorithms were alternated and new options added.
  
  The sequence order of its controls now determines the the order of their applying. The algorithm of separation/sieving of grey tints is improved.
  
  The "Ignore black color" option is added for efficient use of the tool after the Unsharp mask operation.
  
  You may specify now what will undergo filtering at extraction - the lines extracted from the image or the mask applied to it.
  
  
• Extraction of thematic layers from a color image is a nontrivial task, it may require several attempts with different order of tool application and different parameters. It is rather difficult to remind all the details later. That is why the log of image operations is added. It is a text file in the fold where to the processed image is saved. Quick access to the log is provided by the new item of the menu - Operation Journal (или Log?). As a rule, the same sequence of operations is suitable for the entire series of images.
  
  
• Mask filtering was the longest operation in the process flowsheet of image preparing for vectorizing. The situation is improved now, and we even apply mask filters 2-3 times at preparing of one black-and-white image.
  
  This improvement is based on Intel multicore processors and efforts of our programmers who have disintegrated filtering into several flows. PC utilization at filtering is 100%, and the time of the operation does not exceed 2-3 minutes.
  
  At that 100% utilization does prevent extraction of the next image.
  
  
• Some alternations in keyboard control of the Rectangular Crop and Move and Scale Image tools of the project. Displacement step is ONE SCREEN PIXEL now. The more is the screen output scale of the image, the more exact is the operation.
  
  
AUTOMATIC TRACIN UTILITIES


• First of all, operations of line (contour) tracing and filtering are separated. After tracing, you may fulfill several quick tests of "vector debris" filtering. Selection of correct parameters will save you from manual deletion of numerous "branches", "bridges" and other "litter".
  
  By the way, two new parameters are added for "branch" deletion so that cleaning of broken lines has become almost perfect.
  
  
• The Specify Area item of the menu is deleted. The area of automatic tracing should be specified directly from the Automatic Line Tracing dialog box.
  
  
• Automatic tracing is designed as an individual flow. It means, you may do something else during this operation.
  
  
• The Gap Removing operation should be done after "debris" deletion but before final backfitting of vector data. Quality of automatic line restoring from separate fragments controls directly the time of final correction.
  
  If the vector line is represented by small shapeless fragments, it is impossible to restore it basing on their directions. But line trajectory may be reconstructed still if the fragments are considered as points! So the Consider short fragments as points option is added to the utility. It tightens fragments into points regardless of their direction. Line reconstruction through points is based on the Bezier curve as before.
  
  
VECTOR EDITING TOOLS


• Abilities, the Vector Eraser was short of are provided at last:
  
  
  • First, the Eraser can cut lines now. It acts like scissors of the Editor if you keep the CTRL key pressed. The tool has TREE modes now. The White one - to delete vertices, the Red - one touch deletion of lines, and the Blue one - to delete vertices with line cut at the contact point. Use the SHIFT key as before to switch line/vertex deletion;
    
    
  • Second, the tool does not block the Show Vertices mode any more. It just remembers the mode last selected at tool applying and switch it on automatically. By the way, vertices do not hinder working if you specify their size equal to 1 pixel.
    
    
  • Third, the polyline last touched by the Eraser becomes active when you select the Join Polylines option of the Editor. You have only to specify the second line for joining.
    
    
• The Topology Editor is also alternated - the Pull vertices together mode is added. One click gathers all the nearby vertices into the specify location. Radius of gathering should be specified in the Tool bar in pixels.
  
  Hot keys may be assigned to the pull together/edit vertices modes for their convenient selection.
  
  
• Similar to curvilinear joining of line segments in the Editor, line closing along the Bezier curve is provided when the Shift key is pressed. It is particularly convenient for closing of small contours. Just press the SHIFT+D combination (and then CTRL+Z if you were unlucky)...
  
  
• For Panorama users: the Insert Block tool is alternated. There are three kinds of insertion angle definition now - arbitrary (by the image), fixed, and according to the vector baseline.
  
  The "fix the angle" option is added for the "by the baseline " mode - one-click block insertion at an angle specified relatively the baseline. Two clicks are required if the option is off - one for insertion point specifying and the second for block rotation in 180 deg. relatively the baseline.
  
  The new-inserted block may be rotated in 180 deg. by the Reverse Polyline hot key.
  
  In the "fix the angle" mode, the block has a specified angle relatively the baseline. Reversion of the block in this mode causes reversion of the baseline direction as well.
  
  These are the rules of slope marks (berg-hachures) input (as individual objects!) in Panorama and we had to get out of the difficulty somehow...
  
  
• The Block, Circle, Text, and 3D-Polyline object types are added to the Tale of Attributes. Some bugs are eliminated.
  
  
• The Blocks dialog box is revised. It has become stretchable, pop-up prompts are provided in the table for partly visible values, sorting is improved, block "cropping" at viewing is eliminated.
  
  
UTILITIES


• Report generation (the Information command) is revised. The command is a convenient and useful tool providing real data on the number and length of vector entities in the project. And real information means fair payment and away with wage-leveling! So:
  
  
  • structure of the report is alternated (simplified);
  • the program generates the report as an Excel document rather than a CSV-file;
  • a dialog box is added that allows selection of the data to be represented in the report.
    
    
IMPORT \ EXPORT


• Import from Panorama:
  - Full field descriptions are being exported together with the qualifier. Easy Trace uses them as prompts for brief names of attributive fields;
  - The "Delete the zone number prefix from X-coordinate" option is added : when on, it deletes 1 or 2 first characters of X-coordinates (zone number taken from the passport of the map);
  - The bug is eliminated - the program didn't import semantics into a ready project (with Panorama-like tables).
  
  
• Export into Panorama (symmetric to Import):
  - The option"Add zone number to X-coordinates" is provided;
  - Bug correction: after encounter of an object with undefined _OBJ_TYPE, the program didn't export other;
  - Check of polygon orientation: outer contour should be counter-clockwise;
  - Attribute export for all objects (including text and blocks);
  - Additional check of text-type objects - if the "SEM9" field (i.e. inscription) exists and if it is filled. If empty, the inscription will be copied there to.

New releases of Easy Trace PRO have usually 3-4 months apart but this version is an exception. The rate of program development didn't leave us time to "polish" and publish the next release. Even now it would be better to wait till completion of new HELP, project examples and descriptions of new technologies but the opening of the International Cartographic Conference in Moscow on the 5th of August gave us the deadline and forced to reveal the beta-version. Final design of the distribution kit will be ready within a month.

Actually, the Beta prefix is not so important. Every new improvement of Easy Trace is immediately checked and used by our vectorizing team, so the version is quite efficient. The only difference is the lack of instructions and explanations and they are coming soon.

So, what is new in Easy Trace PRO v8.4:

• Fundamental simplification of attributive data control thanks to the Attribute Tables dialog box floating above the project field. One click is sufficient for transfer from a record to the corresponding object. It has become very easy to find empty fields and records made in wrong fields. Besides, record filtering in the table is provided. The filter is made as a compound query builder.
  
  
• New powerful ability of the Unsharp Mask tool - mask preparing by patterns taken from the image. Some mask modifying commands are added - rotation, reflection, flip, shifts, undo. Automatic navigation by changed pixels is provided that is extremely useful at mask checkout and performance analysis.
  
  
• Comparison of black-and-white images is developed further to the Unsharp Mask tool, i.e. you may now compare black-and-white files prepared in different ways. Traditionally for Easy Trace, differences of the images are shown by blinking "added" and "deleted" pixels.
  
  
• Several new mask filters are added, for example one for hachures representing bogs in topographical maps. In combination with a new utility it enables automatic bog outlining. Two other filters are also intended for topographical maps - one of them prepare black lines for automatic tracing and the other standardizes points (in a separate image) for further automatic tracing of dot lines.
  
  
• The new Image Thinning command increases efficiency of mask filtering. Joining of gaped lines and deletion of false "bridges" becomes more reliable if thick lines in the image were previously made thinner. Results of semiautomatic tracing also will be better. As the thinned image looks unconventionally, we recommend to use a "sandwich" made of the initial image and the thinned image placed below it .
  
  
• Separation of thematic layers is improved significantly - the tool can see "gray" lines now i.e. lines that resemble black ones. It helps to separate topographical information from color images. Besides, deletion of "non-target" canal data is added that eliminates admixtures of unneeded colors.
  
  
• In the preview mode, all raster tools can now show four arbitrary areas of the image at once. You needn't any more "run" along the big image to estimate possible results of the tool applying in different image parts.
  
  
• The Rasterize Vector Data utility is revised. It has become easier to delete the data you have already vectorized from the image and thus to enable automatic tracing of remaining information. The following sequence of steps is particularly effective: Image thinning + Subtraction of THIN vector lines + Mask filtering + Automatic tracing.
  
  
• Many raster tools are improved - they became faster and may be applied to the specified area. It enables you to ignore margins and helps to check the image processing technology on a small image fragment.
  
  
• A new technology is developed for thematic layer extraction from low-resolution images with a small number of colors. It is a resource-intensive processing of images stretched twice. Scope of processing is quadruplicated but it will be surely be repaid by time saving during vectorizing.
  
  A special tool is also developed, which restores the initial size of the image with connectivity control of selected lines.
  
  
• Import and export to the MAP format (Panorama) is deeply revised. Transmission of Panorama semantics to the names of Easy Trace attributes is provided. Just try to prepare data for Panorama in ET and appreciate saving of time!
  
  
• New abilities are added for export / import to the DGN format - objects of the Complex Chain and Complex Shape types are supported .
  
  
• At JET import (Easy Trace inner format), it is possible now to form a file of reference points (CPT) applying a file of image positioning (TFW, TAB) for use at transformation. Necessary parameters appear automatically on the Transform page after cpt-file generation.

• The dialog box for tracing strategies forming and editing is completely revised. Adjustment of tracers - main ET tools - has become even easier.
  
  
• The Curvilinear Tracer obtained the modes of one-click polygon forming and cutting. It is enough to click any point inside the future polygon.
  
  
• Interpolation is improved for the Dotwise Tracer. Automatic tracing of dot lines became more correct.
  
  
• Hatched Area Tracer is improved. It outlines hatched polygons (bogs in topographical maps) much better now.
  
• Vector entities of the Block and Text types have got attributes at last similar to other vector objects.
  
  
• The Eraser tool for vector objects is completely renewed. Now it can erase INDIVIDUAL VERTICES in polylines. This feature of the tool is very useful at preparing of automatically vectorized lines to merging and line form optimization.
  
  
• The Z-tool can now process three more layers - auxiliary contours, water edge lines and bathymetric contours. Besides, it has become much more "clever". You needn't take the Editor at all any more - the tool can change the type of any isoline if it is wrong.
  
  The usual F and V keys help to find contours without Z-values. Just press the hot key to be "carried" to the next object that need your attention.
  
  
• Generation of inscriptions at vector object input is improved.
  
  
• A new idea has appeared in Easy Trace - marked objects. Arbitrary objects may be selected with the help of selection criteria forming in the Group Editor. If you make them marked, it will be possible later to navigate by them applying hot keys or submenu commands as it is possible for error marks.
  
  
• The Topology Check-up utility is alternated: you may specify supporting layers now. The program does not check them by considers at topology verification. It helps to avoid finding of false errors.
  
  
• The Auto Tracing utility has new options now, and its adjustment has become more simple and obvious.
  
  
• An utility is added for automatic input of contours' Z-values. Up to 97% of isolines receives height values automatically if their ends are snapped to the frame.
  
  
• The Polyline Joining utility is revised deeply and fundamentally. It has become really "clever".
  
  
• The way of storage of attribute icons, custom tools, and filling patterns is changed. They are collected in a common file now, and do not "fall off" at project transfer from one computer to another. Acceleration of project copying is an additional bonus...
  
  
• View modes are somewhat alternated. In the Polyline Ends mode, closed lines may be ignored to make the picture more informative. Besides, you may decrease the size of vertices to facilitate visual perception of the entire situation.
  
  
• The Unverified Objects Verification view mode is elaborated to browsing of all marked objects. Mark deletion at attribute review remains.
  
  
  And that is far from being all. Numerous small improvements and bug deletions will be described some time later.