Add the ability to import a MapInfo raster file

[slinder]

I was wondering if anyone else in the community thought it would be a good idea for Alteryx to add the capability to import a Mapinfo raster file?  Currently you can work with MapInfo's vector .tab files but you cannot bring into Alteryx MapInfo raster .tab files.

Even if Alteryx is not able to do any spatial calculations on the raster it would still be useful to import a georegistered raster .tab file to allow the user to display lat/long referenced data on top of it.  Another way to look at it would be like alowing a user to create and use a custom reference map in the Map Report tool.

I need this functionality because I often need to display lat/long data on top of georegistered .tab floorplans (always created in MapInfo). Currently there seems to be no easy way of doing that.  The simple solution would just be able to import them and view .  Later if you could do spatial calculations on those files that would be an enormous bonus.  

Thanks,

Simon

[BenG]

Hi Simon,

This feature request is currently under review, which means it is a feature that we would like to have, but we want to see more interest from the community before it becomes a higher priority for us.

In the meantime, we do have two paths for pursuing something like this:  
Easier:  If you only want to use the Raster image as a static file that is picked at configure time and used as a reference map, then this is a doable request.  
Harder:  We imagine some people would want to input a dynamic file to use as a reference map for a report.  This one is significantly harder for us and would not likely be done without a significant push from the community.

Thanks,

Ben

[slinder]

Hi Ben,

Thanks for your response.  I am not sure I understand the difference between the "Easier" and the "Harder" path.  And I am not sure I understand the difference between the map being static and dynamic.

In the first instance we would like to just have a georegistered image on top of which we could display data that has lat long coordinates.  We would want it to be able to render in a report.

It would be great in the future if you could do geographic operations with the rasters (find distances, select and edit individual raster cells, etc.)  But tbat capability is not initially so critical.

We do work collecting RF signal strength data for the wireless telecom industry.  Alteryx is perfect when the data collected is outside because you can easily display it against a CloudMade map and the plots looks great.  However,  when the data is collected indoors we need to plot it against a floorplan.  And floorplans in the industry are always handled as raster files that get georegistered in MapInfo.  Alteryx is a perfect solution to process and prepare all of the data but it falls short for us at the final hurdle which is the display.  Because we cannot make the final maps in Alteryx the usefulness of the program to us frustratingly compromised.

I am curious (and a little saddened) at the lack of feedback from the community for this feature.  It seems both simple and incredibly useful as people could create there own "reference maps" for display.  I can tell you that there is a lot of indoor engineering work happening in the wireless industry and this feature would help everyone in it a lot. 

I would be interested in understanding better what you mean by making the input a "dynamic file".

Thanks,

Simon
 

[sphwillis]

I agree with my name sake. Please look at Tableau/ESRI/Pitney Bowes. Add WMS capability. Add openstreetmap. Does anyone use the Cloudmade layer? I will take the 5th on that. 
Maybe GDAL integration so you may support many raster formats -> more sales? Raster geostatistics?
Thanks,

Simon  

[StephenR]

I would suggest amending the title to remove the MapInfo portion, as MapInfo is a tiny minority of the GIS community, and having comprehensive raster functionality would make Alteryx much more interesting to the GIS community as a whole.

[NickPa]

Hi,

I'm the new product manager tracking feedback around geospatial data and capabilities.

I understand the general interest in users wanting to work with raster data formats.  Traditionally, we've supported GRD/GRC raster files for use in ALteryx, but appears that there is also interest in MRR (multi resolution raster).  I was not aware that tab files that contained rasterized data would also be of interest. 

Looking for feedback whether MRR is the de facto standard replacing tab files with raster data, or do users require both?

We are tracking this one, but have not yet committed to building these as there is dependencies on 3rd party proprietary data libraries and other constraints.  Looking for further feedback on this topic.