Overture supports the conversion of Geo Data from one type to another. This might be from a vector-based format to a raster-based one, or from one physical unit to another.

Conversion in Overture is done dynamically, which relives the user of the burden of managing multiple converted files or needing to worry about geographic projections and resolutions. Once the source data is imported into a project it is available for conversion.

Example: Categorizing Signal Levels

The easiest way to understand Overture's approach to data conversion is by example. Consider the common requirement to classify signal coverage into classes such as outdoor, in-car, and indoor. This could be done graphically by changing the signal map color scheme, but it can also be done by converting the signal strength Power layer into a Categorical layer.

First add a new categorical geo data component of the type Power Ranges edit the Ranges property. Add the three range values and their associated bands.

The two maps below show a comparison of the two maps, one a smoothly colored plot of signal strenght, the other our new banded map.

Whilst this appears to be a more complicated way of doing a banded map coloring, it actually offers more flexibility. For instance, if this category provider is added to a statistic it can classify coverage, such as area cover shown below:

It also becomes available from the data browser and can itself be converted into other data types.