Smallworld Connector

The Smallworld Connector (SWConnector) is a comprehensive API for GE Smallworld. With SWConnector Smallworld, customers can now develop applications in C#, VB.NET or Java and integrate these applications with Smallworld.  SWConnector isolates the developer from having to learn the Magik programming language and allows practically any Smallworld application to be developed using .NET languages.

The SWConnector API is provided as a dll supporting the Smallworld TICS architecture and leverages data marshalling to provide lightning-fast performance.   The SWConnector API provides a range of standard functionality and is extensible to add new functionality.

SW Connector is also available in a specialized version for Autodesk’s AutoCAD Map 3D, AutoCAD Utility Design and Autodesk Topobase applications.  Leveraging the proven FDO technology, the Smallworld Connector/FDO Provider for Autodesk provides access to Smallworld data, allowing display, query and analysis in Autodesk products.  Feature Data Objects (FDO) technology is the mechanism that enables Autodesk Geospatial products and enterprise applications to work natively with spatial data stored in relational databases, files and web-based services.  

FDO Data Access Technology is included in Autodesk Map 3D, Autodesk Utility Design and Autodesk Topobase.  Basic capabilities of FDO include:
  • Provides an object-based feature model of geospatial data that is generic and independent of any particular native implementation.
  • Supports, as a minimum, the OGC Simple Feature specification geometry types.
  • Defines a logical model that maps to commonly used physical implementations such as Oracle Spatial and SHP files.
  • Defines an FDO Provider as an implementation of the FDO API for a particular data source. Each data source has its corresponding FDO provider.
  • Defines a capabilities API to allow clients to determine specific capabilities of a particular provider and thus respond correctly to the provider to which they are connected.
  • Allows new commands and schema additions to be easily added over time to the generic API and allows custom commands to be added to a particular provider. The capabilities API allows a client to discover the custom commands.
The Smallworld Connector/FDO Provider includes the actual FDO provider as well as the SBS SWConnector software and the API for accessing Smallworld VMDS data.  FDO has been available since 2004 in Autodesk products.  In 2006, Autodesk submitted FDO to the open source community to make map-serving technologies more readily available for widespread adoption.

Request more information on Smallworld Connector from SBS.

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