Safe Software
Encyclopedia
Safe Software Inc. provides software and consulting services focused on managing the exchange of both spatial (geographic) and non-spatial data between GIS
applications and/or relational databases
with differing file formats and structures.
The company’s core data translation and transformation product is FME (or the Feature Manipulation Engine
). Often described as an ETL tool for spatial data, or a Spatial ETL
tool, FME provides functionality similar to a traditional ETL tool
, but also has additional capability to manage spatial data and the complexity contributed by spatial data's associated feature
geometries, attribute tables, and coordinate systems
.
FME converts data between over 200 GIS, MicroStation
, AutoCAD
, raster
, and database formats, and also manages two-way data migration between AutoCAD and GIS systems; database loading with vector, raster or non-spatial data; data extraction from legacy systems; integration of data from multiple sources; quality assurance; and coordinate system conversion. SpatialDirect, another Safe Software product based on FME, enables spatial data to be downloaded from a website in multiple formats, and also acts as an Open Geospatial Consortium
standards-compliant Web Feature Service
(WFS).
FME Server (released in 2008) further enhances a user's ability to distribute and deliver data in variety of formats by way of a variety of services such as WFS, WMS, SOAP, KML as well as basic streaming.
(SAIF) used by the provincial government of British Columbia, Canada, into other GIS formats. Today the company’s technology is sold in 116 countries and is embedded in mapping applications sold by several leading GIS vendors.
, in the metro Vancouver
area of British Columbia
, Canada
.
Geographic Information System
A geographic information system, geographical information science, or geospatial information studies is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographically referenced data...
applications and/or relational databases
Relational database
A relational database is a database that conforms to relational model theory. The software used in a relational database is called a relational database management system . Colloquial use of the term "relational database" may refer to the RDBMS software, or the relational database itself...
with differing file formats and structures.
The company’s core data translation and transformation product is FME (or the Feature Manipulation Engine
Feature Manipulation Engine
FME is an integrated collection of Spatial ETL tools for spatial data transformation and data translation produced by Safe Software Inc. of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada...
). Often described as an ETL tool for spatial data, or a Spatial ETL
Spatial ETL
Spatial ETL tools provide the data processing functionality of traditional Extract, Transform, Load software, but with a primary focus on the ability to manage spatial data ....
tool, FME provides functionality similar to a traditional ETL tool
Extract, transform, load
Extract, transform and load is a process in database usage and especially in data warehousing that involves:* Extracting data from outside sources* Transforming it to fit operational needs...
, but also has additional capability to manage spatial data and the complexity contributed by spatial data's associated feature
Feature data
In geographic information systems, a feature is an object that can have a geographic location and other properties. Common types of geometries include points, arcs, and polygons. Carriageways and cadastres are examples of feature data...
geometries, attribute tables, and coordinate systems
Geographic coordinate system
A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on the Earth to be specified by a set of numbers. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represent vertical position, and two or three of the numbers represent horizontal position...
.
FME converts data between over 200 GIS, MicroStation
Microstation
MicroStation is a CAD software product for 2- and 3-dimensional design and drafting, developed and sold by Bentley Systems. The latest versions of the software are released solely for Microsoft Windows operating systems, but historically MicroStation was available for Macintosh platforms and a...
, AutoCAD
AutoCAD
AutoCAD is a software application for computer-aided design and drafting in both 2D and 3D. It is developed and sold by Autodesk, Inc. First released in December 1982, AutoCAD was one of the first CAD programs to run on personal computers, notably the IBM PC...
, raster
Raster graphics
In computer graphics, a raster graphics image, or bitmap, is a data structure representing a generally rectangular grid of pixels, or points of color, viewable via a monitor, paper, or other display medium...
, and database formats, and also manages two-way data migration between AutoCAD and GIS systems; database loading with vector, raster or non-spatial data; data extraction from legacy systems; integration of data from multiple sources; quality assurance; and coordinate system conversion. SpatialDirect, another Safe Software product based on FME, enables spatial data to be downloaded from a website in multiple formats, and also acts as an Open Geospatial Consortium
Open Geospatial Consortium
The Open Geospatial Consortium , an international voluntary consensus standards organization, originated in 1994. In the OGC, more than 400 commercial, governmental, nonprofit and research organizations worldwide collaborate in a consensus process encouraging development and implementation of open...
standards-compliant Web Feature Service
Web Feature Service
The Open Geospatial Consortium Web Feature Service Interface Standard provides an interface allowing requests for geographical features across the web using platform-independent calls...
(WFS).
FME Server (released in 2008) further enhances a user's ability to distribute and deliver data in variety of formats by way of a variety of services such as WFS, WMS, SOAP, KML as well as basic streaming.
Company history
Established in 1993, Safe Software initially provided data translation tools to convert the Spatial Archive and Interchange FormatSpatial Archive and Interchange Format
The Spatial Archive and Interchange Format was defined in the early 1990s as a self-describing, extensible format designed to support interoperability and storage of geospatial data.SAIF Dataset...
(SAIF) used by the provincial government of British Columbia, Canada, into other GIS formats. Today the company’s technology is sold in 116 countries and is embedded in mapping applications sold by several leading GIS vendors.
Location
Safe Software’s offices are located in SurreySurrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
, in the metro Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
area of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.