The GeoMed/Epi Project:

Conversions

One of the most difficult problems we've had in this course has been the problem of converting from one file format or one coordinate system to another. For example, you may need

to convert a shp file into an e00 file
to convert between image formats (e.g. tif to gif, etc.)
to get physical coordinates out of ArcView
a Stat! con file, rather than a SpaceStat Queen's weights file
a UNIX file, rather than a Windows/DOS file (or vice versa)
to convert lat/long coordinates to UTM coordinates
an Atlas bna file, rather than an ESRI shp file

Here are some resources that are already available: we will continue working on others.

Problem: Solution:

shp to e00     Data Automation Kit. Note that, although this seems to promise other conversions, at the moment only the

ArcView Shapefile to Arc/Info export (e00), and
ArcView Shapefile to Atlas bna
work.

image format
conversions     I've worked up an image transformer. This should make it easier for students to create useful images without resorting to xv, say.
I've also created an image cropper, to chop out a piece of an image (again to avoid resorting to xv). This requires a bit of trial and error.

Unix to Windows/DOS,
or vice versa     Web conversion routine, relying on unix2dos and dos2unix conversion routines in unix.

Need physical coordinates from ArcView     Use the SpaceStat ArcView extension that allows one to add the coordinates of a shapefile of points (or centroids to areas) to the corresponding table.

SpaceStat to Stat! contiguity     The SpaceStat ArcView extension also allows one to create a file of Rook's or Queen's contiguity relationships for regions. This is also required for several Stat! procedures. Here's a conversion routine that I wrote.

Please email any suggestions to us, to help make your lives easier!

Website maintained by Andy Long. Comments appreciated.

aelon@sph.umich.edu

Problem:	Solution:
shp to e00	Data Automation Kit. Note that, although this seems to promise other conversions, at the moment only the ArcView Shapefile to Arc/Info export (e00), and ArcView Shapefile to Atlas bna work.
image format conversions	I've worked up an image transformer. This should make it easier for students to create useful images without resorting to xv, say. I've also created an image cropper, to chop out a piece of an image (again to avoid resorting to xv). This requires a bit of trial and error.
Unix to Windows/DOS, or vice versa	Web conversion routine, relying on unix2dos and dos2unix conversion routines in unix.
Need physical coordinates from ArcView	Use the SpaceStat ArcView extension that allows one to add the coordinates of a shapefile of points (or centroids to areas) to the corresponding table.
SpaceStat to Stat! contiguity	The SpaceStat ArcView extension also allows one to create a file of Rook's or Queen's contiguity relationships for regions. This is also required for several Stat! procedures. Here's a conversion routine that I wrote.