Digital Chart of the World

The Digital Chart of the World (DCW) is a computerized map of the world provided on 4 CD-ROMs. It is in Vector Product Format. Its content is based on paper maps, mainly the Operational Navigation Charts (ONCs), supplemented by the Jet Navigation Charts (JNCs)

The DCW is (largely) compatible with the VPF standards, but imposes its own constraints which effectively set a further standard within VPF. One way in which DCW sets its own sub-standard is by choosing to organize its content into 17 thematic layers/DCW coverages. One of the capabilities designed into VPF is the possibility of several different features sharing the same primitive. For example, part of the boundary of the built-up area of a coastal city is necessarily the same as part of the coastline, and VPF allows the possibility of holding just one set of coordinate pairs for that piece of coastline. DCW holds built-up areas in the populated places coverage and land/ocean boundaries in the political/oceans coverage, which precludes this possibility. In DCW there is always a one-to-one correspondance between primitive and feature.

typos

file sizes

DCW was reviewed in the January 1993 issue of Personal Computer World.

on to AFT

on to DCW tile example

back to Vector Product Format and the Digital Chart of the World