00001 /*! \mainpage Introduction
00002 <div class="mainpage">
00003 <!-- This is the index.html page that the user first sees. -->
00004 
00005 <p>The Feature Data Objects (FDO) API provides access to data in a 
00006 data store. A provider is a specific implementation of the FDO API 
00007 that provides access to data in a particular data store. The FDO 
00008 Provider for SDF provides FDO with access to an SDF-based data store.
00009 
00010 <p>The Autodesk SDF file format is a standalone, file-based spatial database 
00011 format that supports multiple features classes and properties in a single file, 
00012 and provides spatial indexing, interoperability, and high performance for 
00013 large data sets.
00014 </p>
00015 
00016 <p>The SDF file format has the following characteristics:
00017 </p>
00018 <ul>
00019   <li>SDF files can be read on different platforms.
00020   <li>One schema in a single SDF file supports multiple feature classes.
00021   <li>The SDF file has its own spatial indexing.
00022   <li>SDF files can store geometric and non-geometric data with minimum overhead.
00023   <li>The SDF file format supports a single writer at any time, with multiple readers.
00024 </ul>
00025 
00026 <p>An SDF schema can support the following:
00027 </p>
00028 <ul>
00029   <li>Auto ID generation
00030   <li>Exclusive value range constraints
00031   <li>Null value constraints
00032   <li>Spatial contexts
00033   <li>These geometry types: point, line string, polygon, multi-point, multi-line 
00034   string, multi-polygon, curve string, curve polygon, multi-curve string, 
00035   multi-curve polygon, linear ring, line string segment, circular arc segment, and ring.
00036 </ul>
00037 
00038 <p>
00039 For more information, see <i>The Essential FDO</i> (FET_TheEssentialFDO.pdf) 
00040 and the <i>FDO Developer's Guide</i> (FDG_FDODevGuide.pdf).
00041 </p>
00042 
00043 <br>
00044 </div>
00045 */
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