i2 iBase GIS Interfaces

You can use i2® iBase Geographic Information System Interfaces (GIS) to connect to mapping applications. You can plot entities and links to maps and then analyze them visually using the analysis tools in the mapping application.

Sets and queries can be passed back to iBase for further analysis, and entities and links can be sent to and from i2® Analyst's Notebook®.

Entities and links are plotted on the map by using geocode data, in the form of x and y coordinates. Extra data can be sent to the mapping application, and data can be displayed using icons or symbols, and labels.
Note: This option is only available if you install the i2® iBase Geographic Information System Interfaces (GIS) extended option. In addition, your database administrator might need to initialize your database before you can send data to a map or use a mapping configuration.

When you have iBase GIS Interfaces installed, and configured you can send and select data on maps from various places in iBase and Analyst's Notebook. Whenever you add data to a map or select data on a map, you need to select a mapping configuration.

The following options are available:
Adding new data to a map
Use Add to Map to send records to a map, whether selected from an iBase list, set, or in the results of an iBase query or on an Analyst's Notebook chart. If the records are merged in Analyst's Notebook, all of the merged records are plotted individually.
Selecting existing items on a map
To select items that have already been sent to a map, select the entities or links in iBase, for example by creating a set or a query, and then use Select on Map. All of the selected entities and links represented by map items will be selected on the map. If the entity you select is a merged chart item, all of the merged records will be selected on the map.

Entities and links without geocode can also be selected, but since they are not plotted to the map, they do not appear selected. To view them, display the mapping application data table.

When the iBase GIS Interfaces are installed, you can access the mapping features from the following places in iBase:
  • The Add to Map and Select on Map commands on the menu for entity and link records, queries, and sets.
    Note: Some mapping applications do not support the Select on Map command.
  • The Analysis > Mapping menu.
  • The Add to Map toolbar button.
  • The Functions > Mapping in the database Explorer.
Mapping commands are also available in i2 Analyst's Notebook.
All supported mapping applications provide a set of iBase functions that:
  • Show iBase records for map items.
  • Create iBase sets.
  • Create iBase queries based on the entities and links within the selected area of the map.
  • Add or expand map items to an Analyst's Notebook chart.
In addition, in some mapping applications, you are able to display a density grid to highlight concentrations of items on the map.
Note: iBase GIS Interfaces Log.txt records the number of records that are processed by iBase GIS Interfaces, how many were plotted on a map, and how many were ignored because of missing data. The file is created in the folder: C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Local Settings\Temp, and is overwritten each time you send data to the mapping application.