Bridging AutoCAD and SDE: A versioning approach for GIS data transformation based on XML

AutoCAD has been widely used for geographic information processing for its powerful and user-friend tool sets. Compared with current GIS data organization manners, traditional AutoCAD data storage, which is still based on individual files, exposed its weak points. This paper proposes an alternative approach for implementing between AutoCAD clients and ArcGIS-based geo-databases, which provides an XML-based transformation channel and raises its capabilities of data versioning management by manipulating Oracle tables directly. This approach integrates a GIS data processing client (AutoCAD), and Oracle-supported geo-database together, making both freely access data associated with version tags, which are compatibly recognized by ESRI products such as ArcMap. As a bridge between AutoCAD and SDE, the approach proposed in this:paper can be plugged into many engineering fields, keeping data processing convenience provided by AutoCAD in the one hand, and meeting data versioning requirements in GIS organization manner in the other.