Notes on Dolomynum data files

These data files can be freely edited and distributed, but please avoid copyright violations. It is recommended to use only public domain data for updating or replacing these files.

If you created up-to-date data files and wish to offer them to the community, please send them to the author of Dolomynum so they can be included in the next update.

Below you will find a short explanation to the contents and structure of each data file.


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AIRPORTS.DAT

This file contains data about airports. Each row refers to an airport and contains 6 fields separated with colons. An example of a row from this file:

LRTM:Vidrasau:Targu Mures:RO:46.468:24.413

LRTM 		- airport code, usually an ICAO code but you can also use non-ICAO codes
Vidrasau 	- name of the airport
Targu Mures 	- name of the city to which the airport belongs
RO 		- ISO code of the country where this airport is
46.468  	- position of the airport - decimal latitude (north is positive, south is negative)
24.413  	- position of the airport - decimal longitude (east is positive, west is negative)


To add an airport, simply add a line with the same formatting. Avoid having two lines with the same airport code (the code is an unique key for Dolomynum).


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COASTLINE.DAT and COUNTRIES.DAT

These are the world coastline (continents, islands, large lakes etc) and country borders, drawn as simple lines on the globe. Each line contains either a pair of decimal latitude and longitude values separated by a colon, or the 'end' word. Lines are drawn between subsequent lat-lon pairs. The 'end' word means the beginning of a new line strip (i.e. the new lat-lon pair is not connected to the previous one with a line).

The resolution is what I consider optimal for Dolomynum, however users can create more or less complex files if they find suitable data and convert it to the format used by Dolomynum. The current files are based on World Data Base II from the USGS Coastline Extractor - http://rimmer.ngdc.noaa.gov/coast/


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FIRLIST.DAT

This contains the list of sectors, each row referring to a sector and containing 6 fields separated with colons. An example of a row from this file:

LRBB:Bucharest:RO:45.9:25.6:186

LRBB 		- FIR code, usually an ICAO code but you can also use non-ICAO codes, or add middle letter(s) to them (e.g. LRBB_N)
Bucharest 	- name of the sector
RO 		- ISO code of the country where this airspace is
45.9	 	- position of the label - decimal latitude (north is positive, south is negative)
25.6	 	- position of the label - decimal longitude (east is positive, west is negative)
186		- Display List ID, a number that uniquely identifies the shape in firdisplay.dat that is displayed when this sector is active 


To create a new sector, you must add a new line with the same formatting. To create aliases to existing sectors (different codes identifying the same airspace), use the same Display List ID (186 in the above example). If you want to add a new airspace, you should first add its shape to firdisplay.dat with a previously unused Display List ID (you can use any ID between 100 and 9999).

Avoid having two lines with the same airspace code (the code is an unique key for Dolomynum).


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FIRDISPLAY.DAT

This contains the shapes of the airspaces, constructed of points described as lat-lon pairs. The connection between firlist.dat and firdisplay.dat is made through the Display List IDs. The ID is mentioned at the beginning of each unit; after which the shape of the airspace will follow. For example:

DISPLAY_LIST_186
43.75:28.6
43.83:28
43.99:27.95
(etc)

You can edit existing airspace shapes, or add new ones (in the latter case, don't forget to update firlist.dat too). To create new shapes, you can use the sconv.exe in \tools that can convert sector files of ATC clients (IvAc, ASRC, VRC, ProController), or Servinfo / IvAe data files to Dolomynum format. To view the existing (or newly created) airspaces on the globe, use sectorview.exe in \tools.

Avoid having two shapes with the same Display List ID.


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FIRDISPLAY.SUP

Any shapes present in this file will suppress those in firdisplay.dat. These are not overwritten each time when firdisplay.dat is updated, so it is especially useful when you wish to change the shape of only a couple of airspaces (e.g. VATSIM-IVAO differences).


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Have fun! :)

Gergely Kosa