Coordinate Systems
As of Veta 5.2, only data using select projected and geographic coordinate systems can be shown on a map, regardless of the file format. Files using other systems will be shown, but without a map. Radians is not supported as a unit.
- GRS80-based systems, including NAD 83. Use EPSG 4019. Different realizations of NAD are not currently recognized, so use GRS80 for all realizations. Because of this limitation, it is not recommended to mix different systems in the same projects. Such as NAD 83 and NAD 83 (2011).
- State Plane
- UTM
- Minnesota County
- Oregon Coordinate Reference System
Tagged Data File Format
Currently, each manufacturer uses a different file format. This requires Veta to have support for each format and to maintain it in the future. To eliminate this, a new standard file format was developed in conjunction with manufacturers. Veta 5.2 has partial support for the format, with additional functionality implemented in future versions.
Data Headers
Supported blocks
- data-lot-name
- gridding-height
- gridding-process
- gridding-width
- machine-id
- machine-name
- machine-type
- spatial-reference-authority
- spatial-reference-id
Notes
gridding-process: Both gridded and ungridded are supported. gridded is only supported with “All Passes”. What Veta refers to as “Final Coverage” is not supported.
machine-type: The following types are supported:
- compactor
- paving thermal profiler
- laser test roller
Data Sources
Supported non-array blocks:
- footprint-perpendicular
- footprint-parallel
- index
- offset-perpendicular
- offset-parallel
- measurement-name
- recording-interval: Only continuous is supported.
Supported array blocks:
- adjusted-deflection
- easting
- gps-quality
- icmv
- icmv-compaction-mode
- icmv-vibration-amplitude
- icmv-vibration-frequency
- machine-speed
- northing
- relative-direction
- surface-temperature
- timestamp
Notes
icmv-compaction-mode: Required for compactors. Beginning with Veta 5.2.87, the compaction mode for all data will be set to Static if not present in the file.
recording-interval: Only continuous is supported.
measurement-name: Required when using ICMV data. Because Veta’s map legends are currenly pre-defined, ICMV names must match the following values, although this may change in the future.
- Caterpillar CMV
- CCV
- Dynapac CMV
- Dynapac E-VIB1
- Dynapac E-VIB2
- EDV
- EVIB
- HMV
- MCI
- Topcon CMV
- Trimble CMV
- Volvo CMV
Offsets and Footprints
footprint-perpendicular, footprint-parallel: Veta 5.2 will use the same footprint for all data sources in a file, as is done for current file formats. Different footprints are not be feasible for Veta 5.2, but may be in the future. For ungridded compaction data, footprint-parallel is not used. The footprint will be chosen from a prioritized list based on the machine type:
- compactor — the last two sources in the list would not normally have a footprint. However, for a compactor that is only recording position and no other data, the first two sources do not apply.
- icmv
- surface-temperature
- machine-speed
- northing
- paving thermal profiler
- first surface-temperature
- laser test roller
- first adjusted-deflection
Quality
Veta uses the term “invalid” to denote measurements that will be ignored. Floating point measurements can and should be marked as invalid by “NaN” values (not a number) as defined by IEEE 754. It is recommended to use this method when possible to reduce file size. For non-floating point measurements or when this method is not desirable, additional blocks are provided:
- quality (array)
- threshold-minimum
- threshold-minimum-comparison
- threshold-maximum
- threshold-maximum-comparison
The thresholds apply to the quality, not the actual measurement value, for more flexibility. The quality can be used as a simple flag (0 or 1), a measured value, or a calculated method. The source does not matter; it is only used in relation to the thresholds.
Because GPS measurements already have a quality flag, the gps-quality block is provided.
Veta supports the following quality methods:
- gps-quality
- NaN
- quality array for Single and Double arrays. For other data types, quality will be ignored and the filtering can be done manually in Veta.
Lookup Tables
Supported lookup tables:
- Compaction mode
- Machine gear direction
Measurement Units
All units listed in the specification are recognized.
Verification
We offer an application that will read a TDS file and create a text version. It should run on any operating system that supports Microsoft .NET Core (Windows, Linux, MacOS).
TDS Verifier 1.0.2 – April 30, 2020
Download for all other platforms
Updated to .NET Core 3.1.
TDS Verifier 1.0.1 – October 5, 2018
Updated to .NET Core 2.1.
Samples
Files representing 2 of the 3 examples in the specification are included, along with the text output created by the application.
Usage
For the Windows x64 version running .NET Core 3.1 or greater, an exe is provided and can be used like a normal program, including drag-and-drop:
- TDSVerifier.exe input-directory
- TDSVerifier.exe input-file
- TDSVerifier.exe input-file output-directory
- TDSVerifier.exe input-file output-file
For all other versions and platforms, a cross-platform DLL is provided and must be used with the dotnet command:
- dotnet “TDSVerifier.dll” input-directory
- dotnet “TDSVerifier.dll” input-file
- dotnet “TDSVerifier.dll” input-file output-directory
- dotnet “TDSVerifier.dll” input-file output-file
Download Veta
Veta is a map-based tool for viewing and analyzing geospatial data. Download Veta for free.

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