And now it's time for a tiny bite of knowledge .
Welcome back to Tiny Bytes , and today we are going to . Jodi found the voice modification in the studio today , but we are going to talk about vector files and what is a vector file ?
This is something I think about a lot , because there's so many different file types that we work with as precision ag managers and you see all these different types of files , but it's just like I don't . I know I need to use it , but what exactly does it mean ?
And I think a lot of files , but it's just like I know I need to use it but what exactly does it mean ?
And I think a lot of times , especially for farmers that are out there and traditionally fixing things with a 9/16 wrench and not necessarily thinking about computer file formats what actually is a vector file ?
What a vector file is . It's a way of storing GIS or geospatial data , of storing GIS or geospatial data , and so what you get in a vector file is where that data is located on the world , and then some sort of attribute data .
So , whether that be yield data or elevation data , that is also what's included and has a specific point on the world where that data is located .
Vector files are often points , lines and polygons , and these data are made up of vertices and segments . A sampling point is just a single vertex and a line or polygon is a segment with vertices attached to it . So examples of vector files are boundaries , sampling points , exported prescription files as shapefiles , raw yield data , those kinds of things .
It's so funny to me how some of these terms have to be so complicated . So vertices , like you think of a vertex and that's like a point where two lines meet and that's all . That is a vertice or a vertex as a point .
But I sounded really smart saying vertice .
Yes , yeah , I completely agree . Remember , like it's not that complicated , a vertex is a point and then the lines in between points . Those are segments , these are the bread and butter of what makes up a vector file and the polygon . Right , you need three segments . A polygon is a closed area , so you can have a triangle as a minimum .
But if you just have two lines , you don't have a closed area . So you can have a triangle as a minimum , but if you just have two lines , you don't have a closed area .
So that's what that means is like . When you've got vertices and segments , you can make points , lines and polygons . So some examples of vector file formats commonly include KMLs , which you open in Google Earth , and very commonly shapefile formats .
We see those all the time as boundaries , as soil sampling points , as prescriptions going out to different controllers , as raw yield data , and if you're in ADMS , you will find the vector file section under drawings and map on the right hand side of the software . So all of your vector files are located under drawings and map in ADMS .
What's unique about vector files is that they are . They have coordinate data that's infinite . What does it mean to have coordinate data that's infinite ?
Basically , what that means if you ever used any sort of GIS software , like ADMS and like , say , you've got a boundary around a field and if you keep zooming in on that line that goes around the boundary , you'll notice that that line is staying the same size .
So , even though , like you're getting down to the scale of nanometers , that line is still the same small width , and that comes down to the fact that the vector file has an infinite coordinate system and so it has a very precise location .
This is the same concept for , like , if anybody works in like graphic design or you've ever had like a logo that you sent off to a printer to get put onto a sweatshirt , or like a sign , they might ask for a vector file , and the reason that they want that is that they can increase the size of that or decrease the size of it .
How that file looks stays the same and it doesn't matter how zoomed in or how far out you get . It still preserves like how it looks because of that infinite coordinate system . I feel like I have learned a lot about vectors today . I agree , I think we've really vectored it up today .
Thank you for joining us .
Tune in next time for a Tiny Byte of knowledge from GK Technology , where we have a map and an app for that .