WMS:WMS Non-native Files

The following table identifies the different kinds of files that can be imported (now opened) into WMS, along with the typical three letter extension used by each. Note that there is additional information on importing DEMs and ArcView® Shapefiles.

In addition to the file types listed below, several other types of data can be imported via the File Import Wizard.

File Type	File Ext	Description
CAD	*.dxf or *.dwg	CAD files may also be imported and then converted to feature objects, TINs, or simply used to enhance the display of a project. For more information see the article importing DXF Files.
TIFF	*.tif	A TIFF file can be imported and registered so that it appears as a "backdrop" in WMS or mapped to TIN data when shading. For more details see the article importing TIFF image data.
DLG	*.dlg	The DLG to Feature Arcs option allows a Digital Line Graph file to be imported and points connected into a series of arcs. USGS DLG files, like DEMs, can be downloaded via the Internet (see the introduction to the DEMs module) and are available for many parts of the US.
Land Use	*.tbl
RC Soil Table	*.tbl
Feature Object Polygons Shapefile	*.shp
Feature Object Arcs Shapefile	*.shp
Feature Object Points Shapefile	*.shp
ArcView®/WMS Superfile	*.sup	Besides the tools in WMS for editing data is imported from shapefiles, a special extension for ArcView® 3.3 and earlier has been created which allows creating the outlets, streams, and basins themes, reorder streams, rename attributes, and then export to a WMS/ArcView® super file which will allow opening all three themes by importing the super file. This extension may be available on the WMS website and has a separate document describing its usage. In order to be activated in ArcView®, move the extension file (.avx) to the Ext32 directory found under the ArcView® installation directories.
Arc/Info Grid	*.asc
GRASS Grid	*.ggd
Arc/Info Tin	*.net	An ARC/INFO TIN can be imported if it has been exported from ARC/INFO using the UNGENERATETIN command with the NET option. This particular format saves node (vertex) coordinates, a list of edges and a list of triangles, making it possible to restore the TIN topology in WMS exactly as it was in ARC/INFO. Once imported it can be used to perform all of the watershed characterization operations available in WMS.
Greenampt Soil	*.tbl
Greenampt Landuse	*.tbl
HSPF Landuse	*.tbl
USGS DEM	*.dem *.ddf	The USGS and other government and proprietary agencies have distributed both the 1:250,000 and 1:24,000 scale USGS digital elevation files in a USGS-defined format for a number of years. The 1:250,000 DEMs available for download from the USGS web site remains in this format. However the 1:24000 DEMs are now distribute on this site in the SDTS format. Other common DEM file formats include ARC/INFO ASCII Grid, DTED, and GRASS. All of these dialogs are imported in WMS in essentially the same way as described below, but it's necessary to know which format the DEM is in prior to reading the DEMs for use in WMS (particularly in the case of the commonly used USGS 1:24000 DEMs that are available in both the USGS and SDTS formats). The DEM file type is specified in the Import File dialog and include all five of the previously mentioned formats (the USGS DEM option refers to both the older single file format and the newer SDTS format). Once specifying the format type, the Import DEMs dialog controls file selection as well as other import options. For example, multiple files of the same format may be "tiled" together when importing, but WMS cannot mix and match between two or more different formats. NOTE: ARC/INFO grids that are to be imported must be saved as ASCII files from ARC/INFO® in either feet or meter units and not latitude-longitude.
DTED Grid	*.dted *.*
Arc/Info Watershed Grid	*.asc
GRASS Watershed Grid	*.ggdd
XYZ Data→TIN Verticies	*.xyz	Choosing this option allows importing a space-delimited file containing x, y, and z coordinate values. The Triangulate command in the TINs menu can then be used to create a TIN from the xyz data. The file must be space delimited in order for WMS to import it.
DEM Attribute	*.*
XMRG/NexRAD	*.*	This option was developed by personnel at the Waterways Experiment Station (WES) for importing “in-house” formatted files of NEXRAD precipitation. If having access to data from WES, contact Aquaveo for what needs to be done to import this into WMS. The WMS developers would like to be able to support more standard formatted files of NEXRAD data. If there is additional information please contact the developers for help in implementation.
Intergraph DTM	*.dtm	This file format is no longer supported. If interested in using this file format, contact the WMS developers.
JPEG Image	*.jpg *.jpeg	JPEG image format file.
DSS	*.dss	This is the HEC-DSS (Hydrologic Engineering Center-Data Storage System) file format. This format is used for importing and exporting time series and XY series data to and from HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, and other HEC software.
NED GRIDFLOAT or BIL Header	*.hdr	This is the format that should be used from the USGS's National Elevation Dataset (NED). The default at this site is Arc/Info grid, but modify the request to the grid float format. The BIL format can also be used.

Related Topics

• WMS Supported File Formats
• WMS Native File Formats
• Opening Files