Xref: utzoo rec.aviation:7596 comp.graphics:2611 comp.sys.mac:16779 comp.sys.mac.programmer:1079 comp.sys.mac.hypercard:747 Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!bellcore!rutgers!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!ut-sally!ut-emx!juniper!mentat From: mentat@juniper.UUCP (Robert Dorsett) Newsgroups: rec.aviation,comp.graphics,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.mac.programmer,comp.sys.mac.hypercard Subject: Re: Need Airport Database Message-ID: <2726@juniper.UUCP> Date: 3 Jun 88 18:20:48 GMT Organization: Austin Unix Users Group, Austin, TX Lines: 67 Posted: Fri Jun 3 13:20:48 1988 al@qiclab.UUCP (Al Peterman) writes: > Does anyone know where to acquire a database of airport information. > What we need is the information in the Airports Facilities Directory in > a format that can be converted to MacIntosh Hypercard. MacIntosh? Hmm... :-) ^ > Essentials include > latitude, longitude, airport name, identifier and hopefully runway lenghts. > It would be nice to have any other info available such as radio frequencies, > altitude etc. > If there is some cost involved, we can probably pay a reasonable amount for > the data. As I indicated in a post about three weeks ago, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration distributes the navaid information. They are treat- ing it very seriously, however, and, in conformity with a 1985 recommendation to impose mandatory updates to data, will ONLY sell the data as a subscrip- tion (and no, pleading as a Mac developer won't help--I tried). If you are interested, the data can be ordered from Richard Powell at 301-443-8761. The prices for the data (Visa/MC/check) are: Magnetic tape: (ASCII or EBCDIC, 1600 BPI, 0.5"): $600.00 Floppy disk (ASCII): $320.00 Paper: $270.00 And no, I haven't dropped any decimal points. The data is updated every 56 days, which should place it at about $50 a pop. I strongly encourage the net (software developers) to call Richard and bug him about releasing single-edition samples. He does not appear to have discretionary power, but perhaps, if he can report enough demand to his superiors, they will start to release sample copies. The data isn't in "HyperCard" format, but any competent programmer should be able to do something with the data. The data appears in text format, one navaid per line. Data includes mnemonic name, class, long/lat, city or location, range, altitude, operating times, state, and a variety of other information. If anyone on the net has this data, I would be grateful for one rel- atiely recent (within the last three years) copy. I'm able to proceed with my project, since the NOS *does* provide extremely detailed format information, but sooner or later, I'm going to need data to test it on. I still have not been able to find any *airport* information, however. I need (urgently) geometric databases: runways, taxiways, etc., in machine- readable form. Preferably for the entire planet, but I only need the Southwestern US (esp. Texas) to begin with. I am almost convinced that such data exists: the Jeppesen charts these days appear to be computer- generated, and no draftsman produced the NOS plates . If anyone has any tips, please forward them to me (earlier posters thought that IBM and the USGS might have the data, but I haven't been able to penetrate the bureaucracy far enough). NOAA/NOS does NOT handle the airport data; they, in turn, pointed me to FAA and the DOD's mapping agency. -- Robert Dorsett {allegra,ihnp4}!ut-emx!walt.cc.utexas.edu!mentat University of Texas mentat@walt.cc.utexas.edu at Austin {allegra, ihnp4}!ut-emx!juniper!mentat