1.. _faq:
2
3================================================================================
4FAQ
5================================================================================
6
7.. TODO maybe migrate the chapters 2 and following of https://trac.osgeo.org/gdal/wiki/FAQ
8
9.. only:: not latex
10
11    .. contents::
12       :depth: 3
13       :backlinks: none
14
15What does GDAL stand for?
16+++++++++++++++++++++++++
17
18GDAL - Geospatial Data Abstraction Library
19
20It is sometimes pronounced "goo-doll" (a bit like goo-gle), while others pronounce it "gee-doll," and others pronounce it "gee-dall."
21
22What is this OGR stuff?
23+++++++++++++++++++++++++
24
25OGR used to be a separate vector IO library inspired by OpenGIS Simple Features which was separated from GDAL. With the GDAL 2.0 release, the GDAL and OGR components were integrated together.
26
27What does OGR stand for?
28+++++++++++++++++++++++++
29
30OGR used to stand for OpenGIS Simple Features Reference Implementation. However, since OGR is not fully compliant with the OpenGIS Simple Feature specification and is not approved as a reference implementation of the spec the name was changed to OGR Simple Features Library. The only meaning of OGR in this name is historical. OGR is also the prefix used everywhere in the source of the library for class names, filenames, etc.
31
32What does CPL stand for?
33+++++++++++++++++++++++++
34
35Common Portability Library. Think of it as GDAL internal cross-platform standard library. Back in the early days of GDAL development, when cross-platform development as well as compatibility and standard conformance of compilers was a challenge (or PITA), CPL proved necessary for smooth portability of GDAL/OGR.
36
37CPL, or parts of it, is used by some projects external to GDAL (eg. MITAB, libgeotiff).
38
39When was the GDAL project started?
40++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
41
42In late 1998, Frank Warmerdam started to work as independent professional on the GDAL/OGR library.
43
44Is GDAL/OGR proprietary software?
45+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
46
47No, GDAL/OGR is a Free and Open Source Software.
48
49What license does GDAL/OGR use?
50+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
51
52See :ref:`license`
53
54What operating systems does GDAL-OGR run on?
55++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
56
57You can use GDAL/OGR on all modern flavors of Unix: Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X; all supported versions of Microsoft Windows; mobile environments (Android and iOS). Both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures are supported.
58
59Is there a graphical user interface to GDAL/OGR?
60++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
61
62See :ref:`software_using_gdal`:
63
64.. toctree::
65   :hidden:
66
67   software_using_gdal
68
69What compiler can I use to build GDAL/OGR?
70++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
71
72GDAL/OGR can be compiled with a C++11 capable compiler.
73
74I have a question that's not answered here. Where can I get more information?
75+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
76
77See :ref:`community`
78
79Keep in mind, the quality of the answer you get does bear some relation to the quality of the question. If you need more detailed explanation of this, you can find it in essay `How To Ask Questions The Smart Way <http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html>`_ by Eric S. Raymond.
80
81How do I add support for a new format?
82++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
83
84To some extent this is now covered by the :ref:`raster_driver_tut` and :ref:`vector_driver_tut`
85
86How do I cite GDAL ?
87++++++++++++++++++++
88
89See `CITATION`_
90
91.. _`CITATION`: https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/blob/master/CITATION
92