Arc/Info-MapInfo Translation

Originally prepared for a Presentation for the Northwest MapInfo Users Group
John Schlosser, Schlosser Geographic Systems, Inc.  September 4, 1996
Last revised:  01/18/12

Arc/Info data concepts are similar but different

• Polygons cannot overlap
• Points cannot be mixed with regions/polygons in the same layer
• A map layer (“coverage”) may look like a region map layer but may or may *not* have “polygon topology built”.
• A map layer (“coverage”) may include additional tables of non-map data (address coverages, statistical data, etc.) Conversely, a “street map” may or may not have address information in its table.
• Beware of strange Arc/Info types of map data. “Routes” “Sections” “Grids” and “TIN's”
• Bottom line: Know what you are getting.

Varieties of Arc/Info data formats

• “Binary” or native Arc/Info format (varies by type of computer).   Unix and WinNT versions are different.
• ArcView shapefile format.  Note that AV3 format is slightly different than AV1 and AV2.  This document does not discuss translation of shapefile format.
• Arc/Info Export format (with or without Arc/Info compression). 
  Note that Arc/Info compression is the default setting for Arc/Info and results in a "binary" not an "ascii" file.  This is important to know if the file will be sent anywhere by FTP.
  Beware, not all Arc/Info E00 (Export) format files are the same.  Workstation Arc/Info for UNIX rev. 7.x may not be able to read *.E00 files created by Workstation Arc/Info for UNIX rev. 7.1 etc.
• ArcCAD format
• Bottom line: Ask for Arc/Info E00 “Export” format (with or without Arc/Info compression). 

Know what you are getting in the Arc/Info file

• Ask for the results of an Arc/Info “Describe” command
• Ask for the map projection, including coordinate units & datum
  • Projection: State Plane Washington North Zone
  • Datum: NAD83 (aka HPGN)
  • Units: Feet
• If possible, ask for a quick plot of the map layer
• If you can't get the details from your Arc/Info data source, at least ask for the data in "uncompressed" (ie., ascii format) Arc/Info *.E00 format.  This way you can inspect the ascii contents of the file and make an educated guess about the projection parameters.

ArcLink: General Good Translation Practice

• Use short MapInfo table names.  Revisions prior to ArcLink 3.1.4 need name that are 5 characters or less (or else!).  Long filenames are fine with version 3.2 and higher (the version that is included with MapInfo 4.5).
• Translate all the incoming Arc/Info data types (include. lines, polygons, tics, etc.) Afterward, discard what you don't need.  You will probably nearly always discard the "tic" files.  Arc needs these; MapInfo doesn't.
• Save and print your ArcLink.msg file.   This is really important documentation.

ArcLink: Troubleshooting

• Symptom: ArcLink stops with fatal error after processing a very short time. 
  ArcLink message file says
      "WARNING:  ENOSEC:'
      "Unable to read section name"
  
  Affects versions:  3.2 and 3.1.4 at least.
  Possible solution:  Check for extra blank lines or extra blank characters that may have been inadvertently added to the very top of the E00 file.  Delete them and re-try.

• Symptom: ArcLink stops with fatal error when trying to create the output *.tab file. 
  ArcLink message file says
      "creating tab file d:\mapinfo\output.tab or similar. 
  Then
      "ERROR: ETABFIL:  Creating TAB file, ..."
  Then
      "Error converting [sic] of Arc/Info export file ..."
  Affects versions:  3.2 and 3.2.1 (ie, versions included with MapInfo Pro 4.5 ff)
  Possible solution: We believe this occurs only with systems when MapInfo Pro 4.5, ArcLink, the input *.E00 file or the output *.tab file are on disk drives that do *not* support long file names (e.g., "FAT" drives).  ArcLink 3.2 creates long output file names.  Strangely enough, this error seems to also occur when both input *.E00 and output *.tab files are on drives that *do* support long file names, if MapInfo is installed on the FAT-formatted hard drive.  Put everything on a drive with a NTFS file system (ie, with long file name support) and the error won't occur.   Alternatively, go back to good old ArcLink 3.1.3 which does not write long file names at all.
  

• Symptom: Translating from MapInfo to ArcInfo. ArcLink fails to begin processing the table, displaying the message "Cannot open table." The MapInfo table is now or was originally an Access table. As a result, the MapInfo "*.tab" file includes a line saying that it is a "Version 410" table. ArcLink can't handle this. This quirk affects all ArcLink versions thru 3.1.4. (ie, versions produced before MapInfo Pro added direct access to Access (pun intended) tables.  
  Important note:  This error can occur with tables that are *not* Access tables, but which were made from MIF/MID data produced from an MapInfo/Access table.
  Possible solution: With Notepad, WordPad or similar text editor, open the "*.tab" file and change the line to read "Version 400" or even "Version 300". If the table is currently an Access table, use File>Save As ... to save it as a MapInfo format or DBF format table before editing the "*.tab" file and re-running ArcLink.
  
• Symptom: The file translates without error, but the resulting map layer is offset from where it should be--when viewed with other map data. This is the most common problem with translation!
  Possible solution: Re-check the map projection, datum, and coordinate units parameters. This is almost always the reason. Arc/Info source files, unlike MapInfo files, sometimes contain, but do not always contain, the map projection information. If the projection information is in the Arc/Info file, ArcLink (at least thru version 3.1.4) does not use it.
  
• Symptom: ArcLink processes for a while, then stops with an error message referring to "TX7".
  Possible solution: This is caused by an Arc/Info *.E00 file produce by Workstation Arc/Info Rev. 7.1 or higher.  Between Rev. 7.02 and 7.1, ESRI introduced this new "text object type".  The current version of ArcLink (3.2 as of 4/98) accommodates this new data.  If you have an earlier version of ArcLink, and if the *.e00 file is in ascii format, you can "search and replace" with a text editor to change the TX7 to TX6. 
  
• Symptom: ArcLink asks for an *.e01 or *.e02 file when you are only translating an *.e00 file.
  Possible solution: Check that you received a complete *.e00 file. The one you are translating does not have an “end of file” marker. Your file may be incomplete, for example if it was transferred over a network or via “ftp” or as an email attachment.
  
• Symptom: No error message when translating, but the resulting MapInfo table appears to be blank
  Possible solution: Re-translate, using correct input projection. This symptom can occur if, for example, the E00 file hold state plane map coordinates (in 1,000's of feet) but you have told ArcLink that the E00 file holds Latitude-Longitude coordinates.
  
• Symptom: ArcLink processes for a while, then displays the message, "Error exists in Argument list or the output directory is not writeable" The message is particularly perplexing since you probably didn't create an "argument list" at all, but used the standard ArcLink interface to set the parameters (aka "arguments".)
  Possible explanations (besides what the error message says):
  1. Your E00 file may have been truncated when transferring it (via ftp for example) from a UNIX system to your PC. This type of flawed E00 file can also cause an Application Error or GPF in Arclink.dll in some versions of ArcLink. Try getting a fresh copy of the *.E00 file.
  2. You may be reading or writing to a network drive and the network server is so busy it is refusing to let you do anything. This is particularly likely if you run Windows NT Rev. 3.51. Trying copying all files to a local hard disk, then run ArcLink again.
  
• Symptom: ArcLink message file says there is an error in your Arc/Info E00 [export] file. The arclink.msg file may note a specific "block number" in the E00 file where the problem exists.
  Possible solution: This may actually be true. See if the file can be re-imported into Arc/Info or ArcView. We encounter many “bad” E00 files that Arc/Info and/or ArcView cannot read. The "block number" reference is hard to use to solve the problem. If your E00 is an "ASCii" -type E00, a power user could search the E00 text with a text editor, trying to confirm the problem by looking for garbage data. We don't recommend this. The flaws in the E00 file may be due to flaws in the source Arc/Info map. There can be "badly formed" or "illegally shaped" polygons and/or text annotation in an Arc/Info map which will produce a flawed E00 file. You may want to ask your Arc/Info crew to search the Arc/Info map layer, looking for "dangles". As a way to debug the problem you might also try to re-build "polygon topology" in Arc/Info, re-export the E00, and/or to delete all "annotation" objects.
  
• Symptom: ArcLink message file says there is a problem with the “PAL” section of the Export format file.
  Possible solution: The PAL section contain polygon information. Verify that your source Arc/Info file has had polygon topology “built” and that there are “label points” for each polygon.
  
• Symptom: ArcLink produces a MapInfo format file that is fine at the North, but as you move South in the map, some polygon lines are jumbled, giving a “pickup sticks” look.
  Possible solution: Split the Arc/Info file into two; process separately; then combine in MapInfo using Table > Append. This was an issue with early versions of ArcLink, working on very large polygon/region map layers.  It has been fixed in versions release after 1996.
  
• Symptom: ArcLink message file reports problems with the LAB section of the E00 file.
  Possible solution: In our experience this is nearly always caused by various flaws in the Arc/Info source coverage. E.g., Arc/Info feature ID's have invalid ID numbers or the data includes label annotation that consists of strange “control characters.” The Arc/Info source operator should search for "out of range" ID #'s; check for Arc/Info “labelerrors”; and/or make a copy of the E00 file that does not contain “annotation.”
  
• Symptom: Arc/Info polygon has too many vertices, resulting in ArcLink error message or a resulting map layer than is missing the feature with too many vertices.
• Possible solution: This may be a problem with tax parcel and zoning maps since the polygon(s) in question may be the interiors of the street corridors (which you probably do not want.) It can also occur with complex elevation contour maps with very complex polygonal areas. MapInfo has a limit of 32,000 vertices per polygon. If the complex shape is a polygon, ask ArcLink to translate the map into both region and line layers. Overlay the results, looking for polygons missing where there are lines. Then use MapInfo Pro's standard object editing tools to compose the missing polygons/regions from the lines.
  
• Symptom: You translated a street map but cannot use Table > Geocode with it.
• Possible solution: To geocode via Table > Geocode, with a street map, the first 5 fields must contain fields for: Name, FromLeft, ToLeft, FromRight, ToRight. Name must be a character type field, but it can have a different column name. The address fields must be Integer or SmallInt type fields, but we strongly recommend making them Integer type. You need to Index the first (Name) field, too.

EXCERPT FROM MAPINFO.PRJ, STATE PLANE NAD83 SECTION:

(EXAMPLE OF HOW TO EDIT YOUR FILE TO SHOW STATEPLANE NAD83 FEET. NOTE THAT VERSION 4.12 OF MAPINFO PRO NOW CONTAINS ALL THE NEEDED ENTRIES FOR STATE PLANE PROJECTIONS USING COORDINATES EXPRESSED IN FEET RATHER THAN METERS.)

"Oregon, Northern Zone (1983 Meters)\p32126", 3, 74, 7, -120.5, 43.6666666667, 44.3333333333, 46, 762001.36, 0
"Oregon, Southern Zone (1983 Meters) \p32127", 3, 74, 7, -120.5, 41.6666666667, 42.3333333333, 44, 457200.82, 0
"Oregon, Northern Zone (1983 Feet)", 3, 74, 8, -120.5, 43.6666666667, 44.3333333333, 46, 8202085, 0
"Oregon, Southern Zone (1983 Feet)", 3, 74, 8, -120.5, 41.6666666667, 42.3333333333, 44, 4921251, 0
"Washington, Northern Zone (1983 Meters)\p32148", 3, 74, 7, -120.8333333333, 47, 47.5, 48.7333333333, 500000, 0
"Washington, Southern Zone (1983 Meters)\p32149", 3, 74, 7, -120.5, 45.3333333333, 45.8333333333, 47.3333333333, 500000, 0
"Washington, Northern Zone (1983 Feet)", 3, 74, 8, -120.8333333333, 47, 47.5, 48.7333333333, 1640417, 0
"Washington, Southern Zone (1983 Feet)", 3, 74, 8, -120.5, 45.3333333333, 45.8333333333, 47.3333333333, 1640417, 0

SAMPLE OF AN ARCLINK.MSG FILE

using export file b:firedist.e00
section EXP - ignore
section ARC found - processing .....
done - 403 arcs found
section CNT found - processing ......
done - 111 centroids found
section LAB found - processing ......
done - 110 labels found
section PAL found - processing .....
done - 111 pals found
section TOL found - processing ......
done - 10 tolerances found
section TX6 found - processing ......
done - 77 tx6 records found
section SIN found - processing ......
skipping over SIN block
section LOG found - processing ......
skipping over LOG block
section PRJ found - processing ......
skipping over PRJ block
section INFO found - processing......
WARNING: unknown data type in INFO data
INFO table FIREDIST.AAT, column
WARNING: reading export file block FIREDIST.AAT, block #8
Error converting of Arc/Info export file b:firedist.e00

Schlosser Geographic Systems, Inc. (SGSI) is an authorized reseller of all MapInfo workstation, client-server, and internet products.  If you do not have the ArcLink translator, note that it is included at no extra charge with MapInfo Pro Revision 4.5ff.
SGSI also offers translation services on a time and material basis.
Please call us at 206-224-0800 or contact us via eMail.

Copyright, 1996, Schlosser Geographic Systems, Inc. (SGSI) SGSI agrees that anyone may freely make copies of this information at no charge, for internal, non-commercial use provided that this copyright notice is included on each page.
Last edited: January 18, 2012