FME Tool

What is it?

FME stands for 'Feature Manipulation Engine' and is a data integration platform that allows you to easily connect a wide range of applications, transform data, and automate data processes. The platform is also often used to monitor and, where possible, improve data quality.

In simpler terms, FME is a software that can automate processes. In other GIS tools, people often have to perform many manual actions to transform or visualize data. If two clients have the same question but different data, these manual actions can take a lot of time. Moreover, there is also the possibility that the person transforming the data makes a mistake that damages the data quality. This is where FME comes in handy. This software can perform the process that would normally be done in tools like ArcGIS Pro, but it does it in its own environment and automates the entire process. The outcome is exactly the same as if you were to do this process in another tool, but it saves a lot of time, and the data quality remains intact.

How does it work?

Data transformation takes place in the FME Workbench. FME brings data together regardless of the format in which it is written. With 'Transformers,' you can process data in any way you want. This means you can bring data from different files, from different organizations, and then develop a dataset for your own use. The Transformers each perform a specific action. By combining these Transformers in a flowchart, it is possible to quickly execute simple or complex processes. The flowchart is visually created with drag-and-drop operations, providing a user-friendly development environment.

Practical applications with FME

FME (Feature Manipulation Engine) is a powerful software tool used for data integration, transformation, and automation. Here are some practical applications of FME:






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GIS Data Transformation

FME is frequently utilized in conjunction with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to transform and integrate geographic data. It enables users to harmonize data from various sources, formats, and coordinate systems, facilitating a seamless exchange of spatial information.

Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis

In urban planning and spatial analysis, FME is employed to integrate data related to city planning, infrastructure, demographics, and the environment. It aids in understanding complex urban issues by bringing together data from various sources.



Environmental and Conservation

In environmental applications, FME assists in integrating and analyzing data concerning natural resources, biodiversity, air quality, and water management. It supports environmental experts in making data-driven decisions.

Transportation and Logistics Management

In the transportation and logistics sector, FME assists in optimizing route planning, managing transportation networks, and integrating data from various transport modes. It contributes to more efficient goods transport and logistics management.



Facility Management

FME is used for facility management by integrating data related to buildings, infrastructures, and energy efficiency. It assists facility managers in making decisions based on accurate data about their infrastructure.

E-commerce and Location Analysis

In e-commerce, FME aids in analyzing location data to optimize distribution centers, find suitable locations for stores, and understand customer behavior based on location data.



Data Exchange Between Different Systems

FME facilitates the exchange of data between various software applications and databases. It is often used to convert data between systems, enabling seamless integration and collaboration.

Satellite and Aerial Photography

When processing satellite and aerial photography data, FME provides the capability to transform, correct, and analyze images. This is crucial for applications such as map production, land use monitoring, and environmental monitoring.

FME in Van Oord

FME (Feature Manipulation Engine) is a powerful software tool perfectly suited for handling spatial data. Spatial data refers to information related to the location and geometry of objects on Earth. Here's how FME deals with spatial data:

  1. Spatial Data Transformation: FME excels in transforming spatial data from one format to another. It can convert data between different GIS formats, coordinate systems, and geometry types. This is essential for integrating data from various sources, such as converting a Shapefile to a geodatabase format.
  2. Coordinate Transformation: FME provides extensive support for coordinate transformations. This means it is possible to harmonize data captured in different coordinate systems, ensuring that all data can be analyzed and visualized in a uniform spatial context.
  3. Data Cleaning and Validation: FME makes it easy to clean and validate spatial data. It can detect inconsistencies in geometries, fill in missing attributes, and correct invalid spatial relationships, contributing to the improvement of data quality.
  4. Spatial Analysis and Geoprocessing: FME performs spatial analysis and geoprocessing on data sets. It offers a range of transformers for tasks such as buffering, intersection, overlay analysis, and more. This allows users to perform complex spatial operations without in-depth programming knowledge.
  5. 3D Data Processing: For applications involving 3D spatial data, such as seafloors, elevations, and sands, FME can process and transform 3D data. It supports the extraction, transformation, and loading of 3D data, enabling users to create detailed models of the physical world.
  6. WebGIS and Cloud Integration: FME facilitates integration, such as uploading data to Voxview and retrieving data from web services. It enables the publishing of spatial data to web maps, such as those on Google Maps or ArcGIS Online, and supports data exchange with cloud storage such as Amazon S3 or Azure.
  7. Automation of Spatial Processes: FME can be used to automate spatial processes. This includes tasks such as regularly updating GIS layers, processing new data inputs, and generating spatial reports.

The members of the GIS team extensively use FME to automate their processes. This is because FME provides an integrated environment for efficiently and effectively managing spatial data. It allows users to harmonize, transform, and integrate data, enabling them to make better decisions based on accurate and well-organized spatial information. Once an FME script is created, the GIS team can decide to publish it. For this purpose, Van Oord has designed a special environment accessible to everyone for transforming data. Once the FME script is published, anyone can use it, and the script is referred to as an FME Flow.

Additional information

For more information or for further exploration on the topic, here are some links:

Safe software

FME hub

FME support