Re: Database

[Stephen Birch <sgbirch imsmail org>]

Edward A. Falk(falk efalk org)@2005-06-17 08:01:
> Hi; standard procedure is to purchase the CDs from the FAA for
> $35.

How strange ... the FAA has heard of the internet, you would have
thought they would just put it online if they are truly putting the
information into the public domain.

> There's a web site, http://aviationtoolbox.org/raw_data/FAA/ATA-100/,
> that zips the CDs and puts them on-line as a public service, and
> that's where I got the raw FAA database.

Nice person!  If that failed I wouldnt mind buying the CDs as they are
published.

> Then, I run some tools I wrote to convert the FAA database into the
> formats used by fplan.
> 
> The tools are a little clumsy; if the database format changes, which
> can happen, the tools have to be modified, which takes time.
> 
> My plan was to clean up my own tools and then publish them.  Maybe
> I should just publish them right now, and worry about cleaning them
> up later.

If you publish using an open source license (GPL, BSD etc) I'll be
happy to include them with the debian package.  I may be able to helpl
clean them up as well.  Are they in C?

I could rewrite in python so they are easier to maintain as the FAA
changes the format.

> In addition, the original command-line fplan web site has a whole
> different set of tools called avdbtools
> 
>   http://www.ibiblio.org/fplan/avdbtools/index.html

Ok ... I'll take a look at that as well

> 
> I haven't looked at them, but they seem to be more complete
> than my own tools.  Theoretically, you can pop the CD into your
> drive, and the tools do the rest.  I haven't had time to look
> avdbtools yet, but it's likely that there's no reason to publish
> my own tools at all.

There is more than one way to do it :-)

Steve