Echoview uses a number of file formats to record data. These are described below.
Echoview files (.ev)
Backup Echoview files (.evb)
Echoview index files (.evi)
Echoview workspace files (.evw)
Echoview files, early version (.el)
Echoview 2D region definition files (.evr)
Region import error log (.txt)
Comma-separated values (.csv)
Echoview bathymetric data files (.evb)
Echoview line files (.evl)
Echoview export file (.eve)
AutoOpen.EV
Mapinfo data Interchange Format (.mif)
Waypoint data files (.txt)
WMS files
Echosounder data files
Raster image files (.jpg, .jpeg, .bmp, .png, .tif, .tiff) and associated ESRI World files (.jgw, jpegw, .tfw, .tiffw)
3D Object files (.obj) and associate material files (.mtl)
3D data files (.wrl, .epl, .csv, .xyz, .xyzi, .seabed) and volume data set (.dat, .raw)
Video data files (.mov, .avi, .wmv)
EPJ data files (.epj)
This is the main file type used by Echoview. It contains the names of all the files added in the File List, all regions and bottom definitions added to the Echogram, the results of processing in the Cruise Track, and all custom settings. See About EV files for more information.
When an EV file is saved, the previous version is renamed with a suffix of (backup X.XX).evb, where X.XX is the number of the Echoview version which created that file. This allows for the recovery of a previous version of a file, should you save some edits that you want to undo.
You must give the backup EV file a new name before you can open it in Echoview (it must have the .EV extension for Echoview to open it).
These files are created by Echoview when it reads data files. They contain an index of pings in a data file and there will be one for each data file which Echoview has indexed. Echoview indexes files as required and these files are written to improve performance when accessing the data again. You can safely delete these files, Echoview will recreate them as required (incurring a certain performance cost). See: About EVI files
If you have chosen to save and restore your workspace, Echoview will write the workspace definition to a file of the same name as your EV file with the .evw extension. There will be one such file for every EV file, and it must be present in the same folder as the EV file if you would like the workspace to be restored. They can safely be deleted, no data or EV file settings will be lost, only information governing the layout of windows when the EV file is opened. Echoview will use the default if this file is missing.
Early versions of Echoview 1.x used .el as the extension for EV files. These files should be renamed, with an extension of ".EV" and converted to version 3.xx format. See Opening Version 1 EV files in Echoview 3 and higher for more information.
2D Region definition files are produced when you export 2D region definitions. The files contain the boundaries of each 2D region defined in the EV file, defined as a list of points with depth and date/time coordinates, and the region properties including annotations. A custom text file format is used for these files. See 2D Region definition file format for more information.
These files are created by Echoview when you export Echoview echogram data for input to the Eonfusion application.
Eonfusion is powerful software for visualizing, exploring and analyzing and managing environmental research data. It offers exceptional features that enable the integration, juxtaposition and data mining of diverse spatio-temporal data sources. Refer to Exporting to Eonfusion and Export file formats for more information.
Region import error log files are produced when errors are encountered importing an Echoview region file. The files will always have the same base file name as the EV file into which you are importing, and will be stored in the same folder. Previous log files of the same name will be overwritten.
The majority of the export commands in Echoview produce files with a CSV extension.
Comma-separated value files are designed for moving data between database and spreadsheet programs. They are text files, where each line of the file contains a number of values, each separated by a comma. If an individual value contains an embedded space or comma then the value should be quoted with double quote characters.
Files designed to be imported into databases need to have field names defined in the first line of the file. Each subsequent line of the file contains a complete record, with exactly one value for each field defined on the first line. For example:
RECORD_ID, SURNAME, GIVEN_NAME
1,Mouse,Mickey
2,Duck,Donald
3,Duck,Daffy
4,Duck,"Hewey, Dewey and Louie"
Files designed for import into spreadsheets need not follow these layout constraints. Each value will be located to a cell in the spreadsheet.
Note: Some "text data CSV file formats" are supported as an exported data format and as a file format for adding to a fileset. There can be differences between the exported file and the equivalent "text data CSV file format". Such differences arise from the support for optional columns. Export file formats can include optional data columns. "Text data CSV files" (of any origin) can include optional data columns. When a file is added to a filest, optional columns are ignored unless stated otherwise by the "text data CSV file format".
See:
These files are produced by Echoview version 1.xx, but can be read into the current version. The file contains date, time, bottom depth, bottom status and ping status information for each ping in the EV file. A custom text file format is used for these files.
These files are produced when you export lines in Echoview's line definition format. The files contain date, time, line depth and line status information for each ping in the EV file. A custom text file format is used for these files. See Line definition file format for more information.
If this file exists in the same folder as Echoview.exe, then it will be opened every time you start Echoview, without explicitly specifying a different EV file.
This feature is intended for demonstration purposes, but is also useful when you are doing a lot of work with the same EV file.
When Echoview is installed, AutoOpen.EV is created with example data. If you do not want this file opened automatically then do one of the following:
On the Echoview Configuration dialog box, clear the Open AutoOpen.EV at program startup checkbox,
rename the file,
delete the file, or
move the file to a different folder.
Echoview supports this file format for maps, which may be displayed in a cruise track window. See Map Files for more information.
Echoview supports this file format for waypoint definitions, which may be displayed in a cruise track window. See Waypoint Files for more information.
Echoview caches WMS maps as image files, when Precache maps is selected on the Mapping page of the EV File Properties dialog box. For more information refer to Precache maps settings.
Echoview supports data files produced by various echosounders. Further information specific to individual manufacturers and formats is in the following sections:
Echoview supports these raster image file formats for importing and exporting images. ESRI World files are optional, separate files that contain information that can be used to position an associated raster image in 3D space.
Echoview supports these file formats for 3D objects, which may be imported and added to scenes. These objects can then be viewed in 3D space with other 3D objects that were created in Echoview from survey data. 3D objects can be imported as 3D models, 3D regions, and surfaces.
.obj files define a series of vertices for each object and a series of faces made up of selected vertices. Each vertex has three coordinates on orthogonal X, Y and Z axes respectively. For example, a sample line from a .obj file is:
v 5.169832 1.062485 -2.562430
See Importing 3D model objects, Supported features of .obj and .mtl files for more information. A specification of the .obj format can be found here:
http://netghost.narod.ru/gff/graphics/summary/waveobj.htm
Warning: Echoview assumes that all faces have vertices listed in clockwise order as seen by a viewer standing inside the object looking out towards the face (termed: clockwise winding). This is a standard form of object representation in 3D graphics. If this is not the case, some metrics will be calculated incorrectly, notably volumes may be negative if all faces are recorded with the opposite winding.
Echoview also supports these file formats for 3D objects.
|
3D object |
Import |
Export |
|
Surface |
.csv, .xyz, .xyzi, .seabed |
.csv, .wrl |
|
Curtain |
.wrl |
|
|
3D region |
.csv, .wrl, (.dat, .raw) |
|
|
3D region tracks |
.csv |
|
|
3D single targets |
.wrl |
|
|
3D fish tracks |
.wrl |
|
|
3D polylines |
.epl |
.wrl |
See Importing 3D objects, Export file formats for more information.
Echoview supports these file formats for video data: .mov, .avi, .wmv. Video data can be displayed under demonstration mode. To be able to auto-synchronize the display of video data with echogram data, Echoview requires the Media module licence. To enable synchronization, each video file is required to have an associated EPJ file. For more information refer to Video data files.
Echoview supports the EPJ file format. An EPJ file can be read for each video file that is added to a fileset. Echoview uses EPJ data to synchronize video data to echogram data. For more information refer to Video data files.
Export file formats
2D Region export file format
International character support