# PCIDSK --- PCI Geomatics Database File

PCIDSK database file used by PCI EASI/PACE software for image analysis. It is supported for reading, and writing by GDAL. All pixel data types, and data organizations (pixel interleaved, band interleaved, file interleaved and tiled) should be supported, but compressed PCIDSK files are not supported. Currently LUT and PCT segments are ignored. Overall file, and band specific metadata should be correctly associated with the image or bands.

Georeferencing is supported though there may be some limitations in support of datums and ellipsoids. If GCP segments are present, the first will be used, and the rest ignored.

Internal overview (pyramid) images will also be correctly read though newly requested overviews will be built externally as an .ovr file.

Vector segments are not supported by GDAL or OGR at this time.

## Metadata

Dataset:

- SOFTWARE: Identifies the software system, and its current version, that generated the PCIDSK database.

- FILE_ID: Descriptive field identifying the file. Usually supplied by the user at file creation time.

- GENERATING_FACILITY: Descriptive field used to identify which facility or institution produced this file.

- DESCRIPTION1, DESCRIPTION2: Descriptive fields, usually supplied by the user at file creation time, identifying the contents of the file.

- DATE_OF_CREATION, DATE_OF_UPDATE: Dates and times of the file creation and last update. Formatted as 'hh:mmdd-mmm-yy'.

- GENERATING_FACILITY: Descriptive field used to identify which facility or institution produced this file.

Band:

- DATE_OF_CREATION, DATE_OF_UPDATE: Dates and times of the file creation and last update. Formatted as 'hh:mmdd-mmm-yy'.

- UNITS: Data measurement units.

- HISTORYn (n=1--8): Image channel history records.

## Creation Options

Note that PCIDSK files are always produced pixel interleaved, even though other organizations are supported for read.

- FILEDESC1="description", FILEDESC2="description": The first and second lines of descriptive text identifying the file, each one should be maximum 64 character in size.

- BANDDESCn="description": Text (maximum 64 character in size) describing contents of the specified band n. If no description for band supplied by user, "Image band n" string will be used by default. Band numbers start from 1.

## See Also:

- Implemented as `gdal/frmts/pcidsk/pcidskdataset.cpp`.

- PCIDSK SDK, including PCIDSK Database Reference Manual.