These instructions outline how to load OS MasterMap Highways Network into MapInfo Professional using the GML you have received. They have been prepared using version 15.2.2 of MapInfo. This version of MapInfo allows you to convert GML data using the Universal Translator Tool (older versions of MapInfo Professional may not have this functionality).
However, using this tool will only convert the files that contain geometry. If you wish to use the full data set, it is recommended that you store the data in either a relational database or a Spatialite or GeoPackage data structure, supported from version 12.5 of MapInfo Pro.
Note: These instructions refer to the 64Bit version. The Universal Translator Tool is the same in the 32Bit version; however, the MapInfo menus are slightly different.
If your version of MapInfo is 12.0.2 or older, you will have to use translation tools available in QGIS (explained in an earlier sub-section) to first translate the OS MasterMap Highways Network GML data into MapInfo TAB files, before you can load these files into MapInfo.
If you are bringing in already translated TAB files, start following the instructions from Section 4.3.2.
Using the Universal Translator Tool to translate GML data to TAB files
Open MapInfo Professional.
On the main Tools tab, select Universal Translator.
Note: If this is not under the list of ‘Running’ tools in the 'Running' tab, go to the ‘Registered’ tab and scroll down the list of available tools until you find it.
In the Set Translation Parameters dialog:
Reader: Select GML (Geography Markup Language) from the Format dropdown menu.
Reader: In Dataset, use the ellipsis button to navigate to the folder where you saved your GML files.
Writer: Select MapInfo TAB from the Format dropdown menu.
Writer: In Dataset, use the ellipsis button to navigate to the folder where you want your TAB file to be saved.
Leave the rest of the settings as the defaults.
The translation starts. You will notice comments appearing in FME Quick Translator dialog. When complete, you will see a notification saying the 'Translation was SUCCESSFUL'.
After you receive a successful translation notification, close the FME Quick Translator dialog.
Setting the application schema
One common reason for the translation to fail is that the Universal Translator Tool cannot find the schema file used to interpret the GML. If this is the case, the schema file can be added manually.
To manually add the schema file used to interpret the GML:
Follow Steps 1 to 3 in the sub-section above to open the Universal Translator Tool in MapInfo Professional.
In the Set Translation Parameters dialog, click the Parameters… button in the Reader section.
Halfway down the GML (Geography Markup Language) Parameters dialog, click the ellipsis button to the right of the Application Schema box, then navigate to the schema location and select GeneralNetwork.xsd. (The schemas can be downloaded from the OS MasterMap Highways Network GitHub repository.
In the Select Application Schema dialog, click Open and then OK and re-run the translation.
Opening the translated files in MapInfo Professional
To open translated TAB files in MapInfo Professional:
In the top ribbon, select the Home tab > Open > Table.
In the Open dialog, use the dropdown menu against 'Look in' to navigate to the folder where you saved your TAB files.
Note: If you cannot see your files, select MapInfo (*.tab) from the 'Files of type' dropdown menu.
Select your translated TAB file, then click Open.
The data will now load into MapInfo Professional without styling:
Creating and using OGC GeoPackage in MapInfo Professional
From version 11.5.2 of MapInfo Professional, the SQLite data format has been supported. This is a light- weight portable data type that allows users to store both geometry and tabular data within the same structure. OGC GeoPackage is an extension of this and is supported from MapInfo Professional version
15.2.2 (version 15.2.2 supports tables with geometry and version 21 supports all GeoPackage content). Both formats can be created using FME workbenches.
To open a GeoPackage for use in MapInfo Professional:
In the top ribbon, select the Home tab > Open > Table.
In the Open dialog:
Change the Files of type dropdown to GeoPackage (.gpkg).
Use the dropdown menu against 'Look in' to navigate to the folder where you saved your GeoPackage file.
Note: You will also see an option in the 'Files of type' dropdown for SQLite, which can be opened in a similar way.
A list of available tables appears in the Select One or More Tables to Open dialog.
In the Select One or More Tables to Open dialog:
Select the tables you wish to open.
If your table contains geometry, you can set the default style by selecting the Style tab.
Chose the geometry type (Point, Line or Area) and select a style.
Click OK to open the tables in MapInfo Professional.
MapInfo Professional will create a TAB file for the data you have selected. The file will open within the Explorer panel and the map window and will be ready for you to work with.