Printing file metadata

Exercise

This exercise uses PDAL to print metadata information. Issue the following command in your Docker Quickstart Terminal.

literalinclude:: ./metadata-command.txt
linenos:
../../../_images/info-interesting-metadata.png

Note

PDAL metadata is returned a in a tree structure corresponding to processing pipeline that produced it.

See also

Use the JSON processing capabilities of your favorite processing software to selectively access and manipulate values.

Notes

  1. PDAL uses JSON as the exchange format when printing information from info. JSON is a structured, human-readable format that is much simpler than its XML cousin.
  2. The PDAL metadata document contains background and information about specific metadata entries and what they mean.
  3. Metadata available for a given file depends on the stage that produces the data. Readers produce same-named values where possible, but it is common that variables are different. Filters and even writers can also produce metadata entries.
  4. Spatial reference system or coordinate system information is a kind of special metadata, and is treated as something primary to a Stage in PDAL.