Pop coordinate value to pipeline stack

Added in version 6.0.0.

Retrieve components of a coordinate that was saved in a previous pipeline step.

Alias

pop

Domain

4D

Input type

Any

Output type

Any

This operations makes it possible to retrieve coordinate components that was saved in previous pipeline steps. A retrieved coordinate component is loaded, or popped, from a memory stack that is part of a pipeline. The pipeline coordinate stack is inspired by the stack data structure that is commonly used in computer science. There's four stacks available: One four each coordinate dimension. The dimensions, or coordinate components, are numbered 1--4. It is only possible to move data to and from the stack within the same coordinate component number. Values can be saved to the stack by using the push operation.

If the pop operation is used by itself, e.g. not in a pipeline, it will function as a no-operation that passes the coordinate through unchanged. Similarly, if no coordinate component is available on the stack to be popped the operation does nothing.

Examples

A common use of the push and pop operations is in 3D Helmert transformations where only the horizontal components are needed. This is often the case when combining heights from a legacy vertical reference with a modern geocentric reference. Below is a an example of such a transformation, where the horizontal part is transformed with a Helmert operation but the vertical part is kept exactly as the input was.

$ echo 12 56 12.3 2020 | cct +proj=pipeline  \
+step +proj=push +v_3                        \
+step +proj=cart +ellps=GRS80                \
+step +proj=helmert +x=3000 +y=1000 +z=2000  \
+step +proj=cart +ellps=GRS80 +inv           \
+step +proj=pop +v_3                         \

 12.0056753463   55.9866540552       12.3000     2000.0000

Note that the third coordinate component in the output is the same as the input.

The same transformation without the push and pop operations would look like this:

$ echo 12 56 12.3 2020 | cct +proj=pipeline  \
+step +proj=cart +ellps=GRS80                \
+step +proj=helmert +x=3000 +y=1000 +z=2000  \
+step +proj=cart +ellps=GRS80 +inv           \

      12.0057        55.9867     3427.7404     2000.0000

Here the vertical component is adjusted significantly.

Parameters

+v_1

Retrieves the first coordinate component from the pipeline stack

+v_2

Retrieves the second coordinate component from the pipeline stack

+v_3

Retrieves the third coordinate component from the pipeline stack

+v_4

Retrieves the fourth coordinate component from the pipeline stack

Further reading

  1. Stack data structure on Wikipedia