Convert MID to PBF

Understanding the MID and PBF file formats

MID files are MapInfo Interchange Format files, commonly used for storing attribute data associated with geographic features in GIS (Geographic Information Systems). They are typically paired with MIF files, which contain the spatial data. MID files are plain text and store tabular data in a delimited format.

PBF stands for Protocolbuffer Binary Format, a compact binary format used for storing OpenStreetMap (OSM) data. PBF files are highly efficient for storing and transferring large-scale map data, making them popular for OSM data distribution and processing.

Why convert MID to PBF?

Converting MID (with its associated MIF) to PBF is useful when you want to integrate MapInfo GIS data into OpenStreetMap workflows or use OSM-compatible tools for further processing, visualization, or analysis.

How to convert MID to PBF

Since MID files only contain attribute data, you must also have the corresponding MIF file for a successful conversion. The process involves converting the MIF/MID pair to an OSM-compatible format, then exporting to PBF.

Recommended software for MID to PBF conversion

GDAL/OGR is the best open-source toolkit for this conversion. It supports both MapInfo and OSM formats. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Install GDAL/OGR (available for Windows, macOS, and Linux).
2. Use the ogr2ogr command-line tool to convert MIF/MID to OSM XML:
   ogr2ogr -f "OSM" output.osm input.mif
3. Convert the OSM XML file to PBF using osmium-tool or osmconvert:
   osmium export output.osm -o output.pbf
   or
   osmconvert output.osm -o=output.pbf

Alternatively, QGIS (a free GIS application) can be used:

1. Open QGIS and load your MIF/MID files (Layer → Add Layer → Add Vector Layer).
2. Export the layer to OSM XML (Layer → Export → Save Features As..., choose OSM format).
3. Convert the OSM XML to PBF using osmium-tool or osmconvert.

Summary

To convert MID (with MIF) to PBF, use GDAL/OGR or QGIS to export to OSM XML, then convert to PBF with osmium-tool or osmconvert. This workflow ensures your MapInfo data is efficiently transferred into the OSM ecosystem.