TCI11 — Add method to Entity interface to “getReferencePoint”

There is no way to get even a general understanding about where an Entity exists at a general interface level.

Resolution:
Define a new method in the entity interface:

GeodeticPosition getReferencePoint();

This is logically consistent across any entity type. An entity could still consist of multiple points (e.g., isPointEntity() would return false), and still return a center point. This keeps the conceptual integrity of the entity interface, but expands its utility.

One such concrete example of the utility: Creating a user interface component for scaling a Viewport to a set of points. The most common use case is for those points to be entity positions. The QueryManager can be used to retrieve a list of entities, but from that point on you have to dive into implementation specific details to convert the Entities to a position to choose from.

Revised Text:
Part of this resolution is the editorial fix to clean up the “extra” tables in 7.1.1.1.3.

Update the model to reflect the new method in the Entity interface to add getReferencePoint() with a return type of GeodeticPosition.

Add a new section to the specification and update the graphic in paragraph 7.1.1.1 on figure 7.11to reflect the new method.

7.1.1.1.5 getReferencePoint
Returns the GeodeticPosition to be used as the main point of reference for this entity.
Type GeodeticPosition
Visibility public
Is Abstract false
Parameter