GIS File Formats
WHAT IS A GIS FILE?
A GIS or Geographic Information Systems file is used to store geographical information in an encoded format on a computer system. GIS files are further split into other formats, including raster formats, vector formats, grid formats, and other less-common formats.
Raster files consist of rows and columns of pixel data with each individual cell storing a single value. Usually, this is a color value. Additional values can also be associated with color temperature, saturation, and more.
Vectors are used to express geographical features using geographical shapes. Zero-dimensional points are used to express a single point reference, one-dimensional lines (or polylines) can be used to represent linear features, and two-dimensional polygons can be used to identify a specific area, such as an area on the earth's surface.
HOW ARE GIS FILES USED?
GIS files are used by mapping software and GPS systems to store information about a terrain. The information can include the elevation of the land, topograhy, distances, routes between two defined points, and much more.
Search File Types
What Are Popular GIS Files Extensions?
| GST The GST or MapInfo Geoset file format is used by MapInfo, a desktop geographic information system for mapping and location analysis. GST files are used to store data about locations inside a given region (or map area) and can also include additional information like raster image placed over the map as an extra layer. | |
| APL The APL or ArcPad Layer File format is used by ArcPad, a mobile field mapping and data collection software specifically for GIS professionals. APL files can be used to store map layer properties for an ArcGIS map including features, scales, as well as label expressions for that layer. | |
| GPX The GPX or GPS Exchange Format is a popular format for exchanging GPS data between software applications. It uses the XML schema and is an open source file type. It can store location data including elevation, time, etc. in the form of tags. Furthermore, it contains data including waypoints, routes, and track types. | |
| GEOJSON The GeoJSON file format is an open source format. It is used to list geographical features (as well as their non-spatial properties) and is based on JSON, the JavaScript Object Notation file format. Storing data in a human-readable format, a GeoJSON file can store points, line strings, polygons, etc. | |
| KML The KML or Keyhole Markup Language file format is based on XML and can store geographical annotations as well as visualizations such as placemarks, textual descriptions, images, and even 3D models. It is commonly used for internet based 2D maps and 3D earth browsers like Google Earth. |
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