Shapefile
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The '''Shapefile''' from ESRI is a proprietary but openly documented and widely used geospatial vector format. A shapefile can store a collection of geospatial features (points, lines, and/or polygons) together with attribute details (such as labels and associated measurements) for the features. A shapefile is actually a cluster of files, which share an 8-character filename, but use different extensions. A shapefile consists minimally of a main file, an index file, and a [[DBase III|dBASE]] table (.shp, .shx, and .dbf). The cluster of files is typically stored in the same file directory or project workspace. The main file (.shp) contains the primary geographic reference data in the shapefile. The .dbf file (in dBase format) stores the attribute data. The .shx file is a positional index to features in the .shp file. | The '''Shapefile''' from ESRI is a proprietary but openly documented and widely used geospatial vector format. A shapefile can store a collection of geospatial features (points, lines, and/or polygons) together with attribute details (such as labels and associated measurements) for the features. A shapefile is actually a cluster of files, which share an 8-character filename, but use different extensions. A shapefile consists minimally of a main file, an index file, and a [[DBase III|dBASE]] table (.shp, .shx, and .dbf). The cluster of files is typically stored in the same file directory or project workspace. The main file (.shp) contains the primary geographic reference data in the shapefile. The .dbf file (in dBase format) stores the attribute data. The .shx file is a positional index to features in the .shp file. | ||
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| + | == Format documentation == | ||
| + | * [http://www.esri.com/library/whitepapers/pdfs/shapefile.pdf ESRI Shapefile Technical Description] ESRI, July 1998 | ||
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| + | == Metaformat files == | ||
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| + | * [https://www.synalysis.net/Grammars/shp.grammar Synalysis grammar file] (for Hexinator / Synalize It!; [[Synalysis grammar file|more details]]) | ||
== Software == | == Software == | ||
* [http://www.osgeo.org/gdal_ogr Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL/OGR)] Cross platform C++ translator library for raster and vector geospatial data formats | * [http://www.osgeo.org/gdal_ogr Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL/OGR)] Cross platform C++ translator library for raster and vector geospatial data formats | ||
| − | == | + | == Other links and references == |
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* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shapefile Shapefile : Wikipedia] | * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shapefile Shapefile : Wikipedia] | ||
* [http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/formats/fdd/fdd000280.shtml ESRI Shapefile, from Library of Congress resource on Sustainability of Digital Formats] | * [http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/formats/fdd/fdd000280.shtml ESRI Shapefile, from Library of Congress resource on Sustainability of Digital Formats] | ||
* [http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/formats/fdd/fdd000326.shtml dBASE Table for ESRI Shapefile (DBF), from Library of Congress resource on Sustainability of Digital Formats] | * [http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/formats/fdd/fdd000326.shtml dBASE Table for ESRI Shapefile (DBF), from Library of Congress resource on Sustainability of Digital Formats] | ||
Revision as of 15:10, 25 January 2015
The Shapefile from ESRI is a proprietary but openly documented and widely used geospatial vector format. A shapefile can store a collection of geospatial features (points, lines, and/or polygons) together with attribute details (such as labels and associated measurements) for the features. A shapefile is actually a cluster of files, which share an 8-character filename, but use different extensions. A shapefile consists minimally of a main file, an index file, and a dBASE table (.shp, .shx, and .dbf). The cluster of files is typically stored in the same file directory or project workspace. The main file (.shp) contains the primary geographic reference data in the shapefile. The .dbf file (in dBase format) stores the attribute data. The .shx file is a positional index to features in the .shp file.
Contents |
Format documentation
- ESRI Shapefile Technical Description ESRI, July 1998
Metaformat files
- Synalysis grammar file (for Hexinator / Synalize It!; more details)
Software
- Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL/OGR) Cross platform C++ translator library for raster and vector geospatial data formats
