GIS Blog
Practical tutorials and guides for working with geospatial data formats — written for GIS professionals, developers, and data scientists.
Shapefile vs GeoJSON: Which format should you use?
A practical, no-nonsense comparison of the two most common vector formats. We cover file structure, the infamous 10-character field name limit, size trade-offs, and when each one is actually the right choice.
What is GeoPackage? The modern replacement for Shapefile
GeoPackage is an OGC-standard SQLite file that stores multiple layers, has no field name limit, and comes in a single portable file. Here is what makes it better than Shapefile and when to make the switch.
ogr2ogr: The definitive beginner's guide
ogr2ogr converts between 80+ geospatial formats from the command line. This guide covers installation, basic syntax, common conversions, reprojection, feature filtering, and the errors everyone hits the first time.
Working with KML and KMZ in Google Earth
KML and KMZ are the native formats for Google Earth and Google My Maps. This guide explains the difference between them, how to open and share KML files, what the file structure looks like, and when to switch to GeoJSON.
More articles coming soon
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