View FlatGeobuf Online — Free FGB Viewer
Upload a FlatGeobuf (.fgb) file and Maparz renders it on an interactive map instantly. FlatGeobuf is a modern, high-performance binary format designed for cloud-native GIS workflows. Preview and convert .fgb files without any software installation.
FlatGeobuf viewer & converter
About the FlatGeobuf format
FlatGeobuf is a modern, high-performance binary format for geospatial vector data, designed for efficient streaming and cloud-native workflows. Based on FlatBuffers, it supports random access via HTTP range requests, making it ideal for serving large datasets directly from object storage like S3 without a tile server. FlatGeobuf is an OGC Community Standard and is supported by GDAL 3.1+, QGIS, Mapbox, and the GeoJSON ecosystem. Its compact binary encoding is significantly faster to parse than GeoJSON for large datasets.
Strengths
- +Extremely fast read/write — binary encoding
- +Supports HTTP range requests for cloud-native access
- +OGC Community Standard
- +Compact — much smaller than equivalent GeoJSON
Limitations
- −Not human-readable (binary format)
- −Less universally supported than GeoJSON or Shapefile
- −Newer format — older software may not support it
Frequently asked questions
Q.What is FlatGeobuf?
FlatGeobuf (FGB) is a high-performance binary vector format based on FlatBuffers. It is an OGC Community Standard designed for fast streaming and cloud-native access via HTTP range requests, and is supported by GDAL, QGIS, and the broader GeoJSON ecosystem.
Q.How does FlatGeobuf compare to GeoJSON?
FlatGeobuf is significantly faster to read and write than GeoJSON and produces smaller files. However, it is binary and not human-readable. Use GeoJSON for web sharing and FlatGeobuf for performance-critical workflows.
Q.Can I convert FlatGeobuf to GeoJSON or Shapefile?
Yes. After the preview loads, select your output format and click Convert. FGB → GeoJSON is the most common conversion for bringing FlatGeobuf data into web mapping tools.
Q.Is FlatGeobuf widely supported?
Support is growing. GDAL 3.1+, QGIS 3.16+, and several web libraries support FlatGeobuf. It is not yet as universally supported as GeoJSON or Shapefile, but adoption is increasing rapidly.