Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 6
Data Formats
One of the challenges in working with GIS software, whether it be pro-
prietary or open source, is making sense of the many data formats
you encounter. Let's take a look at some of the common formats you
will encounter so you can get an idea of what's out there. We'll also
look at where these data formats come from, some of the conversion
options, and lastly how to choose a standard data format for your map-
ping projects.
6.1
Common Formats
So far, we've indirectly discussed a number of formats, including shape-
files, GeoTIFF, grids, PostGIS, and GRASS vector and raster. If you are
a casual or intermediate user of OSGIS software, odds are you are going
to be using only a few data formats on a regular basis. Typically this
means working with the following:
• Shapefiles (.
shp
)
• GeoTIFF or TIFF with world files (.
tif
, .
tfw
)
• JPEG with world files (.
jpg
, .
jpw
)
• GPS data (.
gpx
)
In fact, these are pretty common, and you can accomplish a lot with
just these formats. Other vector formats you might run across during
your search for data include the following:
• ArcInfo Binary Coverage
• ArcInfo Interchange File (.
e00
)
• MapInfo (.
.tab
, .
mid
, .
mif
)
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