Esri Shapefile Technical Description
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Overview
| Full name | Esri Shapefile Technical Description |
| Version | 1998 |
| Amendments | None |
| Corrigenda | None |
| Published by | ESRI |
| Languages | English |
| Online overview | ESRI Shapefile Technical Description. An ESRI White Paper—July 1998 |
| Type of standard | Proprietary standard (published and freely available)
Instance level |
| Related standard(s) | None |
| Application | This document defines the shapefile (.shp) geographic data format and describes the format’s importance. Typically used for (non-topological) vector geometry with associated attribute data. For example, street centrelines or points of interest. |
| Implementation benefits | The shapefile stores non-topological geometry and the associated attribute data for the features of a dataset. The geometry is stored as a set of vector coordinates that create a shape. The lack of topology speeds up rendering and editing. However, there are drawbacks when performing complex spatial analysis. The shapefile is a relatively small file and requires little storage space.The shapefile is the de facto standard for geographic data exchange and import and/or export functionalities are implemented in most GIS software. |