Full name
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Esri Shapefile Technical Description
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Version
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1998
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Amendments
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None
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Corrigenda
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None
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Published by
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ESRI
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Languages
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English
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Online overview
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ESRI Shapefile Technical Description. An ESRI White Paper—July 1998
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Type of standard
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Proprietary standard (published and freely available),Instance level
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Related standard(s)
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None.
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Application
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This document defines the shapefile (.shp) geo-spatial 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.
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Implementation benefits
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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 geo-spatial data exchange and import and/or export functionalities are implemented in most GIS software.
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