by
Explore
viewers
for
visualizing
GIS
vector
data
in
shapefile
format,
available
for
both
desktop
and
web
browsers.
What
is
a
shapefile?
The
shapefile
format
also
known
as
an
Esri
shapefile,
is
a
common
format
for
storing
GIS
data.
Shapefiles
store
non-topological
vector
data
along
with
related
attribute
data.
Shapefiles
store
geometry
in
the
form
of
point,
line,
and
polygon
data.
Developed
by
Esri,
shapefiles
can
be
directly
read
by
a
number
of
GIS
software
programs
such
as
ArcGIS
and
QGIS.
Despite
its
singular
name,
a
shapefile
is
a
group
of
at
least
three
basic
files: .shp,
.shx
and
.dbf.
All
three
files
must
be
present
in
the
same
directory
for
them
to
be
viewable.
The
attribute
data
for
a
shapefile
is
stored
in
the
dBASE
file
ending
with
the
extension
.dbf.
The
spatial
data
is
stored
in
the
.shp
file
and
the
indexing
information
is
stored
in
the
.shx
(known
as
the
index
file).
Other
optional
file
extensions
that
can
accompany
a
shapefile
is
the
.prj
file
which
stores
map
projection
information.
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How
to
view
a
shapefile
Since
a
shapefile
is
a
GIS
data
file
format,
a
GIS
software
program
is
the
most
common
way
to
load
and
view
this
data.
If
you
want
to
be
able
to
symbolize,
edit,
or
otherwise
manipulate
shapefile
data,
you
will
need
a
GIS
software
program
capable
of
those
functions.
For
those
on
a
budget,
Esri
offers
a
personal
use
license
for
$100
per
year
or
you
can
download
QGIS,
an
open
source
GIS
software
for
free.
If
you
simply
want
to
be
able
to
view
the
geographic
and
attribute
data
for
a
shapefile,
there
are
several
shapefile
viewer
options
out
there.
Online
shapefile
viewers
The
quickest
option
for
visualizing
the
geographic
of
a
shapefile
is
through
one
of
the
online
shapefile
viewers
that
allows
you
to
drag
and
drop
the
GIS
data
into
a
map
viewer.
Since
these
applications
are
accessed
via
an
internet
browser,
you
do
not
need
desktop
GIS
software
like
ArcGIS
or
QGIS
to
view
the
shapefile.
Shapefile.io
Shapefile.io
is
a
very
simple
browser
application
that
lets
you
dragged
and
drop
a
compressed
(.zip)
file
containing
a
shapefile
into
the
map
viewer
in
order
to
view
the
dataset
and
to
click
and
identify
attribute
data.
The
data
displays
on
top
of
a
Leaflet
basemap
with
a
medium
blue
symbology.
If
you
need
to
verify
that
you
have
the
right
shapefile
or
check
the
general
appearance
and
extent
of
the
data,
shapefile.io
provides
a
fast
way
to
do
so.
Otherwise,
the
viewing
options
are
very
basic
–
there
is
no
ability
to
change
the
symbolization
color
or
categorize
the
data.
You
can
pan,
zoom,
and
click
on
individual
features
to
see
the
attribute
information.
is
a
browser
based
mapping
application
that
lets
users
drag
a
drop
compressed
shapefiles
into
the
map
frame
to
visualize
them.
LSI
Viewer
LSI
Viewer
(which
stands
for
Libre
Spatial
Information
Viewer)
allows
you
to
upload,
view,
and
apply
some
limited
symbolization
to
shapefiles.
The
online
shapefile
viewer
works
best
in
Chrome
or
Firefox
browsers.
Users
must
register
before
being
able
to
utilize
the
program.
and
drop
shape
files
into
the
map
canvas
from
Equator
Studios
to
view
data.
Equator
Studios
also
offers
a
free
online
shapefile
viewer
with
drag
and
drag
options
for
loading
in
a
variety
of
GIS
data
formats:
shape
file
(either
with
the
collective
.shp,
.shp
.dbf.
and
.prj
files
or
compressed
in
to
a
zipped
(.zip)
file.
Other
file
formats
you
can
view
include
KML
and
KMZ
files
GeoJSOn,
and
Lidar
Point
data
(.las
and
.laz).
The
viewer
doesn’t
work
in
Safari
from
my
experience
but
worked
well
when
I
uploaded
some
test
shape
files
using
Chrome.
Equator
Studios
map
canvas
which
allows
users
to
freely
drag
and
drop
shape
files
to
view
them.
Desktop
Shapefile
Viewers
Esri’s
ArcGIS
Explorer
Desktop
is
the
most
popular
desktop
shapefile
viewer.
The
software
can
be
downloaded
for
free
and
integrates
with
ArcGIS
Online.
ArcGIS
Explorer
only
works
on
Windows
OS
environments.
Explorer
from
Esri.
If
you’re
looking
for
a
Mac
based
free
shapefile
viewer,
TNTatlas
offers
both
a
Mac
and
a
Windows
build
of
its
data
viewer,
called
Datum
GeoView.
In
addition
to
shapefiles,
TNTatlas
can
also
viewer GeoTIFF,
JP2,
PNG,
MrSID,
DXF,
and
DWG
file
formats.
If
you’re
looking
for
another
option
that
isn’t
a
full-fledged
GIS
software
program,
check
out
the
free
TatukGIS
Viewer.
The
viewer
supports
70+
geospatial
data
formats
(vector,
image,
and
grid)
including
the
shapefile
format.
This
article
was
originally
written
on
May
14,
2013
and
has
since
been
updated.
Go to Source
Author: Caitlin Dempsey
