
prj file which stores map projection information. Other optional file extensions that can accompany a shapefile is the. shp file and the indexing information is stored in the. The attribute data for a shapefile is stored in the dBASE file ending with the extension.

All three files must be present in the same directory for them to be viewable. Shapefiles store geometry in the form of point, line, and polygon data.ĭeveloped by Esri, shapefiles can be directly read by a number of GIS software programs such as ArcGIS and QGIS.ĭespite its singular name, a shapefile is a group of at least three basic files: .shp. Shapefiles stored non-topological vector data along with related attribute data. The shapefile format also known as an Esri shapefile, is now a common format for storing GIS data. Listed here are shapefile viewers for viewing GIS vector data in shapefile format.
