GeoJSON
.geojson (or .json)GeoJSON is an open, JSON-based format for encoding vector geographic features and their attributes, standardized as RFC 7946 by the IETF.
Read the GeoJSON guideGIS format reference
GIS file formats explained
Compare Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML, KMZ, GPX, and DXF before you convert. Learn how each format stores geometry, attributes, files, and coordinate-system information.
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Open a format guide for its structure, coordinate-system rules, limitations, and every available conversion path.
Shapefile
.shp (+ .shx, .dbf, .prj)The Shapefile is a widely used vector data format developed and published by Esri, stored as a set of sibling files that share a common base name.
Read the Shapefile guideKML
.kmlKML (Keyhole Markup Language) is an XML-based format for expressing geographic annotation and visualization, adopted as an OGC standard and popularized by Google Earth.
Read the KML guideKMZ
.kmz (a zipped doc.kml)KMZ is a ZIP archive that packages a KML document (conventionally named doc.kml) together with any assets it references, such as icons, images, and overlays.
Read the KMZ guideGPX
.gpxGPX (GPS Exchange Format) is an open, XML-based schema for exchanging GPS data such as waypoints, routes, and tracks between devices and applications.
Read the GPX guideDXF
.dxfDXF (Drawing Exchange Format) is an open CAD data format created by Autodesk for exchanging drawings between AutoCAD and other CAD applications.
Read the DXF guideCompare GIS file formats
The best format depends on where the data is going, how it must be packaged, and whether its CRS can travel with it.
| Format | Extensions | Packaging | Coordinate system |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeoJSON | .geojson (or .json) | Single file | Per RFC 7946, coordinates are longitude/latitude in decimal degrees on the WGS84 datum (EPSG:4326), and the specification removed the older "crs" member, so a compliant GeoJSON file is always assumed to be WGS84. Coordinate order is [longitude, latitude], optionally followed by elevation. |
| Shapefile | .shp (+ .shx, .dbf, .prj) | Multiple related files | The coordinate reference system lives in the optional .prj sidecar as a WKT (well-known text) string. When the .prj is absent the CRS is genuinely unknown and consumers typically fall back to assuming WGS84, which can silently misplace data that was in another projection. |
| KML | .kml | Single file | KML coordinates are always geographic WGS84 longitude, latitude, and (optionally) altitude in that order; the format has no CRS or projection field, so any data written to KML is expressed in EPSG:4326 by definition. |
| KMZ | .kmz (a zipped doc.kml) | Compressed archive | Because the payload is ordinary KML, a KMZ is inherently WGS84 (EPSG:4326) longitude/latitude/altitude, with no projection metadata and no possibility of reprojection inside the format. |
| GPX | .gpx | Single file | The GPX specification fixes all coordinates to WGS84 latitude/longitude with elevation in meters, so like KML it carries no projection information and any exported data is expressed in EPSG:4326. |
| DXF | .dxf | Single file | DXF is a CAD format and carries no coordinate reference system — coordinates are plain model units. When converting to or from GIS formats you often need to know (or assign) the drawing’s real-world CRS; GeoConvert assumes WGS84 (EPSG:4326) only if you ask to reproject. |
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