How GeoJSON works
A GeoJSON document is plain UTF-8 JSON built from Feature and FeatureCollection objects, each pairing a geometry (Point, LineString, Polygon, and their Multi* variants, or a GeometryCollection) with a free-form "properties" object. Because it is human-readable text, it works well with version control, text diffing, and any JSON tooling, and it is the de facto interchange format for web maps and JavaScript libraries such as Leaflet, Mapbox GL, and OpenLayers. Unlike Shapefile it imposes no field-name length limit, mixes geometry types freely within one collection, and stores everything in a single file.
Coordinate systems and reprojection
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.
Compare GeoJSON with other GIS formats
Convert GeoJSON to another format
Choose a conversion below for the online converter, format-specific caveats, and step-by-step instructions for GeoJSON.
Convert files to GeoJSON
Frequently asked questions
- What file extension does GeoJSON use?
- GeoJSON uses .geojson (or .json).
- Does GeoJSON store a coordinate system?
- 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.
- Can I convert GeoJSON online?
- Yes. GeoConvert can read or write GeoJSON in your browser for the conversion paths listed above, without uploading free-tier files to a server.