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Spatial Data Formats: Preferred File Type by Data Type

November 19, 2019

Last updated July 29, 2026

Information Type
Preferred Format
Extension
Comments
CAD (Computer Aided Design) Data
AutoCAD Drawing file
DWG
Shall be compatible with AutoCAD Release 2007
GIS Data
ESRI Shapefile
SHP, SHX and DBF
GIS Data
Geodatabase
oracle spatial SQL server SAP ESRI personal geodatabase
Digital Elevation Models
Band Interleaved by Line Band Sequential TIFF and GeoTIFF ArcGIS GRID ERDAS IMAGINE Comma separated value
BIL BSQ TIFF & TIF Standard contents of ArcGIS GRID directory IMG CSV or TXT
JPG and TIF images shall be supplied with an associated ‘world file’ containing image header information (.JFW or .TFW file)
Satellite Imagery /Scans Aerial Photography Georeferenced Images
Encapsulated Compressed Wavelet TIFF and GeoTIFF JPEG* Band Interleaved by Line Band Sequential ERDAS IMAGINE
ECW TIFF & TIF JPG BIL BSQ IMG
ECWs shall be supplied with an associated ERS file containing the image header information. JPG and TIF images shall be supplied with an associated ‘world file’ containing image header information (.JFW or .TFW file) Satellite Imagery should preferably be in 16-bit (raw) or 8-bit (pan-sharpened) JPEG2000 is a valid forma
Data Attribute Tables
Dbase IV Comma separated value MS Excel 97 (*.xls)
DBF CSV or TXT XLS
Packaged reference information  documents
Portable Document Format AutoCAD Design Web Format
PDF DWF

Diagram of the data formats feeding into GIS software: CAD, coverage, shapefile, geodatabase, tables and raster, each arrowed into a stack of map layers at the centre

Filed Under: CAD Standards, General IT reference, GIS

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