GeoJSON files can be used for all kinds of different reasons. They have applications in hydraulic mining, GPS coordinate systems, topological mapping, and more. If you are unfamiliar with the basics of this common file format and you work in the industry, then it will behoove you if you take the time to brush up on the most popular file format used to interact with geographic information.
It’s an interesting file format that is worth learning about if you ever plan on working in the computer industry and believe you will need to know how to interact with geographic information in your career.
The Most Important Things To Know About The File Format GeoJSON
Several different things are important to understand about this popular type of file format. One of the most important caveats of any file and using this format is that the accuracy will only be as accurate as the data with which it is used.
These files can be represented using either discrete or continuous variables. Depending on what you were trying to represent could make more sense to represent using a discrete variable or a continuous variable. Luckily, these files can handle both forms of data.
How Does It Compare To The More Well-Known Shapefile Format by ESRI?
Shapefiles are the more commonly known type of file that is used to interact with geographic information as it was developed over 30 years ago, and it was the original industry standard for any type of computer information that involves geographic data.
It is well supported in almost any type of computer application that will be able to interact with this type of data; however, it is slowly replaced by the updated version of the file format that we are discussing in this article.
The newer file format is known to be better at indexing databases so you are able to search through them more quickly, and you have to spend less time trying to find the files that you need to locate.
Basic Info About Geographic Information Systems
If you have ever tried to Google how to convert kmz to shp, then you know that it can be a complicated process if you are unfamiliar with how these types of computer systems work.
Luckily geographic information systems have been around for a long time now and are very commonly interacted with by people who work in the industry. If you ever need help, it should not be as difficult as it once was for you to find it.
Javascript Object Notation Datatypes And Syntax
JavaScript object notation file formats represent data in fairly simple ways. Numbers are represented using a decimal number. They are able to use Boolean logic terms true and false, and they are able to put data into a raise.
Javascript Object Notation Metadata
Few other file formats can represent simple geographical features as easily, and as high of resolution as this file format. It can contain the addresses in specific locations by representing them with the point system.
Line strings are used to represent streets and highways, while polygons can be used to represent states or countries. This file format can be used to represent both digital worlds and physical worlds easily.
TopoJSON
This is an extension of the file format that adds an additional layer of data to the geographic information that is useful for people that are interested in learning about the geospatial topology of a region.
This type of extension has been around for a few years now and is becoming more and more popular as a method to encode topological features. Most topology is encoded using arcs. Arcs are a sequence of points.