Shapefiles are a kind of geospatial vector knowledge format for storing the placement, form, and attributes of geographic options. They’re generally utilized in geographic data techniques (GIS) software program to create maps and analyze spatial knowledge.
Shapefiles are essential as a result of they supply a strategy to retailer and share geospatial knowledge in a structured format. This permits customers to create maps and analyze spatial knowledge in a constant and repeatable means. Shapefiles are additionally comparatively straightforward to make use of, making them a well-liked alternative for each skilled GIS customers and hobbyists.