GIS Resources

This page gives a short overview about GIS resource types. Much more on the world wide web. An overview of all supported formats can be reviewed here.

GIS data represent real objects (such as roads, land use, elevation, trees, waterways, etc.). These objects can be digitally pictured in various ways.
Traditionally, there are three broad methods used to store spatial data.

Vector Data	Raster Data	Image Data
A vector file with points (9), lines (2) and areas (1).	Using a raster to summarize a point pattern	Detailed orthophoto used to create vector plan.
Spatial information stored as vertices (coordinates) that represent points, polylines (lines) or polygons (areas). Vertices can be combined to vectors (segments), multiple consecutive segments (lines) or closed polylines (areas).	Quantitative spatial information stored as numeric values (samples) organized in a cell matrix or grid (pixels). Each pixel has one sample (e.g. height, reflection, … )	Spatial information stored as numeric values (samples) organized in a cell matrix or grid (pixels). These pixel values represent a color. Each pixel has one or more samples (e.g. red, green and blue). Bits/Sample, Samples/Pixel, Bits/Pixel : Image type 1, 1, 1 : Monochrome, black-white 8, 1, 8 : Grayscale 8, 3, 24 : RGB (red green blue) 8, 4, 32 : ARGB (alpha/transparency RGB)
Supported Formats
File based Resources
OVF / OVT / SHP / GPX / KML / KMZ FME Resources (DWG, DXF, DGN, … )	OMI / DEM / ERS / FLT / HGT / IMG / RST	Image Data OIF / BMP / GIF / JPG / PNG Multiresolution Image Data OMI / ECW / SID / JP2 / TIF
Web based Resources
WFS	inapplicable	WMS, WMTS, TMS
Database Resources - Spatial Databases
WKT / WKB / Oracle Spatial / PostgreSQL	inapplicable	inapplicable
Related documentation
Vector dataset structure concepts		Multiresolution Image data Make Multiresolution Image Convert Image Format