Comparison of GIS vector file formats

In geographic information systems (GIS), vector file formats are used to represent geographic features such as points, lines, and polygons, along with associated attribute data.^[1] These formats are essential for storing, exchanging, and analyzing spatial data across both desktop and web-based GIS platforms. The structure and capabilities of each format — including support for coordinate reference systems, metadata, and topology — greatly affect interoperability and analytical accuracy.^[2]

This article presents a comparison of popular GIS and CAD vector formats, detailing their design authorities, licensing models, technical properties, and common use cases. It is intended to help users choose the most appropriate format based on software compatibility, performance, and data exchange needs.^[3]

General information

The table below lists several widely used GIS/CAD vector formats, their managing authorities, and licensing terms.

Format	Design authority	License
AutoCAD DXF	Autodesk	Proprietary[4]
Cartesian coordinate system (XYZ)	–	–
GML	Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) / ISO	Open standard[5]
MapInfo TAB	Precisely (formerly MapInfoCorp)	Proprietary[6]
Shapefile	ESRI	Hybrid (proprietary spec, documented)[7][8]
TIGER	US Census Bureau	Public domain[9][10]

Format descriptions

AutoCAD DXF

The Drawing Interchange Format (DXF) is a CAD data file format developed by Autodesk in December 1982 alongside AutoCAD 1.0 to facilitate interoperability between CAD applications. It supports ASCII (since initial release) and binary encodings (since AutoCAD R10 in 1988), uses a group-code/tagged structure, and is partially publicly documented — though newer entity types may lack full documentation.^[4]

Geography Markup Language (GML)

GML is an XML-based grammar defined by the OGC and standardized as ISO 19136:2007 (and updated ISO 19136-1:2020). It models geographic features, geometries, coordinate reference system, coverages, and sensor data. GML profiles (e.g., Simple Features) tailor subsets for specific applications. Widely used in WFS, GML underpins vendor-neutral data exchange.^[5]

MapInfo TAB

MapInfo TAB is a proprietary GIS vector format created by MapInfo (now Precisely). A dataset includes .TAB (structure), .DAT (attributes), .MAP (geometry), and optional .ID/.IND index files. It supports points, lines, polygons, text annotations, spatial indexing, and multiple coordinate systems; common in MapInfo Pro and supported via GDAL/OGR.^[6]

Shapefile

Introduced by ESRI in 1998, the Shapefile format comprises .shp (geometry), .shx (spatial index), .dbf (attribute table), and optional .prj/.cpg files. It supports simple features: point, polyline, polygon, and multipoint. While popular and widely supported, it has limitations — DBF attribute format, 2 GB file size limit, no topology, limited Unicode/field name length.^[7][8]

TIGER

The Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) format was developed by the US Census Bureau to represent geographic features (roads, boundaries, water) for census purposes. Distributed as public domain TIGER/Line shapefiles, TIGER data includes geographic codes (GEOIDs) that can be linked to demographic data.^[9][10]

Technical comparison

• Encoding: DXF (ASCII/binary), GML (XML), Shapefile (binary), TAB (mixed), TIGER (Shapefile)
• Geometry types: DXF (all CAD entities), GML (points, lines, polygons, coverages), Shapefile (simple features), TAB (all plus text), TIGER (simple)
• Metadata/projections: DXF (limited), GML (rich with CRS), Shapefile (.prj optional), TAB (built-in), TIGER (.prj, GEOID codes)
• Limitations: DXF partial spec; Shapefile – 2 GB, no topology; GML verbose; TAB proprietary; TIGER → census-specific

Usage and support

• DXF – used in CAD–GIS handoffs; supported by AutoCAD, LibreCAD, QGIS.
• GML – used in OGC Web Feature Services (WFS); supported by QGIS, GeoServer, ArcGIS.
• TAB – native to MapInfo Pro; supported via GDAL/OGR.
• Shapefile – ubiquitous in QGIS/ArcGIS, GDAL/OGR, and libraries like Shapely.
• TIGER – consumed in US demographic mapping; downloadable via Census FTP.

Advantages and limitations

DXF

Advantages: CAD interoperability, human-readable ASCII

Disadvantages: partial specification, large file size

GML

Advantages: extensible, CRS/metadata support, open standard

Disadvantages: verbose, steep learning curve

TAB

Advantages: indexed, fast spatial queries

Disadvantages: proprietary format

Shapefile

Advantages: simple, widely supported

Disadvantages: attribute/Unicode limits, no topology

TIGER

Advantages: free, Census-ready

Disadvantages: US-specific, not fully general-purpose