Geospatial Data Files Supported by GeoViewer: Complete Format Guide
- Anvita Shrivastava
- Apr 10
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 21
With the ubiquity of digital information today, geospatial intelligence holds tremendous amounts of data and plays a significant part in companies ranging from Urban Planning to environmental monitoring to Telecommunications to Defense. To leverage geospatial data effectively, professionals need tools that enable them to access various geospatial data file types quickly and easily. GeoViewer is a geospatial viewer tool created by LizardTech that supports multiple geospatial data file types, including GIS and raster file formats, to allow users to improve their workflow processes.
This guide provides details on geospatial data files supported by GeoViewer, and the various use cases for those files, along with an understanding of which files will work best for your needs.
What is GeoViewer?
GeoViewer is an application developed by LizardTech that allows users to view and analyze raster data and geospatial imagery. It was designed to be fast and efficient so that GIS professionals, remote sensing professionals, and data analysts have quick access to high-quality geospatial data files.
Why Compatibility With Files Is Important
Geospatial data is represented in many different file formats depending on the type of geospatial data that users are trying to integrate into their workflow (Satellite Images, Elevation Models, Vector Mapping, etc.). By supporting multiple formats of geospatial data, GeoViewer provides users with the following benefits:
Integration of geospatial data across multiple platforms.
Faster visualization and analysis of geospatial data.
Reduced the number of file conversions.
Improved workflow efficiencies.
GeoViewer provides a solution for each of the above benefits by supporting multiple raster and geospatial formats.
Raster Formats Supported by GeoViewer
Raster data uses pixels to represent images and comes from things like satellite pictures, aerial photos, and scanned maps.
MrSID (also known as Multiple Representation Satellite Image Data) is a highly compressed raster format specifically designed for handling geospatial imagery, such as satellite images and aerial photography, in a manner that allows users to quickly visualize huge amounts of data without downloading the full image. It also allows users to quickly and easily zoom in and out on images without having to download the entire image (as opposed to traditional raster formats that require downloading the entire file). This makes MrSID an ideal medium for distributing massive datasets while still keeping the file size small.
JPEG2000 (also known as JPEG2000 Image File) is a state-of-the-art raster image format that uses wavelet compression. JPEG2000 is significantly different from traditional JPEG as it supports both lossy and lossless forms of compression, thus achieving smaller file sizes while providing higher-quality images. Due to this versatility, JPEG2000 has become a popular raster format in both GIS and remote sensing because it preserves detail and yet still offers excellent storage efficiency.
TIFF (also known as Tagged Image File Format) is a significant geospatial raster image file format, particularly with reference to GeoTIFF. TIFF is a high-quality image file format that retains detailed raster data and can store geolocation information, including coordinate systems and map projections. As a consequence, TIFF has become a standard geospatial image file format for mapping, analyzing, and sharing geospatial datasets with precise geographic locations.
The raster file format ERDAS Imagine (*.img) has been designed to facilitate advanced geospatial analysis. Its primary application is in the analysis of multi-band imagery such as that found in remote sensing applications. The format is often found in workflows involving professional GIS and image processing methodologies.
The PNG (*.png) raster image format is used as a general-purpose, lossless compressed image format that permits transparency. For this reason, it is used widely in GIS as an overlay, a map tile, and for creating web-based mapping resources.
The JPEG (*.jpg and *.jpeg) raster image format is one of the most commonly used compression formats for raster images. It achieves significant reductions in file size but, in many cases, sacrifices quality because some of the data from the original image will be discarded when compressed. As such, it is best suited for situations where rapid visualization is required as opposed to a detailed analysis.
The NITF (*.ntf) (National Imagery Transmission Format) is a raster image format commonly used in the military and intelligence community. As a general rule, the NITF format captures images of raster data with extensive metadata, including geographic coordinates, timestamps, and security classification codes, making them informative in terms of national defense and surveillance.
Sun Raster (*.ras) is a legacy raster image file format that was originally developed by Sun Microsystems and is now virtually obsolete. However, some may still be seen in legacy systems and older data files.
Examples of specialized raster formats include several different raw binary files, or BBB raw files (*.bbb, *.bip, *.bil, *.bsq), which are simply image data stored in an unprocessed format. These formats contain pixel value only and thus a very limited amount of metadata, making them useful when working with scientific and hyperspectral data. The main difference between these formats lies in how the data is arranged: BIP is band interleaved, where all bands are stored together per pixel; BIL is band interleaved by row; and BSQ is band sequential, where each band is stored separately. Although BBB raw files are flexible, they require additional external information to be properly interpreted.
ECW, or Enhanced Compression Wavelet (*.ecw), is also a raster format that is intended for high efficiency and is primarily used for creating and managing large geospatial images. This file format enables rapid presentation and streaming of images, making it beneficial for applications where speed and/or performance are critical to the success of the work being performed, including GIS visualization in real-time.
The CADRG, or Compressed ARC Digitized Raster Graphics, raster format is used primarily for military mapping systems. The CADRG file format provides a compressed representation of a scanned map image, while adhering to a set of standard specifications for use in defense purposes.
When identifying mapping and GIS data types, you will find that the USGS DOQ file formats (*.doq, *.nes, *.ses, *.sws, *.nws) all represent Digital Orthophotography Quadrangles. These are vertically corrected aerial images, thus providing the user with a more accurate representation of where the image data will correlate to the earth's surface. The USGS DOQ data types are often used for mapping, land management analysis, and ecological assessments.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) use Shapefiles (*.shp) for vector data and geometrically represented features such as points, lines, and polygons, as well as associated attributes of that geometry. While a shapefile has multiple files associated with it, it represents a standard way to visually display geographical features like roads, borders, and places.
The LAS File Format (*.las) is the standard used for 3-dimensional (3D) and elevation data for Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) point clouds. The format contains detailed 3D x,y,z coordinates along with attributes such as intensity and classification. LAS files are therefore widely used in terrain modeling, analyses of forests, and creating 3D maps.
The LAZ File format (*.laz) is a compressed version of the LAS File format (*.las). LAZ files contain the same attributes as LAZ files, but are much smaller in size, making it easier to store and transfer large volumes of LiDAR data without any data loss.
The All Files (*.*) option allows users to search for files by any file type. This is useful for working with esoteric and/or unsupported formats that do not appear in the list of specific file types.
Benefits of Using GeoViewer for Multi-Format Support
When selecting a multi-format geospatial tool, you will experience the following benefits:
Productivity Enhancement
Access multiple datasets and manipulate them without switching tools/creating file conversions.
Speed Improvements
GeoViewer has been designed and built for fast processing of huge amounts of geospatial data.
Visualization Improvements
Display the very best-quality imagery at high-resolution with accuracy and detail.
Cross-Platform Functionalities
Seamlessly integrate into other GIS applications and workflows.
GeoViewer's comprehensive compatibility with many different types of geospatial data makes it a critical part of your workflow when working with any kind of spatial imagery. Using GeoViewer to analyze satellite data, visualize terrain, or manage large raster datasets can also provide users with confidence that they will have everything they need to successfully execute their projects (formatted appropriately).
You will be able to optimize your current workflows through your understanding of what strengths lie within each of the formats that are supported within GeoViewer. That knowledge will help you to maximize the value of your geospatial data.
For more information or any questions regarding the LizardTech suite of products, please don't hesitate to contact us at:
Email: info@geowgs84.com
USA (HQ): (720) 702–4849
(A GeoWGS84 Corp Company)
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