• GeoDataViewer Team
Free Health and Education Facility GIS Data Sources
Discover free global health facility and school location datasets including WHO Health Facilities, UNICEF Global Schools Map, HDX health data, and the Malaria Atlas Project.
Blog
Latest news, updates and tutorials from the GeoDataViewer team.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Free Natural Hazards Data Sources for GIS: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Floods and More
Discover free global natural hazards GIS datasets including the USGS earthquake catalog, GEM active faults, global flood hazard maps, NASA FIRMS wildfires, and GVP volcano data.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Free Vegetation and Ecosystem GIS Data Sources
Discover free global vegetation and ecosystem datasets including MODIS NDVI/EVI, VIIRS Nightlights, GEDI canopy height, WWF Ecoregions, and the IUCN Ecosystem Typology.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Overture Maps Foundation: A Complete Guide to Free, Open Map Data
Discover everything about Overture Maps Foundation — the six data themes (Places, Buildings, Transportation, Addresses, Base, Divisions), how to download the data, and how to use it in GIS with GeoDataViewer.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Free Marine and Ocean GIS Data Sources for Coastal and Maritime Mapping
Discover free global marine and ocean GIS datasets including EEZ boundaries, marine protected areas, shipping lanes, sea surface temperature, and mangrove mapping data.
• GeoDataViewer Team
How to Validate GeoJSON Files Before Publishing or Using Them in GIS
Learn how to validate GeoJSON files for RFC 7946 compliance using the free online GeoJSON Validator tool. Catch geometry errors, coordinate issues, and structural problems.
• GeoDataViewer Team
How to Calculate Map Tiles for Your GIS Project
Learn how to calculate map tile counts and storage requirements at different zoom levels using the free Map Tile Calculator tool.
• GeoDataViewer Team
How to Convert Coordinates Between Latitude/Longitude and UTM Online
Learn how to convert coordinates between Decimal Degrees, DMS, UTM, and MGRS formats using the free online GeoDataViewer Coordinate Converter tool.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Complete Guide to Free Building Footprint Data Sources
A comprehensive guide to free global building footprint datasets including Microsoft Building Footprints, Google Open Buildings, Overture Maps, DLR Urban Footprint, and more.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Free Global Energy Infrastructure Data Sources for GIS
Discover free GIS datasets for energy infrastructure including the Global Power Plant Database, oil and gas pipelines, global mines, solar atlas, and wind atlas.
• GeoDataViewer Team
The Evolution of GIS Data Loading: From Single Files to Modern Tile Architectures
A technical overview of how geospatial data delivery has evolved — from monolithic file formats through raster and vector tiles to modern single-file tile archives like PMTiles — and how to choose the right approach for your data.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Free Global Air Pollution and Air Quality Data Sources for GIS
Discover free global air quality datasets including PM2.5 surface concentration maps, Sentinel-5P TROPOMI satellite pollutants, and CAMS atmospheric composition data.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Free Global Conflict and Security Data Sources for GIS
A guide to free conflict and security datasets including ACLED political violence events, the Global Terrorism Database, and FEWS NET food security classifications for GIS analysis.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Where to Download Free Cropland and Agriculture GIS Data
A curated guide to free global cropland, irrigation, and crop production GIS datasets — including GFSAD30, FAO irrigation, SPAM crop models, USDA CDL, and WorldCereal.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Viewing COG and GeoTIFF Raster Data in GeoDataViewer
Learn how GeoDataViewer supports Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG) and standard GeoTIFF files — drag-and-drop raster visualization in your browser.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Extracting POIs from OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps: A Practical Guide
Extract EV charging and gas station POIs from NYC OSM data with osmium, and compare with Overture Maps' GeoParquet pipeline.
• GeoDataViewer Team
View GIS Files Without Leaving VS Code: Meet Geo Data Viewer Fast
Preview 10+ geospatial formats (Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML, PMTiles) directly inside VS Code with Kepler.gl rendering.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Comprehensive Comparison of GIS Data Viewers: From Desktop to Browser
Compare GIS viewers from ArcGIS and QGIS to Kepler.gl and GeoDataViewer. Desktop vs browser, cost, format support, and speed.
• GeoDataViewer Team
What Is GeoParquet? Columnar Geospatial Data for Analytics
Learn what GeoParquet is, why it works well for large geospatial datasets, how browser rendering works today, and where deck.gl fits next.
• GeoDataViewer Team
FileGDB vs GeoPackage: ESRI Geodatabase vs Open Container
FileGDB vs GeoPackage compared: portability, ecosystem support, multi-layer datasets, and when to convert between formats.
• GeoDataViewer Team
GeoJSON vs GeoPackage: Web Interchange vs GIS Container
GeoJSON vs GeoPackage compared: size, portability, multi-layer support, and when to convert for web maps or GIS workflows.
• GeoDataViewer Team
GeoJSON vs Shapefile: Which Format Should You Use?
GeoJSON vs Shapefile compared: structure, file packaging, web friendliness, and when it makes sense to convert between formats.
• GeoDataViewer Team
GeoParquet vs GeoPackage: Analytics Format vs GIS Container
GeoParquet vs GeoPackage compared: performance, storage model, interoperability, and which one fits analytics vs GIS exchange.
• GeoDataViewer Team
GML vs GeoJSON: What’s the Difference?
GML vs GeoJSON compared: structure, size, validation, and the best choice for GIS, web maps, and data exchange—plus when to convert.
• GeoDataViewer Team
GPX vs GeoJSON: Tracks vs Web Mapping Data
GPX vs GeoJSON compared: what each format stores, common use cases, and when to convert GPX tracks into GeoJSON.
• GeoDataViewer Team
How to Convert DWG to GeoJSON (Online, No Upload)
Convert DWG to GeoJSON step-by-step in your browser. Preview the layer, export GeoJSON, and troubleshoot common DWG conversion issues.
• GeoDataViewer Team
How to Open a Shapefile Online (with .dbf, .shx, .prj)
Step-by-step: open a Shapefile online in your browser, upload the required sidecar files, and troubleshoot missing .dbf/.shx/.prj issues.
• GeoDataViewer Team
KML vs GeoJSON: When Should You Convert?
KML vs GeoJSON explained: compatibility, typical use cases, and the simplest way to open and convert files for modern web mapping.
• GeoDataViewer Team
MapInfo vs Shapefile: TAB/MIF vs .SHP for GIS Exchange
MapInfo vs Shapefile compared: sidecar files, compatibility, and when to convert TAB or MIF/MID datasets into Shapefile or GeoJSON.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Shapefile vs GeoPackage: Which Format Should You Use?
Shapefile vs GeoPackage compared: portability, attributes, CRS handling, performance, and when it’s worth converting your data.
• GeoDataViewer Team
What Is a Shapefile? (.shp + .dbf + .shx Explained)
What is a Shapefile and why does it include multiple sidecar files? Learn how Shapefile works, common issues, and how to open Shapefiles online.
• GeoDataViewer Team
What Is FileGDB? ESRI File Geodatabase Explained
Learn what an ESRI File Geodatabase (FileGDB) is, what it’s used for, and how to open or convert FileGDB datasets online.
• GeoDataViewer Team
What Is GeoJSON? A Simple Format for Web Mapping
What is GeoJSON and why is it so common in web maps and APIs? Learn the structure, use cases, limitations, and how to open GeoJSON online.
• GeoDataViewer Team
What Is a GeoPackage (GPKG)? A Modern GIS Container Format
Learn what a GeoPackage (GPKG) file is, what it’s used for, and how to open or convert GeoPackage data online in your browser.
• GeoDataViewer Team
What Is KML and KMZ? Google Earth Formats Explained
Learn what KML and KMZ are, what they’re used for, and how to open or convert KML/KMZ to GeoJSON for modern web mapping.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Understanding GML (Geography Markup Language) and GeoDataViewer Support
Learn what GML is, how it compares to GeoJSON, common use cases, and how to open and visualize GML files using GeoDataViewer.
• GeoDataViewer Team
Introducing GeoDataViewer
A secure, local-first GIS data viewer and converter directly in your browser.