Free Geography Tools

GeoConverter: GeoConverter is an online front-end for ogr2ogr which lets you convert a limited number of vector file formats to each other. Free registration is required; while the registration page is currently in German the registration page is now available in English. Formats supported are:

• Comma Separated Value (.csv/(.csvt))
• GPX (.gpx)
• Geographic Markup Language (.gml)
• INTERLIS 1-Transfer Format (.itf/.ili)
• INTERLIS 2-XML Transfer Format (.xml/.ili)
• Keyhole Markup Language (.kml) (write-only)
• MapInfo File (.mif/.mid)
• Shapefile (.shp/.dbf/.shx)

You can convert to/from any of these formats except for KML, which is write-only currently. Formats with multiple files (e.g. shapefiles with .shp, .shx and .dbf files) require that all files to be upload are zipped up into a single file (100 MB max). I suspect the conversion system is Unix-based, which is usually happier with files that have no spaces in their filenames. Also worth remembering that certain formats like GPX and KML require the coordinates to be lat/long WGS84, so you’ll have to make sure your source data is in that coordinate system. I converted a fairly complex polygon shapefile into a KML file successfully, with the attributes written into the KML polygon properties, but there’s no ability to modify display based on attribute properties, as with shp2kml or Shape2Earth.

Thanks to Professor Stefan Keller, one of the creators of this utility, for the tip.

D2M Converter: 5/2/2009: May be dead. A new online utility from Data2Map, currently in beta; free registration required. Converts from any of these formats:

• Access
• Excel
• MS SQL
• ASCII
• MapInfo (.mif)
• ESRI shapefile (.shp)

to either Microsoft MapPoint (.ptm) or Google Earth (KML).

A few notes:

• You have to create a “Conversion Definition” label, or bring up an saved one, for every conversion
• For data formats like shapefile or MapInfo with multiple files, you have to upload every datafile (e.g. shp, shx, dbf for shapefiles).
• 10 MB / 10,000 record limit.
• You need to select one of the attributes with a unique value for each record as the “ID”.
• You can clip out data by geographical bounds, and also to a limited degree by attribute values.
• There are limited abilities to use filters assign colors/pushpin images based on point attributes, and they’re working to add more capabilities. But for now, line/polygon KML files have one color for all shapes.

The service is still in beta, so it may have some quirks, but Data2Map has been very responsive to any issues I’ve encountered.

Related posts:

1. Graphical Front End For The ogr2ogr Vector File Converter
2. Export Shapefiles To Google Earth II – Shp2KML Converter
3. Recap of "Exporting Shapefiles To Google Earth" Series
4. Assigning Attributes From A Polygon Shapefile To Another Shapefile
5. Exporting Shapefiles To Google Earth I – Quick And Simple
6. Viewing Vector Data In The TatukGIS Viewer
7. Recap Of Intro To MapWindow GIS Series
8. Converting Shapefiles To KML With The gSpatial Toolbar (In Theory)
9. Free Online File Conversion
10. GIS-Like Functionality In Google Maps With ZeeMaps
11. Using The Demo Version Of Global Mapper As A Raster/Vector Data Viewer
12. Converting E00 Vector Data To Shapefiles – A Free And Fairly Painless Approach
13. Online KML To Shapefile Converter
14. Intro To MapWindow IV – Advanced Vector Tools
15. Exporting Shapefiles To Google Earth IV – Shape2Earth