What it does
Mapshaper processes geographic data including Shapefile, GeoJSON, TopoJSON, GeoTIFF, and CSV. It offers simplification, attribute editing, clipping, filtering, and command-line tools.
Simplify a dataset before exporting a web-map format when excessive geometry makes it unwieldy. Attribute filtering and clipping can narrow the output to the intended area and records. The web interface supports interactive work, while commands suit repeated transformations. Keep a source copy because simplification deliberately reduces geometric detail.
The public web interface processes data in the browser according to the project, and the same UI can run locally. CLI commands run left to right from input through transformations to -o output. Large jobs have a documented 2 GB single-output-file ceiling; browser memory and CLI heap limits are separate constraints. mapshaper-xl starts with more memory, which does not remove that output-size boundary.
Strengths
- Combines data-format work with geometry and attribute processing.
Best for
- Preparing geographic datasets for mapping and distribution