ABSTRACT
A major application of geographic information systems (GIS) is integration of data from different sources and in different formats. To allow for data integration, a GIS must be able to read different data formats and to convert data from one format into another. Data conversion can take place in a variety of ways of which the three most common are:
Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc. (ESRI), has introduced a new vector data model with the release of each major product for the past 20 years: coverages with ArcInfo, shapefiles with ArcView, and geodatabases with ArcGIS. Although ArcGIS users can use all three types of vector data, many have converted traditional coverages and shapefiles into geodatabases to take advantage of objectoriented technology and new developments from ESRI, Inc.
