CSV (coordinate lists / attributes)
A tabular file format that can store coordinates (lon/lat columns) and attributes, often used as a lightweight exchange format.
Category: Files & Data · Also known as: coordinate CSV, csv lon lat, csv lat lon, csv to polygon
Definition (expanded)
CSV is not a geometry format by itself, but it often carries geometry as columns (lon, lat) or as a WKT/EWKT field, plus attributes. Converting CSV to polygons usually requires rules for grouping points into rings and features (ids, ordering, separators).
Common mistakes
- Swapping lon/lat column order.
- Using commas as decimal separators (parsers usually expect dot decimals).
- Not providing a stable point order when building rings (results in self-intersections).
Related terms
CoordinateA numeric pair (x, y) that describes a position, often (longitude, latitude) in EPSG:4326 workflows.Longitude/Latitude order (lon, lat)The coordinate order used by GeoJSON and most WKT-in-EPSG:4326 workflows: X is longitude, Y is latitude.WKT (Well-Known Text)A plain-text format for geometries (e.g., POLYGON, MULTIPOLYGON) widely used in GIS and spatial databases.GeoJSONA JSON format for geographic features, using objects like Feature, FeatureCollection, and geometry types like Polygon and MultiPolygon.GeoJSON FeatureA GeoJSON object that combines a geometry with a properties dictionary (metadata and attributes).GeoJSON FeatureCollectionA container for an array of GeoJSON Features.Attributes (properties)Non-geometry data attached to a feature (e.g., name, id, crop type) stored in GeoJSON properties or Shapefile fields.