The vocabulary behind RFC 7946, in plain language.
What is GeoJSON?
- GeoJSON is a JSON format for encoding geographic data structures, standardised as RFC 7946. It represents points, lines, and polygons with coordinates written as [longitude, latitude] in decimal degrees, which is the reverse of the order most mapping interfaces display.
What is FeatureCollection?
- A FeatureCollection is the top-level GeoJSON object that holds an array of Feature objects. It is the shape most tools export and the shape a map renderer expects when you add a data source.
What is Feature?
- A Feature is a single GeoJSON object pairing one geometry with a properties object of arbitrary metadata. The geometry places it on the map; the properties drive styling, labels, and popups.
What is Geometry?
- A geometry is the shape half of a Feature, and is one of seven RFC 7946 types: Point, LineString, Polygon, MultiPoint, MultiLineString, MultiPolygon, and GeometryCollection.
What is Winding order?
- Winding order is the direction polygon coordinates are listed in. RFC 7946 requires the exterior ring to be counter-clockwise and interior rings (holes) clockwise; the wrong order can render a hole as filled land.
What is Bounding box?
- A bounding box is the smallest rectangle containing every coordinate in a dataset, written as [west, south, east, north]. Map viewers use it to auto-fit the camera so all features are visible on load.